Master of Information Systems Management at Carnegie Mellon University Part Deux

It is that time of the year where people are anxiously waiting for their I-20s and leaving jobs and packing and binge-watching on Netflix and partying and living life as if it were their last few days.
Also, people are franctically panicking over the few forms/documents/processes which are involved in finally achieving their dreams (or not) of landing in the US and driving on the right side of the road.

This post is to help with that. (such ambiguous, very wow)

First of all, for those fretting about the Visa process, blindly follow this -
Visa Process Elaborated
Some dude some time ago took a lot more efforts than I have to help you guys out. Full credits to him. You da man!

Secondly, here's a helpful list for stuff you want to carry as you come here to the US. Again, it is too exhaustive and you don't require to carry everything but whatever is relevant and to your liking.
I did not buy too many socks, but I did buy Kissan's Lime Juice Cordial (payless brand endorsement).
The link to the list is as follows -
MSinUS Items
Again, someone else came up with that list and credits due to him/her/them!

Finally, some personal tips for the Visa Interviews -

1. Be nonchalant. You know you are freaking out, but the VO doesn't need to know that. Besides, there is no reason to be worried. You are a decent human being who wants to undertake the journey of MSinUS just to learn from the best! You are not doing anything wrong here. It is a natural tendency of human being to do what seems to him to be the best approach. So, as long as you are a decent human being with pure intentions and an unshady past, you needn't worry about the Visa Interview. 
2. Have mock interviews with friends, family, or the experienced. It helps. It always helps.
3. Don't carry too many certificates or splurge too much on acquiring them. You don't need a CA certificate or anything.You don't need last 10 years bank statement or anything. The guidelines by your Counseller are generic and not pertaining to your case. You need to show them that you are a genuine person who can afford the lifestyle expected (I-20). Furthermore, you need to indicate that you plan on coming back (even if you don't). You can mention OPT but don't mention H1B. The CA certificate, the bank statements, etc are just supporting documents to show that you have an interest to come back to India. The same way, a medical certificate of a close relative in a bad state can also be used as indication to come back. Basically, anything which shows you have reasons to come back are supporting documents and not mandatory. 
4. Be honest. They can figure out if you are lying. They see a lot of us daily and they are quite experienced.
5. Be confident. You are coming to CMU! Good Stuff!

I will add more whenever I get a chance. Got a lot ahead of me and, as Donald Duck would say,

That's All Folks!

Master of Information Systems Management at Carnegie Mellon University

Sankalp’s Guide to CMU MISM (and BIDA)

By – Sankalp (no shit!)

Over the past few months, I keep on getting messages over WhatsApp, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter (not really), and relatives regarding Applying to, Getting to, Living through, and Sustaining after Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy’s Master of Information Systems Program (with a concentration in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics). If you’re able to get through till this far, you’re likely a strong contender to be a CMU student.

The purpose of this document is to answer the most common questions that I get. It is very humbling. Of course, I get to decide the “common” of the questions and if yours doesn’t feature there, ping me up! So, let’s get started –

1.      Which one is better – MISM or MISM-BIDA?

Both. BIDA is a specialization of MISM.

MISM provides the luxury of a flexible curriculum where you can leverage your current skills to become one of – Software Engineer, Product Manager, Data Analyst/Scientist, Entrepreneur.

BIDA limits the luxury of a flexible curriculum so you’re mostly gonna be a Data Analyst/Scientist or have skills to do your own research.

BIDA gets priority for its core courses such as Machine Learning for Problem Solving, Applied Econometrics, Unstructured Data Analytics, etc. MISMs can choose the same but might not be guaranteed a spot in the class.

2.      Which one is better – MISM 12 months or MISM 16 months (w/o BIDA)?

Heinz’s assumption is that your work experience is good enough to get a good job in the US. They’re generally accurate with their predictions (or so we should hope, right?). The only difference is an internship experience in the Summer.

The question is best answered by how confident you are of your own abilities. If you’re up for it, 12 months is a superb investment for a bright future and 16 months would be a drag for you (easy peesy).

In short, answer is subjective, and readers should decide themselves.

3.      What are the internship and full-time scenes?

Good. Skillset you gain is insane. People have multiple offers generally, though some might not have an offer too. For a MIS program, this one has a good chance of getting internships and FTs. But I will state this – there is no guarantee that you’ll get any job. It’s just highly likely to get a job because you’re at CMU.

4.      Do companies sponsor H1-Bs for FTs?

Yes.

5.      Where do I take a loan from?

Best – Rishtedars who are willing to sponsor, Religious/Caste Organizations, Scholarships

Decent – Public Banks (PNB is the best :p)

Not Best/Decent – Private Banks and Prodigy Finance (higher rates, maybe ask for collateral)

Most of you are gonna go for Not Best/Decent options though.

6.      What are these pre-requisites and should I choose the ones listed on the course website?

The admissions office and professors believe that to make the best out of your education at Heinz, you should come equipped with some “prior course knowledge”.

Some find the pre-req courses useful while others find it useless. If they’ve asked you to do them, you have to do them.

You can, of course, exempt them by showing University Transcripts mentioning those courses and/or, sometimes, even work experience can be cited (don’t be too hopeful though)

You should choose one from the course website because the alternatives might not be viable. They weren’t for me and I did pay 935$ for a UCSD Database Management Course. It helped.

7.      Will I get a TA/RA?

You will, provided you’re proficient at something that the Professor/University needs.

TAs are certainly possible but that makes time management 10x harder.

People also take library/desk jobs and that’s absolutely possible.

8.      Immunizations. Quickest way?

Come to Pittsburgh, get the Student Insurance provided by CMU, take it on campus.

If that’s not what you’re doing, then best to go to your GP and have a discussion.

9.      Can I shift from BIDA to MISM and Vice-Versa?

BIDA → MISM – YES

MISM → BIDA – NO

Why?
I don’t know.

10.  I20 scenes. How much should my bank show?

Don’t be foolish enough to believe that you need to show at least 1.5x times the i20 amount. That’s just ridiculousness from your counsellors.

If your i20 amount is $72K, show at least $80K and that’ll be good.

You can show Liquidated FDs, Loans, Liquid Cash, Investments, Scholarships or Sponsorships, etc and the sum should be >72K.

It makes it easy if the bank writes a letter stating the exact amount of Liquid Cash your sponsors have (in dollars) when applying for the i20.

Unless you’re super rich, you don’t need to show 1.5x. NO ONE Expects you to have so much liquid cash. It won’t affect your VISA interview nor your prospects.

11.  OMG! How am I gonna get my Visa?!

I20s come late. You’re gonna be stressed even before you come to CMU!

Expect i20s in end June or early July.

Visa Interviews are a breeze, unless you’re a shady person. It takes ~10 seconds for the interview and no one in my familiarity circle got a rejection. There were a few who got delayed but no one got rejected.

Pro Tip: Don’t mention “Business Intelligence” during the interview.

12.  Insurance, which is better – College or private?

Private but recognized, IMO.

13.  Accommodation in Pittsburgh

Three Places – Squirrel Hill, Shady Side, Oakland. (Check em out on the map)

I like Squirrel Hill, reminds me of my home town (Bombay). Surprisingly very laidback. (Kinda expensive)

Shadyside is hustling and bustling and has many attractions so is quite happening. (Not that expensive)

Oakland is equally happening, and you get a mix of CMU/UPitt students there. (Not that expensive)

14.  Do we really get so much (or so little) money upon graduation?

Most do, some don’t.

Depends on job profile and city, etc.

15.  How are the professors there?

Some are outright amazing! You will fall in love with the subjects (and even them!)

Most of them are highly accomplished and tons of experience and their words are worth their weight in gold.

Some, though, are highly sub-par and can really bog you down.

The best thing I can say is – On Average, keeping everything else constant, the professors at CMU teaching MIS are better than your expectation of them.

16.  What kind of laptops? Better to buy in India or USA?

USA.

Cheaper Electronics and Higher Computing Power and Genuine Sales with Student Discounts.

Also, you won’t need to carry a converter to connect your charger too.

17.  How’s life of a MISM student?

Ahh! Satra Khatra!

It is, at best, ridiculous!

First 2 weeks are fine but then the workload increases exponentially. You’ll reach college at 9AM and leave college at 4AM on a daily basis.

“Home is where the Bed is” – Sankalp

We have a lot of courses to take in a semester and with every additional course you get additional assignments and projects which eat up all your time. Life beyond college will be limited to the occasional drinking scene in the middle of the semester at Haufbrauhaus or Hemingways. The college also has occasional happy-hours and there’s free food all the time.

Overall, free time would become a luxury and you’ll be in college for more than 80% of the week.

At the moment, my time permits me to write only as much. As and when, I shall keep on updating this space so keep checking it out!

A Quick Guide of Mumbai (Part Deux) (Part II)

A quick recap of P1-:

• History of Mumbai
• Shape of Mumbai
• Different sections of Mumbai
• Accommodation in Mumbai

Now that it is established that you are now established in Mumbai, you're probably wondering about the most neglected aspect of any city - Transportation.

As mentioned earlier, Mumbai is a linear city with an offshoot in the east. It is further divided into 3-4 regions based on regional geography. These regions are connected with the help of -

 

Figure 1: Rail Map of Mumbai

• Locals
• Western Line (Churchgate to Dahanu Road)
• Central Line (CSTM/VT to Karjat/Kasara)
• Harbour Line (CSTM to Panvel/Andheri)
• Trans-Harbour Line (Panvel to Thane)
• Mumbai Metro (Ghatkopar to Versova)
• B.E.S.T. Buses (All over Mumbai and beyond)
• N.M.M.T. and T.M.T. Buses (On Selected Routes)
• Western Expressway (Bandra to Virar)
• Eastern Expressway (Sion to Kalyan)
• Eastern Freeway (CSTM/VT to Chembur [extending to Thane])
• Santacruz - Chembur Link Road (SCLR)
• Jogeshwari - Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR)
• Chembur - Panvel Highway (Panvel is where the Mumbai-Pune Expressway begins)

 Figure 2: Road Map of Mumbai

Courtesy: Maps of India

Let me take each mode in detail.

Mumbai Local

The Mumbai local is an annoyingly indispensable mode of transport in Mumbai. It is the fastest, most reliable and extremely congested method to travel.

The Mumbai Locals are Electric Multiple Units (EMU) which ply on the aforementioned routes at intervals of as close as every 2 minutes! They also have the distinction of transporting over 8 million people a day.

There are 2 types of Locals -:

• Fast Locals - Stop at limited stations but for long duration and are useful when going far away from point of origin. In the right times, they can save you as many as 20 minutes while, in the wrong times, they can be practically crushing to you!
  The Destination and Stops are predetermined and well documented and have a specific timing to it.
  For eg, On Western Line, some locals are from Churchgate to Dahanu, some to Virar, some to Borivali, etc.
  Similarly is the case for Central Line.
  
  Biggest Word of Advice - NEVER EVER TRAVEL IN A VIRAR FAST DURING PEAK HOURS WHEN GOING WITH THE TRAFFIC.
  Yes, remember the words in BOLD. Don't ask why, just remember.
• Slow Locals - Stop at all the stations but for shorter duration and useful to travel short distances or for long distances during peak hours.
  The routes are the same as Fast Locals' but their tracks are different than the Fast Locals' tracks.

Things to remember when traveling via locals-:

1. Peak Hours
1. Morning 0730 to 1030
2. Evening 1730 to 2000
2. Direction of Peak Traffic (refer part 1 of guide).
1. Morning - North to South
2. Evening - South to North
3. Always anticipate when your station is approaching and get up well in time to make your way to the Correct Doors. You don't get an announcement mentioning the side of the coach where the station will arrive. Believe me, you want to be close to your door.
4. If you don't get space to sit, stand in the aisle or at the absolute sides of the doors. 
5. NEVER EVER STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PASSAGE.
6. Dadar, Andheri, Kurla, and Thane are EXTREMELY crowded stations and invasion of personal space is all but impertinent :)
7. Ensure you're in the correct compartment. There is a Ist Class (quite expensive than IInd Class), a Handicap Class, Ladies Compartment and Luggage Compartment.
8. On every major stop, ensure you have a valid ticket. Tickets are cheap but the fines for rule violations are quite heavy! You don't really find Ticket Checkers on smaller stops.
9. A Return Ticket is valid till midnight of the Following day. Also, if the ticket was purchased on Saturday, it is valid till Monday Night.
10. Let people get off first, then get in. Don't be fooled by the crowd rushing to get it. They do it for the thrill of it and there is generally enough time to get in or get out of the train.
11. Stuff is really cheap in a train and you can probably find good stuff at times.
12. Last Train is NOT haunted or unsafe to travel in. There are security personnel on board during these hours. Yeah, Mumbai Outskirts might be slightly unsafe though.
13. If you're traveling a lot on that route, get a Pass. Passes are insanely cheap and easy to get. Five Minute process at max.

The peculiar thing about Mumbai Locals is that it is generally immune to inflation and hence ultra cheap [minimum ticket is 5 bucks for a distance of nearly 10 kilometers. Beat that.]
Locals cover a huge part of Mumbai though some others like Versova, Malad, innards of Vashi, Chembur, etc have very little rail coverage.
It makes sense as a newbie to get used to traveling in locals and not shying away because you're too proud, rich, or cool a person to do so.
Lastly, if you live in Southern Mumbai, local travel is quite convenient and hassle-free.

I'll update this post as and when I get the time.
I sincerely hope that you all find it useful and that your stay here is memorable. 

A Quick Guide of Mumbai (Part 1)

So you're new to Mumbai, eh?
Quite the overwhelming state of affairs you must've been presented with.

How do you make any sense of this mayhem?
That's precisely what I'm here to talk about.

To live in Mumbai, you need to understand Mumbai.
A map is often the best way to learn about a new city -

Map of Mumbai, Courtesy mapofindia.com

As can be observed, Mumbai is a Linear city with Vashi as an offshoot.

It comprises of majorly 4 districts -

• Mumbai District
• Thane District (Includes Vashi too)
• Kalyan District (Not shown on map. Kalyan is another offshoot of Mumbai)
• Palghar District

Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay) is named after the Mumba Devi and has a tremendous historic significance. The Portuguese and the Britishers had their major bases in Mumbai. The Handicraft and Cotton industry was based out of Mumbai and Gujarat. In fact, Mumbai was then called the "Manchester of India" for its good quality Handloom exports. Apart from these, the first few Bollywood Movies were also created, directed, and produced in Mumbai.
Over the time, Mumbai has also become the Financial Capital of India, housing the BSE at the famous Dalal Street.
So, overall, Mumbai has been playing a major role in India's life and is a major component of the Indian Machinery.

While Politically Mumbai maybe divided into districts, the division that everyone uses here is the division based on direction

Mumbai is divided into -

• South Mumbai - Called SoBo (South Bombay) or Town and extends from Colaba to Mahim in the West and Sion in the North. In short, any place where NO Rickshaws ply is called SoBo. The people living here are called Townies. Townies have a different version of "Bombay" where it ends at Lower Parel or Dadar. The best of Mumbai is found here, also, the most expensive side of Mumbai is also found here.
• Western Mumbai - Western Suburbs (Burbs). This typically extends throughout the Coastline, starting from Bandra and ending around Borivali. The people living here are called Burbies. The Burbs are a happening place where there's always something to do or a Bollywood start to see. Burbs are also posh and hence expensive. (Soon to be) Old Airport is here.
• Northern Mumbai - Typically starts from Sion and heads towards Thane (It is Mulund, politically, but people prefer to choose Thane as the end point). Most Companies have their offices located in this region, notably at Vikhroli and Powai. Though the North is not considered as cool as the South or the West, there are plenty of reasons to love North. Powai is the home of the IIT, home of the splendid Hiranandani Complex and also of the Powai Lake.
  Likewise, Thane is an immensely thriving part of Mumbai where you've got amazing infrastructure and opportunities.
• Harbour Mumbai - "East Mumbai? Mumbai kya Pakistan hai kya?" said one townie girl who was asked why we don't have an East Mumbai. Harbour Mumbai is the region beyond Mankhurd (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre - BARC) towards Panvel.
  This side hosts Navi Mumbai or Vashi, the world's biggest planned city. A Vashiwala generally never leaves Vashi as life is self-sustaining over there. As this side is still up and coming, living here is relatively cheap, though make no mistakes, you do find really well do to people staying here. (Soon to be) New Airport is here.

With that sorted, you'll probably want to know where exactly to stay!
This, my reader, is not an easy question to answer.
But here's an attempt.

The Categories -

•  I’m Filthy Rich - Rent can be anywhere from 15000 to 30000 per month for a 2 BHK depending on the location and locality.

1. Colaba – Extremely expensive place. Houses cost 4 crore or more for a 2 BHK.
2. Worli – Cheaper than Colaba but still quite expensive as it is a posh area. This is a good place to rent offices though.
3. Bandra – Close Proximity to Bollywood stars and the lack of space ensure the rates here are extremely high. A good way to avoid the high rates is to look for a PG (Paying Guest) accommodation.
4. Thane – Lot of money has been pumped in its infrastructural development and with offices shifting to Thane, rates have increased.
5. Marine Lines – Being close to the sea (check the picture) and a highly frequented location, the rates are quite high here. If money isn’t a hassle, it is quite a place to live in.
6. Powai – Hiranandani Estate, Powai Lake, IIT-B, Office Spaces, etc. This place is bound to be expensive.

• I can spare enough – Rent can be anywhere from 8000 to 15000 per month for a 2BHK depending on the location and locality

1. Dadar – Heart of the City. Located bang in the middle of the city and extremely convenient with respect to transportation. Located here is Shivaji Park, the place where Tendulkar learned his game, and also the Parsi Colony (allegedly Farookh Balsara, ie, Freddie Mercury of Queen was born here). Staying here will be expensive, but life here will be very easy. For Political reasons, people from UP and Bihar will do better to avoid this place though.
2. Santacruz – Stuck between Andheri and Bandra, this niche of a place offers a mixture of convenience and fun. It is quite close to the airport too.
3. Borivali – Quite close to the North-West of Mumbai, Borivali has the Essel World-Water Kingdom Theme Park and the Beach around it. It doesn’t offer a lot of convenience but rent will be on the lesser side.
4. Ghatkopar/Vikhroli – Generally called Gujju Land since majority living here are Gujaratis, it also has lots of offices around it. There is still a high chance you’ll get a good deal for yourself for a place to stay.
5. BKC (Bandra Kurla Complex) – The area between Bandra and Kurla was made into a commercial cum residential space and many offices and embassies are located here. While the rates might be cheap, transportation is an issue and rickshaw rides will eat a lot out of your wallet.

• I’m generally broke man – Rent anywhere between 3000 to 8000 per month for a 2BHK depending on the location and locality

1. Dharavi – House of the biggest slum in the world, you’ll be greeted to many foreign women looking after the poor kids as part of their bid to “improving the world”. Jugaad is done here. This place offers most convenience in this sublist as it is close to Sion and Kurla and to Bandra and Mahim. Slumdog Millionaire was shot here.
2. Antop Hill – A place most people don’t know of and is located quite close to Sion and Matunga. Should be cheap but transportation might be a problem.
3. Virar – Far up in the North, Virar is around an hour from Mumbai and the birthplace of Govinda (Chote Miya). Travel will be the problem, so might be the locality. Locals will be full, always.
4. Kalyan – Kalyan is to Northern Mumbai what Virar is to Western Mumbai. Kalyan is slightly more developed as it falls in the path to Pune and Nashik. Travel will be the problem.
5. Chembur – On the higher side of the range, but convenience factor makes up for the rates. Decent place to live at.

• I’m absolutely broke. No Money. Here to Pursue my Rags to Riches Dream – Rent anywhere between 100 – 3000 per month.

1. BDD Chawl, Parel – Deep within the maze that is Parel (Not Lower Parel) lies the BDD Chawl. Tiny houses, cramped up roads and eternal confusion will be your constant accompaniment.
2. Railway Stations – A return ticket of a local costs a minimum of 10 Rs a day or a month long pass costs 130 Rs a month. While this isn’t the ideal place to stay at night, people have done it before and then went on to become big (Mika, Nawazuddin Siddique, etc).
3. Ulhasnagar – Though a place of contradictions, it is a posh area yet a poor area which is far away from the city and the rent is bound to be very less. 

This is Part 1 of a series of posts that I'll be making in order to explain this amazing city in easy, understandable terms. I'll also be updating the existing posts and add new content and images.

Please subscribe for further feeds.

Cheers!
:D

Shivaji Park

Dadar's Shivaji Park.

One of the most important Landmark of Dadar.

A place where the  young and the elderly have been hanging out since 1925, a place where legends such as Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Sanjay Manjrekar,etc learnt their trade, a place where the massive Rallies take place.

Shivaji Park is pretty much the hub of all activity in and around Dadar.

Overview

it is a circular /d shaped field where the  'health conscious' walk/run/ jog routinely.one can also spot many 'optimists' who tread the periphery  hoping for decrease in the what marathi call "Dheree" i.e. bulging stomach.

At any given point,one can see the old 'ajobaa's'[grandpa's] sitting on the benches kept near the Smt. Meenatai Thackerey statue entrance[denoted by 5], chatting with em matey's , happy in the knowledge that their grandkids are having a blissful time in the Children's Park adjacent to the entrance.

The Children's Park

 

Then there's always this rush at the Amul Ice-Cream stall,Tibb's Frankie's and Move n Pick takeaways.

And it's precisely at these places where optimists end up nullifying the previous hours' hard-work.

Tibb's Frankie.

Opposite to the Smt. Meenatai Thackerey statue entrance is the Udhyan Ganesh Mandir. Many devotees of Lord Ganesh come here.

The Ganesh Mandir

There's a Tennis court adjacent to the Children's park.It's Floodlit and the place is quite active.

Just besides it is the Shivaji Park Gymkhana[denoted by 8]. It's a club, quite frequented by many living nearby and also the future Rooney's and Messi's who happen to kick the ball in it's premises.

The Shivaji Park Gymkhana

At position no 6 we have the Samarth Vyayam mandir. Now Vyayam literally means Exercise in English,but it's not just treadmills,dumbells,etc it's the likes of Malkham,Lejhim,Yoga,Wall climbing,etc that is done/taught here.

 

Boy performing Malkham

I'm sure by now you must be wondering with so many varieties of activities going on within the area, how did Sachin Tendulkar manage to learn the Game,when apparently, there does not seem to be any space left!

sadly you're mistaken. All I covered was the periphery of the Park.

The whole area,sans the places i mentioned is available for playing purposes!

There's Acres of space to play on.

Typically,you would find people playing cricket in the afternoon right till probably 6 in the evening. Later on,focus shifts towards Football. People play football till 10-11 in the night.

Shivaji Park is the Home ground of Adarsh F.C and Kenkre F.C too.

Playing Cricket

Intense Football

Best way to play the beautiful game

 

A nearby attraction is the Dadar Chowpatty. One of the famous Chowpatty's of Mumbai,the place has undergone significant infrastructural changes and now many come there to enjoy the cool breeze,to dance.The place is a great favorite with couples.

Dadar Chowpatty

Some more of the favorite friends' and cronies' hangout's are Barista Lavazza,Cafe' Coffee day,Naturals Ice-Creams,Smokin Joe's,Baskin Robbin,etc.

all these are on the borders of Shivaji Park.

No wonder then Shivaji Park is a Very important and integral part of Dadar and Mumbai as such.

For all those living in Dadar, the place holds a lot of  memories and so a special relevance. for them its a space to be.