Thanks for applying!

"Dear Harsh Agarwal,

Thank you for applying to the MS in Computer Science program at Stanford University. The MSCS Admissions Committee has reviewed your application and we are sorry to inform you that the committee did not recommend you for admission. The number of applicants far exceeds the number of those we can admit, which makes the admissions process a difficult and painstaking one. As a result, many strong candidates must be turned down.

We wish you every success in satisfying your educational and career goals.

Sincerely,

Graduate Admissions

?Computer Science Department

Stanford University"

Well, this isn't a very surprising email that a lot of folks get when they apply for a masters/PhD program! No feedbacks, no details, just a simple no, we can't offer you admission.

With the Graduate Admission results coming out regularly these days, first of all, a hearty congratulations to all the students who were able to pave their way to their dream college!

However, I see a lot of people who are very confused and may even feel disheartened by looking at the results. Within seconds of reading that rejection email or not getting an acceptance email (thanks to grad cafe!) all sorts of questions like "Am I not good enough?" or "Is my research not up to the mark?" can start popping up!

Well, you see with so many applicants and not a well-defined or I should say "very subjective" procedure to roll out the admits, there is a very high probability that your application wasn't well understood/perceived. People inside these great universities, cannot strongly remark upon or predict your future based on a description of a couple of pages sent by you! Your SoP might be astoundingly amazing, but maybe the person who was reading your application wasn't able to understand it well, maybe he was just too confused with his own stuff at that moment or had to put in a lot of effort in understanding your SoP so decided to rank you low. And please don't get me wrong. I am not pointing or devaluing the admissions committee. Not every reviewer is like that, some are very serious but some are not!

There could be thousands of reasons which are absolutely not related to you or your research aptitude. It's just a bad way, but we don't have anything better at the moment! I agree this is better than IIT JEE where your life is not defined just by an exam but still, it is not the best. And like always, even this process is polluted by meddlers who charge an exorbitant amount of fees for just reading SoPs. They are really not the solution as well!

So what?! Stop applying? Or stop dreaming to study at these great universities because there are just too many applicants! No! Certainly not! But don't stop dreaming because you could not make it to a masters/PhD program.

Which brings in another point, masters or a PhD at a great university is a big achievement however that is not the only thing which defines a person!

Start your research, focus on the core, what is the big problem that you are trying to solve and if not this way what are the other ways in which you can fulfil that ambition. Think, don't change your goals, change your path! What are the other options? What are the other ways in which you can get in? Are there some serious requirements, like research papers, CGPA or program requirements that you must look into before applying the next time? Talk to seniors or people pursuing the program...what is their say? Get some feedback! But most importantly stay positive! Be confident!

No one has the right to decide what your future is except you, just stick to what you have in your mind and go for it!

And as always "There is a pot of gold waiting at the end of your very own rainbow!"

Cheers

Harsh