Sometime in Jan-March 2010, My cubicle in Hyderabad office
"Doode, your CGPA is brilliant. The professors will definitely remember you man. Though you might need to meet some of them to jog their memory a little. But, if you want to do PhD...things like you went into corporate world etc will not matter much. I mean you have been working for less than a year now. More importantly, the IIT brand has not lost its influence as yet among the US universities! You can definitely get it!! At least, you should definitely try!"
But, the fears remained seeded deep within and these words from a dear friend were not enough to break those fears as yet!
June 8th 2011, Bangalore Railway Station
"You have to decide something, Balu! Either start making plans for settling down or start doing something about any future education plans!!" My mother's words woke me up from the deep slumber I was in!!
So, the party time is over. The job was never the final settling option. As for MBA, I never had the points in my CV to get into a decent institute and moreover, the life of MBA education was not particularly appealing to me!! Moreover, Research, PhD continued to attract me even with all the fears of straying around.
Later part of June, My home in Hyderabad
"So, mamayya (maternal uncle), I am seriously considering PhD. But I just have the feeling that it has been 2 years since I left Mechanical Engg and that would show up as a blot in my application!"
"No Balu. Trust me, 2 or 3 years of straying away from academia is NOT a big drawback to your application. You graduated from IIT and that still means something everywhere. I am sure many of your professors from IIT and your internship supervisors would give you recommendations given your CGPA and more-than-decent performances. Do not hold yourself back because of these things. I have been in the academia for long enough to tell you that the future prospects are definitely great. But, if you think it might not work out, I would suggest that you apply for PhD and simultaneously look for a project associate position at IISc or any other such institute. This way, if you do get admission, then you need not waste another year trying to get some research experience as project associate somewhere. But, I am sure you will definitely get it. Just put in the required effort and start preparing for GRE/TOEFL right away and keep a look out for the admission deadlines at the universities!"
Yes!! This was what I was looking for. The strong and confident words from a pro who has been there, and done that, and still doing it!! Damn...I should have done it 1.5 years back itself!
Last week of June, My home in Hyderabad
"Are you serious, saale (wife's brother, literally in this case!)? Man, this is huge! You have a lot of work to do. It will be very hectic, but it is still doable. You DO NOT have a minute to waste. And yes, you did make the decision a little late, so you need to do things in parallel!! Right now, first, book a date for GRE. Because, trust me, you will not study seriously unless you book the date!! ;) Then, start e-mailing at least the Hi-Hello e-mails to all the people you marked for the recommendations. Keep looking at universities as and when you find time and keep a track of deadlines etc. Try completing GRE/TOEFL by August-September, the earlier the better, so that you have time for SOP, Applications, contacting professors at the US universities etc. And KEEP ME POSTED!! I have been through the process just now, I have helped numerous others in the past at my institute and I might be a bit busy, but I will definitely keep guiding you! All the best man, and start with the tasks already!! :P "
Completely unexpected! But, then again, my sister did tell me my brother-in-law is very friendly and very very helpful. Now, I have enough people to guide me through the whole process and keep me focused on the tasks by pestering me for updates! My uncle, brother-in-law, friends from IIT already in the US, and of course, a little bit of my own will power! :P
July-September 2011
Thank God, the office load is so weak nowadays! Now, which word list was I going through again! Damn, how do you just remember words! That is so irritating!! Amen to God for changing the pattern of GRE right when I needed it! May be I will do maths today. Oh wait, I did maths yesterday as well and completed all the books on it in 1 day, with just 1 mistake. Damn, I am stuck with English then! If only I could just teleport to the day after GRE/TOEFL. Ok...now i am just thinking too much and wasting time. Ok...so KAPLAN GRE, here we go!!
Oh...and so much for keeping the secrecy from office!! I am making so many fictitious journeys to Rajamundry for setting up the house for my parents! ;)
Done with GRE and TOEFL!!...not very bad Balu...given all the hectic and sporadic preparations!! :)
September-November 2011
My 1st SOP draft:
BIL: You need to change a lot! Be diplomatic, not brutally honest! Don't explain so much on the process!
Friend in US: No zing to the SOP man! Make it more marketable!
Uncle: Concentrate more on undergrad life and a bit on work life. Too much details of high school!
2nd Draft:
BIL: Do not write about the processes you followed. Change it to portray what you learnt!
Friend in US: Dude...You definitely need to change the job part. Make it positive. DO NOT show it off as a mistake!
Uncle: Looks Good...make it a bit short!
...and it went on for some time! Finally the 1st and final draft were poles apart!!...Thanks to the innumerable suggestions from all corners!
November 2011-January 2012
Oh my god, it is the same application for all the universities. Why can't they just maintain 1 damn place and take it from there! Oh, the money that I am spending...GRE, TOEFL, applications, DHL!! Wow, I seriously hope I will get it somewhere! Aaaah...it is so irritating to keep tweaking the SOP to suite the different ways in which they ask the same question!! Why can't they just ask for the SOP and be done with it!!
Oh...these professors! Some send it the moment I ask them for reference, and others are taking eternity. Ok...so did everyone send to this university? Who is remaining? What about the other university? Man, am I sending too many reminders to this professor? Oh God...please...let this be over!!
January-March 2012
REJECTED!! Damn...they waited hardly a day to send that once my application got completed. Wow...that is a good start! May be it is just a matter of time before the others send in their rejections! Oh...will I at least get a project associate position somewhere in India! And to imagine, I have to go through this horror again, next year!
ADMIT!!...WITH AID!!!...seriously? These guys want me there? Wow! Well, IIT brand is definitely alive! I am awesome!...F$%## that univ..they are just obnoxious!! :P Well this was definitely down in the list of ranks! Hey wait...wow...this professor from another university wants me to work with him! Ammmmaaazing!! Oh...and this is a good university! Hope he is serious! WOW...I want to break something and shout out loud...One day and 2 awesome decisions! I might actually end up doing a PhD, after all!!
April 11 2012
Ok...RPI it is! The I-20 is here and I have a professor as well to work under! But, did I make the right decision? I seriously hope so! I mean I did take inputs from so many people in deciding this! But, I guess I will never know!
Later in April 2012
Wow, the VISA process...The forum is so helpful. What the hell is wrong with Mumbai consulate. Thank God, Hyderabad consulate is being reasonable. Wow, so even if the Visa officer is smiling and happy, all it took was 1 grandmother in US and this guy is rejected without a chance to explain! Damn you mamayya (another maternal uncle)...why did you take that greencard before I came to US. You should have asked me na! Hmmm...so after all the effort, I guess I should still look out for the project associate thing as my VISA is sure to get rejected! Well, I did prepare well, but then again, it is so dependent on the mood of the officer! May be I should take some sweets to every VISA officer's house! May be it was never meant to be! Oh...the PhD dream continues to remain elusive! But then again, the Hyderabad consulate is doing great! Though, for all you know, I could be the exception! Oh God...just let me teleport to the day after VISA!!
They took my passport at the consulate!!...YAAAAAAAAAY...now nothing can stop me! Unless, of course, I screw up at the airports or flight delays or the immigration or customs people in US deport me! Damn, so many road blocks! And somehow, I am always thinking of the worst case possible and making myself sad!! May be I should not worry so much! May be I should! It is going to be a looong journey and with no cell phone or any other way to communicate, this is going to be hell!!
May-August 2012
Ok...I have made the list. I have bought everything! But, damn, I am not able to find roommies or houses! Thanks to Facebook and the Grad association, I at least have some temporary accommodation. Oh great, room mate problem seems to be solved, but what about the list? Am I taking too many things? Or is it too little? The weight constraints on the aircraft would kill me before anything else. And the suitcases seems to be changing their weight at will. May be I will have to return from Hyderabad airport itself for overweight! May be I will have to pay up, but I don't have an Indian debit card and what if the Indian cash is not enough for the extra weight?
Will I make it across the oceans without any hiccups? Am I keeping all the required documents in my hand baggage? What if the Brussels stop in Belgium requires Belgium Visa. Will I be deported half way through the journey? Will they put me in jail in Belgium as an illegal immigrant? Man, how will I communicate with anyone then about my situation? I don't have a phone on me either! Should I tell anyone about these fears? No, the Jet Airways customer care was clear that I don't need any Visa. But, what if they change the rules later on! May be they won't! May be it will not be as bad as I imagine! May be I will be in New Jersey and in the safety of my family friends before I know it!
"Doode, your CGPA is brilliant. The professors will definitely remember you man. Though you might need to meet some of them to jog their memory a little. But, if you want to do PhD...things like you went into corporate world etc will not matter much. I mean you have been working for less than a year now. More importantly, the IIT brand has not lost its influence as yet among the US universities! You can definitely get it!! At least, you should definitely try!"
But, the fears remained seeded deep within and these words from a dear friend were not enough to break those fears as yet!
June 8th 2011, Bangalore Railway Station
"You have to decide something, Balu! Either start making plans for settling down or start doing something about any future education plans!!" My mother's words woke me up from the deep slumber I was in!!
So, the party time is over. The job was never the final settling option. As for MBA, I never had the points in my CV to get into a decent institute and moreover, the life of MBA education was not particularly appealing to me!! Moreover, Research, PhD continued to attract me even with all the fears of straying around.
Later part of June, My home in Hyderabad
"So, mamayya (maternal uncle), I am seriously considering PhD. But I just have the feeling that it has been 2 years since I left Mechanical Engg and that would show up as a blot in my application!"
"No Balu. Trust me, 2 or 3 years of straying away from academia is NOT a big drawback to your application. You graduated from IIT and that still means something everywhere. I am sure many of your professors from IIT and your internship supervisors would give you recommendations given your CGPA and more-than-decent performances. Do not hold yourself back because of these things. I have been in the academia for long enough to tell you that the future prospects are definitely great. But, if you think it might not work out, I would suggest that you apply for PhD and simultaneously look for a project associate position at IISc or any other such institute. This way, if you do get admission, then you need not waste another year trying to get some research experience as project associate somewhere. But, I am sure you will definitely get it. Just put in the required effort and start preparing for GRE/TOEFL right away and keep a look out for the admission deadlines at the universities!"
Yes!! This was what I was looking for. The strong and confident words from a pro who has been there, and done that, and still doing it!! Damn...I should have done it 1.5 years back itself!
Last week of June, My home in Hyderabad
"Are you serious, saale (wife's brother, literally in this case!)? Man, this is huge! You have a lot of work to do. It will be very hectic, but it is still doable. You DO NOT have a minute to waste. And yes, you did make the decision a little late, so you need to do things in parallel!! Right now, first, book a date for GRE. Because, trust me, you will not study seriously unless you book the date!! ;) Then, start e-mailing at least the Hi-Hello e-mails to all the people you marked for the recommendations. Keep looking at universities as and when you find time and keep a track of deadlines etc. Try completing GRE/TOEFL by August-September, the earlier the better, so that you have time for SOP, Applications, contacting professors at the US universities etc. And KEEP ME POSTED!! I have been through the process just now, I have helped numerous others in the past at my institute and I might be a bit busy, but I will definitely keep guiding you! All the best man, and start with the tasks already!! :P "
Completely unexpected! But, then again, my sister did tell me my brother-in-law is very friendly and very very helpful. Now, I have enough people to guide me through the whole process and keep me focused on the tasks by pestering me for updates! My uncle, brother-in-law, friends from IIT already in the US, and of course, a little bit of my own will power! :P
July-September 2011
Thank God, the office load is so weak nowadays! Now, which word list was I going through again! Damn, how do you just remember words! That is so irritating!! Amen to God for changing the pattern of GRE right when I needed it! May be I will do maths today. Oh wait, I did maths yesterday as well and completed all the books on it in 1 day, with just 1 mistake. Damn, I am stuck with English then! If only I could just teleport to the day after GRE/TOEFL. Ok...now i am just thinking too much and wasting time. Ok...so KAPLAN GRE, here we go!!
Oh...and so much for keeping the secrecy from office!! I am making so many fictitious journeys to Rajamundry for setting up the house for my parents! ;)
Done with GRE and TOEFL!!...not very bad Balu...given all the hectic and sporadic preparations!! :)
September-November 2011
My 1st SOP draft:
BIL: You need to change a lot! Be diplomatic, not brutally honest! Don't explain so much on the process!
Friend in US: No zing to the SOP man! Make it more marketable!
Uncle: Concentrate more on undergrad life and a bit on work life. Too much details of high school!
2nd Draft:
BIL: Do not write about the processes you followed. Change it to portray what you learnt!
Friend in US: Dude...You definitely need to change the job part. Make it positive. DO NOT show it off as a mistake!
Uncle: Looks Good...make it a bit short!
...and it went on for some time! Finally the 1st and final draft were poles apart!!...Thanks to the innumerable suggestions from all corners!
November 2011-January 2012
Oh my god, it is the same application for all the universities. Why can't they just maintain 1 damn place and take it from there! Oh, the money that I am spending...GRE, TOEFL, applications, DHL!! Wow, I seriously hope I will get it somewhere! Aaaah...it is so irritating to keep tweaking the SOP to suite the different ways in which they ask the same question!! Why can't they just ask for the SOP and be done with it!!
Oh...these professors! Some send it the moment I ask them for reference, and others are taking eternity. Ok...so did everyone send to this university? Who is remaining? What about the other university? Man, am I sending too many reminders to this professor? Oh God...please...let this be over!!
January-March 2012
REJECTED!! Damn...they waited hardly a day to send that once my application got completed. Wow...that is a good start! May be it is just a matter of time before the others send in their rejections! Oh...will I at least get a project associate position somewhere in India! And to imagine, I have to go through this horror again, next year!
ADMIT!!...WITH AID!!!...seriously? These guys want me there? Wow! Well, IIT brand is definitely alive! I am awesome!...F$%## that univ..they are just obnoxious!! :P Well this was definitely down in the list of ranks! Hey wait...wow...this professor from another university wants me to work with him! Ammmmaaazing!! Oh...and this is a good university! Hope he is serious! WOW...I want to break something and shout out loud...One day and 2 awesome decisions! I might actually end up doing a PhD, after all!!
April 11 2012
Ok...RPI it is! The I-20 is here and I have a professor as well to work under! But, did I make the right decision? I seriously hope so! I mean I did take inputs from so many people in deciding this! But, I guess I will never know!
Later in April 2012
Wow, the VISA process...The forum is so helpful. What the hell is wrong with Mumbai consulate. Thank God, Hyderabad consulate is being reasonable. Wow, so even if the Visa officer is smiling and happy, all it took was 1 grandmother in US and this guy is rejected without a chance to explain! Damn you mamayya (another maternal uncle)...why did you take that greencard before I came to US. You should have asked me na! Hmmm...so after all the effort, I guess I should still look out for the project associate thing as my VISA is sure to get rejected! Well, I did prepare well, but then again, it is so dependent on the mood of the officer! May be I should take some sweets to every VISA officer's house! May be it was never meant to be! Oh...the PhD dream continues to remain elusive! But then again, the Hyderabad consulate is doing great! Though, for all you know, I could be the exception! Oh God...just let me teleport to the day after VISA!!
They took my passport at the consulate!!...YAAAAAAAAAY...now nothing can stop me! Unless, of course, I screw up at the airports or flight delays or the immigration or customs people in US deport me! Damn, so many road blocks! And somehow, I am always thinking of the worst case possible and making myself sad!! May be I should not worry so much! May be I should! It is going to be a looong journey and with no cell phone or any other way to communicate, this is going to be hell!!
May-August 2012
Ok...I have made the list. I have bought everything! But, damn, I am not able to find roommies or houses! Thanks to Facebook and the Grad association, I at least have some temporary accommodation. Oh great, room mate problem seems to be solved, but what about the list? Am I taking too many things? Or is it too little? The weight constraints on the aircraft would kill me before anything else. And the suitcases seems to be changing their weight at will. May be I will have to return from Hyderabad airport itself for overweight! May be I will have to pay up, but I don't have an Indian debit card and what if the Indian cash is not enough for the extra weight?
Will I make it across the oceans without any hiccups? Am I keeping all the required documents in my hand baggage? What if the Brussels stop in Belgium requires Belgium Visa. Will I be deported half way through the journey? Will they put me in jail in Belgium as an illegal immigrant? Man, how will I communicate with anyone then about my situation? I don't have a phone on me either! Should I tell anyone about these fears? No, the Jet Airways customer care was clear that I don't need any Visa. But, what if they change the rules later on! May be they won't! May be it will not be as bad as I imagine! May be I will be in New Jersey and in the safety of my family friends before I know it!
Yapppphhhaaa! Samadhaana I say...now that you are in your PhD, the whole thing will repeat exactly...just that the problem "Labels" will be different!!
ReplyDeleteWill check your blog again after about 4 years :P
Your BIL!!
Hehe...well as for now, I have not seen much of PhD!...just baby steps, u see!! But, your expectation that I will remember the 4 (or whatever! ;) ) year ordeal and write a consolidated blog is too much of a hyperbole! :P
DeleteHaving said that please do not wait 4 years to just visit my blog!! :)