A lil piece of insight...

Here is some information for people planning for higher studies(MS) in USA at some point in their life....

First and foremost thing that you should do even before giving exams is to THINK why u want to go for MS?....What exactly you want 2 study in your masters because all these play an important role and infact they make your SOP(Dont get mad at me...ill get back to this soon..).

Now, along with pondering on the issues raised above, start preparing for GRE(Graduate Record Examination). It is an year round test conducted in many prometric centers across india. You can book the time,date and center on your convienience provided availability. The score validity of this test is 5 years (i.e) u can submit these scores to the universities for upto 5 years.

Another test which u have to give is TOEFL(Test Of English as Foriegn Language) which is also an year round test and its validity is upto 2 years.

It is very easy to get into an US University because there are thousands of them....but getting into real good ones like in top 20 is a tuff job...for that...you need to keep ur scores like this:
GRE: 1400-1600(out of 1600), AWA:doesnt really matter but to be on safe side keep it above 3.5
TOEFL: 105-120(out of 120)
and good academic grades too..

Next step is University Selection. It is generally advisable to come to this section after you give the exams because you will get a rough idea which universities u can get into. REMEMBER: NEVER GO TO CONSULTANCIES..they just misguide you..especially when your scores are high. Do some research on the universities, their student profiles, courses offered, intake rates, employment opportunities, location and narrow down the universities list to atleast 7(3 safe, 2 moderate, 2 ambi : all these terms are w.r.t ur chances of getting in and 7 is not a fixed number!!). Spend some good time in this step so that you wont end up in a unversity which is too low for ur profile or having no admit.

Most of the colleges in US has two intakes per year. Fall(starts in august) and Spring(starts in d end of jan) and applications are available almost a year ahead. The best part is the entire apllication process is online except that you have to send some supporting documents.Now , start working with your application.

Here comes the important and difficult part of application : SOP(Statement Of Purpose). Is is an essay which clearly, succintly explains 3 things:
1> Why you want to go for MS?
2> Why MS in THIS particular field?(suppose u mention MS in computer science with specialization in intelligent machines...u have to answer why computer science and why intelligent machines...dont just write b'coz i did my bachelor's in CS....think y did u do ur bachelors in CS in first place...is there something abt it which interested u..??...if there is something what is it??...and what did u do abt it in ur bachelors..?...give supportive examples...can mention related projects or research done)
3>Why THIS University(say u choose UCLA...u have 2 write why UCLA of all)
NOTE: DONOT BLUFF.BE HONEST.
SOP's are reviewed by selected faculty of the universities who reads hundreds of them in a day...so...make sure your SOP stands out..u need not really be a nerd to do that..mention some good work that you have done regarding ur interests...dey dont really expect a real research work frm freshers!!..even reading books or journals related to ur interests can b called as research....and they can easily catch plagairism so..DONOT EVEN TRY THAT.
Sometimes, a good SOP can get you an admit even though your scores n grades are lil low.
So...by d end of writing SOP you will know what u really are and what u want to be!!

Another important section in your application is Recommendations.
Universities wants to know what your teachers think of u...dey give more credibility to teachers opinion on u rather than urs(SOP).
The universities need atleast 3 recommendations(2 from undergraduate profs , 1 frm your employer if you r employed/had training/internship/again a prof if u havent done any). Choose recommenders who actually know u...and who actually thinks high of u...and contact them much ahead if dey could giv u a recommendation.
MYTH: Recommendation from an IIT professor who barely knows u can fetch u an admit...
wrong!!
TRUTH: Recommendation from any professor who can actually write about you...who knows you well will do.

Rest of the application is all about your educational, personal ,employment background which can be filled in easily.
Sending some documents like GRE,TOEFL score cards, academic transcripts,resume,work done(if asked),financial documents completes the application process.
Before submission, check the application over n over as there will b too many sections and u dont want to miss one by mistake.
Early submission is advised..it shows ur sincerity and determination to get into dat university.
And you have to devote an entire year if u want to do it perfectly well.

Last but not least, dont mess with your final year grades(which i already did), for some universities may reject ur admit for inconsistency in grades!!

oh i almost forgot....there are some things which TOP universities would love to see in your profile:
* Bachelors degree from IIT/NIT
* National or International level paper presentations
* Real good projects/training/internships
The above mentioned is not a NECESSITY...all they want to see is your potential and motivation towards graduate studies...if they can see that from the rest of your application , admit from a top world class university is in your hands. GOOD LUCK!!

Hope this is informative.
If there are any whats and what ifs going on in your head..please feel free to ask..ill make sure they are answered.