Considering pursuing a masters? We present to you – ThoughtPot, a collection of experiences and advice from UVCE’s own alumni network and their masters’ journeys! Here’s episode 1 which delves into the planning process and what’s most important while planning.

 

Tejus Siddagangaiah
Electronics and Communication Engineering, UVCE (Batch of 2012)
MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

 

After graduating from UVCE, I worked as a Technical Sales Engineer in the semiconductor industry. After three years in the industry, I realized there was a lot more to learn and many skills to develop. After talking to a few seniors and friends who were already doing their Masters, I realized a studying abroad would help me continue my learning.
The transformation from UVCE to CMU was quite drastic. The course work was demanding and I had to put in a lot of hours every day just to keep up with schedule. Most courses encouraged collaboration with peers to discuss course material, project ideas. This was one of the best experiences as I had to collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds. It is amazing how people with different background can brainstorm brilliant ideas.
For anybody planning to pursue Masters abroad, I would encourage them to consider the following points:

  • Academics: Maintaining good academic record during undergrad increases your chance of acceptance significantly
  • Standardized Tests: Give yourself sufficient time to prepare for all the required standardized tests
  • Extra-Curricular Activities and Communication Skills come in handy during the Masters program to network with peers, alumni, folks from the industry.

 

Swaroop Eswar
Information Science & Engineering, UVCE (Batch of 2015)
MS in Software Engineering, Arizona State University

 

Frankly, I must confess that the biggest reason I came to do my Masters was that my friends were doing it. A few of them were already doing their master’s, few of them were preparing for GRE. I just jumped on the bandwagon. There were several additional things that made me take this decision. During my short tenure at my first company, I realized that there is a lot more I need to learn and that going back to school was the best to way to do it. I also feared becoming obsolete in the software field if I don’t specialize in any particular field. Additionally, I thought I could earn some money (more money) if I get a job in the US. Why abroad, you ask? Simply because GRE is way easier than GATE or getting admission in any other decent Indian Universities. It gave a good opportunity to experience life in a new place. When I started here, I experienced a startling difference in the academic system between undergrad and grad. At UVCE preparing for either internals or finals was sufficient while we remained completely free during the rest of the semester. If not for all the extracurriculars at UVCE, we would have been bored to death. The assignments they give us at the grad level keep us occupied throughout the semester and also give some hands-on experience. We also had to get used to late night submissions, night-outs to do projects, and no free time. All this while cooking for ourselves, cleaning the house and doing part-time jobs to pay our bills. Though it sounds
exaggerated, it is very close to the truth.
For anyone lost in thought about doing masters, be sure about your purpose to do MS. Job, money, Research, skill improvement – all of these are good reasons to do MS, but different universities cater to different things. Before writing GRE, you should list a few universities you wish to go to and work towards getting an admit in one those universities. Relevant work experience, research papers and undergrad GPA matter a lot. A lot of banks provide financial support, hence choosing a university and getting an admit becomes the higher priority.