For many admitted students, the letter of admission for MS includes a clause that the admission is contingent on successful completion of some courses. These courses are typically advanced courses of the undergraduate curriculum.

The concept: The US university may estimate the undergraduate preparation for some incoming MS students as weak based on their transcripts, or simply because they are from not very reputable universities. So the student needs to strengthen certain areas by taking courses during the first semester. The prerequisite courses cannot be counted towards the MS degree, so they are additional courses, that need additional time, energy to take and extra fee needs to be paid. If one has more than two prereqs, then it could prolong the MS study by at least one semester, thereby leading to additional cost in terms of living expenses. Prerequisites are more common when one is applying to a different field. If you get an A, it does not help much, but getting a C or worse will spoil your GPA and can even lead to academic probation.

Good prerequisites: In this case, the student really needs to take the specified courses to do justice to the graduate curriculum. It is in the best interest of the student to take these courses.


Unnecessary prerequisites: Sometimes prereqs are assigned due to lack of clarity in the transcripts. For example, if your undergraduate transcript includes a course Mathematics 1, the university can only guess what all was in the curriculum.

Admission offers are emailed early but the prerequisite information is informed much later. The key to success is being proactive. As soon as you get an admission offer, find out from the department office whether or not you are assigned any prerequisites. Then analyze if you really need to take those courses.


Different ways to deal with unnecessary prerequisites:
1. Go ahead and take the course(s). But if you do not really need, it is a pure waste of time and money.
2. Schedule and appointment with the graduate advisor of the department, soon after arrival. Carry with you the detailed syllabus of the similar course you took in college and explain to him/her that you do not need to take that course. Confidently state that you know the area, the graduate advisor may ask you some questions, be prepared to answer those correctly. Most likely (s)he will waive at least a few.
3. Ask the graduate advisor if you can audit the prerequisite courses. Auditing means you will go and attend the classes with the permission of the instructor, but need not enrol, pay the fees or face the exams!
4. If you have multiple admission offers that are comparable, do not accept the offer where there are prerequisites.

MS after Experience

This blog post is in response to many questions on app2us forums about possible advantages of applying for MS program after few years of work experience. Many students want to know whether they should wait for one or two years, gain experience, then apply. First of all, some facts:

Unlike MBA, work experience is neither required, nor preferred for MS admissions. Even in case of an applicant having work experience, the academic recommendation letters matter, universities do not care about recommendations from the workplace. Vast majority of students in the MS programs do not have any full time work experience.

Now we shall analyze some possible advantages of applying with, say, two years of experience:


1. Chance to improve academic record: Many applicants do not have good grades or marks in the first couple of years of their undergraduate degree program. If they apply during the fourth/senior year, their final year grades are not counted. If they apply after one or two years, they get an opportunity to focus on studies in the final year, and improve their overall record. In that case, when they apply, their entire result is available, and the improvement in the last year is something the admission committees like a lot.


2. More time for GRE, TOEFL and the applications: Even for the focused and sincere types, the pressure of handling GRE, TOEFL and application steps can be very stressful to manage alongwith college exams and projects. If you apply after getting your degree, then in the college you can focus on the coursework, and next year you can focus on GRE TOEFL and applications. Make no mistake, a full-time job where you will be during the application process can be much worse compared to your college life. But there is a profound difference. Your college grades stick with you for whole life and matter during the admission process. So overall it is easier to manage a full time job and the application process, rather than academic responsibilities and the application process.


3. Time for strengthening of profile: As mentioned work experience itself does not help much in admissions. However relevant experience, or experience in a research based job can help. Also experience at a world famous (read US based) company like Google or Microsoft can set your application apart from the crowd. As you work and gain experience, you can also invest some time in publishing a paper, and find more time to study for GRE.


4. Better job prospects: Although applicants with work experience do not get significant advantage in the admission process, at the end of the MS program, they stand much better chance of landing a coveted job. Also, the experience may help find a student worker job and internship during the study.


5. Gain More: This is a subjective statement, students with work experience can gain more out of the education and enjoy being students again after being away from academics for a while. The experience you gain at work in general can help adjust in a new country and culture.

There are no big disadvantages of applying with work experience. Unlike some people think, people with five or even ten years of experience are not discriminated against. In other words, it is ok to have ten years of experience – your application will not be rejected due to very high experience (or older age). There are minor hassles, like getting transcripts or letters of recommendation, but those can be managed.

We at app2us.com strongly recommend to apply after one year of work experience in the case where you need to and can improve your academic record by excelling in the final/fourth/senior year (case 1). In other cases, it depends on personal preferences. Hope this post helps you in making an informed decision.

If you plan to apply for MS in US for Fall 2011, now (May 2010) is a good time to get focussed. The process to apply for MS in US is essentially a one and a half year process. For starting your MS in US in Fall of a year, you need to start devoting some time every day since the early part of the previous year. Here are the key milestones with suggested dates for Fall 2011 admission.

January 2010 – Figure out whether you want to study for our MS in US and why. Buy a good book for GRE and TOEFL and start to study. Make sure you have a passprt which has your correct name and dagte of birth.

February 2010 – If you are still a student, make sure to stay focussed on your current degree program and try to improve your GPA and class rank.

March 2010 – Try to develop good relations woth three professors. Tell them about your plans to pursue MS in US.

April 2010 – Register for GRE and TOEFL

May 2010 – Increase your study hours for GRE

June 2010 – Write the first draft of your Statement of Purpose, Get your degree / provisional degree and transcripts.

July 2010 – Research universities on the internet, Read app2us pages and blog to understand the details of various aspects.

August 2010 – Shortlist four universities for free reporting. Take GRE

September 2010 – Take TOEFL. Finalize five to ten universities based on your own research. seek help at the university selection thread at app2us.com if needed.

October 2010 – Contact three professors for letters of recommendation.

November 2010 – Follow up on your final score sheet of GRE and TOEFL from ETS. Finalize your Statement of Purpose, essays and resume.

December 2010 – Start online applications and submit about one week before the deadline. Check out this blog and www.app2us.com regularly for helpful information and tips.

January 2011 – Submit applications and send the offline materials

February 2011 – Spend some time researching the department and professors websites and contact a few of them.

March 2011 – Update app2us.com with all your offers and seek help in case of multiple admission offers. Learn some computer skills and typewriting.

April 2011 – Accept one offer and decline other offers before April 15th. Learn how to make webpages – this will help in getting jobs on campus.

May 2011 – Contact current students and some professors to further explore funding and student jobs.

June 2011 – Get an appointment for visa and compile paperwork for visa.

July 2011 – Block a flight with a travel agaent but do not pay till you get the visa. Browse through course websites and buy some books.

August 2011 – Fly to the US. If you are not funded spend 8 hours per day in looking for some student worker job. Register for classes.

September 2011 – Begin your studies and stay focussed from day one. Keep an eye open for possible Summer internships from the beginning of the first semester.



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