kalai_nalla

Hey ! I got admitted into UIUC MCS for fall 2012.. I dint have great GRE scores or TOEFL scores bt I had very good undergrad GPA. I am not sure if its difficult to get into but I have the same concern abt the reputation of the course. That's the very same reason I am oscillating between my two admits Purdue MS Vs UIUC MCS !

I got admitted into UIUC MCS and Purdue MS CS as of now ! I am really confused between both. Following are the factors that I am considering, 1. Rank of the dept 2. Time required to complete the degree 3. Part time jobs, TA/RA 4. Cost of living 5. Does thesis or non-thesis matters ? 6. Placement scenario I am not planning for a Phd anytime later. I am kind of inclining to UIUC MCS but I heard this course is not as selective as Purdue MS CS. Please share your suggestions !

I got admitted into UIUC MCS and Purdue MS CS as of now ! I am really confused between both. Following are the factors that I am considering, 1. Rank of the dept 2. Time required to complete the degree 3. Part time jobs, TA/RA 4. Cost of living 5. Does thesis or non-thesis matters ? 6. Placement scenario I am not planning for a Phd anytime later. I am kind of inclining to UIUC MCS but I heard this course is not as selective as Purdue MS CS. Please share your suggestions !

Hi, I am planning to apply MS CS for FALL 2012. I wanna do my thesis in Software Engineering. 9.43/10 CGPA in 2010. 6 months of Intership and 16 months of Work Exp Worked on a paper in Service Oriented Architecture GRE score is 1270 (770 Q + 500 V, 3.5 AWA). Secured prizes in Inter coll SE contests TOEFL - 102 Secured 95 % in 10th and 96% in 12th board exams My first question is can I apply to one of these two universities. Was worried abt my GRE Verbal. If yes ,I liked the research in SE in UCSD than UCLA. But wanted to know which is better in terms of Aid, Funding, Tuition costs and Job opportunities Thanks Kalai

Okay That is really nice of you ! I got an idea of what an SOP needs to do :) I would to love to read your SOP if you dont mind ! I have started on my SOP Wish me good luck

Thanks nvseal ! Your profile is very much similar to mine But I do understand SOP and LORs make a lot of difference! How is funding at UT Austin ? Also, how specific you have to be in your SOP. For example , will it do if i focus on Software Engineering or a particular research in SE that I am interested in ? I dont want to be too specific because that increases my chances of not getting admitted.

Hi, I am planning to apply MS CS for FALL 2012. I graduated from one of top 5 schools in India with 9.43/10 CGPA in 2010. I did my internship in a Networking Company for 6 months in Application Development and as an employee in the same field for 1 and half years. I would like to specialize in Software Engineering as my career goal is to be a Technical lead. My GRE score is 1270 (770 Q + 500 V, 3.5 AWA). I know i scored less in verbal since I dint have much time to prepare. I have not done any papers though submitted 1 in SOA Architecture in a conference but actively participated in inter college programming competitions and SE contests and won prizes. I secured 95 % in 10th and 96% in 12th board exams. I dont have my TOEFL score yet. The universities I have shortlisted are as follows. Please assess my chances. CMU -MSE (2 years Work Exp course) University of Illinois Urbana champaign -MS CS Wisconson - Purdue TAMU Ohio state university Stony brook University of Florida UCLA University of Texas Austin Georgia Tech It would be great if someone can suggest me schools that are extremely good in SE research with some aid ! Thanks a lot .. .

Hi Weninger, I would love to do MS in UIUC. Do I have a chance for my profile that is all am thinking about ! I will probably not spend much time in finding info abt MS in UIUC if I am not qualified.

Thanks Zep ! That helped a lot . I did not know that the program is not funded. Well I do agree that I am not interested in research but I see myself as a Technical lead in my professional career. I failed miserably in my first project in identifying the correct process model suitable for the project and early engg problems. That is the reason I started thinking about Masters and specialize in Software Engineering. I did some investigation on research that is going on in SE in UIUC. I believe MS in CS with my thesis in SE will align with my career goals. Apart from all this I wonder if I have a chance there in UIUC . Following is my profile 9.43/10 - CGPA in 2010 from PSG Tech GRE 1270 (770 Q + 500 V, 3.5 AWA). 95 % in 10th 96% in 12th board exams Work Exp : ----------- 1 and half years in application development in MNC Internship in application development in MNC Other activities : --------------- No papers but participated in SE and programming contests in Inter college and secured prizes. Appreciate your help a lot !

Hi All, I graduated in 2010 with GPA in CS courses around 3.8 and planning to apply for fall 2012. I have 1 and half years of Work experience in MNC as Web developer. I am looking forward to specialize in SE. What drove me to UIUC is the research on user interaction and animation which aligns with my career goal to specialize in web development or any application development for end users. I am interested in MCS program. I understand getting into UIUC is extremely competitve. Can someone please help me how I should prepare myself for applying to this program in UIUC ? Thanks !