someone told me to be a councellor

so here goes: firstly u have to give the required tests.. toefl is universal... most colleges need it. but try and short list ur college list so that when u give the test u can report the scores to those. gre is for all masters programs except mbas- for that u need your gmat exams. england and australia do accept most of these scores as does ISB and all our indian b schools(but have some restrictions like u have to give gmat incase u did ur undergrad abroad else its the common test for u!)

your application steps

1. identify ur colleges and make sure you are eligible for their program.
2. give all the requred tests. prepare for them as much as possible with the books and the test cds. barrons, kaplan, princeton are all enough. you dont really need tuitions.
3. work out ur sop.
see what the colleges want out of their students.what they expect.highlight ur strong points.and stay away from the weaker aspects of ur resume.u have to sell yourself to the college without begging them.U basically tell them: im an asset to your institutionie: its a symbiotic relationship both u and the uni benifit.and ofcourse in the end mention the college/uni and soemthing that has really caught ur eye.cement in the ending y u belong there!
4. with the sop done which will take a good month to 2 months all the hard work is done
5.but ur recomendations need some work too. you have to identify a prof/boss to give u one and tell him/her what quality u want them to highlight.some will even ask you for a draft. and then u can do what u want.so make sure u know exactly what u want them to say so between the 3 recos they highlight all your strong points!cuz u have urself fed them ur ideas
more to come....keep checking in!

what goes in ur application packet

1. a cover letter (im going to post one later)
2. your resume(include relevant info maybe you can avoid some stuff like what u did in the 3rd standard)
3. a copy of all the score sheets you want them to see and those scores they have asked for(eg: toefl , gre/gmat,12 th hsc..etc)
4. your transcripts(usually 2 copies)
5. your recommendation letters( usually from 3 people) - unless they were done onlineboth 4 and 5 need to be in sealed envelopes.signed and or stamped by the person who has signed and or stamped them.
6. you can send a copy of your sop
7. your financial affidavits that u can pay the total amount as required by the uni(im going to put this up aswell)

a sample cover letter

(Your letterhead - if u don’t have one create it with all correspondence info)
Date:
To,
Uni addressDear Sir/Madam:
Ref: Supplemental Information for (your name) – (your course).
I am writing in support of my application for the degree-your course. As requested, I have enclosed the following documents:
· Copy of confirmation of online application
· Transcripts from your college name (Undergraduate Program)
· Attested junior college (College name) mark sheet by degree college (name College)
· Recommendation Letters from –
1. Name and in brackets his/her designation(Assistant Professor)
2. (Lecturer)
3. (Lecturer)
· Current Resume
· Copies of GRE and TOEFL scores
· Official bank statement of finances

I have requested ETS to forward my GRE and TOEFL scores directly to you. If you require any further information, please email me at the above mentioned address. I look forward to being part of the forthcoming Fall Class of 2006.
Thanking you,
Yours truly,
(your name)

score reporting

if u already have ur college lsit you will have reported the scroes to them after your test.incase u have some more then make sure u have the uni/college's ets code as well as the dept code.for toefl andgre i knwo there are a couple of differences in the dept code.so to make sure u have the right codes. either search on the uni/college website for 'toefl code' or 'gre code' and then locate ur dept as wellor jsut email the admissions office and they will get back to u in a couple of days.maintain an excel sheet with all the info you need and once it is filled then call the numbers below:
toefl- 1609 771 7100
gre - 1609 771 7670
i dont have the other numbers but im sure ull be able to locate them quite easily.usually they will tell u they cant do it or that u shud try the automated system.my experience is that that system never works.!maybe it does now..but it never worked for me!

bank certification on bank letterhead

you will need one for the university and may have to resend if te amount changes as you are applying a yr before ur program.you also need one for ur visa interview(but it has to be updated it can be dated a maximum of 6 months of ur interview)
Date:……..
To : (uni, visa officer)This is to confirm that (your sponsors name) have been clients of our bank since (date).Based on their records and their specific request, we would like to confirm that (sponsor names) have the ability to pay an amount of USD amt in numbers(amt in words) per year for their daughter/son (your name) education in the U.S.A. for a period of two years.This certificate is being issued by the bank without any responsibility or commitment from thebank or its signing officers.
Sincerely yours,
Name of the bank
Manager
Place :
MumbaiDate : ……………

ur essay - imp points

if u have written essays for undergrad then u will find this very differet.remember the undergrad essays were liek pieces of art.for an ms it is a story not jsut art .you have to prove urself not ur writing abilities.so dont use big words.use short sentences there is no problem.get someone who knows u to review ur essay. u will never find the mistakes they find.plus write ur own essay becuz no one can wirte about u better that u!!give ur self time to write ur essay.it will not get done overnight!even if u writre it and then go back to it after a week u will still be able to improve it.dont use indian terms. like ngo is not understood all over the world.standard = grade. so use the correct lingo.and dont worry i rewrote my essay 7 times start to finish.in the end i got a pretty good one.plus never ask anyone for their sop.most wont giveit to u and if u read and copy even a like from that u mayt get into trouble for purgury even if u didnt mean it!and to repeat my self.....work out ur sop.see what the colleges want out of their students.what they expect.highlight ur strong points.and stay away from the weaker aspects of ur resume.u have to sell yourself to the college without begging them.U basically tell them: im an asset to your institutionie: its a symbiotic relationship both u and the uni benifit.and ofcourse in the end mention the college/uni and soemthing that has really caught ur eye.cement in the ending y u belong there!

parents/sponsor's affidavit

PARENTAL UNDERTAKING ON PARENT'S LETTER-HEAD
Date:
Name & address of the College / UniversityU.S.A.
Dear Sir :
Sub.: Parental Undertaking

We (parents name), parents of (your name) hereby confirm that we undertake to pay the complete cost upto USD (amt in numbers and words) per annum for a period of two years for our daughter’s/son’s (your name) graduate education at your university.

Sincerely yours,

(Signatures)

Name of the parents

the visa checklist i got of this phenomenal sitewww.edulix.comit has a bunch of forums as well as other information.i would have given u the link to the post but i have no idea which one it was.so if u find it do let me knowill put the link up here.this site has a listing of ranking and universities for some kind of programs.so if urs figures there then join the forums and follow them.It has a list of students and their scores and where that got them.so if ur slightly confused take a look.most of the informatio is accurate.Another site suggested by Sohel was:www.msdreamz.comthis is for ms students but dont get fazed by that scoring system.u can beat the system..so apply to the top colleges as well.u never know!

visa questions 3

21 How will your parents bear the expenses of you and your brother ? My brother has got the tuition waiver and scholarship from the University. I have a photocopy of his I-20 issued last year stating the same. And after reaching US, he got teaching and research assistantship because of which he is able to meet all his expenses and my parents need not send him money any more. The fund in the bank is entirely for my educational expenses.22 Why the entries in the passbook are recent ? My father is doing business since last 30 years and has been saving since last several years for my higher studies. He lent these savings to close friends and relatives to earn interest. Now that the time has come for my studies, we have taken this money back from them. (Different ppl have different answers here. Lie confidently in this answer)23 What is your parents annual income ? My family's annual income is _________24 Even in this condition of economic recession, you want to go US. Why ? I am going there for studies and I want to return back after my studies. So, economic recession in US doesn't affect me.25 What was your first choice ? My first choice was University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. (try to show that the University you got admit from was your first choice, but it doesn't matter even if it is not.)26 Why not UIC. It is ranked higher than this ? Unlike other Universities, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth offers new and advanced courses like Information technology management, entrepreneurship etc. Besides this, the University has a Business Development center where the students and faculties together do the research work and provides the counseling services to prospective and existing businesses.27 Name some professors of your University ? (add prefix 'Dr' to the professor even if he is not of doctorate level) Dr. Omar Khalil, Dr.Avijit Gangopadhyay '''..28 Why have you not applied to ______ university even though you have sent your GMAT score ? I had done an extensive research over the Universities before applying to any university. I tried to match my requirements with the University's requirement. Some how some things were not matching. So I did not apply to that University. (Visa ppl may ask you abt the things not matching and u may tell abt the research or courses not offered in this university.)