[sachinj12]

Hi Folks,

I am about to start my 5th semester (Mechanical Engineering). Like most, I am planning to write GRE, I have few queries, hoping for an answer from you guys.

1. Firstly, I was pursuing Industrial Engineering and Management. I pursued it for two years and I quit as I didn't like the course( I withdrew my 2nd year and enrolled for Mechanical Engineering). Now, I want to know whether this will have any effect on my profile? In case any university asks why I took 5 years to complete the course, what must I answer? Should I tell them the real reason or make up some excuse? I have maintained good aggregate so far (Touch wood ) of CPGA 8.5/10.
(Pursuing in M.S Ramiah Institute of Technology under autonomous scheme )

2. I plan to take up coaching classes for GRE and Toefl from Princeton Review. Guys who has taken classes from them, would you recommend Princeton? Combined fee for both is INR 19000/-

Apart from their study material, what other books should I refer to?

Also they offered me something called as Academic Counseling Service for INR 25000/-, wherein the counselors guide you through the entire admission and visa process. Is this really required?

3. I plan to pursue M.S in Machine Design. What is the scope for this field? What is the growth rate?Should I opt for USA or UK? Which universities are well know for Machine Design? What would be the estimated cost for the same( I know there is a lot of variables to factor in for this, but a rough estimate would help)? Should I apply for fall or spring? What are the advantages of applying in fall/spring?

Sorry for so many questions, I am really lost.

Pitch in folks, especially people who have taken GRE in the last year or two, people who have been through similar situation. Any help is highly appreciated, thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Sachin.

[pramod]

Sachin,

Academic counselling done by them would help. They would help you recognise the schools that your score alligns to. And they would help you apply to those schools.
Visa processing is solely in your hands. Their service stops before that.

Wrt doing course in UK, USA, Australia, you need to personally do a lot of homework wrt where you need to study and what course you need to take up. Others cannot answer for you, As there is no definitive answers to those questions. They are subjective.

You can try IMS training school for GRE coaching, presuming you are in Bangalore.

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by pramod

Sachin,

Academic counselling done by them would help. They would help you recognise the schools that your score alligns to. And they would help you apply to those schools.
Visa processing is solely in your hands. Their service stops before that.

That is what I believed, but a friend's elder brother neither took coaching or counseling. And he doesn't recommend it either. Hence confused, and a other friend told me the service would cost 12-15k.

Wrt doing course in UK, USA, Australia, you need to personally do a lot of homework wrt where you need to study and what course you need to take up. Others cannot answer for you, As there is no definitive answers to those questions. They are subjective.

Australia is ruled out, don't wanna go there and get stabbed

Most with whom I have spoken to say UK is more expensive than US. Also there are quite a few friends of Dad and Uncle in various part of the US, might come in handy in case of some emergency. Hence. As I said, I am interested in Machine Design

You can try IMS training school for GRE coaching, presuming you are in Bangalore.

I visited IMS yesterday, and the lady over there blatantly refused to accept the format is changing from Aug 2011. That was enough for me, decided I wouldn't take coaching from a center who are not abreast with the latest info. I asked her to check out the official page as there is news on the new format, yet she denied it

Also someone please answer point number 1. That is what is worrying me the most.

@ Pramod, thanks mate.

[godog]

Originally Posted by sachinj12

Also someone please answer point number 1. That is what is worrying me the most.

@ Pramod, thanks mate.

From what you write, it appears that you're going with the heard; following what everyone else is doing in your class/college.

1. First and foremost, decide 'What' you want to REALLY study. Then see if you want to study abroad, or is it just an excuse to flee India. Please don't take this the wrong way, we're all Patriotic here.

2. Then decide which region of the US is best suited to you. Then narrow down to your 'list of top 15 schools'. to be sure, this is alot of work, so don't go through this if you don't really want to go to study. Step#1 is very important, then.

3. Take the GRE. Get a score. This score should pit you on one side of your 'list', which'll automatically narrow you down to 6-9 schools. Apllying to them is a whole process unto itself.

Your 'point number 1' may seem like a major bone of contention right now, but 2 years down the line you'll see there are alot of other things to worry about.

PS: your friend's brother is absolutely spot on; the GRE does not require 'Coaching', or 'Counselling'. Read into the minds of the people that are trying to sell you these 'packages' and you'll find its not very far from blatant scare-mongering. Fear, as they say, is only of the unkwon.

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by godog

From what you write, it appears that you're going with the heard; following what everyone else is doing in your class/college.

1. First and foremost, decide 'What' you want to REALLY study. Then see if you want to study abroad, or is it just an excuse to flee India. Please don't take this the wrong way, we're all Patriotic here.

No offense taken, its constructive criticism.

I want to pursue Machine Design, not following the heard.

No, I ain't fleeing my country, I am returning after a few years

2. Then decide which region of the US is best suited to you. Then narrow down to your 'list of top 15 schools'. to be sure, this is alot of work, so don't go through this if you don't really want to go to study. Step#1 is very important, then.

Point taken.

3. Take the GRE. Get a score. This score should pit you on one side of your 'list', which'll automatically narrow you down to 6-9 schools. Apllying to them is a whole process unto itself.

Point taken.

Your 'point number 1' may seem like a major bone of contention right now, but 2 years down the line you'll see there are alot of other things to worry about.
Couldn't agree more, but right now worried how badly this will reflect on my profile. 5 years instead of 4 is definitely a -ve point.

PS: your friend's brother is absolutely spot on; the GRE does not require 'Coaching', or 'Counselling'. Read into the minds of the people that are trying to sell you these 'packages' and you'll find its not very far from blatant scare-mongering. Fear, as they say, is only of the unkwon.

My replies are in bold. Thanks for the response.

[sachinj12]

Only two responses? Come on folks, you guys can do better than this.

[NevGin]

1. This decision will not effect your applications to schools in the United States. Though I cannot definitely comment on UK schools, I would safely assume that the same applies. Make no excuse. They appreciate honestly very much.

2. No coaching classes are recommended. If you desire, do the Princeton review and take their classes if you feel you need the rythm set by an institution to work hard at it.

3. In my personal experience, I don't think there is a Masters Degree in Machine Design. This would typically fall under Mechanical Engineering or Industrial Engineering and your major would be design. There are also majors in machine tool design.
Cost: ~ USD 35K per year. If you get aid (TA, RA for PhD), it will make life easier.
Schools: Georgia Tech, Virginia tech, Ann Arbour, Purdue, Texas A&M

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by NevGin

1. This decision will not effect your applications to schools in the United States. Though I cannot definitely comment on UK schools, I would safely assume that the same applies. Make no excuse. They appreciate honestly very much.

Point taken, sir.

2. No coaching classes are recommended. If you desire, do the Princeton review and take their classes if you feel you need the rhythm set by an institution to work hard at it.

3. In my personal experience, I don't think there is a Masters Degree in Machine Design. This would typically fall under Mechanical Engineering or Industrial Engineering and your major would be design. There are also majors in machine tool design.
Cost: ~ USD 35K per year. If you get aid (TA, RA for PhD), it will make life easier.
Schools: Georgia Tech, Virginia tech, Ann Arbour, Purdue, Texas A&M

No aid, no M.S degree

Thank you very much Nevgin.

[theragingbull]

You're just in 5th semester right now and it's too early to decide which university to apply to, which course etc.. I reckon you will give your GRE exam next year. I just completed my 6th sem and I'm going to give GRE/TOEFL next month.

I think taking coaching for GRE/TOEFL is just a waste of time and money (unless your English is horrible). TOEFL is an easy English proficiency test while GRE involves mugging up words and having good language skills. Even without coaching one can easily score above 1200 or even better if you have good command over English.
Refer Barrons and Kaplan for GRE. They are the best books for both the exams. And you'll get thousands of practice papers on the net.

[ported_head]

Can I give you some advice?

Finish your current course, try to get some hands on work experience after. See if this is what you would really like to study for another two years + a lot of money. Maybe in two years time something else catches your fancy, what do you do then? Try not to get into a rat race to get max acronyms under your name.

American universities are a lot more liberal in their admissions process, while good German/European universities weigh academics a lot more over the others.

GRE/TOEFL are only the means to an end. Find something that you really want to study, and then even PhDs aren't out of reach.

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by theragingbull

You're just in 5th semester right now and it's too early to decide which university to apply to, which course etc.. I reckon you will give your GRE exam next year. I just completed my 6th sem and I'm going to give GRE/TOEFL next month.

Which university as in, I am just making a list of universities well know for a particular course/ stream. The final choice would be based on my GRE scores. Yes, I am writing it after 6th semester exams.

PS: I see you are 1989 born too

I think taking coaching for GRE/TOEFL is just a waste of time and money (unless your English is horrible). TOEFL is an easy English proficiency test while GRE involves mugging up words and having good language skills. Even without coaching one can easily score above 1200 or even better if you have good command over English.
Refer Barrons and Kaplan for GRE. They are the best books for both the exams. And you'll get thousands of practice papers on the net.

While my English isn't horrible, it's not outstanding either, I am better than the average Joe. While I have no problem speaking, I tend to err on the grammatical part. And I am more of a story teller, hence writing a comprehension is a bit of a task for me.

Originally Posted by ported_head

Can I give you some advice?

Of course you can, that's why I have posted in the forum

Finish your current course, try to get some hands on work experience after. See if this is what you would really like to study for another two years + a lot of money. Maybe in two years time something else catches your fancy, what do you do then? Try not to get into a rat race to get max acronyms under your name.

The reason I want to finish this at one shot is I don't wanna break my studies in between. You know, once you take up a job, something or the other might prop up and it might delay further studies.

American universities are a lot more liberal in their admissions process, while good German/European universities weigh academics a lot more over the others.

I am more inclined towards the US of A than European countries.

GRE/TOEFL are only the means to an end. Find something that you really want to study, and then even PhDs aren't out of reach.

My replies are in bold, thank you porthead and theragingbull