Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Applications and Frustrations ...

Applying to US universities for MS/Phd is like one of the most irritating things around. The whole process is totally convoluted and brazenly costly. Reporting the Gre Toefl scores tops it all. Sop, they want a statement of purpose. All Sops start in the same general way about how the field interests them, how it is an important research area, the experience they have and other related stuff, how this university is ideal for them and how they plan to be enriched by it. All of them are the same. So i tried this one differently. But am wise enough not to send it and waste my 100$ that is spent on the application proces to a single university. I do not have access to the different introduction right now otherwise would have posted it here. Other things that add to the burgeoning frustration level is the fast approaching deadlines, still not having hold of all the required documents, fyp deadlines and reports which have to be written though i have done nothing at all and the job-placement process in which i am performing at the very worst. Ofcourse, doing no preparation whatsoever does contribute, but nevertheless, i still seem to suck at them. But how does it matter? I dont think i would want to go for a job now anyway. But then, am i sure about doing phd? Not at all, but it certainly seems as the better option. I thought i was now beyond supervising and explaining projects as the 22 credits i mentored last sem have ended. But no. Some enterprising second years wanted a project under Dr. Pjn and what does he suggest? Our itws3 project .. right out of the blue? How come he even remembers it?? So, had to dust the project out of the archives, make it run all over again and then explain it to them after recollecting what it was.
And, there are few other things which contribute generously to frustration.

My gmail id is quite a popular one. I recieve very fews mails meant for me. I have been blessed with mails containing some assignment some student of some forsaken institute wanted to send to some lecturer of his/her, a lot of offers from companies asking for my resume, the latest ones being from Cognizant, a mail from Microsoft Technical Recruiter giving me his email in continuation of our previous day conversation on phone. And today, i got a mail from some poor soul requesting me to find him a job in some bpo. I wished him all the best :).

Someone search for profs in the universities and send them mails.
Someone finish my sop and fill the application forms.
Someone collect the recos and transcripts and post them.
Someone mail those researchers for the papers and read the papers and write the report.
Someone give me a long vacation that i have deserved for sooo long.
Someone give me a good reason to feel like waking up the next day....