How I Prepared for My Master’s Applications
Welcome to this blog, which I hope will serve as a friendly guide for anyone looking to pursue a master’s degree in the U.S. If you’re here, it’s likely you’re working towards furthering your education, and I’m excited to share my journey with you, in the hopes it might illuminate your path.
I put this blog together not just for you, but also as a personal memoir of my experiences. It’s a way to ensure I remember all the little details of my journey and have a resource to share with anyone curious about my path to further education. And while the internet is brimming with guides for students planning to study abroad, I wanted to offer something a bit more personal. This post dives deep into my own experiences with the hope of providing you with insights and tips to enhance your own journey toward a master’s degree.
Remember, the application timeline can shift slightly from year to year, so it’s a good idea to keep yourself updated with the latest schedule.
Oh, and btw, I had attached a few of my sketches in between two sections/paragraphs. Hope they serve as a delightful interlude.
Overview:
I started my engineering degree in August 2018 and was set to graduate in June 2022. But when 2020 came around, I realized I wanted to pursue higher education. With the whole world dealing with the pandemic, I also started looking for jobs, knowing it was smart to have a backup plan.
I began seriously planning for a master’s degree for the Fall 2022 term around the middle of 2020. This early start gave me a good amount of time to get ready for this exciting but tough journey.
Step 1: Exam Prep — GRE and English Proficiency
Aiming for higher studies in the U.S. usually means taking the GRE and an English proficiency test (TOEFL or IELTS).
With the pandemic turning my academic life digital early in 2020, I found myself with extra hours that were previously spent commuting or engaging in extracurricular activities. My dad suggested it was the perfect time to start prepping for the GRE.
I signed up for an online GRE prep course in June 2020, which lasted until mid-September. While going it alone is totally fine, I appreciated how the course kept me on track with a daily 90-minute study commitment, ensuring I made progress even on days when motivation was low.
After the course ended, I tackled a few mock GRE tests in September 2020. Happy with my progress and balancing my college schedule, I scheduled my GRE for December 1, 2020, and had my results back in 15 days.
Next up was the English proficiency test. Given the unpredictable nature of the pandemic and the TOEFL’s two-year validity, I opted to delay this step, eventually taking the test on August 27, 2021, with results following shortly.
Step 2: Choosing Universities and My Major
Choosing my major was an easy decision — an MS in Computer Science (General). My goal was to keep my career possibilities as broad as possible, giving me the freedom to explore different areas such as machine learning/AI, software development, and more as my interests developed.
I kicked off with an extensive list of leading U.S. universities offering computer science, methodically refining my options by considering factors like rankings, geographical location, and the programs they offered. After several stages of filtering, I arrived at a final list that I felt confident about.
Step 3: Getting My Documents Ready
This phase was among the most time-consuming. It involved requesting, drafting, editing, revising, and double-checking documents — and then wondering if they were truly the best I could produce (haha).
The application process involved gathering a number of crucial documents:
- Statement of Purpose (SOP): Crafting my SOP took over a month, as I aimed to customize each one for the specific university I was applying to. The process of writing and rewriting SOPs can be quite frustrating, yet it’s a critical step in securing admission to a good university.
- Personal History Statement: This document complemented the SOP by offering a comprehensive overview of my personal background.
- Resume and Letters of Recommendation (LORs): Most universities ask for these, so I made sure to request three LORs from my undergraduate professors.
- Academic Transcripts and Certificates/Publications: I used these to highlight my academic and extracurricular accomplishments.
Step 4: Submitting Applications and The Wait
When submitting applications to various universities, it’s crucial to ensure that all the information you input into the application portals is accurate. I meticulously reviewed all the information I entered three to four times before proceeding to pay the application fees.
The subsequent and final phase was the waiting period. Among all the steps, this one arguably demands the greatest amount of patience. Anticipating the results, which would only be disclosed after three to four months, really puts your patience to the test. However, it’s important to stay calm and patient during this time.
Reflections:
What did I do right?
- Starting Early: Kicking things off ahead of time was a great move. My preparation for applications for Fall 2022 began in the mid-2020s. It gave me plenty of room to think through my options and get ready for tests without rushing.
- Taking Small Steps: Tackling the process one small step at a time instead of trying to do too much at once helped me a lot. This made the whole thing feel more doable and less overwhelming.
- Keeping in Touch with Professors: Staying connected with my professors from college and people I worked with before was really helpful. Their advice and recommendations made my applications stronger.
- Being Patient: I learned that getting into a master’s program takes time and involves a lot of waiting. Keeping cool and patient during the wait was crucial.
What could I have done better?
Working on My Profile Sooner: Looking back, I see how helpful it would have been to start building my profile right from the start of college. Getting involved in projects, internships, and activities related to what I wanted to study could have made my application stand out more. It would have given me more experiences to talk about and made my application even better.
In the end, it’s all about patience and dedication to your goals. Here’s to your success on this journey!
