zerolife

I agree that a lot of the SOPs from Chinese students have been edited by a third-party and recommendation letters are usually written and signed by the student (with permission from the recommender). However I'm pretty sure the admissions panels at the top schools here are aware of this and can easily see through the non-genuine ones. I know at least the increase in Chinese students in the MISM program in recent years is attributed to an increase in GRE/GMAT score among the Chinese applicants, and this isn't something you can cheat on. Congrats to those that were admitted to Heinz

I can't comment on the other programs but in regard to MSISPM at CMU, do you have a real interest in security? If so, then you got hands down the top InfoSec program in the nation and perhaps the world (I might be biased here as a MSISPM student but I think with Cylab on campus and most security classes taught by senior CERT staff says a lot). However, if you are leaning more toward MPA/MPP, then MSISPM may not be for you. I think everyone in the program is looking for a career in the security or a technical field. Yes, we are under the same roof with the MSPPM students but MSISPM is part of the Information Systems Management side. You can definitiv take MSPPM classes but that's not the norm. btw the class size is actually 15. They experimented with 25 a few years ago but decided to go back to 15. There are a couple of good reasons why the class size is intentionally kept small.

I've considered the JHU program last year but couldn't find anything that would support its reputation. It seems like you don't have to take the healthcare related courses but if that's something interesting to you, I don't think any other InfoSec program can beat JHU in this area. Otherwise, I would highly suggest to take a look at CMU's two InfoSec program. Yes, there are two, one offered by INI which is more technical and another offered by Heinz that's more on the policy & management side. However the difference is pretty much just whether you want "Technology" or "Policy & Management" printed on your diploma. Students from either program can take courses from Heinz, INI, CS (yes the top school in the US), ECE (Engineering), SEI (Software Engineering), or Tepper (Business School). Why CMU? You have CERT and CyLab are on campus. Most of the Information Security related professors are CERT staff.

CMU INI (information Networking Institute) is a good choice but they are very heavy on the technology side. One of their admissions requirement is having taken a programming course. For a more balanced program, I would go with CMU's Information Systems Management program or Information Security Policy & Management if that interests him. Both are offered by Heinz College and neither require previous CS/Engineering background. That doesn't mean you can't make it more technical as many of the students also take courses from CS, INI or Software Engineering Institute. Heinz itself also offers many technical courses. Source: current Info. Sec. student at Heinz

I have to disagree with luvalicious. The driving test in the US is super easy. In my opinion, most of the people don't belong on the street. What will be harder for you is to find someone crazy enough to loan you a car and sit with you while you practise. You won't be able to drive by yourself until you get the full license. Unless you have a very close friend with a car, I would suggest to spend some money on driving school.

Elliott, especially at the graduate level, does help a lot if you want to find a job in DC in terms of connections, a great career center, and location. You might already know, the Elliott school building is basically one short block to IMF. However, Elliott is not going to guarantee you a job and a non-US degree is not going to prevent you from getting a job in the US. If I were in your position, I would just go with your dream school.

as far as I know, Pittsburgh is pretty cheap ... around $500 a month should get you a nice room in a shared apartment. However, you are looking at someone living in DC talking so your definition of cheap might be different. CMU has a housing registry system for grad student. You can get a temporary account by following the below instruction (got it from admissions office) First time access and you DO NOT have a Carnegie Mellon email address: 1). Go to http://pr.housingregistry.us/cmu/. 2). List all information requested. Starting date is first day on campus. 3). Students: List your department/college and advisor. If advisor is unknown, list your admission counselor. 4). Wait for email approval, which may take 1-2 days. 5). Go to http://www.housing.cmu.edu/communityhousing/ and select “Search for a Listing in the Housing Registry” to access the listings. Personally, I haven't started looking yet. Feels like it's too early yet.

unless Emory is giving you significantly better funding, I would choose JHU (or HKU). I don't think anyone can beat JHU's Public Heath program. As to JHU vs. HKU, only you are able to figure out whether you can comfortably pay JHU's tuition without spending your parent's & your entire life saving. As an international student myself, I suggest not to expect finding employment in the US with your major. Unemployment in US is really terrible (and things aren't look good for the near future either), you don't have any advantage as an international student in Public Health, and most importantly, while American students are able to move home and keep the living cost to a minimum, you are continuing burning through $$ while you are trying to find a job after graduation.

how bad is the next best you got into? Do you have anything to do for next year if you go for a third round?

not really, but just be aware that you are at least somewhat competition against people from your country. Highly ranked undergrad university might help but it's definitiv not necessary. I have plenty of international friends that graduated from no-name Chinese universities

I wouldn't be too worried. My understanding is that most schools do not have a minimum GPA. Instead, they are looking for the overall package. Sure, you might have a low GPA but you probably also have something else the highest ranked school values more than the other schools.

I'll comment as somewho who grew up in Germany and have travelled to France many times. Don't get me wrong, France is a great country. However, one of the cons about France is that more than any other countries I've been (that's 50+), you really need to speak French. I remember the first time I was in Paris alone, I asked four people for direction in English. Three simply ignored me, the fourth showed me the wrong direction (could be due to his limited English). I think overall, there tend to be the attitude that if you are in our country, you'll need to follow our culture including speaking our language. I'm not saying you shouldn't go there. I would just suggest to work hard on your French starting as soon as possible.

I would disagree with the above poster. Dictatorship - yes. If you can't live without election then Singapore is the wrong place for you. However in terms of freedom, I think they are doing a much better job than the US. I think NUS has a MBA program where you take classes at three universities in three countries (NUS in Singapore, PKU in China, and one in Japan I can't remember). You also ended up getting a degree from NUS and either PKU or the Japanese one. Not sure about the reputation but it sounds like an interesting one and I'm sure the whole Asia coverage will be a big advantage.

I don't really know this particular program either. As far as I know, CMU's Computer Science department is one of the best, if not the best, in the US. However, I just noticed on the program admissions page that they've extended the deadline to April. I think this might be a big red flag as it indicates that they have trouble recruiting enough people for the next class.

yup I have. Funding was pretty much the deciding factor for me. Althrough I was hoping for a full ride, it seems based on my research that the $18000 a year I got isn't that bad. The next best gave me no funding at all