1. Introspection:

Knowing your self is beginning of all the wisdom

Although we understand that you have decided to go ahead with higher studies, step back and think about which course you want to pursue. Discuss with your adviser, peers, seniors and still if you can’t decide we are here for your help.Whatever course you choose you should know the detail of the course structure and future prospects

So, step back out of the bubble you are living in and take a close look at your past internships and projects. What was the highlight of them all? Which part of those experiences you vividly remember? Was there any instance which you wished never ended? What was the most boring part of the experience? Note this down, either in your mind or in a notepad, and look at it. The next few years of your life is going to define your thought process profoundly. It doesn’t hurt to spend a few hours right now.

2. Wake up. Eat. Research. Repeat:

This step is a demanding one. If you are used to reading a lot continuously, this should be easy. If you are not, I suggest you take this as a bitter pill. Think about your priorities: University ranking (or) Degree ranking (or) Quality of research (or) Location (or) Placement statistics (or) Course structure (there are many more factors but I would say these are the most important). Write this down in the order of your preference (add more if you please) and start searching. University rankings, to be honest, tell very little about the degree. Every site shows a different ranking and the way it is calculated is based on Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation, Faculty/Student Ratio, Citations per faculty, International Faculty Ratio and International Student Ratio. We can safely say that all the Universities ranked from 1–5 will have the same quality in terms of the student experience and are separate by nuances based on certain factors.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2017/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats

Websites also list universities based on the degree, placement stats, research quality and so on. Categorize the universities into three zones: far-fetched dream, possible dream, safe and back-up. The number of Universities you apply to is based on your budget constraint, but 8–10 is a good number, with at least one University in each category above.  Excel is your bible, Now you might actually be proficient.

3. Some essentials:

Open a clean new spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel, either offline or online (preferred) and start making columns. Use the following for reference:

These are must-have columns, add more as you please. The GRE/TOEFL Scores column is to update whether you sent the scores.

You can summarize certain pointers:

• Take a diagnostic test before you start your GRE prep. Take two to be sure. If you obtain less than 300, you definitely need 3 months preparation. If it is 310–320, you can do well with a 2-month prep. For anyone else, we would recommend one-month of intensive preparation.
• Don’t neglect the logical reasoning part of RC.
• Remember, GRE has no negative marking and every question has the same weight. It would be futile to spend more time on any one question.
• TOEFL: It’s pretty easy compared to GRE. One week prep should be fine. Focus more on speaking than anything else, as you get very little time to prepare. Record yourself talking and make your friend listen to it. They can find mistakes which you can’t.
• Finally, whatever score you get, it is circumstantial. It tells nothing. As soon as you start researching, create this sheet. Updating here should be something you do by default, you should see this screen at least once in a day and always, always keep a reminder on your mobile or laptop at least 5 days before the deadline (It is very easy to lose track of deadlines, speaking from experience). But don’t take the chance.

Another good way to keep track of where you are in your application is to colour code the cells.

4. Statement of Purpose:

Just Kidding.

This would be the most frequently heard/said words for you over the next couple of months. People burden this essay with so much pressure that you would always second-guess what you have written. You will hear statements like, ‘SOP is everything man. It has to be perfect’. Let us break it down: It is not everything. It is just one piece of the picture. However, it is the piece that will tell about you most to strangers who read your application. The SOP is your chance to tell them your glorious story, to tell them your innermost secrets and convince them why you are indeed unique.

However, be realistic while choosing your safe universities.

Do not take it as a burden to write your SOP. This will probably be the only time in your life when you will spend so much time thinking about all that you have done till now. It is a lot of fun, based on how you look at it. That being said, we will summarize in the following points:

• Start writing your SOP right away. This is the perfect time to lay the foundation of the essay.
• A typical SOP should be 1000–1200 words, anything more becomes verbose. It can be lesser, but I would suggest you utilize the words well. It’s also subjective to Universities.
• I want you to write your first SOP without looking at any sample. Take this seriously.
• To give you a head-start, follow this rough structure: Childhood inspiration to pursue research, your interests, experiences of internships, any other relevant experience, why that particular University and finally how you stand out. Simply tell your life story in a structured and cohesive manner involving facts, anecdotes and examples.
• Once you are done writing the first draft, search online for all kinds of standard samples. We would suggest looking at samples of SOP of students who got into top Universities. Now your job is to start editing and re-writing.
• Finally, take a break. When you feel you reached the final draft, stop it. Don’t look at it for another week. And then go back again and read it from the perspective of a person who reads 500 other SOP’s along with yours. How do you feel? Do you want to change something more?

5. Resume writing. It’s important people:

Too often we see students spending so little time on their Resume writing. It is appalling. Your Resume is your marketing tool, guys! You are basically selling yourself through that one page. Students generally tend to make 3 mistakes in Resume writing:

• Use a standard format prescribed for everyone.
• Create a good, yet incomplete Resume. Eg: Missing out on minor details like test scores, skills, etc.
• Despite knowing that you lack somewhere in the Resume, you don’t try to offset it somewhere else. When someone is reading 500 other Resumes along with yours, it’s your job to capture their attention.

6. Letter of Recommendations a.k.a Professor Hunting:

Sigh. So, this is the part where good relationships with your previous project guides and professors will go a long way. If you don’t have any, don’t fret. It’s not too late, yet.

7. It’s interview time.

Let’s jump ahead a few weeks and assume you have applied to a few (or all) colleges you wanted to. Generally, the deadlines start late November and go up to February (or even later). Most colleges have an interview round and we feel they should. Each of you should go through this experience at least once. We’ll keep it short: if you get an interview call, do the following:

• Contact seniors from that University right away, they will definitely recall their experience and give you some tips.
• If you have a week’s time, don’t waste it.
• If the degree is related to engineering: thoroughly read about all of your past internship projects, know exactly what you did and the outcome, learn about the research work in that University, have a clear career plan after the degree and please know world affairs.
• If the degree is related to management (or a mix of management and engineering): Apart from doing the above, we would suggest you know the answer to some basic questions like What is teamwork? Why did I like this certain hobby of mine? What was one instance when my collaboration worked? Again, these are very subjective. If any of you get interview calls from the universities where I applied for the same degree, reach out to me then.
• Login to Skype 30 minutes before the interview. For that last 30 minutes, don’t prepare. Just think about how much work you’ve put in the last few months, play a favourite song in your head and be confident. It’s just another interview.
• Finally, after the interview ends, write down all the questions and answers in a word document. This will not only help your juniors but also yourself for the next interview.

8. The see-saw ride begins:

This is the most tricky time the whole process where you don’t lose your patients. Its seen often that a student receives 8 out of 10 rejection letters over mail. Make peace with the 2 and don’t repent on the 8.

9. Scholarship Hunting:

Studying abroad can be an expensive affair. Let’s assume you did not get a scholarship (which would be mostly the case), how will you sponsor? Apart from using personal savings and loans, everybody wants a scholarship. But the common stereotype is this: ‘Scholarships? It’s a myth man, I won’t get it anyway’. Disclaimer: It’s not a myth.

We are telling you after 100+ hours of research and years of experience. Its all about knocking the right doors and saying the right things

10. You did it. Take a break:

That’s it. You reached the end of the line. After months of writing essays, LORs, Resumes and e-mails, this is where it ends. This is the end of another beginning, another phase in your life. Right now, your job is to tie up all the loose ends. If you got admits from more than one University (assume this is your first preference), politely tell the other Universities ‘no’. Send a long e-mail to all of your professors who gave your LORs. Send an e-mail to every single senior and friend who helped edit your essay. Give a nice party to your close ones. Talk to your parents on call as much as you can. Always remember the rejections that kept you going. Try to write down the journey you went through in those few months.

Most importantly, this is when you need to start helping your juniors.