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Zelinusa

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  1. Like
    Zelinusa got a reaction from jazbaatijon in UBC MSc Physics vs ETH Zurich MSc Quantum Engineering   
    Congrats on your offers!

    Both are great schools. I am currently an MS student in a Canadian Physics-related program also working in quantum engineering. 

    I would think long and hard about going into debt/paying out of pocket just to attend a higher ranked program, especially if you plan on getting a PhD and going into academia. Paying that off will be difficult. I guess you must have a solid plan of how you will manage financially (scholarships you are sure you will get, internships etc.). Personally, I would never pay out of pocket to attend a research-based grad program in STEM, especially if I have a funded offer (from a great university). I rejected a similarly high-ranked MS offer in favor of my current position because it was unfunded.

    Also keep in mind that European master's programs are mostly course based, with a 6-month thesis component. Canadian funded MSc degrees AFAIK are much more research based. Ask yourself, what do you want from your MSc? Research experience/publications, or graduate courses. I am not saying one is better than the other, but it is important to think about what your goal is before deciding. Personally, I think if you want to do a PhD afterwards, publications are key. If this is something you do not have, I would be inclined to go with the research option.

    Advisors are also important, which school has more research groups you are interested in? Every school will have a slight concentration on a particular area. If for example your main goal from the outset is to get a PhD from a certain group at ETH, that would change the calculus a bit.

    To summarize, unless you have a foolproof plan of how you can support yourself at ETH, I would lean heavily towards UBC. ETH is no doubt higher ranked, and an amazing place for quantum research but at the end of the day UBC is also very strong and ranking should not be the main factor (advisor, program nature, cost are more important in my opinion).

    That's my $0.02. Good luck with your decision.
  2. Like
    Zelinusa got a reaction from sugaaa in What are My chances for MS in Photonics/ECE ?   
    Yes, research masters also exist in Australia at the universities you mentioned (MPhil and MRes etc). For research based masters positions, it is all about the professors. If you have a professor's backing/funding to enter a MS program (MASc, MPhil, MRes etc.), your chances of admission are very high. From my experience, professors care more about how you fit into their research group skills/experience-wise (as long as you are above the GPA/IELTS cut-offs).

    As for Canada, again, it is all about the professors. I suggest doing a sweep of Canadian universities, identifying professors you would like to work with in each (where your experience would be a good fit), then emailing said professors expressing your interest. Emails should be substantive and personalized though (try not to spam). Most Canadian universites have funded MASc programs in photoniccs related fields (ECE, Physics, Applied/Engineering Physics, Mat. Sci etc.) so it shouldn't be a problem. Same applies to Australia although the process is slightly different, again but begins with reaching out to professors. If you want to go down this route I advise you to act quickly as deadlines for Fall 2020 are fast approaching. 

    Also note that if you are interested in transitioning directly to a PhD (much higher chance of getting funding) from a BSc, that is possible too (in Canada and Australia but not in Europe AFAIK). 

    Glad I can help. Good luck once again.
  3. Like
    Zelinusa got a reaction from sugaaa in What are My chances for MS in Photonics/ECE ?   
    Hi there.

    I have applied to many of the photonics based programs you listed. My interests also lie in photonics and condensed matter physics. 

    I think you have a strong profile. I don't have much experience with applying to US universities so I am not going to comment on them, although I still feel your profile is competitive for many of them. Funding though is another matter. I will focus on the EU/Canadian programs.

    I wouldn't worry about the GPA (I think it is good enough. I got into many of these programs with a similar profile/GPA).

    I think it would also depend on if you are looking for funding or not. If not, I reckon you can get into most of these universities (at least the EU/Canadian ones). Even if you are looking for funding, I think you have a great chance at Ghent/VUB, Europhotonics, Jena etc.

    For photonics oriented programs, I would add:
    Max Planck school of photonics, University of Eastern Finland, PIXNET (Erasmus program), and Humboldt University of Berlin (MS Optical Sciences) just to name a few. I would also maybe apply for funded MASc research masters positions in Canada (email professors you would like to work with to see if they have vacancies) since your research experience for a new grad is quite strong (if you want a research-based masters, as opposed to EU style ones).  

    From my experience, the course based masters (EU) programs care more about your grades/courses while research masters positions care more about your research experience. 

    In conclusion, I think you are competitive for at least the EU/Canadian programs on your list, your GPA shouldn't be a big deal.

    Good luck with your applications.   
  4. Upvote
    Zelinusa reacted to ESayson in Insider Info: Reality of Admission in Top Canadian Computer Science Graduate Programs   
    Strictly depends on the program.  Some schools require you find a potential supervisor prior to application, while other schools admit students directly to the program for course work first before finding a supervisor within the department.
    That being said, for PhD students, the chances are much better if you know a faculty member that wants to work with you since often, PhD students receive financial support through their supervisors.  If no one wants to work with you, the department can't fund you most of the time.  Also since PhD research is more subject/topic specific, it is important to have a faculty member with matching research interests.
    I would say a majority of our PhD students that are admitted have already worked with or at least communicated with our faculty members.  Otherwise, the PhD applicant should be from a high caliber school with outstanding reference letters from well known researchers in the field.
  5. Upvote
    Zelinusa reacted to ESayson in Insider Info: Reality of Admission in Top Canadian Computer Science Graduate Programs   
    I can't speak for all programs, but for our program, I think it depends on the reviewer but GPA is very important.  If you are not in the A range (high 80s to 90s), it's difficult to be considered since there are so many applicants with high scores.  If you do have excellent grades, then letter of recommendation and statement are also very important.
    Also, if English tests such as the IELTS is required, not meeting the minimum requirements may significantly damage your chances.
    I am speaking from a strictly computer science department point of view.  As in the MSc, engineering departments may have different procedures, however, I suspect top university is a major factor for all top Canadian schools, regardless of program.
  6. Upvote
    Zelinusa reacted to ESayson in Insider Info: Reality of Admission in Top Canadian Computer Science Graduate Programs   
    I would like to provide some information regarding the reality of getting admitted to top 5 ranked Canadian graduate schools in the Computer Science Program.  I work in the field and it appears to me that many applicants are not aware of some of the basic requirements to be admitted that are not overtly stated but definitely required.  Unfortunately, I am unable to reveal my university or position as I wish to remain anonymous.
    Most of the time, you MUST have previous degree from a top school of your country, especially for students with a degree outside of Canada/USA/UK.  This is extremely crucial for international students and unless you meet this requirement, it is extremely difficult to be admitted.  For most countries, you will need to be in the top 5-10 universities in your country (excluding Canada/US/UK/India).  For India, UK, and Canada you will generally need to be in the top 20 universities and for the US, top 50 may be considered, however, top 20 has a greater chance of being admitted.  One of the first considerations of the reviewer is the school in which you graduated and how that school ranks in your country.
    To elaborate, having a degree from a top university is important because this is the only sure way to prove that you are performing well academically because the teaching standard and research caliber of top schools are widely recognized and can easily be compared top Canadian universities.  It is impossible for each top Canadian university to understand the teaching, grading and research standard of hundreds of thousands of universities in the world, including many in a foreign language with public and private systems and most reviewers will not dig around for information regarding unknown institutions.
    For example, there are some universities that give a grade of 75% or above to only one in a few thousand students, whereas another university can have a graduating average of 3.7 GPA.  With variations like these, unless you graduated from a top university in your country where the general grading trend and teaching quality is recognized by the Canadian school, your chances of admission are slim to none.
    Furthermore, the other reason a top university is important is that reviewers want to see reference letters from colleagues or faculty they know and value the opinions of.  Since most top researchers in Computer Science meet in major conferences, presentations and events around the world, they are aware of each other’s work, reputation and standards when writing and reading reference letters.  Most of these outstanding members of the academic community are also positioned in top schools coinciding with the reviewer’s search applications from top schools.
    The top Canadian graduate programs in Computer Science receive over 1000 and sometimes even over 2000 applications per year, with three reference letters per application this is an astronomical number of letters to read.  Taking this number into account, while the content of reference letters matter, the respectability of the reference writer is arguably even more important. 
    For example, a reviewer reading 100 applications a day would have to read 300 reference letters, 100 of them may indicate that the student is in the top 10% of their program.  In the end, being top 10% may not mean anything because there are too many top 10%s and it does not indicate the quality of the student or education.  Moreover, there have been examples where the same reference writer indicated that three different students from the same year and class were the number one student in their class.  In cases like these, reviewers go back to looking at the top universities, since the caliber of education is known, and they may know the reference writers, therefore, ensuring the letter is reliable.
    If you believe that there are many exceptions to the rule, consider that the admission data from the previous year from one of the top Canadians schools: only TWO offers out of more than 100 offers made were outside of the guidelines above. 
    Of course, an excellent statement, GPA, reference letters, GRE, and English proficiency are also required even from a top university.  Moreover, other factors such as publications, conference experience, research projects and work experience, other achievements are also considered, however, if you do not meet the top university requirement, you will likely need astounding achievements in the other factors to even be considered for admission.
    The information provided refers to research Master’s and PhD programs in top Canadian universities and does not necessarily reflect industry targeted master’s programs in Computer Science.
    I am happy to answer any questions or clarify any points, feel free to contact me or respond to this post. 
  7. Like
    Zelinusa reacted to hirosh in University of Tokyo EE Masters program.   
    Hi I am in Mech. Eng in Univ. of Tokyo now. I know, many foreign students complain about low amount of info in English.
    In Japan, students take a lot of classes in undergraduate time, so the graduate course relatively focuses on research . But it depends on the department. 
    Students have to submit a Master's thesis before the graduation. 
    In Japan, if you want to go to Ph.D course, you are required to have Mater's degree. And for not-asian students, getting into Ph.D. of Univ. of Tokyo is much easier than getting into Master's, since the examination of master's course is paper-based, which is not familiar with non-asian students.
  8. Like
    Zelinusa reacted to time_consume_me in University of Tokyo EE Masters program.   
    You would have to write the entrance examination, in addition to all the steps of obtaining MEXT.
    If you can make it through all the rounds though, the security is unmatched -- the scholarship continues for the duration of your studies in Japan and is automatically extended if you move on from MA to PhD. Moreover, you are given up two years as a 'research student' to prepare for those entrance exams while taking advantage of affiliation with that institution.
     
    I would add to @hirosh's post that an 'in' with your prof can help big time on the entrance process. At another national university, for example, the interview provides a great opportunity to make your case to your supervisor and a few other faculty members. This might allow you to make up for a weak showing on paper. It's all about who you know.
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