Picking the right university for pursuing Masters.

Hi, my name is Shruti and I am currently pursuing Masters in Artificial Intelligence. I am writing this post to share my experience as a Masters student and give out some useful information to students out there who have dreams like me.

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Before you read this article, I would like to mention that everything described in this article is based on my experience and my experience can be slightly different from the one you might be expecting.

Let’s get started.

• First things first, you need to know When, Where, and Why?: Try to figure out when you want to go for Masters? Is it in a few months or after a year? After that, which country do you want to go to for pursuing a Master’s? Why do you want to go there? If you want to take up a job in that country after your studies, check the job opportunities. You want to make sure that there are plenty of jobs available there. I cannot talk much about job markets, as I am still a student and I do not have much experience related to this topic. But one thing is for sure, the job market is extremely competitive, so make sure you are WELL prepared. Also, try to get more information about the VISA. Plan, so that you have enough time in hand for organizing everything.
• Picking the right University: Once you have planned when you want to go for Masters, I would suggest start by looking for the universities that offer a master’s course in the subject of your interest. Try to look for as much information as possible on the internet. Make a list of the universities ranging from your dream universities that you want to get into, to the universities that you are confident that you will get into based on your marks. If you want to work, you may also want to add universities that offer placement or internship opportunities. I had picked some of the top Universities which offered Masters in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science.

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• Read every information possible about your course: After you have looked for Universities, the next step is to go through the module page thoroughly. Check out the modules, course structures, information related to fees and funding, duration of the course, the start date of your course, and most importantly the entry requirements. If you are an international student, before applying for the course make sure you have checked the entry requirements of all the universities you have selected and prepare well for those exams. This might help you to get a rough idea of the marks that you need to achieve to get into the University.
• Research, talk, ask: It is only after you talk to students and staff from the university, that you will get to know the university better. When I was planning to join my university, I had a chat with different students, staff, and international representatives. Do not hesitate to email the university and ask them questions or the slightest doubts about anything that you want to get a clear idea about. Most of the universities that I had selected replied within 7 days, but there are various criteria for different universities. Also participate in different webinars, that the universities organize for new students. This might help you to get a clear idea about what it would be like to be on campus.

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• Social Media: Nowadays, most Universities have Social Media accounts. You can have a look at those to understand what the students have to say about the university. You can also ask questions or doubts related to studies, social life, events, or placements you may have and there might be students who may help you out. Like I said before, do not hesitate to ask for help. You are not alone. There may be many students who have same questions like you.
• Prepare for the course at university slightly beforehand: After accepting the offer of your university, I would also suggest having a look at the course pre-requisites and prepare for any programming language, technology, or subject that may be used during the course and you have only basic knowledge about it. As a full-time master’s student from my experience, it becomes very difficult to manage all the course-works, assignments, and personal study if you want to learn about something completely new from the scratch.

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• Lastly, this process may be hectic but RELAX everything is going to be FINE(You got this).

To conclude, I would like to say that all of us are capable of studying hard and achieving our goals. One of the biggest mistakes I made during my initial days is that I doubted my capabilities and thought that the Universities that I had selected are way out of my league and I will never be able to get into one of them. But, I worked hard and I am more than happy and proud to be a part of my current University which is one of the top universities in the country and the World. Also, during the course, if you find something difficult you can always ask for help from your professors, mentors, and friends. There will be some rough patches, but you will get through this. But, please do not be overconfident, it is necessary to maintain balance and study :).

That’s all for this post. If you would like to know more, please let me know in the comments.

Thank You.