My Life – After applications….

You guys must be thinking what has happened with me suddenly with my erratic posts and disappearance for long intervals. Well guys, the last few weeks have been traumatic to say the least. I have had a long wait since I applied (I believe I left at 12th November when I despatched all my applications). Last week I finally got my first admit after a heart wrenching wait spanning more than 4 months with a healthy share of ups and downs along the way! This post is in continuation of my series (MY LIFE / JOURNEY) and I hope it turns out to be more than a boring read!!

First of all, I would like to share my happiness with my readers with an admission offer from University of southern California with a possible aid package which has me relieved to some extent. I am quite certain of getting 2-3 more decisions by this week end! So yeah – am a bit nervous and excited – predictably!

My wait has been quite boring with nothing more than long bouts of depression and anxiety. I would urge all future applicants to make sure that you guys have something or the other up your sleeves to keep yourselves busy (more like occupied) during this process. While my applications were the first to reach in most universities, I have been tormented frequently with others getting decisions (those who applied as much as a month or two after me) and therefore was unfortunate to lose my nerve on many an occasion. However, I must confess that it has been a very enriching experience for me. It has made me realize that there are many misconceptions / myths which I would now clear up for the sake of future aspirants (USA Grad applicants)

Myth 1: You get a early decision if you apply early

Truth: Not necessarily. In fact, it might happen many times that your file might get misplaced (happened with me for university of Oklahoma) or you might find some documents missing (as it happened for a friend of mine with Texas A&M University). So my advice, apply just 15-20 days before deadline.

Myth 2: Deadlines are strictly followed

Truth: While it’s pretty obvious that something like this cannot be a norm, it gets a bit edgy while answering something of this sort – reason is that while some programs (specially the larger ones) do enforce the deadlines strictly, others (smaller ones) may not! A better picture in this regard can be given by the current students / faculty.

Myth 3: GRE and GPA are the two most decisive factors in admission process

Truth: The harsh reality spells SOP (essay), Recommendations and research work to be the three most important parameters for the selection process.

To end this post, I will just add that while I am still waiting for decisions, I am now pretty confident that I will make it next fall. If so, I am all set to get into the rigors of grad life in full swing. I extend the best wishes to each applicant or prospective and hope you get into your dream schools!!!

link to the first part: PART-1
link to the second part: PART – 2

Feeling nostalgic….

Sorry for not posting anything yesterday! Had a very eventful day with loads of things to do and some depressing times to just dabble up the day! I was cleaning up my room yesterday and found a few pages from my 6th standard ENGLISH notebook. PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR DEVIATING FROM THE STANDARD GRAD BASED AND EDU BASED POSTS. I APOLOGISE TO MY READERS FOR ANY LOSS OF TIME AND OTHER ISSUES WHICH MIGHT OCCUR DUE TO THIS POST……

I always loved being alone. Back in my school days, I always liked the idea of a lonely trail with a train track on my side and I used to picture myself trudging along the tracks. I loved the poetic beauty of loneliness – and that too when I was just 8 years old. I know how much I have transformed in the last few years. I got hold of two poems yesterday which I had, in all probability, penned in one of my many boring class lectures. They seem childish and immature – and full of naivete, something I dearly miss. I must however confess the real reason for my feeling a bit lonely now. I see myself going on for another 5 years of lonely life in a distant land. My best friend just got into a great school and I know for certain that my chances to get in with him are in negative percentages at best. I, however, do know that I once was, and therefore could very well again be a loner…….that’s what I am!

HOME ALONE

I remember a day not long ago
when I was in the home alone
The house was quite
and I was full of fright
With the thought of demons in my mind
I leaped at the sight of a mice on the blind
I ran as fast as I could
and finally found myself in the bed room
Alas, I was again in the bed room to bore
but suddenly I saw a light near the store door
Just then the doorbell rang
making me think of some mysterious gang
but when I had the door ajar
I found my mom and dad standing beside a car
I was so happy that I don’t remember the rest
but what happened was for the best
……..but I would never forget what had happened that day
when I was in the home alone to stay…….

This poem reflects the kindof person I was back then. It is a weak attempt at trying to club words and meanings into a tentative cohesion to forge a meaning of sorts! I was and will always be on the “path” to perfection. I am determined to start penning poems again as a way of letting out my emotions in a healthy and fruitful way. I hope I am able to do so for my own sake.

Life is full of lessons. Each has its own way of showing up. I have faith on a higher power, always have had, and thus would like to put my life in his hands once again. Let’s see where the winds of change will take me this time around!

PS: I would get back to my normal self and post pertinent information from tomorrow

My Life – my applications…..

I finally decided the time had come that I should put my head down and script the next (the second) part of my journey! Since I decided only to keep it strictly to my graduate life (would be life hopefully), this part will include the entire application process. It involved me running from one place to another (rather one corner of the country to another), getting all documents in order and also making sure that everything goes as per plan. There have been many lessons that I have learned from this experience and I feel it can be useful for future applicants as well.

My tests were over by 6th of October and here I was with no clue as to what I should do. After-all, I am a professional (was a professional) and thus was completely cut off from college friends as such (current graduate students in USA)! So the first thing I did was call up my friend in TAMU (actually he called me up when I mailed him ). Well, putting to rest many of my concerns, he showed me what all I should do and how! After I was done with most of my preliminary euphoric mannerisms (the elation was a result of the exams getting over – not the results!), I sat down in front of my laptop and started going through University websites.

Please note that it will be prudent if you complete your advanced research (university of course) much before your actual application stage. This allows you to get a better picture and prepare well for the process itself. It also provides you with the opportunity of finding your dream adviser/research group and thereby, a much better possibility of an admission. I missed out due to my habit of procrastinating I guess!

So as I already said, the next step was to put my head down and start my little RESEARCH. It was fun! I remember how I would sit logged into a specific university website for a few hours, reading the seemingly endless information they are fraught with, and then just give up and take a break; again to find myself repeating the same stuff with another university! It took me 2 weeks which was also ample time to get things straightened (wrt resume and recommendations). For recommendations, I called up my professors a day after my tests got over and asked them if they would lend a hand!? I was delighted to find that they were more than happy to help!

I would like to add here that it would be better if you contact the intended recommendation providers before hand (a month or two in advance) as it always helps if they know before hand so that they get enough time to draft the recos. If they haven’t known you for long, try and provide a one page resume or CV. Also provide them with pertinent information such as the specialization you are thinking of and the universities you are planning to attend. Make sure to ask them if they are in a position to write something nice about you which will project a positive aspect (to the admission committee) as that is our final goal. Don’t be blunt however, they are, after all, doing us a favour my giving a recommendation.  

While I was drafting necessary pointers for each of the university, I also realised how very knew petroleum field was to me! At the same time I felt a strange attraction like never before. It took me exactly 3 weeks to finish drafting my essays and tailor them for the universities. My diary (yes…the same old GREEN monster) was very helpful and I still have it on my table as I craft this piece,  .

I had to go to Bangalore after I was done with my preliminary preparations! I had booked the tickets (sadly was unable to get Rajdhani tickets for Delhi-Bangalore journey :-( , and it was horrid). By this time, I was done with my SOP, recommendations were drafted and my reco providers said they were ready. I was done with the applications (not submissions, just filled them) and also had taken the soft copies of all the forms which were needed (including the offline recommendation forms).

I have a good friend in my college (he is junior to me, so don’t be under any wrong notions ) who made all the necessary preparations. He had the letter heads ready, He booked my tickets (for Belgaum as my university – VTU – is in Belgaum) and made other arrangements. I had the misfortune of losing my shoes (yes somebody stole them) on the train. So, I had to go all the way to Belgaum with my slippers on . I know how horrid my tale must sound to most of you guys but then those who know me personally would surely be having a hearty laugh!

I was fortunate enough to get my transcripts in a day’s time. That made it possible for me to get back to Bangalore the same night. I stayed in the College guest house (thanks to my friend) and had a good shower and some lunch. Then I went straight to the Department and was thrilled to see the old (and many new) faces. I had a nice chat with some of my professors, HOD, and discussed about many things on and off the issue at hand (that’s why I would refrain from putting them down here)! The best of all was the talk which I was compelled (and I will add – happy) to give to the second year students on the advantage of sticking to core engineering job (as IT seems to again come in flavour among chemical students). 

It took 4 days to get all recommendations, get them sealed and signed, and get going! Bangalore was a great experience and I am just waiting for another opportunity to go there once more! It is just that my present state of mind doesn’t permit me to have such trivial fun!

After getting back from Bangalore (with transcripts, recommendations and printouts!), I finished the application packets (with all necessary documents) and posted them. The Diary (yes…GREEN) was my only aid and friend, and believe me guys; you too will need something similar when you apply! I sent all my supporting documents and finished the applications by 12th November.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

MNH: My dear friend from TAMU. He has helped me so much at a time when I needed it the most.  

ASK: My dear friend. He has taken so many pains and had to face so much trouble for me. I hope he reaches great heights and does well in life. (He already has a 1500 GRE score and a 99.5 percentile in CAT)

NA: My best friend. He has always been there for me, to listen to all my crazy ideas, my problems, my tensions. I have no idea what I would do without him!

Mom and Dad: They have supported me all along and cared for me so very much! I am forever indebted for all their kindness and faith which they bestow upon me!

link to the first part: PART-1
link to the third part: PART – 3

For information on SOP, recommendation, resume, etc, try the recommended section.

My Life-From Engineer to a Manager and finally to a Doctor….Oh how confused I sometimes get!!!

I read an article recently which was scripted by a gentleman in 2002. He had documented his experiences with regard to GRE and had provided good tips on tackling quantitative and verbal sections! I suddenly felt that I have not put down anything of this sort and as my blogging has slowly morphed into a passion, I finally decided it just had to be done! To be honest, I don’t feel my performance was any good in the actual test but I have some very interesting musings from the entire GRE and application episodes and just feel I owe my readers a peek into the same! So here I am rambling again probably as ambiguous as always and would sincerely ask you to forgive me if my language or thoughts get blurred in the process.

First, the run-up to the actual exam!

I still remember me sitting one fine morning in my company library and reading a petrochemical journal. It was a lazy day (so lazy that I had to run out on my shift in-charge during a morning shift to the library… …). I was half expecting to simply fall asleep, but alas, I never knew it could get so very impossible (ask my friends and they would vouch that this incident has to be an outright lie). Anyhow….after this realization dawned upon me that it is not just a one-off incident and that I was somehow hooked upon petroleum and petrochemicals like never before, that I realised that this was something I had wished to do since my engineering days! My penchant for oil dates back to my 3rd year in engineering and this was simply a reincarnation of sorts! Thus deciding to try and do something rather than waste a few more years in my endless shift duties and panel operations, I decided to; guess what; yes, call up my best friend!!!! As destiny would have it, he too was somehow hooked on to the idea of petroleum engineering thanks to a few shell publications and his not so regular internet trysts! It was like a distant light partly hidden by fog suddenly becoming all too apparent and clear. I realized that there is surely a future, possibly a very bright future in Petroleum engineering. But I am just too vacillating a being to rest at that. On the solemn urgings of few of my friends who thought I was destined to be a manager in my own right, I decided to give MBA a serious look! I cooked up plans of joining some coaching institute and even thought of dropping the idea of GRE completely (and this was one of the reasons why I was unable to put in consistent effort into test preparations!!). But then one fine day, as destiny would have it, I found myself back in the library with another petroleum journal in my hands….! And believe it or not, this time I did drop off for good, but I had a weird dream, of a kind I have never ever had before! I saw myself on top of a tanker ship directing an emptying operation! Again I had a wild hunch then that this had something to do with my college days (I had done some slight research on tanker operations). So was back with a brand new reckoning! The only issue; the only dilemma I faced was that I just had a month to go for my standard tests (which were scheduled for 3rd and 6th October….dates that are going to be etched in my memory forever!!). At this stage I got tremendous help from a few of my friends who themselves probably have no idea that they actually helped me…. …. Anyhow, being completely honest, my lousy GRE preparation included 20 days of Big book, 10 days of Kaplan + ARCO essays and 7 days of Barron’s dappled with intermittent bouts of internet fever when I would lock myself up with my computer for hours on end just to watch movies (and skip meals in the process). I am sure my friends from my old company would vouch for the same any day.

Anyhow, I am sure you would appreciate what my mental state would have been when I actually went for the test on D-day. I had my GRE on 3rd October and to be honest, I was just too excited to feel any nervousness!!! I still marvel at how such a paramount change is possible for somebody like me who used to fret like a nervous chicken in semester examinations! I still remember the moment when I decided on reporting my scores and I was just too delighted with the scores the screen showed. It was as if I had finally come through clean (with admittedly very little effort and toil…….my mistake!).

Now at this stage when I am dead sure that you are probably nodding off to sleep reading all this boring stuff about a boring man and his boring life, I would add in some excitement for the aspirants! There are a few valuable lessons out of my entire experience. When I was in college I tried for an MBA but was unable to secure a good admit. I feel it was my fickle mind at fault. But then, I can’t keep blaming my mind for my decisions right. After all it is my own mind and thus I have to own upto my actions! To be honest, I have always faced bouts of confusion in handsome amounts! It has been the very first time in my life that I have been able to decide on something and see it to completion (again a big HOPEFULLY here as it is still an unfinished business!). When I finally realized that it had to be a PhD and nothing else for me, I got a shock of sorts. I will tell you know as to why so…

I was completely unprepared for GRE and I just had a month to go! I knew that I could get a score of 1200+ without any issues. But the trouble was I was sure that would not serve my purpose (at this point I feel even 1600 would have not!!!). So I had the uphill (I felt that way at that point) task of preparing verbal which I was sure of goofing up otherwise! I was very confident with my quantitative section. I was consistently getting 800 in Big Book tests. But verbal was a different ball game altogether! Finally the 27 tests from Big Book did pay off. My scores increased from 1200’s to 1400’s in 15 days flat. I felt a sense of relief but at about the same time I realized that I had not touched the AWA section at all! To be honest, I have always liked writing but I took it up seriously! It was another good friend who made me realize that a little preparation for essays would do me no harm! Thus I decided to open a book (ARCO essay) which had been sitting in pristine condition in my book shelf for more than 5 months. My essay preparation was parallel to my night shifts at the plant and Kaplan exercises as well! I tried to keep tabs over what I was actually doing but it was getting kind of hazy and I decided to go with the flow! My final few power-prep tests got me 1460 and 1430 respectively. I remember feeling a weird sensation of confidence mixed with fear! Anyhow coming to more important issue, I feel Big Book has had a tremendous impact on my results (I do concede that my scores were not that good and therefore have taken care not to mention the same in my posts!). I was delighted a month later to learn about my 5.5 in AWA. I felt that somehow I had been a tad lucky with the scarce preparation which I had! Also, I have come to believe that a good preparation might not necessarily mean a lengthy one. My friend scored a 1470 with a month’s preparation as well! So I am certain it is just a matter of finding your own pace and fitting in just right – so to speak!! 

I must concede that I was overly delighted when I came out of the prometric centre. It was mainly because I had got a good score and somehow got this feeling that I was doing the right thing. At this point though, I must say I am very nervous. In fact I have had bouts of irritation, anger, dejection and even stress related to anxiety! I feel that my chances of getting good admissions are getting slimmer by the day and I have absolutely no idea why I feel this way! Anyhow I don’t want to turn this blog into a repertoire of a person suffering from chronic depression! My reason for blogging is to get out of any depression or compulsive behaviour and I intend on keeping it that way. So, I would end this post at this stage and would continue soon with a description of my application days and associated issues which I faced! I hope the future posts in this series are more interesting and more informative! I also urge my readers to ask any queries, doubts or issues they might have.  

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