Carnegie mellon Qatar! Can someone help me!

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>Hey everyone,
Although I am new as a poster at CC, I have been goin thru it fr quite some while.
I am in a major Dilemma, but before that lemme give some background about myself:</p>

<p>I from New Delhi, India, I completed my class 12 in 2008 and got a decent but not great 91%. I come from a school ( DPS RKP) known to churn out the largest number of international students from India. About 70% of my friend circle is abroad US/UK/Canada etc. While in school I have been involved in stuff from being a member of the School's elite Computer Club for 5 years to participating in National level Future Cities competitions and carrying and conducting and Judging computer hardware based inter school competitions.
Few months down the line, I get into a tiff with my school counselopr and my abroad plans go down the drain as she delayed my transcripts to an extent that deadlines fr all major uni' shad passed.</p>

<p>Somehow I slogged for 4 months for boards and engg competitions( yeah stupid of me for not preparing fr them earlier, but damage had been done).
I give the engg. entrances, screw most of them and then Manage to get into one of the top colleges of Indraprastha University- GGSIPU ( New Delhi) where I have recently passed my first year.</p>

<p>Here is where all the trouble starts. As I mentioned earlier, I am more of a hands on out the class guy than an in class guy listening to stupid old farts. I would rather do something constructive myself. Here in my college I became an Microsoft Student Partner, cleared the second round of Imagine Cup 2009 and other stuff. But all this while I continuously hated myself for where I was. I received no cooperation frm any from, rather only scolding and discouragement from my profs and directors for a lot of my endeavours. Most students dont give a F*** to their future( they just want a engg degree and a placement in some stupid IT company). I am quite the opposite. However, I would most probably like to go in for a masters from a top place ( yeah easier said than done)..</p>

<p>For the entire first semester I suffered in the cllg, my parents kept saying things wud get better, but they didnt. So I lose another opportunity for US apps as my parents convince me if only temporarily into continuing to study where I was. Meanwhile I keep on fuming inside, desperately wanting to leave. I mean, I loathed my curriculum, my professors ( a Bsc student wud be better than their worthless PhD's) and I didnt really make many friends either. So, in short it sucked big time.</p>

<p>Then this year in Feb, Carnegie Mellon Qatar Comp Sci profs had come to Delhi to meet the IIT ppl and they also held a session. My school counsellor said it was a good option fr me. So then I rushed thru my toefl n stuff and applied to CMU qatar , Australian National University, NTU, NUS. As expected, I got rejected at NTU and NUS. Got acceptances at CMUQ and ANU.</p>

<p>Now, CMUQ sounded as a good option as they are giving aid ( i desperately need that or not intl study fr moi) in the form of interest free loans which can either be paid off as 15% of your monthly income or by serving in Qatar for SIX YEARS ( where 1 year of work is monetarily equal to $27000, and one years tuition is $42000- same as Pittsburgh. You can also pay along as you work with whatever amount you are comfortable with.
I would most probably want to go to a grad school before working. Does my education at CMU Qatar play a role any different from me doing my undergrad from CMU Pittsburgh in my acceptance in to a grad school in US or UK or lets say, getting work in a US based company inside US. My query is, that do you think I will be treated differently ( as in adversely) when I apply to a Grad school or a Job outside of Qatar when compared to a CMU Pittsburgh graduate.</p>

<p>Also, Is it worth taking that amount of loan or should I continue to study where I am and then settle for a compromise in university for a masters in US/UK.</p>

<p>I most probably will also get a full Scholarship from Australian National University for the Feb 2010 intake, but the things have started turning bad for Indians in Australia ( racism n all). So parents are against that option specially in the current scenario. But this option is not closed</p>

<p>I WANT A HONEST OPINION FROM YOU GUYS. Please help me as I am in a complete dilemma. I have to reply to the CMUQ guys ASAP. SO guys n gals help me out!</p>

<p>PS: Thanks a ton for going thru thins looong rant of mine. I know it really takes a lot of patience but I wud really appreciate it if you help me.</p>

2

<p>Is there no one read read my rant and help me out!! comeon guys, someone help this poor( distressed n tense :P) soul out!!</p>

3

<p>well, if money is an issue, i would pick ANU.
although CMUQ is giving you aid, you’ll be in debt after your education.
and… about the racism part,</p>

<p>if racism exists, it exists everywhere in the world. i’m also an asian which makes me prone to some racism. i don’t think a pretty caliber school like ANU would be that ignorant.</p>

<p>if i were you, i would chose ANU, but then… that’s just me.</p>

<p>and i’m not sure about how your degree from CMUQ will hurt you. it might possibly, i’ve heard stories about it, but after all they’re not substantial. i wish the best of luck to you.</p>

<p>i’m going to the states this august. wish me luck as well.</p>

4

<p>^Best of luck… BTW wat college r u joining and wat country r u from?
Yes money is a very big issue, one of the major issues why I didnt and probably couldnt have applied to the states… at this moment my parents can give me $10000- $15000 per annum max…
can you elaborate about the stories that you have heard about CMUQ or anything that can help me take a decision…</p>

<p>I know CMUQ is not the original one, but how do you think will it fare when compared to the original one, specially with respect to a job in US or going to a top level grad school there? Wat say?</p>

<p>Everyone else!!! More opinions required!!!</p>

5

<p>Is there no one to help this poor chap!!! comeon guys please!!!</p>

6

<p>

</p>

<p>If you go to CMUQ, forget about getting a job in the US. It’s difficult for those who are <em>already</em> in the US. Nobody is gonna fly to Qatar from the US just to interview a foreigner for an entry-level position. Also, for the US employers to hire you, they will have to apply for the work visa for you and it takes uncertain amount of time to get it before getting you on board; they don’t want to go through this if they don’t need to. </p>

<p>I would pick ANU; save the money and you can always do a 1-yr master at CMU in the US with the money you will have been saving.</p>

7

<p>So do you guys suggest I should go for ANU, keeping in mind the current scenario there wrt Indians.
Also I havent received the scholarship from ANU as of now. They have only said that I have a good chance of getting it.
On the other hand in Qatar, they are giving 100% aid in the form of loans which can be repayed back either in cash (15% of your monthly income) or by choosing the work service bond option there and working for six years. To reduce the work duration, I can also pay them as I work there ( 1year of work = $27000).
The third option is that I continue to study at my present engg. college and sweat it out and give US a shot for an MS ( though I really think I would have any decent chance at any tier1 university with that kind of a collg degree specially when I am competing against the likes of the IITians and the NIT guys for the same spots)</p>

<p>I am really stuck in a mess… Guys please help me out… It will be great of you can read my thread and then reply back.</p>

8

<p>I really wouldn’t worry about ‘racism’ that much.</p>

9

<p>Hi srajan,</p>

<p>I was interested in applying to CMU in Q myself, so I did some research on that. The profs there have all worked at the American campus at some stage of their careers, so don’t worry about the academic part. Your diploma won’t say which CMU you graduated from specifically (I am guessing they do not want any prejudice from employers who will think Qatar=bad and so on.) Based on this, it will look as good as the American CMU when applying to grad schools… Getting a job in the U.S. would be hard because of the 65 k cap on work visas every year; even a third of Google’s applications gets rejected. Qatar’s economy is rising exponentially though, so you are nearly <em>guaranteed</em> a lucrative job there, especially if you are fresh out from CMU.</p>

10

<p>@Alone: So just curious…where will you be going?</p>

11

<p>@Alone, yeah so where are you going. Also, what do you think about the ANU option?</p>

<p>@Everyone else… More opinions Please</p>

12

<p>I am headed off to Carleton College. I can’t say anything about ANU because I don’t know much (if anything) about it. I recalled my CMU Q app after I got my U.S. acceptances so that I don’t take someone’s spot if accepted. A compatriot of mine who got in went over there to visit – he liked it a lot. The only negative side was the lack of girls. :smiley: But hey, you can’t have everything I guess. I have also talked to a number of current students, and the university life seems to progress a lot with every year – it was boring 4 years ago when it just started – nothing but studying, but it got much, much better right now. As I said, I don’t know much about ANU, but unless you have to pay for it as much/less than for CMU Q, it has same education opportunities, name recognition, and lucrative job offers right after graduation I would choose CMU Q. You are interested in computers, and as you probably know their comp. sci program is one of the best in the whole world.</p>

13

<p>I am just wondering why you got rejected by NTU. Ideally, you should have got acceptance. Did you appeal?</p>

<p>Oh btw, Im from RKP as well ^__^</p>

14

<p>I dont know why I got rejected at NTU and I did appeal, though I havent got any reply from them as of yet.
@SYstem: so where are you off to? nice to know someone from RKP at CC :slight_smile:
@Alone: If I go to ANU, I will be going only ifI get the full scholarship that I have applied for.
IN CMU’s case, I will have to complete a six year work bond in Qatar or pay them 15% of the monthly salary if I choose to leave Qatar.
Its not about whether CMU Qatar is gud enough or not. Its about whether it is worth taking the hefty loan that comes with it which I wud have to pay off.</p>

<p>Also, six year bond in Qatar wud be bad or not? I mean I honestly dont know about that part.</p>

15

<p>It depends on a type of a person you are – you will earn big bucks in Qatar in those six years, but Qatar is not a country that would fit everyone. You may be well off with the 15% requirement.</p>

16

<p>Im in the same boat as you :frowning:
My performance in the entrances was satisfactory but I dont have an option other than going to IP. I havent received any news from NUS/NTU because I sent my results pretty late. Im just hoping for a miracle because my 12th % aint enough for Singapore. CBSE marking system is very unpredictable.</p>

<p>Tell me something. Firstly, did you apply to NTU last year? If yes, were you rejected on the basis of the entrance test? And this year, which all courses did you apply to at NTU?
I have a feeling your appeal might be successful ^__^</p>

17

<p>Yeah, last year I had applied but I screwed up the entrance and so I was rejected. This year I made life tough for myself by choosing the toughest courses. BTW I took am stunned because my PCM percentage was 94%, but I still got rejected! Yeah, I know its stupid but probably the only point for me to go to SG was pretty much for these courses to which I had applied:
1st Choice: BUSINESS & COMPUTING
2nd Choice: COMPUTER SCIENCE & ECONOMICS
3rd Choice: INFORMATION ENGRG AND MEDIA & ECONOMICS
4th Choice: COMPUTER SCIENCE
5th Choice: COMPUTER ENGINEERING</p>

<p>PS: For appealing to NUS these was a form to be filled, which I did. In NTU’s case, there was no such form and so I sent an appeal letter to Lalit Goel, the Director of Admissions at NTU. Is there any other way to appeal also to NTU?</p>

<p>Also, ANU hasnt responded to me as of yet. Does anyone know any person in the Scholarship Department as there is scarce information on people on their site.</p>

<p>@System Failure: After studying in one of the so called Top Colleges of IP, I can confidently say that IP is rotten to the core, specially if you want to do something ‘‘hatke’’. Yet, I am pondering about whether to drop this year and go for the colleges that I am getting or to hang opn to IP , slog it out for four years and then apply to US for an MS. As of now I am really confused. I really dont know what is the right path for me to take.
@SystemFailure: After our life at RKP and last five years of mine in Exun :P( coz thats where I was for most of the time), do you think Qatar will be hard to adjust in culturally and practically, given the background that we come from and the attitudes that we normally have towards different stuff?</p>

<p>@Other ppl: Any help that helps me in deciding is deeply appreciated.</p>

18

<p>YELP!!! ppl plz help me!!!</p>

19

<p>I quoting the reply that he gave to my query:

Sid is a fourth year(about to enter in fall 2009) Business Administration student at CMUQ.</p>

<p>This email has confused me even more. Can anyone here ( having any relatives or friends in Qatar) find out the exact job scenario in Qatar specially for CS grads, wrt to what kind of work they do and what are the average salaries for that.
It is really a crucial decision, because if the market in Qatar for CS grads is as ****ty as he mentions or is he exaggerating it?</p>

<p>The future of the US job market after 4 years is hazy for international employees and no one can say how it is going to be after these 4 years.</p>

<p>If the Qatar jobs are so ****ty, then I would have to break the bond and come to India and slowly pay off the debt. Even if I land up a very plush job(wrt Indian standards), it would take me an eternity to pay it off.</p>

<p>Going to CMU and then coming back to India with 80 lack loan on my head is not something I would really want to do.</p>

<p>So guys this is pretty much the entire story. HELP ME OUT, as this problem is now actually getting to my nerves!</p>

20

<p>Yes, it is the mentality thing I was talking about – it is very different in Qatar, and if you have a somewhat Western mindset you might struggle working in a CS industry. You do not necessarily ‘break the bond’ – you agree in advance which option you are going to choose, and I (personally) would get my CS education there, and then work wherever, paying the 15% of my monthly income.</p>