India leads in Medal Tally at London Olympics!

Yes! The title is indeed what the truth is for me. It is not a dream that I want to see; neither a prediction of the future but its the reality. India indeed topped the charts in the medal tally at the London Olympics 2012. Before you start thinking whether I've gone mad, let me explain why I feel this is the truth.

Everyone remembers the great comeback of Kim Clijsters to the Tennis court after her marriage and a baby. The whole world applauded her determination and love for the game. Did anyone in India even notice the comeback of Mary Kom? She has twins who are 5yrs old and still she managed to be the World Boxing Champion five-times out of the six she participated in! Add to that a bronze medal at the Olympics this year. And don't forget her words after winning the medal. She asked for forgiveness.. She asked it from people who never supported her. From people who called her a Chinese dressed in a saree. From people who never turned up for her match. Lack of crowd support was the main reason for her defeat. But still all that she wanted was forgiveness for not getting a Gold for her motherland! She comes from Manipur- a place which hardly has any facilities. A place whose people are called Chinese in their own country. She had to hide her skills from her parents until she won her first medal at the state level. Her coach was not given a place in the Olympics village because he didn't have some damn certification. For me hers is a more inspirational story that Micheal Phelps or Usain Bolt. And her bronze is much more valuable than all the medals won by Phelps. The hardwork, determination and struggle she went through is just not comparable to anyone else participating at the Olympics.

Lets take a look at Hockey. 6 Olympic Gold medals in a row. 8 Gold medals in total- the highest among any national teams. I am aware that we finished last this year. But for me they still are the best among all the players. No, I'm not being sarcastic. They play a sport which is supposed to be the National Game of the country. Well, officially we don't have any record to certify this. Even though every one is told this at school how many of us actually play it? I have never held a hockey stick in my hand. Its a shame! These people seldom have the infrastructure required to perform well. No good sponsors, no media coverage, no support. Imagine that a country with more than 1.2 billion people doesn't manage to support its national game! Its a shame for all of us. All that we end up doing is criticizing the team- the only thing we are best at. I'm sure that everyone on that team has been told to give up the game all their lives. A game which is already being declared dead.. But still they decided to try their best. Go in with the hope to create a miracle their fellow citizens had done few decades ago. I know they failed but they were fighting against a billion cricket frenzy fans who are ready to give up work for cricket. For me they return as winners. Their love for the game cannot match anyone else.

Santhi Soundarajan. Does anyone remember her? She currently works as a daily wager at a brick kiln and earns Rs 200 per day. Her past- she won a Silver medal at the Asian Championships in 2005. She failed a gender test after which she was stripped off her medal. None supported her. She started eating proper meals only in 2004 which is considered one of the reasons for her failing the test. Neither did anyone help her out and neither was she ever given a chance to represent India again. All that she asks today is a permanent job that can fetch her two meals a day. A quality player lost in the pages of history! Sad.

Veerdhawal Khade, Sushil Kumar, Tintu Luka...

I can go on and on. I want to make a point here that our players need our support, our attention. They just need appreciation for their hard work. People reading this article are perhaps in a much better position to help them. Lets not forget that there are games other than cricket where we can be the best in the world. Our country has people who can indeed get more medals than USA or China. If we can manage to provide the facilities and training available to greats like Phelps I'm very sure that we will in future produce greater athletes. A thought worth spending time upon... I don't know how to help. But we can at least give some of our time to know about them. Spread the word about these great players. At some point we will definitely have people supporting our athletes in the Summer Olympics. And with our support they will get us the medals required to top the medal tally.

A salute to all the members of the Indian Contingent at the London Olympics. Each one of you is a winner. You have been through hardships like none other. Your love for the game and determination to pursue your dream is worth more than a medal at the Games. You give me hope, you give me inspiration, you give me the will to go after one's dreams, the strength to never stop. Kudos to each and everyone of you. You have made our country proud.

My Experiences with UCI !

Its been more than 6 months since I came to University of California, Irvine. Two out of four quarters down and I didn't even realize that I'm almost half way through. The last 6 months or so have been good and bad in some ways. I would like to share my experiences which might be helpful for friends who are thinking about Masters in CS at UC, Irvine. I hope it answers some of your general questions about UCI. Some things to keep in mind before going ahead..

1. These are my personal views and you can choose to disagree.

2. All the points are from the point of view of CS and may or may not apply to other branches.

3. Some statistics are bound to change as time goes by.

4. At no point do I compare UCI with any other University.

I have got considerable help from a similar document made by our senior.

1. Why should you come to UCI?

The ICS department at UC, Irvine is top class when it comes to Machine Learning / AI, Databases, Security, Compilers. You will find world renowned professors in these areas who do extensive research work and have very good funding available. People like Micheal Carey, P Smyth, Gene Tsudik, Michael Franz are some names who are amongst the top people working in these areas. So if you want to pursue your Masters with focus on ML / AI, DB, Compilers or Security you should consider UC, Irvine as one of the best options. You will find atleast 1-2 courses every quarter in these areas. You will also find some good courses in Distributed Systems [+ parallel computing] and Algorithms at UCI.
Another point to note is that UCI is very good for research. Professors here do a lot of research work and UCI is known for that.

2. Why should you NOT come to UCI?

People with interests in Networks and OS or Systems in general will be deeply disappointed considering the courses and their variety offered at UC, Irvine. There have been good courses and professors in the recent past but somehow for us the experience has been very disappointing. Some of the problems faced by students are no good courses, no good professors and courses which were supposed to be offered have also been dropped due to one reason or the other. There is NO professor in the ICS department whose interests lie in OS.

3. Quarter System at UCI
You have the quarter system at UCI. This means that you have 3 quarters (fall, winter and spring) in an academic year instead of 2 semesters. Each quarter is of 10weeks. You have to take 3courses in each quarter for the first 3 quarters. The quarter system as such is not hectic. It largely depends on the courses you take and the professors for those courses. It is fast paced as compared to semester pattern. Some people say that the advantage here is that you can complete you MS in 4 quarters (CS non-thesis) and in 5 quarters for CS thesis. You get less time to work on the courses and projects. So you need to do your tasks fast. Take a look at the quarterly calendar here.
I will personally suggest going for semester pattern if your more interested in doing research.

4. I20 amount for UCI

The I20 amount for Fall 11 was $45,939 and for Fall 10 it was $43,517. Assuming a 5-10% increase, it will be around $47-48k for Fall 12.

5. Fees at UCI

The I20 fees is $29,939 (which is for 9months i.e 3 quarters). The tuition fees per quarter is $10,015. If you take insurance from India this comes to $9,354 / quarter. CS students generally go part time for the 4th quarter which means you are taking 8 units or less in the quarter (provided this is your last quarter and you passed all courses that you had taken at the normal course load of 12 units / quarter for the first 3 quarters). You will have to pay approx half fee for part time i.e. $9354 / 2 = $4,677.
Thesis students pay full fees for 4th quarter and go on a filing fee for the 5th quarter. Filing fee is around $200 approx.

6. Other expenses at UCI

For housing you can consider it to be between $550-$700 a month depending on your living style. This amount includes housing rent + utilities + phone. People completing in 4 quarter should multiple it by 15 and those doing it in 5 quarters by 18. Consider you might take additional 3 months post MS to get a job, you could add 3 months to each. Let us assume it to be $650 / month.

7. Total cost

CS non-thesis

(UCI Insurance)

$29,939 + $5,008 + ($650 * 18) = $46,647 (23.33L @ rate 1USD = INR 50)

(Insurance from India)

($9354 * 3) + $4,677 + ($650 *18) = $44,429 (22.21L @ rate 1USD = INR 50)

No earnings (internships or on-campus job) included in this calculation.

8. Insurance from India

University insurance costs $660 / quarter. You can waive it off and get insurance from India which can be around Rs. 32k-38k for 12 months. This way you will save $660 / quarter and will end up paying $9354 / quarter. The flipside is the reimbursements (this might be cumbersome but we mostly resort to self-medication here).

9. On-campus jobs at UCI

There are very few on-campus jobs at UCI. In our batch hardly 4-5 people got  on-campus jobs. And it is not easy to get an on-campus job (as in some other colleges). An on-campus job will easily cover your entire monthly expenses (not fees).

10. Internship scene at UCI

Students generally do a 12 weeks internship in Summer. It can pay you anywhere between $4000 - $6000 per month. This year the internship scene is very good for CS students. Almost everyone has got calls from good companies and it is upto you to convert them. There are career fairs at UCI where you get the chance to submit your resume and interact with the employees. Though the career fairs are not very good (in comparison with USC / CMU / Gatech) but they are improving every year. More and more companies are showing up for the fairs. According to me, UCI has a good name in the industry and people have got calls from biggies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Qualcomm, Salesforce, etc.

In Fall '10 batch almost all landed up with an internship and have also got full time offers. Big companies like Google, Microsoft, Salesforce give calls to many but hire only in small numbers.

11. Does being in California help a lot for jobs?

Now, being in California does help. But it helps in a way that the numerous startups / medium sized S/W companies will prefer you than relocating someone from other state. It surely does not guarantee you a job, just that it opens you to more locally situate opportunities.

12. Off-campus housing at UCI

Almost everyone doing Masters stay off-campus at a location called Parkwest Apartments. You get unfurnished apartment with 2BHK / 3BHK. The rent is around $1700 for 2 Bed 2 Bath apartment. Housing decision can be taken later in July after your done with Visas and stuff and once you have formed groups. Get more information  Parkwest Apartments.

For conveyance, students use the OCTA buses which are relatively convenient (every 30mins during peak hours and 45mins otherwise). It takes 10-12mins to reach UCI by bus. You get a yearly OCTA bus pass for $155. You can travel anywhere within Orange County and not just to UCI.

13. On-campus housing at UCI

This option gives you housing closer to the campus. But again its costly when compared to Parkwest. Master students are not guaranteed on-campus housing. Get more information at on-campus housing.

14. Funding at UCI
Masters students do not get funding. There are rare chances of getting funded but that too only after coming here. So I would suggest coming here without expecting any funding.

15. Some useful Edulix Links
UCI Decision Tracker Fall '12
UCI Post Admit Discussion
UCI Specific Thread
UCI Fall '12 FB group

Universities and their rankings

Q. Which universities can/should I apply to?

A. Generally the universities are divided into the following categories:

Ivy league: these are considered to be the most prestigious universities. Stanford, MIT are some of the examples. You can get the complete list of Ivy league universities on Wikipedia. Also check out the individual pages of the universities to get their status. These are considered very costly but have the highest reputation in the world.

State Universities: These are the ones which are equivalent of Government colleges in India. Again you can find their list on Wikipedia and individual wiki pages. These universities have good funding from the Federal Government. So the fees is less than Ivy league and private ones.. They have a big campus with good research work going on.

Public Ivy: This is another term used but informally. The universities are not stated as Public Ivy but are considered lower than Ivy ones but above normal public standards. You can consider these to be ranked in between the Ivy and Public/State universities.

Private: The rest of the universities are private ones. This means that these universities have very less or no funding from the Federal Government. As you might find some of these universities are also good ranked and reputed.

Q. Where can I find the most accurate rankings?

A. As mentioned earlier don’t depend completely on the rankings. The rankings will just give you a brief idea about the university. Its not the perfect measure of the quality of that University. There are many other factors that count when one chooses a particular university.

Q. How to get a good list of universities?

A. Remember to look for rankings of computer science and not computer engineering. Generally, it is mentioned under sciences and not under engineering. To get the best idea about universities and their rankings checkout the following links:

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/computer-science-rankings

http://academic.research.microsoft.com/?SearchDomain=2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_and_university_rankings

http://www.infozee.com/channels/ms/usa/computer-engineering-rankings.htm

http://www.greguide.com/comps.html

http://www.happyschoolsblog.com/us-universities-rankings/

http://suggestor.yournextleap.com/?sr=home

A few things to be kept in mind before taking a look at these rankings:

1. Do not trust the ranking 100%. Take it with a pinch of salt..

2. They are generally ranked considering the PhD programs of the universities. So the quality of MS program is similar but not exact.

3. For Microsoft link, you get to know even the ranking of Professors which is very useful. You get their full details with regards to Citations and Papers.

4. You can also change the importance of parameters required for Ranking on the Microsoft site. That proves quite useful.

Basic post GRE FAQs..

Q. TOEFL!

A. Immediately after you are done giving your GRE you should give the TOEFL. We Indians need to give it because our national language is not English. It consists of 4 sections [reading, listening, speaking and writing] and is of 120 marks total. It is very easy. You need a score of more than 80 and for some universities more than 100. Again, this test is offered only on selected Sundays at multiple centers like MIT, VIT, etc in Pune. You get your scores after around 10days.

Q. What is the minimum score required for applying to any US university?

A. Any score above 1100 is considered fair enough to apply to US universities. A score of more than 1350 is considered ok to apply to the top 20 universities. A perfect 800 in Quant matters at least for engineering admissions. Also you need a score of above 3 in AWM though some universities require you to have more than 3.5 or 4.

But do remember that a score below average doesn’t mean that you can’t get an admit from that particular university. It largely depends on your academic record, quality of SOP and recommendation letters.

Q. Basic requirements for admission to US universities?

A. Here is a checklist of the documents that you will need to start applying to US universities- 

1. Official College Transcripts: you will get these in the Exam cell [in case of COEP]. For other colleges you need to contact the college. I think you get them from the University. For COEP students, you get them for Rs.100 each. They are sealed properly and so you don't need to bother about it. Just mail them as you get it from the Exam cell without opening it. The US universities are very particular about sealed documents. Some universities need scanned copies of your transcripts. For that it is better to take a couple of extra ones from the Exam cell and get them scanned on your own. Also some universities require 2 copies of Transcripts. So do get a few extra ones. 

2. Official Degree certificate: All degree holders need this before applying. Once again you get it from the Exam cell or University in case of non-COEP students. It is charged. All things are similar to transcripts and hence take the same care.

3. Bank statements/solvency: There are very few universities that require you to send them bank statements or solvency certificates during application. But it is better to have an idea about your funds before you finalize your university. Sending bank statements helps in a way that universities send I20 form directly with your confirmation letter. Other wise you need to send them the certificates after your admit. Beware that mostly universities need statements which are not more than 6months old. More about it in later questions..

4. Statement of Purpose [SOP]: You need to prepare a good statement of purpose or statement of intent as it is sometimes called. Some universities have a limit on the number of words or characters that you may use. You can get very good information regarding how to prepare SOPs and stuff on the internet. In short it is a document which explains you academic record, projects, everything which states why the university should give an admit to you from the large number of applicants. You should also mention you field of interest and the professors or labs in which you want to work. I will upload my SOP soon.

5. Recommendation letters: All the universities generally need 3 recommendation letters. They can be from you manager, HoD, professors, etc. There are various criteria for getting a recommendation letter. He/She must have taught you at least one subject for one semester. He should have guided your project or must be your senior in the company. If you have a work ex then it is good to get a recommendation letter from you manager or project lead. Else professors or HoDs will do. The more the influential and well known people give you recommendations more are your chances of getting an admit from the University. It is advised to get recommendation from a professor who has taught you a subject in which you plan to do you masters.

6. Resume: Certain universities also require you to upload your resume though this is not compulsory.

Q. Should I join Oak Admission Center?

A. As i had said in the Pre GRE FAQs, Oak is best for a person who doesn't have any idea about how things work! For a person like me, who is new to all this procedure, the guidance provided by Oak is good. But for people, who already know about all this, need to give a second thought! Ask your seniors who have and haven't joined Oak's Admission Center.

For me, the overall experience has been great.

Post GRE FAQs

These FAQs are regarding the admission procedure, which universities to look for, how to go about finalizing your school, etc. The questions are mostly answered from CS point of view and it may different greatly for other branches.

I have divided this post on Post GRE FAQs into multiple sections for the ease of understanding and considering the flow of the application process.

Please give you valuable suggestions and comments. Do post additional questions if you have any and which you want me to answer.

Once again, this is my personal opinion and you have the right to disagree on my views!

Hope it is useful..

MS related FAQs...

Hello friends and fellow MS aspirants.. I'm writing this blog so as to help you make your decision about MS more wisely and with confidence. I have tried to put down some very common questions that we all face when thinking about Masters or going to US in general. This also includes some of the very common mistakes that I have committed and which you should be careful about.

Please keep in mind that this is just my personal experience and about things that I did before going to US..

I have divided this particular FAQs into two parts.
1. Pre GRE stuff
2. Post GRE stuff

Have a happy reading and I hope that this proves useful.

Note: please tell me if you have any more questions so that I can update it here..

Pre GRE FAQs

Q. Is MS the best available choice for PG?
A. Masters will definitely give you the much needed exposure that we lack here in India. You will get to know some of the latest stuff and learn under the best professors. US is said to be the place where all innovation takes place. So to be in the heart of technology surely helps in shaping your career. Even some of the low ranking universities in US are place well above those in India. Another advantage is the less competition to get admission to US universities. Compared to India, it is comparatively easy to get into top 30 US universities.
But, keep in mind that there are institutions in India like IITs and IISC which offer the same edge in terms of research and technology. Also, there are students who get awesome placements after passing out from these colleges.
In the end it is a personal choice whether to go to US or do Masters here in India. And according to me going for MS to US is not at all un-patriotic- as most of us are going to come back after some experience.

Q. What about life after MS?
A. According to many professionals that I have talked to, coming back to India immediately after MS is not beneficial. First, you don't get such good salary here in India as compared to that in US. And second the experience of working in US is more valuable than the degree.
Considering the current scenario I think it is beneficial to return back to India after gaining some good experience there.

Q. What is the starting salary in US like?
A. Considering that you graduate from a good university [say in top 50] you can get package anywhere between 50k to 110k US$ per year. As per statistics the average starting package in US is around US$ 60k-65k per year.

Q. When should one plan to return back to India after MS?
A. Ideally you need atleast 3-5 years in US to get back the amount that you have spent and make some savings. You can stay more if you want to. But generally the span is somewhere between 5-10 years before one decides to come back to India. The thing in mind is to repay the loan and make good savings before coming to India.

Q. Job scene in US at present?
A. This is a very crucial question for all of us. At present the job scene in US seems to be good with most of the companies already hiring in good numbers. The overall economy is also improving day by day. And we all are positive that by the time we graduate, everything will be normal. :)
People there who have gone before us are able to find good jobs and internships. The important thing is to keep trying. In short if your graduating from a good school with good knowledge, you are bound to find a good job and keep things moving..

SOME STUFF ABOUT STUDIES...

Q. How much time do I need for studies before giving the GRE Exam?
A. This is very personal. It depends and varies from person to person. Keep in mind that you need to learn around 4000-4500 words and get good practice. On an average people say that start going through the words around 3months before and get to serious studies at at least 50days before your exam date.

Q. What should be the ideal study plan?
A. There is nothing such as an ideal study plan which when followed will give you 1500! In general students start with Barrons or flash cards. Revise it a couple of times and simultaneously start solving the questions. And the around 30 days before the exam, start with tests.

Q. Should I join Oak's academy for GRE coaching? What are the benefits and shortcomings?
A. Oak's class is preferable if you are one of those guys who can't sit and study alone. I personally had a great experience of the class and it was useful. You get to know about how others are preparing. The material they provide is great. It is very difficult to find such stuff in the market and that too at one place. Also they give you 5 online tests which are very difficult but which give put some pressure on you in your final days of preparation. You can make good use of the AWM appointments which will definitely improve your GRE AWM score.

Just keep in mind that this class isn't like one of those school classes where teachers used to get things done from you. GRE prep is all about how honestly you study on your own. But you get the right direction at Oaks.

For a person who has absolutely no idea about the exam, Oaks is the place to be. You will get all the details @ Oak. You will also get some good tips and things that you must take care of during and before the exam.

Q. I haven't joined Oak. Won't I be able to score?
A. Friends, Oak is not everything. Self preparation is what is needed. Everything depends on you and you alone. I have seen many people who have score in 1500s without joining Oak. A lot of stuff is available on the net. But you will have to spend your time in finding it.
In short, don't get bogged down because you didn't join Oak. Try your best and you will hit the 1500 mark!

Q. What are the resources available for GRE preparation?
A.  First and foremost, get the latest copy of Barrons.. Its one of the best books that you can get. Don't take the quantitative part seriously because the questions asked in the exam are a bit tougher. But the word list is awesome. Even Oak uses the same word list.
For tests you can do Davidsons, Princeton, Kaplan and finally Power Prep. Also go through the Big Book for English questions. Its good stuff.
I'll upload the files and software setup for the same.

Q. Study Material!
A. The study material necessary [decreasing order of importance] is as follows:
1. Barrons
2. Big Book
3. Kaplan Test
4. Princeton Test
5. Davidson Test
6. GRE Bible
7. GRE Nova

SOME GOOD BLOGS..
1. http://whiteopal.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/a-gre-test-takers-experience/

2. http://kapeeshsaraf.wordpress.com/2008/06/22/how-to-prepare-for-the-gre/ 

3. http://greghost.blogspot.com/

4. http://www.happyschoolsblog.com/gre-exam-study-practice-tests/

CHECKLIST OF THINGS TO BE TAKEN FOR "THE DAY" !
1. Passport: It is compulsory to carry your passport [original and not photocopies] for the test. They don't entertain any reasons for failure to bring passport. You aren't even allowed to enter if you don't have your passport.

2. Something to eat and drink: You'll get around 10mins break in between Quant and English. So you can carry some water and some snacks if you want to. As the duration is 3-4 hrs there are chances that you'll get nervous and some glucose or biscuits will surely help.

3. List of 4 universities where you want to send your scores: ETS allows you to send your GRE scores to 4 US Universities for free. It is good if you take out sometime from your preparation and fix these 4 universities. It takes US $23 per university to send your official scores.
To get an idea about which university to send your score to please read post-GRE FAQs. I've explained stuff regarding which university to choose and how..

4. Some warm clothing: The air conditioners are really at their full speeds in the Exam center. So it is advisable to take some warm clothing with you. There is a very high possibility that you will need it.

Q. What is the best time for taking the test?
A. It is generally said that the GRE test is difficult in the months of Oct-Nov.. I personally don't know the reason why. But as this is the general belief I personally feel that its good if we avoid these months.
The best times to give your GRE is july-august and jan-feb.. For COEP students its the best time. As we don't have much work load in this period.