Step 5 : The document work

The document work should start by early August. Following is the set of documents you need to send to each university

2 sets of official transcripts

This requires college intervention, hence must be started the first. A transcript is nothing but a tabular arrangement of the marks in all the semesters. It also has a page explaining the marks system of the University. The intention of this page is to tell the University abroad how the current university grades scores.

2 sets of official mark sheets

This is optional. Send it or don't, it is your choice. This can be done in the end. Should be attested by the college.

Statement of Purpose (SOP)

An essay of how good you are, how different you are from the population, the qualities that you have etc. This is a very important document. This is your only chance to talk to the admission cell. The people in the universities have never seen you, they don't know how clever you are, what are your skills etc. There are many websites available on the net that guide you to write a good SOP. Just Google it. An SOP is also called "A personal statement" or "An application essay" in some cases. Please do not confuse it with the essays required by MBA students.

Also, the word limit of an SOP for different universities is different. You have to edit the SOP if it fails the word limit restriction for any university.

USGuide's tip : Make one master copy, not exceeding 2 pages in MS Word, font = Arial, size = 12. Then edit it for different universities, omitting trivial points.

USGuide's tip : You will find counselors who will write the SOP for you. You will be tempted to go there. But believe me, only you can write your SOP the best. Just send it to some person for editing it.

USGuide's tip : It is considered a good practice to include at least 3-4 lines of the University you will be sending the SOP to. This may include the name of a few professors, a few research activities of your department, etc. Keep this part small, but try to include it. These details can be obtained from the University Website.

USGuide's tip : Plagiarism is a very big offense in the USA. Even if one sentence in your SOP matches with that of previously submitted SOPs to that University, your application will be rejected flat. You can get a lot of sample SOPs from the net or from your seniors. Use them only for your own reference, to see what is expected in your SOP. DO NOT COPY EVEN A SINGLE SENTENCE FROM ANYWHERE ON THE NET.

3 letters of recommendation (Recos)

Ideally, a professor should write about the student, sign it, seal it in an envelope and send it to the university. But it doesn't happen in Mumbai University. Here, you write about yourself from a professor's point of view. Needless to say, you need to bluff a lot. After you are done with a copy, you have to show your professor what you have written. Generally, very few changes will be told by him/her. Get one copy on the college letter head. Get it photo copied (at least 15 copies). Get professor's sign on each copy. Seal the letter in an envelope. Put college seal on both the flaps, get the professor's sign on both the flaps. Do this for 3 professors.

Also you will see on the university's website that they have their own format of recommendation letter. MS students can simply ignore this letter. You can send your own recommendations.

USGuide's tip : It is more important that the recommender knows you better, than going for a senior professor who doesn't know you well. Generally, 1 lecturer, 1 professor and 1 HOD is the best combination. You can have more of lecturers and no HOD also. Whoever it is, the person must have taught you for at least two semesters. Seniority is secondary. If possible, try and get one recommendation from a Math professor and one from your internal project guide. The 3rd reco can be from anyone.

USGuide's tip: Finish this off quickly. Before the semester 7 submissions begin. Because after submissions, most of the professors go on leave. You might miss some univ deadlines if this happens. It generally takes around 2 weeks for this process. Plan accordingly. If you cannot do it before submissions, please make sure that you do it before your last viva. Because after that, it is difficult to find professors in college.

Resume

It shouldn't be more than one page. It should show the JC and the Engg. college that you attended, your technical skills, projects done etc. You can write about dancing, singing and sports too, but that should be at the end.

USGuide's tip : Also include the languages that you can speak fluently. Americans are obsessed with people who know many languages.

Educational Background Summary Sheet (EBSS)

This is an optional document. The purpose of this one is just to show the flow of your education. It is nothing but a huge table, having columns like, "Calendar year", "Grade in school", "Institution", "Year of passing", "Certificate, degree", etc. It should have rows right from standard 1 to FE, SE and TE.

Financial documents - Bank Letter and Financial Affidavit.

You need this at the time of applying only if you have the funds to show for the first year of MS, that is only if you are not taking a loan for the first year. If you are, don't worry, it doesn't harm your admit prospects. Just that, after you get the admit, you will have to get the loan approved and send these documents to the univ to confirm your admit.
If you have the funds, just get a letter from the bank, on its letterhead signed by the manager that funds are available.
Also, you need a financial affidavit signed by the notary or a SEO indicating availability of funds. Some counselors insist that this be done on a stamp paper. Believe me, it is not needed. I didn't send any stamp paper, I had 6 admits, so don't worry.

Photocopies

You need the photocopies of your GRE and TOEFL score sheets and copy of your passport too. They need not be attested.

Put all this in an envelope. At the top of all documents, include a cover letter which shows why you are sending the packet ("MS in your University") and the list of documents included.

Document FAQ :

When should I begin this step?

The transcript work can be started the moment you get your semester six marksheet (if you are going immediately after BE). Remember, the transcripts are only for the marks you have obtained in every semester. It doesn't require your GRE and TOEFL scores. The recommendations can also be started whenever you want in semester seven. The SOP can be started the moment you have a broad list of Universities ready.

Oh my God, I couldn't finish the documents before the deadline you mentioned. Is it the end of the world?

No. Some Universities have deadlines as late as April and May too. Yes, you will miss on some higher ranked Universities