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!