Review about my PhD experience in UMich Ann Arbor

I applied to 10 universities and I got into 6 of them and got rejected from 4 Admits: Umich, Northwestern, NYU, University of Washington, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M Rejects: Stanford, Berkeley, Caltech, University of Wisconsin. The rejects are pretty obvious. the universities that rejected me have very few admits and are fairly competitive. While the GRE was not essential in any of these universities, the rate at which they admit students is narrow. You have to be exceptionally good in your field The University of Michigan was the best among the choices I had and Umich is fourth in Aerospace studies just behind mit stanford and caltech that is why i chose Umich. Rest universities were good but not good enough compared to Umich. And I also applied to a mix of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering programs, given my bachelor's was in Aerospace I chose to go with Umich. I applied for the Fall 23 intake. No such factors but I completed my bachelor's in the same year and I didn’t want to waste my time getting work experience in India. Because a lot of people do that. (Your work experience in India means nothing here). Admission process may take months. The applications start in September and go till the end of March. The decision comes around april....Read More

I had applied to 3 universities. 1. Clemson University, SC 2. University of Michigan, Dearborn 3. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Received acceptance from Clemson and University of Michigan, Ann Arbour, but got waitlisted from University of Michigan, Dearborn. The university found some trouble accessing my academic records, like transcripts. Hence, they had not accepted it straight away. I had received acceptance from UofM, Ann Arbor by then 1. The best-ranked university for Automotive Engineering in the world with professors who worked or led the automotive industry for 30-40 years (like GM, Ford and many more) 2. Unique to U of M Ann Arbour, they have a SOP and personal statement as two separate items during admission. SOP is more leaned towards your professional aspirations, while your personal statement is more of you as a person, as the name suggests. GRE was a part of the admission criteria but was waived due to COVID during my admission. It’s probably back in the mandatory list now 3. The overall experience was amazing. Then you get to learn real-world applications as opposed to just theoretical knowledge. I got my internship, which eventually converted to a full-time job because of the university and the relevant curriculum here. It is probably one of the most prestigious and celebrated degrees in the country and the world I had applied for the fall intake of 2022. The application deadline was in the second week of December 2021, so any exams IELTS AND GRE have to be taken before that and the scores have to be reported to the universities as well. I had taken the exams in the month of August 2021, and the results were ready by September 2021. Received a response in the first week of February 2022. From there, it took me about a month to figure out finances. Had to show proof of funds for 81000 USD in the form of either savings or loan or combined. Had my finances sorted and received i20 before May 2021 and had my VISA interview in June2021...Read More

2 US universities i applied in , as there were less US universities that offered MS in Human Genetics , UofM and Northeastern University I received confirmed admission. Additionally I applied in MS Human Genetics and Diseases in UCL, MS Medical Genetics and Genomics at University of Glasgow I received confirmed admission. Other Universities I applied for PhD and got rejected as an International Student , they were expecting more Research Experience and Publication. UofM and UCL had a tie for my decision , both of them are top universities in their respective countries, but I selected UofM because of the OPT options I will get after graduation , in US it is 3 years whereas in UK it is 2 years . Additionally in US it is comparatively easy to get a fully-funded PhD than in UK for international students. And also the job market of US is comparatively flexible compared to UK . UK being a small country the chances of getting selected for the job is 1 out of 100 applications, whereas UK being a bigger country the chances of getting a job is comparatively higher , however , it is challenging in both the countries. I applied for FALL 2024, I RECEIVED MY ADMISSION OFFER LETTER IN APRIL 1ST , and from there it took me june 29th to receive I-20 and process with my VISA. By APRIL -15 , I was requested to submit my passport and financial documents to verify and process my I-20.By April 20 , I received my I-20 . Next was the serious step of applying for US visa. The filling of DS-160 took time and verifying the details entered as it is very crucial , as if mistaken I have to refill a new application again. Further getting US -visa slot was really challenging , finally I managed to receive my VISA slot on June 29th. I earlier visited theUS on a J1 visa, so I was eligible for dropbox. I got my slot in Chennai , but I dropped my Visa documents in Kolkata consular . Further it took time till july 20 to track my new F1 visa and get it by post at my place....Read More

I applied to maybe 6 colleges. Got accepted at 3, rejected by 4. I feel that the rejections were mainly because of lack of experience, I applied directly from undergrad, and I was also moving from CS to UX. I would have gotten an admit if I had at least one year of experience and also some guidance on how to make my portfolio. There weren't a lot of people in my college who went from CS to UX at the time I applied, so I just went with my gut. Would do things a lot differently now. 1. University of Washington HCDE - Rejected 2. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor - Accepted 3. Georgia Tech - Rejected 4. Rochester Institute of Technology - Accepted with Scholarship 5. IUPUI - Accepted with Scholarship 6. UMCP - Rejected Because of the brand, talking to people who were enrolled in those programs also helped me with getting perspective in whether or not to accept. Looking at alumni, the places that they worked at, their career journey also helped me. Admission process involved standard things like having an SOP (statement of purpose), three LORs (letter of recommendation), giving the GRE (not compulsory), giving the TOEFL. As GRE wasn't compulsory, there isn't a minimum score, but I guess minimum score for TOEFL was around 100. You also had to share your undergrad transcripts, no minimum GPA requirements, but I feel they wanted 3.0 and above (convert to Indian number, using online calculators). Admission process is super easy, you can also attend information sessions, email the admissions office, they are very responsive and helpful. One of my friends wrote an article about the whole process, for getting admit in MS CS (a little different from mine, as I did UX Design, but still helpful). You can check it out here: https://medium.com/@prathameshsonawane/how-what-when-a-guide-to-ms-923b456c0560 Fall '22. Applied in December '21 and got the admit in April '22. Most programs in my field did not have a Spring timeline, so I had no option there. I also applied to a 2 year college degree because I felt 1 year is not enough time and I had just graduated from undergraduate without any full-time work experience. So I wanted time and space to also do an internship over the summer....Read More

I applied for the following universities: University of California, Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, Ann Arbour. I got acceptance from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbour, since this was my best application in comparison to the other universities. Also, all three universities are very competitive and ambitious in terms of their reputation and selection processes. I chose the University of Michigan because of its reputation, course curriculum, and huge alumni network. The university is highly respected among recruiters and is known for its educational history. It holds a great ranking and assures a great return on investment. The university has great student support and hosts intercultural events to connect with students and peers and improve your networking. I applied to the Fall 2024 intake since it is an ideal time of year and academic wise. One can graduate by summer for internships and jobs. The admission decision came within 3 months and the process took 1 month until accepting the offer and admission. The process was very easy and we had constant support from the university in case of any doubts....Read More

Academics and locations. It was definitely a work hard play hard experience. I also wanted a school with school spirit and a good sports program that was not too far from home....Read More

The reason I chose to go to the USA was the economic stability and a very systematic education system. It's much easier to stay here than in other countries according to me. The University of Michigan was ranked no. 4 in USA for civil engineering when I joined. However, the major factors were the course structure, flexibility in taking courses outside of the department, and research opportunities and funds. U of M being an R1 University is one of the highest funded Universities in the USA. As for the flexibility in coursework, I took half of the credits for my degree from outside of the department which gave me knowledge and insights of various other disciplines. All sorts of career opportunities can be achieved here. There are various career fairs and workshops to help students improve their resumes, network with potential employers and get well-earning jobs. The name of the University itself weighs a lot and it's not very difficult to get a job even during the recession. My overall experience in the past 2 years has been excellent and I have enjoyed my time here to the fullest. I did great in my academics, learned various subjects, networked with people, participated in various student-run organizations on campus, and made plenty of friends. My experience during my Master's was awesome and hence I decided to pursue my PhD from the same University....Read More

I have really enjoyed my time at the University of Michigan. Not only have I enjoyed the degree program that I am currently doing, but I have had the pleasure of meeting some great faculty and students who I’m sure will help me in my future as a potential medical student....Read More

University of Michigan is an extremely professional university with tons of different departments and amazing professors. The experience they hold is amazing and they are extremely approachable and always available over email. The university also targets student’s safety on day to day basis....Read More

I would say it is an amazing university. Your choice to come here should depend on how good the program is and not how good the university is. I like the university, the town, and the people so far. I would recommend this university and program to everyone....Read More