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ARJS

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Posts posted by ARJS

    KAUST spring 2015, who still waiting?

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    Please, anyone got an admission for the "Earth Science and Engineering" program (PhD or MS/PhD) for fall 2015?

    I submitted my application from 02/2014 for the MS/PhD degree, but the admission commission not made any decision because I have the English certificate missing.

    Then the commission moved my application from MS/PhD to Phd, and I'm still waiting.

    Anyone have information about this program? or anyone got his admission??

     

    Hichem, try posting your question here:

     

    This topic is rather old while the above one quite hot. Please make sure that you mentioned correct date of application (I  mean is it really 02/2014). If yes then which season you applied for? your profile says Fall 2014, which all of us know is slightly misplaced in time.

     

    Hope this helps...

    KAUST Fall 2015 Admission

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    ARJS ... second rejection for you I guess. If they reject you, who will be accepted? Big loss for them. Hope you better opportunities and bright future in or out of KAUST.

     

    annona, yes this is my second rejection. Thank you for your comments and best wishes. I am not a big shot actually there must have been many great students. I am not sure what exactly they were looking for in a candidate but I considered my application quite competitive. If you see the result search page what I noticed is that all the EE candidates were rejected. I did not see any acceptance from EE. Does anyone know anyone who got accepted in EE? Besides, remember the "sanity" of preferring diversity over meritocracy... :)

     

    Wish you guys all the best...

    KAUST Fall 2015 Admission

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    Sure I would definitely do that. The professor on the later half of the interview spoke about life at KAUST and things I need to do, things to avoid and fun places there. He was very positive about having me there for the PhD position, noting the fact that I have applied to KAUST just yesterday based on the prof.'s recommendation. I mean what will the 2nd interview be based upon and what will the interviewer be interested in?

     

    Thanks :)

     

    POI speaking about such matters really reflects that he is very interested in you and wants you to work with him. Good sign.

     

    They will be interested in your educational background, your relevant experience and how your acquired skills may help you in your graduate studies. You should remember that your discourse should be understandable to non specialists as many of the interviewers would be from that group. Questions like why you chose KAUST? And why should KAUST choose you? Why this particular program? Your hobbies? How you see the world? etc can be expected. You should prepare at least 3-5 questions to be asked when you'd be asked to ask any questions (too many asks,  nevermind I made my point :) ). This is a must that you ask some relevant questions about the program or anything you are not clear about. By 3-5 questions I don't mean that you ask all of them. Just one and maximum two would suffice. This reflects your motivation and preparation for the program. You should have some questions pool on the back of your mind in case few of them are already responded to.

     

    Hope this helps.

     

    Good luck...

    KAUST Fall 2015 Admission

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    Thanks for the information. I was interviewed by the professor today and he says he will recommend me for admission and said it will be followed by another interview. When should I expect to hear back for the interview and on what terms will the second interview be based on?

     And yes, don't forget to write a thank you email to the professor who interviewed you today. Sooner is better!

    KAUST Fall 2015 Admission

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    Thanks for the information. I was interviewed by the professor today and he says he will recommend me for admission and said it will be followed by another interview. When should I expect to hear back for the interview and on what terms will the second interview be based on?

     

    Well, not to discourage you, this is exactly what my professor told me. What I believe is there is a lot of difference between recommending and advocating an applicant? The later is more active and the candidate gets more chances of getting a second interview call. My POI even said that he was really impressed by my CV specially the kind of work I have been doing. But here we go, KAUST decided not to send me an invitation.

     

    What do you mean by: "what terms will the second interview be based on?" Could you be more explicit?

    KAUST Fall 2015 Admission

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    I have applied for a PhD in computer science. Which interview (one by the professor and the other by the university) is the deciding yardstick for admit.

     

    Both... Actually, if the professor refuses a candidate after interview, the university will not invite him/her for its second interview at all. On the other hand, if a professor pushes for some candidate and he/she is invited on a university level interview where the candidate does not make an appealing case ... a rejection may be served...

     

    Its obvious but hope this helps.

    KAUST Fall 2015 Admission

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    If only I came from a more obscure, exotic country. :P I know for a fact that there is already a student from my country in the course so I wouldn't add to the diversity I guess, since the cohort is already so tiny. Oh well, time to move on! And thanks ARJS for the encouragement! 

     

     

    I understand your feeling, Annona. I find that this quote helps:

     

    "My heart is at ease knowing that what was meant for me will never miss me, and that what misses me was never meant for me."

     

    Better opportunities will come for you, inshallah. :)

     

    You are welcome Hazzy,

     

    The quote you shared is really good...

    KAUST Fall 2015 Admission

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    Is this mentioned on their website? If it is a fact then they should put it out there so that people with a GPA below 3.7 don't waste their time applying there. Just saying.

    My GPA is 8.8/10. I don't know how they evaluate GPA's that are on a scale of 10.

     

    No it is not mentioned on their website. These facts are not mentioned on the websites because they want to make some exception in case someone has EXTRA ORDINARY research experience. Making this online will make it a policy for which institutions like these may become answerable, hence avoid mention.

     

    Try linear interpolation on your GPA. I am not sure how will they convert.

     

    Hope this helps.

    KAUST Fall 2015 Admission

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    @ARJS That's not the baseline but rather the average GPA of admitted students in EE. It simply means that some admitted students have a GPA less than this average and some are above it.

     

    I am afraid not. I am not referring to the KAUST website which mentions average GPA of all the students admitted (irrespective of program they were admitted in). I am mentioning THE BASELINE that EE program has set for its incoming students and that's not an average... I am not trying to be insensitive here but this might help you decide if you have any other options at hand. Hope this clears my point.

    KAUST Fall 2015 Admission

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    Hey fellows c'mon... don't be so overwhelmed... This planet supported life for 4.5 billion years and it would continue to do so even if none of us gets selected in KAUST. This is not end of the world. Why waiting is killing and c'mon you have started dreaming about it. We have to convince ourselves that our life matter more than getting admission somewhere and that KAUST and for that matter any other university's decision would not affect our ability to strive for the best. While it will give me immense pleasure if I am selected but at the same time it is totally OK for me if I do not get selected because I know it is not KAUST or Stanford or MIT or Harvard who defines what I am and what I am capable of. They just facilitate my transformation.

    KAUST Fall 2015 Admission

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    Dear mountain, when did you have your personal interview and please share the mode of interview? I mean is it through Skype or did you fly somewhere for interview. I am sure this topic viewers would really appreciate if you share your profile with others too. Thanks

    KAUST Fall 2015 Admission

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    Hello

    first of all thanks for your valuable info. abut the admission at KAUST, it was really helpful.

    secondly, do u mean that if the admission deadlines is expired (14 feb), we may still be accepeted or rejected??? i mean this is not the real deadlines????

     Hi AbdulKader90,

     

    February 14th is the deadline for applicants to submit their applications and all the supporting documents for their application to be considered for Fall 2015 intake. KAUST may not accept any application after that (not at least for the major round of admissions - rolling admissions may be possible but again I am not sure whether the applicants will be considered for financial assistance or not)

     

    What I really meant was that after passing the application deadline (14 feb), there will be some deadline for admission committee (known to KAUST administration only) by which the admissions office must finalize their decisions and communicate them to relevant offices / people. And for KAUST, one may expect a decision as late as mid of May. I believe KAUST will make sure that all the decisions be communicated by mid of April. After that, again, on rolling basis, only those would be contacted (by mid of May) who were initially waitlisted - in case someone rejects KAUST's admission offer.

     

    Hope this helps...

    KAUST Fall 2015 Admission

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    You are welcome...

     

    There is one more thing ... Your luck matters a lot as far as the KAUST admissions are concerned. You heard me ... Luck.

     

    KAUST is notorious about diversity. So, it does not matter how wonderful one's application is, if there is someone else from the country of citizenship applying to the same program and has a (KAUST) faculty recommendation which weighs more than the former's, it is highly likely that the former would be rejected. And rejection is certain if there are two such candidates.

     

    Bottom line: KAUST would never admit more than two students per semester from same country of citizenship in one program. Exceptions are US and European citizens because, apparently, these regions produce more graduates than other.

     

    So, I would not rely on KAUST much as diversity weighs more than merit there.

    KAUST Fall 2015 Admission

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    Dear Hazzy don't be nervous. It usually takes at least two months from the first application deadline for universities to make a decision. At KAUST, there is no specific deadline for admission decision however, at a particular date (which actually is a deadline for KAUST admission committee) the admissions office will stop reviewing application for upcoming semester and would send rejection emails to all others. Meanwhile, they will send interview invites, conduct interviews, make final decisions and communicate those decisions to relevant department / people and the students, all on rolling basis. So, if you hear that someone is interviewed or has been invited for one or have been offered an admission, you should not be nervous about that. KAUST will keep interviewing during Feb and March and decisions can be communicated as late as middle of May.

     

    Hope this alleviates...

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