Cornell University

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@Ritwika

That’s a good question. A lot of universities don’t offer MS thesis but having an MS with a thesis is definitely a plus for a PhD. However, it is not a requirement. So even if you take up MS without a thesis, you can contact the professor and take projects. The main constraints that professors have are SPACE and MONEY. So they won’t pay everyone as they can’t pay everyone. Often, they have a set team and with somebody new coming in would have to be trained and would require other things like space. But for Masters students, since they are already in the university, that’s an advantage for them. So you just need to contact a lot of professors. I would say contact a lot of people and they will respond. Even if it’s a no, getting a response is always good.

Basically, I wanted to slightly shift my field. I was in the field of Chemistry and my primary interest was towards the semi- conductive synthesis. I could have gone through chemistry but I wanted to shift. That was what I was interested in plus in a dual degree the workload is very high so I felt I was more focused on surviving and getting marks and my learning was a little rushed and I wanted to properly study, so that’s why I took up Masters. Masters in the US involves a lot of research work so I thought I would have some more time to decide whether to go for a PhD or something else like a Research and Development job.

@Vineel_k

That’s a fear that all of us have. Professors are very busy people, so it’s very hard to get a response from them. If you have done good work like research, projects, papers etc. then I would suggest that you emphasize it in the main body of your mail. We tend to make a mistake in writing the email from our perspective. Avoid writing a mail that states what you want, rather, look at it from their perspective - what you can bring to their lab and how you can contribute or suit their needs. Look into their profile and then tune your email accordingly. If you are just applying for TA/RA and have some connection like a work experience then emphasize on that. In the introduction, just keep it general, like “I’m interested in joining your lab and I find the research being done very interesting”. You must show your interest towards the research being done.

@teja_v

It’s good that you have already worked in the field. Whether it is chemistry or semiconductor synthesis, it’s not that different , it’s just a little more physics in the latter’s case. You can emphasize on the work that you have already done in chemistry. If you have done projects then emphasize on them. You can also emphasize on things like your lab skills or techniques you used. You can always attach a CV and send. What I did was that initially I talked about my interest in their lab. In the second paragraph I talked about the work that I have done which is tuned to what they are doing and how it fits their research. In conclusion, I’d just mentioned that I have attached my CV and that I’m interested in the lab and that this is the field in which I aspire to pursue my career in. Since you are looking to shift, which is not a very big one, so just focus on explaining the projects and technical skills well.

@Vineel_k

For me, I would say the biggest advantage to go to the US is access to a lot of people who are in the same field and facilities and jobs as well. It’s not that the US is better than other countries, it’s just that you have more seniors working here, in jobs or simply in some or the other field and it helps. It definitely was a factor for me.

Canada is also a good option, there are a lot of people there too. When you’re going to another country these things matter because you need advice and a network. In Canada, the job opportunities are good but lesser than the US. The RA/TA shifts are pretty much similar. Right now, Canada is actively looking out for immigrants so that’s a plus for us. Europe is also a good option. Jobs in Europe are slightly harder. It could depend on which university or city. Germany is a good option. But Europe is a little volatile right now (with Brexit going on ) and so it does affect the job opportunities. Europe is equally good and it’s not that it’s a bad option. You will just have to work harder as jobs are a little lesser. If you have a good application, go for it because ultimately your work would get you a job so just focus on that.

When you say “here” , I’m assuming India. Jobs in the US are not all research oriented. You have regular, non- research oriented jobs as well. Research is definitely a plus, but it is not a disadvantage if you don’t have research. You have a pretty good chance otherwise. You are from maths background and you’re working in R&D. It’s a good area to be in. I agree, coding is one thing that is focused more on in India. So what happens is that a lot of countries outsource their work to India, so a lot of jobs in India end up just about coding which can lead to understandable dissatisfaction. About jobs in the US, you have coding, research oriented, regular desk jobs as well. You can be a consultant as it is a good option because you have technical expertise and you work in the R&D field. You can also go for regular desk jobs or research oriented jobs.

@Vineel_k

Yes, you can surely put them in your CV. If you have given it for review you can write “under review”. If you have submitted it, you can write “submitted it”. If you are still writing, I would suggest you should put it only if you are sure you will submit it and write “under submission”. Don’t put it if you are still in the ideation stage. I did the same too and my papers got published when I got here, so it’s not an issue.

To kick off next session in our series of AMA sessions, Varun Harnathka - https://www.linkedin.com/in/varun-harnathka/ who completed his Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) in Chemical Engineering with a specialization in Energy Economics and Engineering at Cornell University will volunteer an hour to field your queries. Prior Cornell University, Varun completed his BTech in Chemical Engineering (minor in Petroleum Engineering) from Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal and has volunteered to work for Rotary International, Scio Benevolent Foundation, etc. During his course, he worked as the Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant in the Cornell University.

You can start asking your questions right away. Tune into this page at 6 pm on Friday 2nd of August to get your answers. See you then!

Hi Varun,
I am really impressed by such an outstanding profile of yours. I would be joining Columbia University for MS in Chemical Engineering Fall 2019. I have been closely following you and need some enlightenment furthermore.

  1. Internships are supposed to be done in Summer 2020 right?
  2. What is the ideal time to start applying for these Internships ?
  3. Can you walk us over with your experience in the US ?
  4. What kind of people are we required to connect with in order to grab these Internships?

Hi Varun,

I had a few questions actually.

  1. Are there any scholarships(internal or external) I can apply for?
  2. Is it a good idea to extend the course to a third semester?
  3. How can one apply for a teaching assistanship? And is it feasible to apply it with the M.Eng course?

Thanks,
Shivangi Gambhir.

Sir
What are the job prospects after ms chemical from cornell?
Do non it majors face job problems in us?
Do on campus placements take place in US?

Do career fairs take place at Cornell itself?
Who provides information regarding these fairs?
Are college authorities actively involved in telling students abt career fairs?

Key points that admissions committee at Cornell look for in application. Is it subjective to GRE or GPA or is there any other aspect and what’s ur overall profile

What’s the average profile especially for Ms computer science to get into Cornell and is spring entry easier than fall

Is it a good idea to come to Cornell for spring and I have heard that it is hard for spring graduates to get h1b visa coz of the time required to convince the company to file h1b is less for spring grads than fall grads. Ur tots?

Hi Varun,
What best practices will you recommend to incoming students to secure a TA ship or RA ship at Cornell? Can we start reaching out before landing at Cornell?

TBH, is it worth spending extra bucks on cornell compared to other similar tier universities but almost half the cost especially for a cs job whihc totally depends on skills than brand value of the univeristy

is it a good idea to contact profs to increase chances of admission? and is it possible

is it true that work exp compensates for gre and gpa. and does verbal score matter for a stem course

  1. Yes, unlike India, most internship opportunities are available in summer. Winter internships are very rare. In winter, you can go for exchange programs which can give you good exposure. You have three months of vacation in summer which is a great time to do an internship.

  2. The ideal time to apply for these internships would be as soon as you join college. The first thing you should do is contact career services, get your resume reviewed, get your cover letters reviewed by the career services staff, and once they approve of it, start applying. I would say even applying now would not be too soon. Try online platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed, etc. If you looking for a job in the Pharma sector; select a Pharma company, go to their website, and start looking for internships options available.

  3. In terms of education, I was one of those people who thought writing two-page long answers is more important. That perspective completely changed. I have become a person who understands that crisp and relevant answers value more. The biggest skill I learned was how to make effective presentations. Basically, I got a cross-culture exposure while working on different projects with people from China, Columbia, Brazil, Lebanon, etc. It is really amazing to learn how people from different countries think, and it gives you a perspective on the outlook of people from different cultural backgrounds and helps you think out-of-the-box.

My experience as a job applicant was pretty hard. I sat for interviews with very few companies in India, and they were all a piece of cake for me. All you have to be is yourself, and you can make it pretty easily in India. But here, the process can last up to a few months. Sometimes, the recruitment process extends up to 7 months. For example, McKenzie’s process was of 7 rounds. It included an aptitude test, 4 rounds of interviews, then a case interview with the manager. It is an extremely challenging process; you have to be mentally prepared for it. You can just take it as a piece of cake and expect it to be easy. I was really excited when I joined Cornell; I had my first career fair in the first month. I gave interviews in 3 companies. I thought I did well in the interviews, but I did not get any offer from them. That is when it hit me that the competition pool is much stronger right now. Everyone at Cornell is here for a reason and everybody’s equally smart. You need to show what is different about you and you really need to able to succinctly answer the questions in a very strategic and structured manner. That will help the most.

  1. I would suggest getting in touch with people in higher positions. If it is an HR, then that would be ideal. But it’s harder to get in touch with HRs because they get a million messages in their inbox, and they would probably not reply to you. So get in touch with your seniors first who are in the company you are applying to. Go to LinkedIn. Type in, for example, Shell, Cornell, and you will get a list of the alumni who have graduated from Cornell and are currently working at Shell. Now people have a particular weakness, they like talking about themselves. So ask them about themselves, their interests, what got them there. Try to build a personal connection. It’s much easier because people inherently want to help people from the same college. If a Manipalite or Cornellite approached me for help, I’d stop doing whatever I was doing just to help him/ her. That’s the kind of bond that you need to build. Nobody helps acquaintances, people help friends. So try to build that kind of relationship.

Secondly, Career fairs are a great place to make connections because recruiters come there directly. Attend not only the fairs in your university but other career fairs happening in the city as well.

Hi Shivangi,

  1. Yes, in Cornell, there is a scholarship option for MEng students. The name is Knight Scholarship. The scholarship may provide as much as $40k. The Knight Scholars receive a $10,000 tuition award per semester for up to two semesters while enrolled as graduate students in the M.Eng. Degree program and a $10,000 tuition award per semester for up to two semesters while enrolled in an MBA degree program at Cornell. The chances of getting one are very low as the numbers of scholarships available are very limited, and hence the competition to get the Knight Scholarship is pretty tough. I also applied for it but was not successful in getting one. I strongly suggest you give your best while applying. There are some Indian scholarships also available such as TATA and others, but the amount offered is very low. So don’t expect much from the Indian agencies.

  2. There is an option in Cornell to extend the MEng course to the third semester. Whether it is a good idea or not depends on you.
    You have to finish 30 credits in one year, and along with that, you have to search for jobs. Some people find it very challenging to manage both. If you have not completed your credits on time and are still looking for a job, then you might have to extend your course for a semester. But it is quite costly. The semester fee is about $27k. So the students who extend their course for a semester generally hook themselves onto teaching assistantship and summer internships. The assistantship is generally around $6k, and the summer internship offers $10-$12k. So in total, it becomes $16- $18k. So you are only left with $10k to pay for the extension. My personal suggestion is if you are financially sound then go ahead for it, otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend it. You have 3 months after you get your OPT to look for a job. Your OPT can start 2 months after your graduation, so effectively you have 5 months after your graduation to look for a job. And you can legally stay unemployed in the country. So if five months are not enough for you, then you should. I would say you should not unless you are finding it really hard to balance.

  3. Of course, in the Chemical department, the professors prefer MEng TAs. I did 2 TAs in the spring semester. I did one in the ME department and another one in Physics. A friend of mine is doing a summer TA, so it is definitely feasible for one to apply for it if one is from the MEng course.
    You will have to email the professors personally or go the Cornell website. Check the list of courses.