Academic Question

[DinRaat.]

Just wondering is there any BCites who are attending/have attended an Ivy league or top 10 world ranked University.

I am considering to do my master's overseas in an engineering related subject and rather not do it here in Australia.

I am fairly good academically so the problem comes down to what extracurricular achievements I need to have.

I have a distinction GPA(6.5/7) but very few extracurricular activities

I am currently studying at UNSW(QS 44), internationally it's not as recognised, but it is the best engineering University in the country

My choices are in order

1. ETH Zurich(relatively good chance of getting accepted)
2.UCLA Berkley
3.Caltech
4.Imperial College
5.MIT(Least chance)

[Tigers_eye]

Originally Posted by DinRaat.
...

I am fairly good academically so the problem comes down to what extracurricular achievements I need to have.

I have a distinction GPA(6.5/7) but very few extracurricular activities
...
2.UCLA Berkley
...
5.MIT(Least chance)

I only know for Harvard bachelor pre-Med extracurricular activities: (Not limited to)
A) (Competing and winning some in regional and national) Debate team and Science Olympiad

B) Lots of Volunteer hours in related field

C) Foreign travels, Football, Basketball etc.

D) Well written recommendation letter.

A) shows you are a team player and willing to take on the world; Banglai bolay "Chapa'r jor asey" B) you care about your field and people, ready to contribute for a believed cause, C) physically you are fit, ready for long hours, understand diversity; D) Must be unique, showcasing your passion.

Best of luck.

[DinRaat.]

How about for more lower tier Ivy league colleges, such as Yale, Penn State, Dartmouth. Would they be relatively easier to get in, I don't think I have a good shot at Caltech,MIT,Stanford or Harvard. Maybe a decent shot at Berkley.

Would be better to take the ETH Zurich offer, in my case.

[ToBeFair]

The first question you need to answer is why you are aiming to do a masters.

Are you really passionate about the subject you have studied at your undergraduate? Can you see spending the rest of your life with it?

As for me, I DESPISED my undergraduate subject. I graduated with a GPA of 3.903/4.00 and I hated my major with passion. This is LIFE.

That is why I advise you to do some reflection. Degrees is in our sub-continental culture are vanity trophies. Amar chele, amar meye daktar, engineer, masters pass, golden GPA, cum laude etc. Don't fall into this trap. Your degree is like a tool, say a screw driver. The tool that you have now - do you see yourself capable of using it to get a job/earn a livelihood?

If you are really passionate about your undergraduate major or if you are fairly confident that a masters in a similar field will be helpful for you - go ahead by all means. Better to do it before you have a family.

If you are unsure, my advice is - work for one or two years and explore your interests. When you work, you will mature and you will come across new interests/view points that you have not yet perceived.

As for me, I did my masters after working for three years, and I am happy about my decision. I was definitely more mature, knew myself more, and thus chose my subject wisely. I can say that I have enjoyed my graduate studies - and I can speak about my post graduate major passionately and confidently.

My advice comes with a disclaimer. In hindsight, I might be right, I might be wrong. Therefore, think hard. Reflect. Put your trust in God and make a decision. And once you make your decision, stick to it and do not say 'what if'.

[Yankees]

My b-school was always ranked top ten, though not one of the ones you listed. With that said, stop looking at rankings and start looking at what the alums from the school are doing. No idea what your goals are, but if theres a specific company or career route you want, see how many alums are doing exactly that. Does your dream company recruit on campus?

Extracurriculars help but won't ruin your chances. At best its just another check mark they can put on your app. I had zero, didnt hurt me at all. If youre applying to american schools, the GRE/GMAT is important. Followed by work experience (if applicable), grades, essays, rec letters.

admissions spends 15 mins tops on each app, they just want to see if you meet the basic requirements for an interview, which is where you can set yourself apart. Academic interviews are the easiest you will ever go through - no reason to not crush it.

[One World]

I kind of agree with TBF. After 2 masters and a Doctorate I can also vouch for a non-degree centric life where I could let my passion reign over my petty humanistic desire. Become an anarchist, reject all templates. Bring out the inner you where lies your true potential to really contribute to mother nature, this human race and most importantly your own soul. Self-actualization is what homo sapiens need at this moment.

[Yankees]

Unless its your dream to live and work in the States, it really doesnt make sense to apply to US schools imo. Theyre very expensive, and as an international, youre unlikely to get scholarships (due to heavy competition for handful of spots). Go to Zurich, enjoy europe, the travel, meet euro girls, and the cheap tuition.

If you must study in the states, you do have loans as an option. My school offered its int'l students no cosigner loans, as do most top schools, but the rates are pretty high. The one common factor with all my int'l classmates is their family were RICH. Chinese and Indian parents happy to pay out of pocket to send their kids to the states for the prestige and a path to green card.

[iDumb]

IVY league schools for masters have zero value. The value ends in undergrad. But that value however is significant all else being equal.


I also agree with TBF. Masters after doing undergrad engineering is also not a good investment in my opinion. Look for jobs.. Make the company pay for masters if u are so inclined.

[bujhee kom]

Originally Posted by DinRaat.
...

My choices are in order

1. ETH Zurich(relatively good chance of getting accepted)
2.UCLA Berkley
3.Caltech
4.Imperial College
5.MIT(Least chance)

Originally Posted by DinRaat.
How about for more lower tier Ivy league colleges, such as Yale, Penn State, Dartmouth. Would they be relatively easier to get in, I don't think I have a good shot at Caltech, MIT, Stanford or Harvard. Maybe a decent shot at Berkley.

Would be better to take the ETH Zurich offer, in my case.

There are two MAJOR fundamental mistakes in the basic understanding of what or WHO are the IVY League schools in those above posts!

First post: None of those three US schools are IVY league colleges!
Second post: Lower Tier IVY League schools?? What is that? There is NO such thing. There is either IVY League or there is NOT. Yale and Dartmouth (the only two IVY leagues in that list of schools) are two of the best academic institutions in the world for the last three centuries.

A lot of things depends on the specific discipline's department of a school on valuing one's education. While UC Berkley is not an IVY school, and a is a public school, some of its departments may be considered far superior than any of the IVYs for that specific discipline. BTW there is no such thing as UCLA Barkley - it is either University of California at Barkley or University of California at LA (Los Angeles, UCLA) - two different schools, and both are superb schools, with Berkley being stronger.

All IVY league schools are private schools (Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Brown, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton and Yale).
There are non-IVY league schools in the US both private and public that are as good as the IVYs. Look at these: Cal Tech, Georgia Tech, Stanford, MIT, UC Barkley, University of Michigan, Tulane, Emory, Vanderbilt, Wesleyan, Rice, University of Texas at Austin, John Hopkins, University of Virginia,

YOU need to speak to your professors at your current school, where you are about to graduate from. Speak to all of them. You need to build a habit to be precise in writing schools names (even in a simple post in a forum like here) as you are preparing to attend one of these schools. It is all about personal disciplines and accuracy. Take everything I said here as nothing but my genuine sincere advice to you. I myself went to Tulane and Columbia. Dr. Shaad uncle here in BC went to Princeton and Stanford. I believe Dr. Zunaid Kazi went to Harvard and his wife went to Vanderbilt. None of those two guys post or visit this site anymore. I wish they could give you some good advice today. Go to the best school you can - talk to your advisors and professors, and especially the ones that care for you, read the room, and ask for reference (when time comes) from the one that cares for you the most, the one who has a big name in your field and discipline, and the one that went to one of those schools that I mentioned.

Diinraat, I wish you the best.

[DinRaat.]

This is going to sound extremely pedantic, and maybe even possess a hint of slight intimidation.

But can someone explain to me, how Bangladeshi students who graduate from BUET, are THAT good, its this very select few in my university, that I can never grasp how amazing students they are, not even in my university but worldwide in general, I have heard stories of BUETians in Stanford, Caltech, Harvard and everywhere around the world. How does such a relatively no name university(from academic research point of view) create such talented students.

Even the places I have studied, there have been very very few that accepted at truly world class institutions.

[Yankees]

Originally Posted by DinRaat.
This is going to sound extremely pedantic, and maybe even possess a hint of slight intimidation.

But can someone explain to me, how Bangladeshi students who graduate from BUET, are THAT good, its this very select few in my university, that I can never grasp how amazing students they are, not even in my university but worldwide in general, I have heard stories of BUETians in Stanford, Caltech, Harvard and everywhere around the world. How does such a relatively no name university(from academic research point of view) create such talented students.

Even the places I have studied, there have been very very few that accepted at truly world class institutions.

Its not that BUET creates talented students, its that talented students choose to go to BUET.

The ones who make it to BUET and have the ambition to continue their education overseas are indeed that damn good. And their work ethic and drive is most likely greater than yours.

[ahnaf]

Good places can only provide you the guidance or support whereas in other places you may have find your own way out. That's the only difference.

You seem think that admitting in a certain place esnure success. That's not true. At the end of day it always down to individuals.

Lastly before admitting somewhere find out how good is your relevant department is of that particular uni. That's more important than overall uni reputation.

[mufi_02]

A lot of the posters here are much more successful than me academically so I won't add much.

All I will say is work for few years before going to do grad school. I worked full time for 2 years before enrolling in grad school. I did part time masters though. Usually it takes 2 years but as I worked full time, it took me 3 years. I had no life for those 3 years basically. I worked 9-6 and went to Uni 630-10 pm and had weekend classes as well. But I am glad I did that coz I paid all the tuition out of pocket.

But do engineers really need to go to grad school these days? There are so many engineering jobs here in USA for undergrads.

[NoName]

Masters in Engineering is not worth it nowadays, unless you're trying get into research and go further and achieving a Ph.D

Companies also will not pay a high salary to someone just because he has a Masters degree with no substantial work experience.

Relevant Work Experience >>> Masters degree

[aklemalp]

Why not change to Physics and go all the way?

[One World]

Great post BK Bhai

[Tigers_eye]

Originally Posted by DinRaat.
This is going to sound extremely pedantic, and maybe even possess a hint of slight intimidation.

But can someone explain to me, how Bangladeshi students who graduate from BUET, are THAT good, its this very select few in my university, that I can never grasp how amazing students they are, not even in my university but worldwide in general, I have heard stories of BUETians in Stanford, Caltech, Harvard and everywhere around the world. How does such a relatively no name university(from academic research point of view) create such talented students.

Even the places I have studied, there have been very very few that accepted at truly world class institutions.

You have no clue of BUET's history...(it was recognized as best in Sub-continent. ) Foreigners from Thailand, Malaysia, and other places use to come to BUET to study. Cream of the crop out of millions get to go to the school each year. Your population (where ever you live) wouldn't equal to the number of applicants (will run close if you are in metropolis).

At any rate, back to the original query:

If you can show LEADERSHIP, TEAMWORK, COMMUNITY SERVICES then I think you are good to go.