In today's article we're going to talk about what the
entire application process looks like for Masters and PhD applicants applying
for the fall 2025 intake.
When to
apply?
If you are just entering your final year of undergrad
or entering your final year of Masters that is when you actually apply for your
next fall 2025 intake. The whole reason is the US application process takes one
entire year which means that this August onwards you'll start applying for
colleges and the deadlines typically get over by December or January and yes
typically that would mean that the deadline is over and you haven't finished
your degree yet that is completely okay they have a different metrics in place
where they judge how you're performing in your final year so it's not a
requirement that you have to complete your degree in order to apply. You apply
during your final year for the next intake which is going to be the fall 2025
intake.
·
Step one is Degree types
understanding the different type of degrees that actually exist in in the US
because once you are in that graduate level you have a couple options to
consider a few of them include a master of science degree which can be divided
into.
·
Two there's a thesis track and a
non-thesis track in general the master of science degree will be 2 years long
and if you choose the thesis track you'll most likely be paired with like a
professor and you'll do a research towards by the end of your master's program.
You'll have a thesis and a research-based program that you would have completed.
·
Non-thesis option means that you
will take certain amount of coursework for the two years and by the end of two
years you would have completed gotten graded in those coursework and the
research part is not necessarily required the next type of degree is a master
of engineering degree which is what I did at Cornell University this is
typically a very aggressive one-year program that allows you to be in a
professional environment.
Your courses are most likely going to be something
related to what you can expect in an industry career after you graduate lastly
the option is a PhD these are at minimum 3 to 4 years that's a starting point
some Ph.d even last 6 Seven 8 years so it is a big degree but this typically means
that you'll be spending all of your time in research and you know have a
dedicated um doctoral level degree as well as a research for the particular you
know.
Field
you’re selecting
Field that you're
selecting the best thing is after you've completed your undergraduate
degree you are eligible to apply to any of these degrees yes as a bachelor
student you can even apply directly for a PhD I applied I got into UC, Merced’s,
PhD program I didn't end up choosing it for you know certain reasons it didn't
fit my kind of career prospects at the time but you are eligible so if someone
directly wants to jump into research they can just skip the entire Master's
process and go directly for a PhD.
The
Standardized tests
Second step is standardized test now a lot of college
had this as optional but slowly are mandating the requirement and these
typically include writing the GRE or the GMAT if you're focusing on a business
related degree you may have to write the GMAT if you're focusing on a master of
science or PhD a GRE might be required depending on the department as well as
the degree that you're applying for the minimum cut off may vary just as a
ballpark if you want to get into a very. Competitive Department a very good
program getting GRE scores of above 320 or 325 out of 340 is a good place to be.
Requirements
The number one priority are going to be your grades
typically because you're applying as an international student the grading
system may vary so you'll have to go through the West evaluation which is the
official evaluation that colleges in the US consider to get your degree
verified as well as your grades converted you as a student will not convert
anything by yourself and the next thing to consider is because you're applying
for a graduate level program they expect your grades to be at a minimum 70 to
75%.
If you're anywhere lower than this it's unlikely that
you'll get into a good program if you have higher grades the competitiveness
improves and you have really good chances of getting good admits letters a
recommendation now these typically come from professors if you're applying for
a grad program and you have some work experience you can also get it from your
supervisor your boss but anywhere between two to four letters of recommendation
is what colleges look for
Submit a
Resume
In addition to that graduate applicants are also
expected to submit a resume now this resume sometimes is like given as an
alternative to a CV so if you're applying for a research based program maybe
you can have a lengthy CV where you're including your research based activities
or if you're applying for a professional degree then you can have a more
professionally looking resume it's probably a good idea to tailor the resume
depending on each program so it can look different and actually be tailored
towards the program that you're applying for next we come to the statement of
purpose.
Now I've seen different cases sometimes you may just
have to write one statement of purpose which is what do you actually want to do
as a graduate student what research do you want to get involved with what are
your career prospects what do you want to do ultimately with the degree in
other cases I've seen two essays a statement of purpose and an academic
statement of purpose which is a little bit more research-based if you are
applying for a research-based degree. Be prepared to write in in detail what
you want to actually do your research in within these essays sometimes it's also
smart to mention one to two professors that you ideally want to work with this
shows that you've done your research and you know what kind of work is going on
in the university and where you would be a good fit in in any case. Do not use
AI tools like chatGPT.Colleges are very smart they have AI detectors all over
the place and your application will most likely just get automatically rejected
if you end up doing something like this.
English
Proficiency
Lastly we have English proficiency now as an international
student you will need to write one of these tests TOEFL is or dualingo and
there's a minimum cut off for toel typically anywhere. Above 100 is a good
score it's basically a formality pass or fail write the test get it over with.
Scholarships funding opportunities
Now let's come to Scholarships funding opportunities
so let's talk about Master of Science now whether you choose a non-thesis or a
thesis option really differentiates the funding opportunities. If you are in a
thesis based Master of Science you may have the option to do a research
assistantship or a teaching assistantship to get a monthly stipend in a master
of science non-thesis option.
Teaching
Assistantship
You could maybe do a teaching assistantship but a
research assistantship is unlikely because your coursework related degree
master of engineering programs do not have any funding options no scholarships
no raata no steins.Lastly Ph.d are typically always funded as a PhD candidate
you will be expected to work as an RA as well as a ta so you get a monthly
stipend and the college takes care of your tuition fee as well. Now there are
very few scholarships available but often times when they are available they're
typically given to Master of Science students so you can get maybe like a small
amount of merit-based scholarship.
Deadline
Lastly Deadlines submitting your application on time
remember that different degrees different colleges different departments all have
different deadlines so just because the main page of the website has a specific
deadline, it may not be that the program that you're trying to apply for has
the same deadline so as a graduate student. I highly recommend you use like
some sort of an Excel spread sheet tracker to make sure you have the deadlines
in place so you do not miss out colleges in the US are very strict about these
deadlines and it's a good idea to submit at least a week to 10 days before the
actual deadline itself next being a graduate student.
You'll be applying to different colleges through
different website and different portals so you can use that same Excel spread
sheet tracker to keep track of your username passwords and the link to the
application portals itself it's a good idea to apply anywhere between 10 to 20
colleges and if we talk about an application timeline rough timeline that
you're looking at since applications open August onwards it's a good idea to do
all of your tests before that so the summer before the August.
Studying
for your test
Studying for your test write as many as you need if
you need to write your English proficiency gr GMAT get that over with right now
and start working on your essay. The big essay which is typically 1,500 words
or so is something that you'll be spending two to three months on so maybe by
September you can finish doing that once you're done with that you start doing
all of the other requirements so October and November can be spent in the
college actual requirements Gathering documents getting your references.
