Typical First Year

I applied to 4 colleges - 1) UIUC (Admitted, Accepted) 2) Johns Hopkins University (Admitted, but I chose UIUC) 3) Purdue University (Rejected, but I didn't fully complete my application as I had already accepted UIUC and preferred the program here) 4) University of Southern California (Rejected) I applied for spring intake, which meant my options were much more limited compared to a normal fall intake in the number of schools and programs. I chose UIUC over JHU and Purdue, because I liked the program here best, based on my interests. The cost was also a factor, with UIUC being cheaper for me than JHU (even though I had a scholarship at JHU, and none at UIUC) The admission process was standard, as per most US universities. UIUC is one of the fastest universities at processing applications and sending out decisions. Required me to fill out the online application, pay the fee, and make sure my LORs got submitted. After that, I waited for the decision, which came in just 1 week, and then I proceeded with my VISA applications and SEVIS registrations. For master's, your application depends more so on your Bachelor's performance, your Statement of Purpose (SoP), and your Letters of Recommendation (LoRs). GRE was not required, but you can still send your scores (or atleast mention them in your application unofficially). You can either send IELTS/TOEFL scores, or a medium of instruction certificate from your undergrad to showcase your English proficiency! The overall admission experience was very smooth, with no challenges. I completed all the steps by myself and didn't need any help. The decision was also promptly received by the Graduate Admissions Department. The department was also helpful and prompt in answering any questions I may have had. Spring intake, because I wanted to leave my job early and didn't want to wait till next years fall. Admission process was very quick! I applied a few days before the deadline and got my decision within a week. ...Read More

I applied to 10 colleges: Duke: Waitlisted Carnegie Mellon University: Rejected Princeton: Rejected Caltech: Rejected GeorgiaTech: Admitted UWisconsin-Madison: Admitted UIUC: Admitted UMichigan: Waitlisted UCLA: Waitlisted UC Berkeley: Rejected I might not have got accepted at some of the universities above because of their extremely competitive admissions process regarding extracurricular activities along with academics. I also applied to one of the most difficult and competitive programs at each of these universities and this could be one of the causes that I did not get accepted. Another thing they focus on is the personal essays at the universities and maybe mine weren't as strong as some of the other candidates. I chose this particular university after carefully considering all my options and weighing the pros and cons. UIUC has a top 5 program for Computer Science and is one of the best overall universities for STEM degrees. It is also extremely good for job placements after graduation and has top notch academic facilities. It is a pioneer for innovation in engineering and related fields. I also weighed the fact that it is a bustling party school and it was definitely a factor in my decision. Additionally, I had a few friends attending the university as well which played a part in my decision to attend it over some of the other universities. The admissions process was quite straightforward as it only required you to submit your common app essay and 2-3 additional personal essays along with your profile. There is no interview process or anything else. The eligibility criteria is also very simple as they consider your application holistically, there is no need to take any exams but they accept the SAT/ACT and the IELTS as well. Again, there is no minimum score required but anything above the 95th percentile is considered good. The overall admission experience was very swift and easy. I did not face any challenges along the way but the highlights were definitely anxiously waiting for the decisions to be released at strange times in the night. I applied to UIUC early admission. UIUC has its highest acceptance in the EA cycle so that was my reason to apply early. Additionally, my academics were pretty good early so it made sense for me to do so. The admissions process was about 3 months long. Writing the essays and fine tuning as well as completing the profile section took about 1 month and the decisions took about 1.5 to 2 months to release....Read More

Application Status for Each College: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC): Admitted New York University (NYU): Admitted University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley): Rejected University of Michigan, Ann Arbor: Waitlisted Carnegie Mellon University (CMU): Rejected University of Southern California (USC): Shortlisted (Admitted) Confirmed Admissions: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) New York University (NYU) University of Southern California (USC) Colleges with Rejection: University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) I was rejected, probably because of the high number of applications and low acceptance rate to those universities. My limited work experience and SOP also might have contributed the rejects UIUC has a great reputation for Information management along with a flexible curriculum that allowed me to choose courses that would suit my career goals. Many of my seniors from UIUC are currently working in high paying jobs. I submitted my SOP, 3 LORs ,my TOEFL score and my resume during the application process along with their application form. Does not require giving the GRE test. minimum 100 on toefl Biggest challenge was tailoring my resume and SOP for the specific college. The overall experience was quite good and easy I applied for the Fall 2024 intake. I submitted my complete application at the end of November. This included all required components such as transcripts,TOEFL scores, statement of purpose, and letters of recommendation. March 14, 2024: Acceptance Notification I received the acceptance letter via email. The entire process from submission to acceptance took roughly four months...Read More

It is a tedious task. Had to compare a lot of colleges. Checked college ratings, their syllabus, cost, tuition fees etc. It required lots of hours to commit in order to shortlist and finalize a university....Read More

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a prestigious school. It is renowned for academic excellence, especially in my field, that is computer science and data analytics. The MSIM program that I had taken was a perfect blend of technology and management, which aligned with my career aspirations....Read More

No interview I had to submit an essay saying why I wanted to join It was a fun party school and it was also good for studying I really loved it. It was really fun I made a lot of friends and my major was not particularly hard so really happy about that....Read More

I chose this university because of Fees, reputation for CS, reputed Faculty and research and program Structure. Overall the experience is very good....Read More

I had to submit SOP and 3 LORs along with my CV. I highlighted my academic background and work experience in the SOP. University ranking, fully funded program and a good research group My overall experience at UIUC was excellent. I joined for a masters program and decided to continue with the PhD. I had an excellent advisor and research group. I learned a lot and made good connections. The overall campus life has something for everyone....Read More

My college experience so far has been very rewarding because I have grown tremendously as a person and as a learner. Been able to learn to adapt to new circumstances and adjust to variations to normal life and adversity. Been able to control mood swings from excitement to disappointment. Also formed great relationships with amazing people around me....Read More

I chose University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign because it has a very good computer science program and a lot of resources. The professors are very impressive and a lot of research is done at the school....Read More