Happy Schools Blog
Fake Research Experience Certificate for Grad School Admission
Here’s an interesting question from a posted comment: "Can I use a fake research experience while applying for graduate school admission?" I am now in the process of applying at…
Top 6 LSAT Prep Books for 2014
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a half-day, standardized exam administered four times each year at designated testing centers throughout the world. LSAT is scored based on the number…
Best Time to Take GRE General Test
Here’s a question about application to take a GRE General Exam and admission into PhD. I have completed my master’s in Microbiology in August 2009.I have started preparing for GRE…
MBA Equals More Dollars, But Is MBA Right for You?
Here is a conversation between two friends, Rahul and Anuja, about applying to a business school in the US to study MBA. Abuja: Hey Rahul, I heard that you are preparing…
2 Things About 2 Students. Approach and Ability
Most students who send emails or post comments about profile evaluation generally fall under one of 2 categories, namely: Student A: My GRE score is 1,000, academics 78%, TOEFL 84. I…
12 Tips on How to Send College Application Package
Ashwin asks:I have submitted online application and paid the graduate school application fee using credit card. I have sent all the required documents to the university in the U.S. I…
What is the GRE Exam Eligibility or Can Anyone Take GRE?
We often get lots of questions from students about GRE Exam Eligibility. These questions are as follows: I’m a 3rd year student studying computer science, am I eligible to take…
Breaking News – Major Changes to GRE in 2011
Education Testing Services (ETS) had announced some major changes to the GRE exam in 2011. The new GRE in 2011 will be offered starting on August 1, 2011. Here is…
How to Find Minimum GRE Scores for Graduate School Admission?
It is fair to say that every student’s first visit to U.S. university websites commonly involve them searching for the minimum GRE scores or Average GRE Scores required for admission….
Doctor of Engineering (D.Eng.) vs Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Paresh asks: "After reading so much helpful contents on this blog now I started the process for admission for PhD. At certain universities, I found PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) and…
This How I Prepared for GRE Exam (3 Steps)
How I prepared for GRE Exam – Guest Article written by Sameer ( Studying Masters in Cleavland State University)
New Poll – What is Your GRE Exam Score?
Hello everyone, it would be nice for everybody to know all the GRE scores of our readers and friends. This is why we are conducting this poll, which will give…
Email Reply from Professor is Disappointing – Grad School
Getting in touch with Professors before applying to Universities should be part of your Graduate School Admission strategy. You can use the sample email template to contact professors. One of…
5 Things About College Admission, Financial Aid and I-20
Through an email, Usha asks about financial aid and admission. Here’s what he wrote I have received an admit from Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla and Illinois Institute…
MS in Information Systems vs MIS
Vishwanath asks about the difference between a master’s degree in IS and an MIS. "Can you please tell me if MS in IS is the same as MIS? I have…
Average GRE Scores – North Carolina State University
Average GRE Exam Scores for North Carolina State University
Top 20 Universities in Canada
After the article, Student Interview – University of Alberta was published, we’ve received numerous emails requesting for more information about the top Universities in Canada. Top Universities in Canada The…
Top 100 Universities in USA – Rankings Explained
I do suggest you take time to read a couple of interesting comments on the Top 100 Universities in USA blog post. There are various websites that provide lists of…
Chaitaniy Interview – Student at University of Alberta, Canada
Chaitaniy Razdan is doing his masters program at the University of Alberta, Canada. He is also the Chairman of Indian Students Association at UofA. He was kind enough to share…
Graduate School Admission Decision; University’s Response Time
Here’s a question from Anand about the response time in the admission decision process by graduate schools in the U.S. Hi, I am Anand. My score details are as follows:…
Average GRE Test Scores for Graduate Schools in America
If you know the average GRE scores of international students admitted at U.S. universities and graduate programs, you can compare them with your own profile so as to estimate your…
MIT vs IIT Kharagpur – Who Wins?
Here’s a question from Jyothsna, which in summary asks: Which is better, MIT or IIT Kharagpur? He sent this email: Hi! I have some doubt…Which is valued more, an IIT from Kharagpur…
Comparision: TOEFL vs IELTS vs PTEA
Here’s a comparison of TOEFL, IELTS and PTEA exams all of which are taken to prove the English proficiency of students for college admissions abroad. I have considered 15 factors that have…
H-1B Visa FY 2010 Cap Count Tracker: USCIS Updates
The Tracker for H-1B Visa Cap count updates from USCIS for FY 2010. H-1B Application Start Date: April 1, 2009 Regular Cap: 65,000 Advanced Cap: 20,000 The figures listed below…
GRE Study Books
You definitely need several GRE study books to ace the GRE exam [ Top 9 GRE Test Prep books]. Based on what students are buying from our recommendations, you can…
Difference Between MIS vs MS in Computer Science
Many students who don’t like hardcore programming assume that a graduating with a degree in MIS will make one get into a managerial position. However, that’s not usually the case for…
Need Financial Aid? Consider PhD Instead of Master’s Degree in USA
We received an interesting question from Hardik Jogi through email, asking about financial aids and PhD. Hardik asks: One of my friends currently at UC Berkeley taking PhD studies as an…
12 Reasons why my Son wants to Study in the USA
Easwaran is one of the prolific commenters we had for the last few weeks, now explains why his son wants to study in the U.S. Reasons to Study in the…
PTEA to Replace TOEFL and IELTS?
PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English Academic) is an innovative and engaging way to demonstrate your English language proficiency to international institutions. TOEFL is a mandatory requirement for international students applying…
Applying at US Universities with Blank Surname in Passport
In India, students who apply for passports tend to encounter problems concerning their surnames. Some students give incorrect names when booking dates for GRE exam and end up having GRE…
Possible to Study M.S. in US after M.Tech in India?
Ajay has 5 questions about the possibility of him studying master’s in computer science in America after completing M.Tech in India. Very few students posting comments here at HSB have…
Recommendation Letter is More Valuable than SOP?
Graduate school admission in the U.S. typically include some mandatory requirements like the statement of purpose (SOP) and 3 letters of recommendation (LOR). But which one is more important for school…
No Co-signer Student loan for International Students in USA
International students appearing for student F-1 visa interview will usually have higher education loans approved from a bank. In India, students commonly get loans from banks like SBI, ICICI, HDFC,…
GRE Exam Advanced Verbal: Your Only Guide to a Perfect 800
Most GRE test takers from non-English speaking countries find it difficult to score above 400 in the GRE verbal section. The truth is, GRE verbal scores can be improved, that…
After B.E. in India – MS or MBA in USA?
After completing BE in India, which is better option — study MS or MBA in the USA? Many students ask this question, so does Atish, one of our blog readers….
Any Hope of Getting Financial Aid?
Here’s Rahul @ Average GRE Scores. Hi! I have a GRE score of 1,070 (V = 390, Q = 680). But my GPA is 8.22/10, which is equivalent to 3.24/4….
TOEFL iBT Score 95 – Is it Enough for PhD?
Supriyo @ Minimum TOEFL iBT Score, says: I appeared for TOEFL iBT on the 25th of July, and the exam was quite difficult than the practice materials available. I did…
US Admission Consultancies in India — Good or Bad?
Students from India who are planning to study in the U.S. usually encounter a few consultants for U.S. admission (typically known as US admission consultancies). There are a few students who…
How to Renew Driver’s License during OPT Cap-Gap?
Some states in America will issue driver’s licenses to international students only until their I-20 expiry dates. Such students’ driver’s licenses will expire on I-20 expiry date. In order to…
GRE Test Dates – How to Book GRE Test Dates
The first step towards taking a GRE Test is to book for GRE test dates. If you are an international student planning to register for a GRE exam, then you…
Top 10 Universities in USA – Computer Science
Recently, one avid HSB reader had asked us to evaluate his profile for getting admission for MS in computer science in university in the U.S. Based on his message, he…
Complete List of US Universities Accepting IELTS Test Score
Recently, more and more U.S. colleges and universities had started accepting IELTS score as a major admission requirement. If you have taken an IELTS test already, it’s not required to…
Top 10 Universities in California by Salary
Salary Survey Methodology – Annual pay for bachelor’s degree graduates without higher degrees. The typical starting graduates have 3 years of work experience, while those in mid-career have 15.5 years….
Happy Schools Blog – 2 Years Old
On July 23, 2007, Happy Schools Blog was first launched under the url — happyschools.blogspot.com. Today, we are celebrating a very successful and fruitful 2 years of blogging and helping…
F-1 Student Visa Approved, but Delayed!
It’s always helpful when some of our readers post their U.S. visa interview experiences here at HSB. Here is the full version of one such comment posted by TSE at…
F-1 Student Visa Interview Question — Why this University?
The number of students visiting Happy Schools Blog in the recent days who are appearing for US visa interview (Student F-1 Visa) for Fall 2009 semester is increasing. There are over…
M.S. or M.Sc. Degree in USA?
Master’s degrees awarded differ among countries. Some students who want to apply for M.Sc. programs at U.S. universities had visited this blog, one of whom sent this: I have an…
Interview With Hardeep – I think Biotechnology MS, PSM Thing is Stupid
Part 2 of the interview with Hardeep continues here today. You can read here the Part 1 – Why Keck Graduate Institute for Biotechnology? What are your thoughts on biotech…
Harvard MBA – Sample 24 Hour Student Schedule
If you’re going to study MBA at Harvard University, this is what your typical daily schedule will look like in you first year as an MBA student. After reading the…