Application for Admission to the Master's Program Curriculum and Ci Siu Form

Understand that you cannot earn your way into Harvard.Once, you could. And I don’t mean once upon a time like the 1700s or something. As recently as the 1980s, if you did everything right, got perfect grades and good test scores, showed leadership and commitment in extra-curricular activities, and showed at least some indication of being a high-quality person, you could earn your way in.Not anymore.For a couple of decades now the standing rule, as confirmed by a succession of Deans of Admissions, is that the candidate pool is such that Harvard could fill its <2000 seat first year class with any of 6000–7000 applicants, with no loss of quality.Candidate number #6000 being essentially indistinguishable from candidate #1.Lots (and lots and lots) of people HATE hearing this. Parents who have Harvard ambitions for their children. Alumni who don’t want to hear that the world has changed. Admissions volunteers who really want to believe that they are capable of determining who has the secret sauce that makes them a Harvard Man (or Harvard Woman.)But it isn’t true. You can only EARN your way into that top 6000. After that, which candidates will be admitted and which will not is based on things outside of the control of those candidates.If there are 5 outstanding candidates in a given year from the state of Wyoming, it is unlikely all will be admitted. Conversely, if there is only one outstanding candidate from Idaho, he or she has a good chance.Being an under-represented minority helps. Being an athlete helps. Being famous or the child of someone famous helps.But you cannot EARN your way in. You can earn a lottery ticket, with one chance in three of paying off.This means that you should not be too full of yourself if admitted, nor tooo despondent if you are not.How to get the lottery ticket:Near perfect grades in the most challenging courses available at your high school. It is not true that you must have 10 AP or IB courses, or even any at all. It is true that you need to take the most challenging schedule that your school offers, and excel;Very, very good test scores. Lots of people are ideologically enamored of the notion that test scores don’t matter any more. These people are wrong;Demonstrated passion for at least one extra-curricular activity. This one is important; Harvard doesn’t want grade-grinding drones. Grade-grinding drones are a dime a dozen. And it also doesn’t want people who are obviously participating in an extra-curricular activity in order to check off a box on their application. Get involved in something that interests you passionately. It doe NOT need to be academically-oriented. This is the area where many, many parents (especially, to be frank, from certain cultures) have a blind spot. It really is not true that the extra-curricular needs to be Math Olympiad, or national Chess team, or physics competitions. The soccer team is just as good, if not better (see #4, below.)Athletics matter. Not as much as at the traditional Northeastern liberal arts schools, but they still matter. Parents who insist that their child drop athletics to join the Math Olympiad are doing their child’s candidacy no favors;Be a decent person. This matters. Not only does it mean that you should have no record of disciplinary infractions or crimes, it also means that everyone Harvard hears from about you should be telling them what a great person you are. Not just telling them how smart you are; everyone applying at Harvard is smart. A letter of recommendation saying you are the best student a teacher has every had is good, but one explaining how you, as the best student in the class, went to great lengths to ensure the success of other students, helping, mentoring and tutoring them, is far better.You cannot earn your way in. You can waste a good deal of your youth in a futile attempt to do so. But you can earn a 1 in 3 chance.Good luck.

Hey Tobias,Honestly speaking, there's no way you 'can make sure' you get into TUM. The admissions committee will always have the final say, and you can never say for sure what they might, or might not like about your application.You can, however, make sure, that you give the application your best shot. TUM, as a university, has an inherently forward-looking character and a thoroughly global outlook. Although it has a very long and successful heritage of nurturing researchers, it is very agile and not shackled to it. You can make out how much attention is paid to each small detail on the campus, on the website, and in the way the university is run, in general. Even the people associated with the university - researchers and professors are very innovative and motivated to remain at the forefronts of their respective fields, which is understandable as the university is a sum of its constituents, after all. They would probably also look for these qualities in any application they receive to carry forward this culture of openness and inclusivity. Your motivation letter is, therefore, the single most important element of your application. If you have good grades to back it up, well and good, but I've seen people with strong motivation letters making the cut, irrespective of their grades.I think this applies to any application you'll ever make to any university/organisation. Gather as much info as you can and try to get a feel of the character and values of the organization. If you yourself can identify with those values, it shouldn't be a problem at all to make them known to the people who take the decision of admission/hiring. Carolina Falcón García has nicely elaborated on the application process and general requirements for such an application.I wish you the best with your applications!

I did my master in Mechanical Engg from IISc (2014–2016) and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.I wrote GATE 2013 and ended up with 99.98 percentile (Yes, in GATE we don’t get percentile but i know how to calculate one :) ). I had filled forms of three Maharatna PSUs, IISc Bangalore Mechanical Engg, IIT Bombay Design Engg, IIT Madras Mechanical Engg for Masters.And, what is the result? Got offers from all three PSUs, accepted at IIT Bombay as well as IIT Madras. No admission granted at IISc Bangalore :(. Such was the competition.I was very upset. I didn’t know what to do next. There was no plan B.During my Bachelors, one of our seniors has visited the HOD to meet him. The senior was doing his master at IISc so the HOD asked him to give a talk to our batch and motivate us for higher studies. He did a tremendous job by showing us few clips of research works going on at IISc. Since then I had become obsessed with IISc and though I got admission in IITB and IITM, I decided i will give another try although it was a big risk.I had job offers from NTPC, IOCL and GAIL. NTPC and IOCL offers were having bonds whereas GAIL’s offer was not having any bond so i decided to join GAIL. I worked there for one year but everyday I used to think whether I have done the right thing or not. Finally, the applications for 2014 were up and I applied.One hot afternoon of May 2014. There is an e-mail in my inbox and it said Congratulations!!!!. I was on cloud nine and was so happy that I almost tripped the million dollars Gas Turbine by bumping my fist just next to the manual trip button at GAIL’s Compressor Station.I told my parents who obviously told my relatives. I started getting numerous calls from my relatives telling me the pros of government job and advising me not to resign. So, I heard their points and then I talked to my parents who apparently were completely OK with whatever decision I take. They were unaware of the phone calls I have been receiving. So, I resigned and joined my dream college for masters .And, Oh Boy! what a place IISc was!! Lush green campus, amazing atmosphere, people discussing science while eating, walking and chatting.It had that charm of a world class graduate school but at the same time it was not a nerdy or geeky kind of place. For two years I studied there and they have been the best two years of my life so far. Lab night outs for experiments, chilling with friends, those heated discussions over science and many more. No one bunked classes at IISc because classes there were damn interesting. I learned something new every single day. In the classes, the obvious was never obvious and that what was not obvious was apparently too interesting to handle without opening the mouth in awe. In lab, you were responsible for costly machinery and equipment while doing awesome experiments. The assignments were as hard a possible but what they taught was far more superior than many many books. The faculty was world class. All of them were masters of their field and it was always a great experience listening to them during their classes and talks.I never regretted my decision of leaving a government job, not even for one day. My masters at IISc helped me become a lot better engineer. It was a great personal and professional experience for me and an honor.

NYU SPS/SPCS is a cash cow.  If you can fill out an application & make a coherent case for admission will most likely garner you admission.  Google search NYU SCPS and NYU SPS re: current & graduated students results and you may decide not to attend.

When I was 14 years old, I walked out of my 8th grade honors geometry class, looked my teacher in the eyes as I dropped both the homework assignment she handed me and my entire backpack in the trash. I never went back.I grew up on a farm and never went to preschool. I taught myself how to read using help from my older brother and the books that I loved. I was so excited to start school and learn all of the things I imagined I would. Then when I got there we were learning one letter of the alphabet per week for the whole year. I learned pretty quick that no one likes the kid with all the answers. So, I started pretending I didn’t know things. Everything was boringly easy to the point where I totally disengaged. I never did homework. Never studied for tests. Always passed without anyone paying attention to me.Finally I had enough of the charade, so I made a clear and final decision. I was never going to be babysat by bureaucratic robots ever again. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I was sure as fuck I wasn’t going back to middle school. There was nothing my parents or anyone could do. The school cannot physically restrain you, so every day if my parents made me get on the bus I would just walk off school campus.Finally they gave up. My dad, being fairly liberal and equally rebellious, put me in his pickup truck and drove me to the community college. They said I couldn’t be enrolled full time because I was not old enough to get my GED and I didn’t have a high school diploma, but I COULD be enrolled part time until I turned 16. (The only downside is my parents got sued by the state because I wasn’t in the public school system, so I would suggest at least pretending to be homeschooled until you are 16 unless you’re willing to pay for it)I took the accuplacer and tested directly into on level college classes. My dad signed me up for English 101 and Psych 101. I started thriving in the college environment. I loved it there. I was challenged enough, independent, and there was so much less drama. I was pretty tall, had a mature style, and wore a lot of make up, so no one knew how old I was.Then one day I was in my English class writing a paper and I mentioned that I was 15. The teacher came by and read what I wrote on the screen and exclaimed in front of the entire class “You’re only 15?! What am I, a babysitter?” I was ashamed and I never went back to that class again. The F is still on my transcript.I did continue on and when I turned 16 I got a full scholarship through the Gateway to College program which was created for kids who have high IQs and are under performing in public schools. I’m not sure if it still exists because I was the only kid out of the 30 in my cohort that actually graduated.I graduated with my associate degree when all my peers were graduating high school. Choosing not to participate in a paradigm that was limiting my potential actually allowed me to signNow my true potential much sooner. Many of my peers from middle school either became pregnant or drug addicted shortly after either graduating or dropping out.Lesson of the day: The established way isn’t the only way. Do what’s true for you. I dare ya..

There are many myths regarding Spring admissions and most students accept them at face value and do not enroll in Spring intake of US Universities. This article tries to give an explanation about Spring admissions in US and will help you solve a lot of your doubts if you are considering to wait till next Fall instead of applying for Spring.http://...US Universities Spring intakeEarlier, the Spring admission was actually offered to deserving students who had applied for Fall, but the capacity was full. Many Universities, especially for undergrad, still offer Spring admission to only such students. Hence, you can find that there are no official announcements on University websites regarding an application to Spring admission. However, with increase in the number of students, many Universities have officially started a Spring intake and courses are designed in such a way that the Spring admitted student gets the same education as the Fall admitted student. Internship and CPT requirement for Spring admissionsThe biggest misconception regarding Spring admissions is that Spring admitted students are not eligible for internship. For international students, there is a rule that you are not eligible for CPT unless you complete one academic year(typically 3 quarters or 2 semesters). However, there is an exception to this rule if you are a Grad student. If you are enrolled in a Graduate program which require immediate participation in CPT, you can go for an internship immediately after completing one semester in US. Most of the admissions in Spring to top Universities in US have this requirement. Hence, you are allowed to go for an internship during Summer, even if you started during Spring. You just need to confirm this with your department official.Internship/Co-op for Spring admitted studentsInternships/ Co-ops are available all throughout the year and not just during summer. Many Universities allow students to go on a co-op, which is nothing but an internship during Fall or Spring semester. You can take a course and work simultaneously. It is true that there will be much more openings in summer compared to other semesters. But then, during other semesters, there will also be much less competition. The only consideration would be if you are planning to do an internship immediately after Spring. For summer internships, you must start your applications as early as March. You will not have your grades by then, so your interviews need to be very good to prove your technical skills. Also, it takes time to get accustomed to the US education system, courses and structure. Hence, it will be a little difficult to manage the applications and coursework. But it is definitely not impossible. If your profile is good and your basics strong, you will definitely get an internship/coop opportunity.Courses offered in Spring Some of the courses offered in Fall are typically not offered in Spring. The University and your department will make sure that you get into the core courses that are required to complete your Masters when you are admitted in Spring. As far as the optional courses are concerned, you can always take them in Fall. Think of the courses offered in this way: Every Masters student has to complete a minimum of 3 semesters - Fall, Spring and Summer, irrespective of when they come or how fast they plan to complete their Masters. Hence, overall, the Fall applicants will have the same set of courses that Spring applicants have.RA/TA, Scholarships and financial aid for Spring applicants Another myth regarding Spring admissions is that they are not eligible for assistant-ship, scholarships or financial aid. This is completely false. A Spring admitted student has the same chance of getting either an RA/TA or a scholarship or a financial aid as that for a Fall admitted student. The scholarship or assistant-ship depends on your research experience, your skills and it has nothing to do with your timing of admission to a University. You must be proactive and approach the Professor in your field of interest if you wish to get some form of financial assistance during your Masters. Read this article for information about getting RA/TA in US University: What are assistant-ships and how to apply for RA and TA in USUniversities?  On campus jobs for Spring studentsMost of the on campus jobs are filled up by Fall students. There will be a few openings during Spring semester, but the chances of getting an on-campus job is less compared to Fall. But if you are planning to take summer courses, all these jobs will be available to you because most of the Fall students go for an internship during summer. Hence, it all evens out eventually.US F1 VISA for Spring admitted studentsThe US F1 VISA does not depend on when you apply or when you get an admit. Your chances of getting a US VISA are not increased or decreased if you are a Spring student. ConclusionFrom our experience as a team, we feel that Spring Vs Fall admissions in US is highly over-rated. You will have to study and work hard irrespective of when you enroll in the US University. By the time one completes his/her Masters, everything evens out.  If you have completed your Bachelors and want to come to US for higher education, do not wait for the Fall term admissions. Take your GRE, TOEFL and apply for Spring. You will save 8 months of precious time if you do so. And this time is much more valuable than the minuscule advantages of Fall admission compared to Spring.

1. Go here:EMJMD Catalogue - EACEA - European Commission2. Look for the program you like.3. Check out their webpage following the link given next to the program name.4. Check if you are eligibile5. Check the admission requirements and application procedure.6. Fill out forms+upload documentsAnd you're done!

(A2A) You write: "At the end of the day, I realize that the programs want to be sure the student can produce original, independent work."  That's exactly right! You should focus on making sure that this is actually true.  Then your application can present the evidence that it is true.  You do that in your statement of purpose, backed by your CV, transcript, and letters of recommendation.  It sounds like you're doing just the right kinds of things to prepare yourself.  One piece of advice: An important signal that you're ready to jump into Ph.D. work is that you are already "up to date" with your field of interest.  If your application shows that you have been using the latest technical methods and working on research questions that your prospective advisor sees as worthwhile, then that should put doubts to rest.  Even if you are not able to get those plugged-in research opportunities, you can read recent papers (and advanced textbooks) to get up to speed on the latest methods and questions.  In some cases you may have to work backwards to fill in gaps, e.g., in your mathematical background and intuitions.   In fields that don't require much equipment, you can take it on yourself to replicate the work of others and improve it in small ways.  It does help to have mentors who can point you in the right direction, so that you are learning the things that the field values most at the moment.Doing  a good research-based master's before applying for a Ph.D., as you  suggest, is one great way to ensure that your skills are solid.  It may  also allow you to do the Ph.D. faster by placing out of coursework  requirements and giving you a headstart on research.  Master's degrees are not usually funded, so the master's institution can afford to take a chance on you.  The problem is that it's expensive for you.  Free resources such as online courses, papers, and textbooks could be something of an alternative.To summarize the admissions committee's viewpoint, I'll repeat your statement: "At the end of the day, I realize that the programs want to be sure the student can produce original, independent work."So we don't care where you went to school.  In fact, if you were able to do first-rate work in an environment that didn't support it, we're even more impressed.  The fact that you were the first in your generation to go to college, and have been a go-getter, speaks well for you.  You are clearly a fast climber; other things equal, we would love to help you keep climbing the ladder.  The only worry is that you might have started farther down the ladder, or on a ladder with closely-spaced rungs, and thus might not be as well-prepared yet as students who went to another institution.  Generally speaking, in a choice between two smart and ambitious students, an admissions committee will prefer the one with more advanced coursework and more serious research experience, because they'll be productive on day 1.  Grad school offers on-the-job training, but there's a lot of hard work to be done, so advisors can't afford to hire students who will require a lot of extra hand-holding.  So, make sure you won't, because you've got the classroom fundamentals, plus the kind of post-classroom know-how that grad students have about contemporary techniques and research culture.  Then you just have to demonstrate this in your application.  Good luck!

My son attended MIT. We are an average middle class family. I am a public schoolteacher and my wife is a home daycare provider. My son grew up as a normal kid. He played neighborhood sports, guitar, and enjoyed school. Even though we recognized his passion for learning, we never thought of him as a genius and neither did he, even though he graduated validictorian from both middle and high school.I recognized his drive early in life, to see how things worked and his ideas of improving them, tinkering with them, etc. He decided he wanted to major in some form of engineering so, when he was in his Junior year of high school, we started visiting many of the local and regional colleges that specialized in this. After visiting Worcester Polytechnic and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institutes (among others) I suggested we visit MIT. He agreed but asked me if we were wasting our time as he then added "...because I'll never get in..."We chose a day for our visit and, as we were touring the campus, he looked at me and said "I could see myself here." I suggested we pick up an admissions application so we stopped at the admissions office. When he saw that it would cost $50.00 to submit the application (and knowing finances were tight due to bills I had incurred as a result of a spinal cord injury which rendered me a paraplegic) he said "Dad, don't waste your money. I'll never get in here." I told him to think of it like placing a bet in a casino. Take a shot because you don't know what the outcome will be.He filled out the application and took his SATs scoring (at that time) in the low 700s out of a possible 800 (low by MIT standards). He passed his interviews and settled in for the wait. He soon received the news by email that he had been wait-listed. I could see his disappointment as he showed me the letter and said "Well, I tried. I told you they wouldn't accept me."I told him that there was one more thing he could try if he really wanted that school. He could send an email to admissions thanking them for considering him and telling them that if he was removed from wait list and accepted in the second round that he would definitely attend MIT. Meanwhile, I sent in a non-refundable $500.00 deposit to his second choice school, Worcester Polytechnic.Two weeks later, he called me to look at his computer. I told him I was busy and he said, "Dad, you really have to see this." I wheeled in to the room to see an e-mail posted on the screen which stated in part, "Congratulations, you have been accepted to MIT...". He printed a copy to show my wife as we both stood there shocked. I tried my best not to cry as I hugged him and told him "See, I knew you could do it.." (even though I too privately had my doubts).He now started to get scared. He voiced such concerns as what if he couldn't make it, what if the work was too hard, if he was MIT material why didn't he make the first cut, what about the $500.00 deposit I would lose at Worcester Polytechnic, etc.I told him both his mom and I believed in him and if he wanted different perspectives, perhaps he could talk to his high school teachers (who all encouraged him not to pass up the opportunity). I told him that if at any time he felt he just could not do it, to come to me and we could consider another school of his choice. After a week of soul searching, he decided to go. His first year was hard and he thought about leaving several times, but he persevered and saw it through. MIT has a mantra which states "Work, Sleep, Party...pick 2". He somehow rotated through all 3 and survived.He graduated 3 and 1/2 years later with a degree in mechanical engineering. He had the highest average in his major and won the Presidential Award which, together with work study, enabled him to attend MIT a second time to secure his Master's degree at little cost. A professor with whom he had worked during his 6 years of attendance rewarded him with a free ride to obtain his doctorate, again at MIT. I still get a lump in my throat thinking of him graduating in his Doctoral robes.His first entry level job, chosen for its opportunities and not solely for it monetary rewards, started him at over $100,000 annual salary. He has published numerous studies and articles and now works on various projects, for both private companies and individuals. If a child needing heart surgery is able to have it performed without the doctor having to crack open his/her chest, thank my son. One of his first important inventions was the development of a device to do this arthroscopically.I say this to every teenager who reads this. If you are MIT material, they will know when you apply. If you really want an MIT degree, seize the moment and believe in yourself. It is a powerful experience you will never forget (nor will your parents--I still get emotional every time I relate this story) and you will make friends that will influence your life from all over the world. (I still remember the time my son took a Princess from India home to spend the Christmas holidays with us and she and my wife made pizza together in the kitchen.). Many times our dining room would be filled with students from all over the world but when they talked about their subjects in school they lapsed into a common language that my wife and I seldom understood. We used to say they were talking in tongues.Yes, MIT is an opportunity many wish for and few get. Make the most of it and don't let it pass you by.(By the way, I never did get back that $500.00 deposit from Worcester Polytechnic though, in retrospect, I consider it money well spent.)Update: I just wanted to take a moment to thank the readers for their kind comments and upvotes. Hopefully this post will make a difference in the lives of readers who are considering applying.