Students from MPSTME planning to appear for GRE

If you’re planning to do your masters from the US, the process begins right from the GRE till you set sail for the said University. The most crucial year is, without a doubt, the 3rd year. The top Universities in USA want consistency and there is no better way to prove it than with your CGPA. Following is an extensive list of the various parameters which are looked at by the US universities:

GRE (Graduate Record Examination) – Quant (800) + Verbal (800) + Writing (6.0) Preferred score – Quant: 750+ Verbal: 500+ Writing: 4.0+ Preferred time – June-July, 4th Year

TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language)– Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking Important for those who have GRE Verbal score below 450. Preferred score – 100+ Preferred time – Fortnight after GRE

GPA (Grade Point Average)  College results matter a lot. Preferred GPA (MPSTME) – 3.0+ Preferred time – By end of September.

SOP (Statement of Purpose)

The universities want to know your purpose of joining. Preferably write it yourself because they have introduced a ‘writing section’ in GRE for this purpose itself i.e. they can easily make out if your SOP is original or not. Keep it ready by the end of September.

Recommendation Letters (3 required)

Recommendation letters from HOD, Dean and professors in whose subject you have good grades. Have a word regarding their consensus with the online recommendations if required by any University. Keep it ready by the 1st week of October.

The following aspects can raise the bar of your application in order to compensate for

the aspects which are not as good:

International/ National Research Papers: e.g. IEEE, ACM, Springerlink. Internship or probably a recommendation letter from you mentor. For CS students, the subject GRE COMPUTER SCIENCE can do magic. It covers topics like DBMS, C, C++, Algorithms, Theory of Computation, Data Structures, Logic etc. 750+ out of 900 is a good score. ONLY if you get 700+ report your scores.

All these things must be ready by October so that after your 10th trimester exams you can start applying online to the Universities and send the application packets also.

Advantages of being in MPSTME:

Course is slightly advanced as compared to other institutes – more number of subjects in curriculum. Universities in USA know well about NMIMS as a B-school and now MPSTME is also being recognized.

Below is a list of US Universities where MPSTME students are heading: Carnegie Mellon University (CS Rank 1) , Ivy league Universities like University of Pennsylvania & Cornell, Georgia Tech., University of Minnesota, Indiana University (Kelly B-school), North Eastern University.

Do not get disheartened if you’re not a technical wizard! I’m not one myself and like many of you even I start studying at the last moment when the pressure starts increasing. So work hard and you can make it! Good luck!

Niraj Kulkarni

B.Tech Computer Science, NMIMS MPSTME

MS Computer & Information Science

University of Pennsylvania USA, Fall 2010