Happy Schools Blog

Q&A: Spring vs Fall Semester – Which is Better?

February 5, 2009

Most students are not usually sure if they will apply for a Fall semester admission, and they ask questions similar to the one below made by Aditya. Aditya – Do…

Q&A: How to Score Above 1400 in GRE Exam

February 3, 2009

In today’s Q&A section, I have a few pointers for improving your Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score. In this regard, Aparna Asks: I’ve just started studying for my GRE and I…

Q&A: Can I Get Admission in PhD without Research Experience?

February 1, 2009

An interesting question from a student with a very good academic profile. He’s applying for PhD in U.S. Dear Sir/Madam, Allow me to introduce myself as xxxxxx. I have applied for…

Top Aerospace Engineering Universities in USA

January 30, 2009

Question: Can you give me a list of universities for aeronautical engineering in the USA? I will be applying for the next Fall semester. Here’s a list of the top aeronautical…

Q&A: Which One is the Best? I applied at 8 US Universities

January 30, 2009

It’s not always good to decide which is the best university from the list after you have submitted the applications without having a selection basis or criteria. You should have…

How long is the Bank Statements and Affidavits of Support Valid

January 27, 2009

Bank statement is a mandatory document and its part of your college application package for International students applying to study in the USA. You are required to get two bank…

How to Use Flash Cards for GRE to Improve GRE Verbal Score

January 26, 2009

Scoring high in the GRE Verbal test section is not an easy task for many of you. Almost every student I have encountered have high GRE Quantitative test scores, but…

Minimum TOEFL Scores – US Universities

January 24, 2009

If you are applying at U.S. colleges and universities as an international student, who are not native English speakers, then a TOEFL test is  a mandatory application requirement. All U.S….

Q&A: Can I Apply in March; University Deadline is in July?

January 22, 2009

Dhrubo Asks: Hi, how are you doing? I will be applying for fall ’09 for MC in CS. The universities I will apply at have deadline of june or july,…

10 Criteria for Writing Effective Recommendation Letters

January 20, 2009

Recently, I have been reviewing a few drafts of recommendation letters. I noticed that students tend to get confused when composing drafts of recommendation letter, usually forgetting to inform the…

Q&A: How Do I Get into Top 20 Universities with GPA 3.0?

January 19, 2009

Ashruta Asks: “Hello, I have my GPA around 3. If I were to choose 1 among the top 20 universities, what should be my probable GRE score. I’m planning for…

These 2 Books Will Boost Your Job Interview Success Rate

January 18, 2009

Job Search is a Pain in the neck. It’s not easy to apply. It’s not easy to get an interview, and it’s not easy to negotiate an offer. Here’re the…

How Not to Write an Email

January 11, 2009

I receive lots of emails from students applying for graduate school admission in the U.S. Some emails are well written and formatted and they include all the details I would…

F-1 to H-1B Change of Status – Explained

January 7, 2009

An F-1 to H-1B visa transfer process is an easy one provided you have a job and an employer who is willing to apply for your H-1B visa. Three years…

Insider’s Guide to College Admission – Video

January 7, 2009

I had alraedy posted about the College Admission Process – Flowchart in this blog. But still, there are many questions to be answered with respect to college essay (or statement…

H-1B Visa 2010

January 4, 2009

Read about the New H-1B Memo 2010 that was passed on January 8, 2010. Find out if you are affected. Its time – April 2009 H-1B Visa season is almost…

15 Tips to Pack a Cabin Luggage for Air Travel

December 27, 2008

Students attending university studies in the U.S. for Spring 2009 are now busy preparing for their air travel. Here are some tips when packing your cabin baggage (carry-on bag), the…

List and Ranking of Ivy League Schools in USA

December 25, 2008

In the previous article, Will a Business Degree – MBA be right for you?, it’s true that to get more money, having an MBA degree from top schools will help…

Workers in H-1B Visa and Layoffs

December 23, 2008

Due to recession in the U.S., many companies are laying off their workers. Some employees employed in U.S. companies under H-1B visa are also affected. Nagesh is one such H-1B…

Is Business School – MBA Right For You?

December 21, 2008

The number of students who come to the U.S. to study for a graduate business degree (MBA) is almost equivalent to those for engineering schools. GMAT is required to get…

GPA Conversion

December 15, 2008

Question: How to calculate GPA for Indian students applying at universities in the USA? Students applying at U.S. universities usually try using some GPA Conversion formulas. In a graduate school…

When to Apply for Student Education Loan?

December 5, 2008

Most students going to the U.S. for graduate studies usually apply for student loans. However, some students are not sure when to apply for a student loan. There is some…

Adi – Biotechnology Interview Experience Part 3

December 1, 2008

Adi graduated with a master’s degree in biotechnology. I had asked him to write about his job search experience and he generously agreed. Getting a job in the fields of…

Blogging Idol 2 – Strategies

November 30, 2008

Building traffic to a blog is not an easy task to undertake. It takes much time and more effort. I had sent 200 word descriptions about promotion techniques I was…

GRE in January, Can I Apply for Fall Semester?

November 29, 2008

"What is the deadline for applying for Fall Semester classes?" These are among the few related questions I typically answer almost on a daily basis. This is because majority of…

Missouri University S&T, Rolla – Financial Aid Available

November 23, 2008

I hope everyone had good weekend. During the weekend, I chatted with a current student from Missouri University of Science and Technology at Rolla. That student, Harish, was kind enough…

Email Template to Contact Current Students in Universities

November 22, 2008

I was chatting with a student who was trying to find the minimum GRE score required for admission to the M.S. in material science program at University of Virginia. I…

Electrical Engineering Rankings – U.S. Universities

November 16, 2008

Here’s a ranking of Electrical Engineering programs of U.S. Universities.

Salary – Bachelor’s vs Master’s vs Doctoral Degrees

November 15, 2008

I came across an interesting article on how much more income an individual will earn by having both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, instead of just a bachelor’s degree. It also…

Top 20 In-Demand Jobs with Salary Range

November 13, 2008

The current economy in the U.S. is not looking good. The U.S. stock market is getting is so volatile and the impact of the U.S. economy can be felt all…

I Sent Email and Got Favorable Response from Professors

November 13, 2008

I had posted a few articles about contacting professors by email for graduate school admission. One of these articles was Email Template to Contact Professors. One of the readers used…

Computer Science Ranking – Universities – Average GRE Scores

November 12, 2008

Here’s a Computer Science Ranking for graduate degree programs in U.S. universities. I have also listed average GRE scores for some universities. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Stanford University University of…

Q&A GRE 1,490, but I can’t Afford Cost of U.S. Education

November 9, 2008

This post is in response to several questions raised by one of the frequent visitors of Happy Schools Blog. I’m sure there are many students who are facing the same…

H-1B Visa Stamping – Required Documents

November 4, 2008

Are you ready to attend H1B Visa stamping interview? The documents listed here are for your reference and refer to U.S. embassy’s website for documents and procedures specific to your country…

10 Most Expensive Colleges and Universities in the U.S.

October 31, 2008

It is expensive to study at universities and colleges in the U.S. unless students get some form of scholarship and financial aid. For international students it will be even more…

GRE Score Reporting

October 26, 2008

GRE scores have to be reported to universities to consider applications for graduate school admission. GRE scores can be reported to 4 universities for free at end of a GRE…

Adi’s Biotechnology Job Search and Interview Experience

October 22, 2008

Adi is my one of my brother’s friends, who recently graduated with a master’s degree in biotechnology. I had asked him to write about his job search experience to help…

bank statement without student loan

How to Get Bank Statement for $37,100 Without Student Loan?

October 21, 2008

How to get bank statement without a loan? Universities require bank statement so they can send an I-20. Usually, most schools accept bank statements when sent along other graduate school…

Can H-1B Visa Holders Change Fields?

October 18, 2008

I was thinking about writing on H-1B Visa transfer and changing jobs to different fields using H-1B Visa article for long time. Good thing, though, that Jenna had asked some questions…

Letter of Recommendation Examples and Samples

October 15, 2008

I collected a few sample letters of recommendation (LOR) from current students in the United States. It’s usually a good idea to provide a rough draft of your letter of…

7 FAQ’s About How to Transfer to New University ( and Credits ) in U.S.A?

October 15, 2008

I received several emails from a few blog readers asking questions about the process involved in transferring universities. These questions include: How long would it take to transfer between universities…

US Universities not requiring GRE for Graduate School Admission

October 14, 2008

In this article, I have discuss the list of universities where GRE is not a requirement for graduate school admission. Following the post on Average GRE Scores for Universities, I’m…

Good GRE Score for US Universities Admission

October 6, 2008

What is considered as a “good GRE score” for U.S. graduate school admission? It depends on your relative understanding of the word “good”. I was reading through the comments to…

Email Template for Contacting Graduate School Professors for MS and PhD

October 2, 2008

Are you planning to contact professors when applying for graduate school admission (M.S. and PhD)? Use this email template as a starting point and just improvise. Here’s one email template…

What to Expect During an H-1B Visa Interview

September 26, 2008

It’s time to write about the H-1B visa interview. I was planning to write about the interview process and interview questions for sometime now. But, majority of them with H-1B…

Top 8 Skills in Recommendation Letter for Graduate School

September 24, 2008

A recommendation letter is one of the mandatory requirements when applying for graduate schools in the U.S. Majority of U.S. universities require 3 recommendation letters and some schools require 2+….

Sample SOPs – Statement Of Purpose

September 20, 2008

I have collected some sample statements of purpose (SOPs) from students who are in U.S. universities. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this. I have edited some of the personal…

Average GRE Scores – Baylor University, Texas

September 18, 2008

This article is a continuation of the series on Average GRE Scores for universities. Today I’m going to give some information about the average GRE and GMAT scores for Baylor University….

Average GRE Scores – University of Texas at Tyler

September 14, 2008

Continuing the series of posts on Average GRE Scores for Universities had just been updated. So as of today, you can find information about University of Texas at Tyler, also…

Percentage to GPA Conversion Formula

September 12, 2008

You can find four percentage to GPA conversion formula in this article. However, I don’t recommend using those. I have written extensively about Percentage to GPA Conversion. I strongly suggest,…