MS Advice - Application Tips

Now for the actual application process !!! Let us discuss some of the important points to note while applying.

Applying early helps !!
The reason is that US univs get literally thousands of MS applications.
Some of them evaluate applications as apps arrive. So early apps may
help.

Make sure you have a fair idea of which universities
you want to apply

Do
not spend more than 2 weeks collecting the application documents.

Transcripts
should arrive within a week of you writing to the university. If your
university does not provide transcripts, go to your university
registrar and get the copies of all the marks sheets (and degree cert,
if you have it already) sealed, signed, put in an envelope and the
envelope also sealed and signed :-).

The financial documentation can be
as simple as a bank statement and a letter from your parent
guaranteeing support to your studies.

Most time consuming job will be
writing Statement of Purpose (SOP).

Be careful of your SOP
!!! You need to carefully research each university you are applying,
take a close look at the professors and research areas available, and
phrase your intentions accordingly. Do not lie in SOP - they are
usually smart enough to figure out such essays, and do not make others
write your SOPs. Write them yourself, and write the truth - you will be
so much more happier at the end.

You need to mention your :

background

current expertise (networks, algorithms etc),

what you are going
to study at such and such a university

briefly about what you are
going to do after MS.

You need to mention why you are choosing that
perticular university also - be frank. Writing "I chose this because my
credentials (GRE, marks, domain) is in correlation with your
expectation" is much more impressive than "I chose your univ for the
sake of doing some turing-award winning research".

Collecting recommendation letters may be a challange. Make a list of
people you know and can provide good recommendations. They can be past
professors, your managers in companies, coleagues, even friends and
relatives. But the important thing is they should be able to provide
important, reliable and true account of your academic quality. So,
professors have the best chance to provide good recos, because they
would have taught you and they know the subject. But it does not mean
anybody else can't provide a good reco - if you have worked with
somebody for some period of time, they can be able to provide good reco
also. Some professors in India do not bother to write recommendation
letters, seal them and post them. If submitting online recommendations,
they may not care to put that effort. So please make sure you go and
talk to them about recos, and work with them to complete the process.
Many a times we find ourselves typing our own recos !!! Make sure you
tell the truth in case you are providing content to your professor
about what he/she might write in your reco.

University in focus today:
University of Florida, Gainsville

Pros: Low Cost, Great Climate, Higher chance of financial aid
Cons: Limited research
Rankings: Computer Science - tier 3