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Western Illinois University, Masters in Computer and Information Science
Reviewed on Jan 22, 2025(Enrolled 2021)What Students Say
Likes
- The professors here are incredibly supportive and always ready to help with any doubts. The teaching is top-notch, and the practical sessions are very valuable.
- As a Computer Science student, I’ve really enjoyed the course curriculum, which includes both foundational courses and advanced topics. These additional courses have expanded my knowledge and will definitely be useful as I move forward in my career.
- There’s also great career support, starting with tips on resume preparation and interview techniques.
Dislikes
- Finding accommodation can be quite challenging, especially during the winter season.
- As an Indian student, it’s a bit tough to find the groceries we’re used to, and the options are limited.
- While the main roads are cleared of snow, the maintenance of the campus roads during snowfall could be better. They do get cleared eventually, but not always on time.
Course Curriculum
10
- I have opred for Computer science program, where I found few subjects familiar that I did in my Bachelor's degree (Information technology). Topics in those subjects were known to us before. But later on we will learn new topics and get exposed to practicality, that was not present during Bachelor's.
- On the other hand about the dificulty level, I would say my course cirriculum was not too tough. Because we get to do assignments regularly (every week) and we get to learn the subject and gain in-depth.
- I also opted for Advanced courses and Electives which are mandatoy subjects to pick according to the cirriclulum. I don't see any negative aspects of my program.
Admission Experience
- I have applied for 5 Universities. Got rejected in 1. I have got confirmation from 4 universities that are
- Texas A&M,
- Southern Illinois university
- Western Illinois University,
- University of Memphis and received i20s.
- Got rejected from University of New Hampshire
- The reason I got rejected from University of New Hampshire might be because of my GRE score and at the time of submission , my transcripts were not ready. So that could be another reason.
- I chose Western Illinois University because of the Course curriculum, and I was eligible for Scholarship.
- I spoke to a few people who were already studying in the University and the feedback from them was very positive.
- Other personal reasons were also included. The admission process was very smooth and the guidance was very clear.
- The eligible criteria to get an admission is to have a min of 3.0 in Bachelor's degree, good IELTS score(>6), duolingo. I have applied based on my IELTS score. There were no challenges while applying for this University.
- I have applied in the Month of March 2021. And scholarship was the main factor, I have chosen this university.
- The admission process took almost 3-4 weeks after my application.
- The application fee is $0.00 and might take a little more time.
- After getting the approval letter from the university, we need to send them the transcripts along with the bank statements.
- University admission department verifies and sends them i20 to the student email directly. Once the i20 is received, the student may apply for a visa and go for an interview.
Class Schedule
10
- I would have 1 class per day which used to be at 10:30 am, and it would last for 1 hr. Per class, there would be 30 students for an offline class, and online students would be around 40-50, out of which 85% of them are Indians.
Faculty
8
- Interaction with faculty is more friendly and they would help with the doubts in assignments.
- If there are more number of students enrolled for 1 subject, then tehy would divide the class into 2 sessions , in which they will give an option to opt for one session. This way, the classes are not crowded and teaching would be more interesting.
- Faculty would not assist us, but they would recommed to careers center and also attend confrences. There are few groups in discord (confined only to the university students) where alumni students help out with references and post if there are any requirements available.
Campus Life
10
- We have 2 campuses. The main campus is in Macomb, IL and the second campus is in Quad-cities, IA and IL border.
- Our library is huge, it is of 4 floors and the study area is amazing.
- We have fax facilities, xerox, print, etc. all for free.
- We have campus recreation, where most of the sports facilities are available including badminton, tennis, running track, gym, basketball, swimming, zumba, table tennis, squash, etc.
- We have a health center within the campus and a district hospital.
- There are few clubs for college of business and technology, computer science association, Indian Student association, agricultural clubs, finance clubs, marketing clubs, theaters, etc.
Part Time Jobs
- I am not sure about off-campus jobs because I have never personally worked in one. But I can share my perspective on part-time jobs at our university.
- On-campus jobs play a significant role in helping students to manage their finances while gaining valuable work experience. However, it is crucial for new joiners and can be quite competitive.
- There are certain rules and regulations that the university must follow during the hiring process to ensure equal opportunities and fairness and compliance with various immigration policies, especially for international students.
- As someone who has worked as a manager responsible for hiring students, I can say that process can be challenging. The university often experiences a high volume of student applications which makes it harder for everyone to secure a job right away.
- Additionally there have been instances where some students have either unknowingly or knowingly violated certain university policies which complicated the hiring process. Due to these challenges, in many cases, the on-campus jobs for the first-semester students are not possible. However, later from the second semester, they have a scope to get a job after the interview.
- The university typically posts available on-campus opportunities on the Handshake app, which can be used to apply for jobs that match their skills and interests.
- There are definitely opportunities available after the initial hurdles and can find suitable positions within the university. Try to explore all the openings and apply to all of them.
- Do not hesitate to be confined to only certain jobs. Maintain the certain hours given after hiring and follow the rules set by the Manager.
- Work with dedication and maintain punctuality.
- Making sure that the work timings and the class timings are not collided with each other and are confined to only 20 hrs / week. Through my experience. even 20.01 in a week is a violation, we had to fire such students previously.
- Respect the work and maintain a good environment with the fellow students and higher officials.
- You have to manage your time and Studies need to be given as a first priority. If there is a clash with your work and studies, letting the manager know is the essential part.
- On hourly basis we can get $13 / hr if we work on-campus part time jobs. Its quite challenging while getting the job in the first semester itself. But we can get it in the next semester.
- There are few restrictions for the fresh students. We can apply through the Handshake portal and submit resumes along with the Class schedule.
- We should enroll in classes beforehand and then apply for the on-campus jobs. The managers would contact the candidate through email and would schedule the interview.
Placement
6
- Upon completing the Master's degree in Computer science there are wide range of opportunities across various sectors in the IT field.
- Key roles that one can pursue are software developer roles, data engineer roles, data management roles, artificial intelligence and Machine learning, cloud architect, systems engineer, cyber security, etc., in multiple industries like healthcare, banking, finance, technology, e-commerce with each sector offering its own unique challenges and opportunities for growth.
- I would say job market is vast, but there are other factors that might effect to get into a full-time role which includes obtaining work authorization or sponsorships.
- Many companies sponsor work visa for qualified candidates, but this can depend on the companies internal factors.
- Previous work experience also plays a significant role in determining your eligibility for these positions.
- Internships, co-op programs and projects during studies can help build resume.
- Networking and having referrals adds-on more weightage to your application.
- Building a professional network through conferences, workshops, online communities, alumni connections can greatly enhance the chances of receiving job offers. Engaging with the tech community os more important.
- The US may be popular destination for IT professionals, opportunities are not limited to one country. With a Master's degree in CS we have the flexibility to explore positions in other regions.
- Other career paths such as entrepreneurship, teaching, freelancing, are other alternatives. Some of them also opt for Ph.D programs to further enhance skillset. Carrying forward all the practical learnings and collaborating with the team would give us confidence and even if the things go wrong in the US, you always have an option to go back to India and work there.
- Its not easy to land on a job in either of the countries but what you take from obtaining a masters degree is more crucial.
- Masters in CS opens up tremendous for full-time job opportunities globally. Leveraging network, gaining equivalent experience and exploring various options by utilizing work authorizations legally, can enhance job prospects
Accommodation
Off Campus
10
- Before coming to college, I have checked online on the Apartments.com website, where they list out all the apartments surrounding the college.
- Other than that, we can find groups on whatsapp or facebook to find about accomodations. The rent was pretty affordable and decent.
- I would say less when compared to other cities in Illinois. Rent depends on the apartments we choose, the cost would vary with a small amount. Parking, trash, repairs was free.
- I did not find accommodation right away, but we need to look for more options.
- I would recommend not to stick to only apartments where Indians are more. That is the place where the challenges come. The university is a public university and the city is mostly covered by the University.
- All the apartments are found within the campus itself and therefore it is easy to attend the classes.
- There is also a shuttle facility which is free for students and there are apps, where we can track the bus timings and the present location.
- For me, Macomb, IL is always a home. Though we find the city very small in the beginning, but it is the safest and peaceful place to live.
Exams
- For our university, they accept IELTS >6 or Duolingo or GRE scores.
- I have submitted SOP and 3 LORs from my Bachelor’s degree college in India. Submitted CV as well along with the application form. There was no interview when I was applying for this University. I have only submitted necessary documents and required bank statements.
- There was an online orientation for all the students who got admitted and they were so interactive and answered all the questions.
- They have provided few Whatsapp group links in the session , and that is where I could connect to students who were already pursuing their Masters in this University
Events
10
- Festivals like Jazz festival, New Music festivals, Hot air balloon festival, sports fest, home coming, Diwali festival, vinayaka chavati, potlucks are celebrated.
Fees
- The estimated fee for 9months is around $22,000 which includes tuition fee and other expenses.
- University fee is based on semester - wise ($5000 approx) and I got a scholarship of $2000 for every semester.
- Accommodation is very reasonable and at low cost compared to other cities.
- A $300 every month is a minimum cost for each person every month, which includes rents, groceries, power bill and personal expenses
Scholarship
- I have received scholarship for the first year, given by the university because of the GPA.
- In the second year, it would be based on the Masters 1st year GPA.
- It should be >2.8 and must clear all the fee for the previous year.
- I am not sure about the students average number of students receiving the scholarships. It’s purely based on the student’s performance.
