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Q: I write from India; currently I am in my last year of pre-university schooling. I am very interested in engineering, and especially automobile engineering. I am really interested in designing automobiles. What are the top engineering schools in the world where I could pursue these interests?
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Q: I am about to select a major in engineering and would like to know the best major to select in order to excel in Nanotechnology. I hear that Nanotechnology holds enormous promise and can be helpful in areas from cleansing the air to treating bacterial infections. What schools, domestic and international, would you recommend?
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Q: What are the opportunities in industry for holders of a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) degree in Electronics and Telecommunications (E&TC) Engineering or Electronics (EC) Engineering?
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Q: What the kind of courses are you taking?
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Q: Is it usually really hard to find a job once you've completed engineering studies in a college?
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Q: I am an undergraduate student studying toward a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) degree in electrical engineering.
(1) What kind of a pay should I expect from an internship at my second year?
(2) What kind of a pay should I expect to get from a job after I have completed my studies?
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Q: I have a B.E. degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from an Indian institute. At present I am working In New Delhi, India as a VLSI front-end design engineer. I wish to pursue MS degree in the USA in the area of Automated Intelligent control Systems, Telerobotics, and Avionics.
Could you please suggest some universities in the USA which have a strong research in these areas?
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Q: I am from India, currently enrolled in the final year of an undergraduate engineering program. I would like to pursue studies toward a Master of Science degree in the United States. How would I go about it? Should I take the GRE? When should I take the exam? When does the typical academic year start there?
GENERAL
The United States hosts more than 550,000 students from other countries in its institutions of higher education. Of these, about 75,000 students are from India, and about 60,000 are from China (see this report for more information).
The popularity of the US with students from other countries is explained by the quality and diversity of the higher education system in the US, and the economic and social conditions that made the US (and many US universities) hospitable to non-US students.
With the exception of a small decrease in 2003-2004, the total number of non-US students enrolled in US universities has been growing steadily in the last 30 years.
THE ACADEMIC YEAR
Most US universities use a system based on semesters or quarters. More schools use a semester system.
1) Semesters The Semester system has three (3) academic semesters which usually start and end as follows:
a) Fall Semester (mid/late-August to mid-December),
b) Spring Semester (mid-January to mid-May), and
c) Summer Semester (June to mid-August).
Most students take courses in the Fall and Spring semesters only and take a vacation or (more likely) a Summer job during the Summer semester.
All the universities that follow a semester system offer admissions for the Fall semester. Many universities also offer admissions for the Spring semester.
2) Quarters The quarter system consists of four (4) academic quarters lasting three months each:
a) Fall Quarter (October to December),
b) Winter Quarter (January to March),
c) Spring Quarter (April to June) and
d) Summer Quarter (July to September).
Most students take courses in the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters.
All the universities that follow the quarter system offer admissions for the Fall quarter. Some universities also offer admissions for the Winter quarter.
THE BASIC STEPS
The following are the basic steps involved in applying to US universities. These steps are listed here for students who live in countries other than the US, and are neither US citizens nor US permanent resident aliens.
1) Decide what specific field and major you want to pursue for your graduate studies, and investigate programs that offer the education you seek. You need to examine thoroughly the courses offered, research work of professors, ranking and reputation of the program/university, and admission requirements. Contacting prospective thesis advisors is advisable.
It also makes sense to contact the graduate advisor of the program you are interested in (by phone or e-mail) and discuss your interests and prospects. This step can save a lot of unnecessary correspondence and effort later.
2) Most US universities require that candidates for graduate study in engineering/computer science submit scores of standardized tests such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Some universities have announced minimum thresholds on scores required on these tests.
You need to make sure that you took the tests well ahead of your expected enrollment date, to make sure the program can get your score in time for full consideration.
3) Procure all the materials required by the admissions department of the university to which you are applying (here is an example of what one program requires.) These requirements often include the following:
a) Academic Transcripts, officially sealed by your college/university.
b) Letters of Recommendations from your Professors/Employers.
c) Statement of Purpose/Essay.
d) Financial Statement (here are examples from Georgia State University and the State University of New York).
Each university has its own application deadline. You should be very careful about the deadlines and send all the required material on time. Procuring and assembling all the material can be very time consuming and incomplete documentation can jeopardize your efforts. Plan ahead, and give yourself plenty of time for these tasks.
5) Once an admission decision was made, you will be notified via e-mail or postal mail (the online status of your application is also often available). If you are admitted, the next step would be to obtain a visa to the United States (in most cases a student F-1 visa) from a US Consulate or Embassy. In India the US Consulates are located in Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta. The US Embassy is located in New Delhi.
Please consult the following links for visa procedures
1) Mumbai Consulate
2) Chennai Consulate
3) Calcutta Consulate
4) New Delhi Embassy.
Screening of student applicants for visas may be a long process. Plan ahead of time, and make sure your documentation is complete and clear. The decision to admit you to the US (a decision made by the US Government) is almost independent of the decision to admit you to a university (a decision made by the university).
In addition to planning your course of study, you will have to make careful financial planning. Students for a Master of Science degree are usually less successful than candidates for a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in obtaining assignments as teaching assistants or research assistants at the university. The ability of students with nonimmigrant visas to work in the US is limited by their visa restrictions.
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Q: I live in the State of Maharashtra (Pune city) in India, and am currently enrolled in a high school there. When I graduate from high school I will have completed my HSC (12th Grade exam).
I have two questions:
(1) Do you know what the minimum requirements are from each Indian State or high school affiliation for university admission in Computer Science or Computer Engineering? If so, what is the minimum cutoff for a person who has completed his/her HSC exam in Pune, Maharashtra?
(2) What are the minimum academic, as well as non-academic, requirements for a graduate of a high school in India to be admitted to a US university for undergraduate studies in Computer Science or Computer Engineering?
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Q: I plan to be working with embedded systems in the future. What course of studies should I choose � computer engineering or electronics engineering? I reside in Mumbai, India.
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