woohoo

final packet for Northeastern complete!
now just waiting for the courier to come pick it up!

what a week its been..

on 24th went to college and got the reco signed by kalpana..
called dipali as she was not in college..
she said that she would be coming to college only on the 28th and/or 29th
so i decided to go to the farmhouse for a couple of days in between..

came back on 28th and went to college and got the reco signed by dipali..
worked like a swiss watch..
almost..

the week otherwise also was very very interesting!

this seems to be the end of phase one!

what a year its been as well..
when it began i had no clue what i'd be doing/planning for my future..
i was actually caught up in the firing line between CAT and GRE
finally in mid-march i think i decided to go for GRE..
and then the rest is well.. History so to speak..

lets see what the new year may bring!

cheers!

ELEVEN

finally sent out 10 packets today..
dint send out one..

for senti-MENTAL reasons..
idk why..
seriously..
just coz its NEU?? maybe..
hehe

so eleven up..
one to go..
and then the sundry applications also..

which appear to be my only realistic hope of getting into any college..
i thought i'd feel better..
but oddly it hasnt made one bit of a difference..

hectic 18 hours i've had.. running around..
was fun while it lasted..
the rush of completing on time..
u see there was a non-negotiable deadline of upto the courier gets here...

race against the clock.. and shit.. hehe

motion sickness

finally got things moving..
although all of this still does not fill right..

finally finished the online applications to 12 universities..
maybe do more later..

and reported the Toefl scores as well..

tonight i aim to report the GRE scores
and print out all the supplementary forms
so that i can send out the application packets tomorrow..

i hope.. this the end of the troubles..

what doesn't kill you

suffered major serious massive setbacks in college exams.
it looks as if in all certainty i have helped myself to three KTs out of three papers..
i also think that it is unprecedented..

i dont know how or why it happened..
i mean i did not prepare any less than the previous exams.. and yet..

i donno what to do..
i did not want to apply to any more universities.. but have decided to do so anyway..

lets see what the future.. and more specifically the february/march results bring

ONE

well just sent out the first packet to Berkeley..
but i wasn't completely satisfied with the transaction..

i mean i was still printing out the project synopsis while the man was waiting in the living room with the form filled out.. dint have time for a proper 'fare ye well'..

anyway.. God bless that packet! *please*

its happening

finally managed to submit THREE applications online yesterday.
and filled up the rest as well. i think i will submit those today.

filled out the reco requirements for UCB right now..
jeez need to send it out by tonight!

plus score reporting!!!! aaarghh!! when will that happen??

alright.. back to work..

on the verge

ive relisted my colleges..
have to fill up a few online forms yet..
packets are nearly all complete..

what needs to be done now:

• submit online forms/print confirmation
  
• report GRE & TOEFL scores
• print remaining docs
• fix the packets
• mail the packets

exams round the corner..
so i will look to send out like 5 between today and tomoro..
and then the rest as the month progresses..
got a few dec 15 deadlines in the new list..
so gotta catch up.. loadsa work to do yet..

psstk..

and here we go

today i kick off the final leg of applications..
this will include rigorous hours of

• rearranging documents(into folders)
• acquiring documents(xeroxes, printouts, collecting from university etc)
• applying online(filling forms, paying, taking confirmation print-out)
  
• paying for additional score reports(for both GRE and TOEFL)
• collecting coupons from m d's office..
• mailing via TNT?
  

motion loose

finally some 'action' on the application front..
after an unexpectedly long hiatus..

mailed reco to pankil will go collect it tomorrow..
getting more recos signed by teachers in college.. for safety..
applied for the final set of attested marksheets today..
long procedure.. they told me to come tomorrow.. but i stuck to my guns..
and more to the guns of the fellow-sufferers.. and got it done today..
will collect those later this week

spoke to dhl
they offer package shipments at 1006rupees a piece..
have to see about tnt..

final bank letter - got..
now only few things remaining apart from online applications..

• project synopsis
• completed reco formats
• collection of marksheets
• review SOP
• make final delivery preps
  

shhh...

silence..
haven't done a thing in the last 6 days and doesn't look like i'll be doing anything in the next 6 as well!!
crap!
december deadlines here!!!!!!!
aaaahhh!!
doesn't look good at all

what?

well got the reco envelopes signed today, yes all of them..
but for some reason still not satisfied..
probably because i screwed up in filling the recos..
there's the USC reco in which i have written the address by hand :'(
and others which i thought i should not waive my rights to review..
but it wud have been better if i did..
the lecturers "tricked" me..
i donno..
maybe i will redo them!

the day that wasn't

woke up in the morning and before even opening the eyes decided the plan for the day..
i cannot remember one thing that was planned..
the day was that unpredictable

after breakfast sat to download the recommendation form formats from the universities..
which was done by 2!
never expected it to take so long..

then went to nisar again..
for want of paper..
so printed the documents there..

then reached college roughly at 3..
which was too late to get anything done..
i was there till 430
but didnt manage to speak to any one of the three recomndrs..
damn!

what a waste of a day..

wait is over I

got transcripts back from office..
all signed apparently.. (haven't checked yet)

also got half the list from vaishali
not satisfied yet but am confunded about the further steps..
which universities should i finally apply to?

transcripts II

so went back to the university today..
was not planning to but got the call from that peon i befriended the day earlier at 8 in the morning..
so i reached the office at 1120
by 1130 i had the attested marksheets in my hand.

went to college directly from there..
letters of recommendation and transcripts folded and in envelopes in hand..
the l.o.r.s i could not do much about..
need time to dnload the "forms"
but the transcripts i sealed.. tediously
and then stamped the envelopes.. tediously
and then tried getting them signed but MD was busy and told me to leave them in the exam cell
which i did..

so now i'm waiting again.. overnight to recover documents..

meanwhile dad got the notarised documents of finance ready..
that almost wraps up the paperwork..

only project synopsis(hehe), and gradation sheets(lor) to go.. which should not take much time..
but what will take time is the attestation of other marksheets..

i still have not got a full list of universities i wish to apply to..
vaishali is taking a bit too long..
have to ping her again now..
hmm..

marksheets I

went again to the university campus today..
only to find out that i was not to go there at all..
they told me to go to kalina campus!!
whoa.. i told them that there had to be some mistake!
then they told me to try the other office at churchgate.. near sydenham
which was the correct one..
when i reached there it was empty (no students)
so i was first in the queue that was not there..
then somehow within 5 minutes.. there were 6 persons standing/sitting behind me in the very same queue..
the verifier was not there yet, which gave me time to read instructions and follow them to the T.
when he finally came, i entered first and five minutes later, i was done..
but then i was not sure if i would be able to collect the attested marksheets the same day.. so i waited about, got friendly with the assistants.. and found that there was a slight chance that i would get it the same day.. so i waited.. in the meantime i got my bike which was parked a good distance away to below the office..
around this time jyoti came with jay's marksheets..
and after helping her with the procedures (which took about 10 minutes)
i had nothing to do, but go home..
ie coz when i returned to the office with jyoti, the peon i had met earlier told me that there was no chance i would get the marksheets today as the guy who signs them had not come..
the marksheets would be delivered to his home that night and returned next morning..
so i had to wait 1-15 days..

fourth saturday!

that is the reason the university gives me for failing to attest my marksheets!
not that i blame them,
or maybe i do!
but damn it 'wasted' the entire day for me!

in the morning printed the addresses of colleges on envelopes (which took time and effort)
and left by bike for the sobo landmark.
reached in good time only to find the campus deserted.

i guess i'll try again on monday..
what option do i have?

the day tomorrow

i try to get my marksheets attested at the university office tomorrow.
tried and failed in college one too many times.
at rupees 5 a piece, it is a bit dear, but hell.. who is complaining(externally at any rate)
which gives me an idea.. should try to make college pay for the attestations..
hmm.. if only we have a plan!


i will also submit the UL, Lafayette form, application fee et al (tonight).
donno about the utah form though.
still unclear on the details.

done one

filled out whatever i could on the online application forms for

• University of Louisiana, Lafayette (complete - well done)
  
• Utah State University, Logan (incomplete - lost senses toward the end)

the USU form is not as well constructed as the Lafayette one and hence was more tiring,
made an account for NYIT too but was not in any condition to fill out details there.

will do so in the next wave.

good night..

PS:
while applying.. gidwani's thoughts haunted me.. its scary..

first attempt

will try and fill out my first online application form today.
big step, but it has to be taken..
would have ideally liked to have done it tomorrow,
but what the hell!

I think it will be University of Louisiana, Lafayette.
all the best to me.

happy ending one

got the recommendations from dipali ma'am..
the ones i always wanted..

it was a breeze on a breezy day, and yes coincidence and luck were indeed helpful.
bhatia ma'am who is incharge of printing the recos on the letterhead was absent.
she might have had a problem in printing the "fourth" recommendation.
and if not so.. then definitely 'might' have had a problem with the content of the
second and fourth reco being the same.
(i don't intend to use the second one from swapnali ma'am..
just took it as a back-up.. sincere apologies to those hurt by the truth.)

the day in itself was hectic.
tried to get as many submissions outta the way as possible..
managed two
three to go tomorrow.

swelteringly hot day to add to that fact.

well well well

'ingenuity' plan B worked.

used colorado boulder as decoy for getting 'fourth" recommendation.
but did it too late in the day to get any affirmative action out of the entire situation.
will have to do so on monday now.

the other two 'shows' had a low response but things look better
for next week from here on in.

had a generally lousy week in college though.

elementary my dear

some things need not be thought through..
u just do them knowing on face value they are the best bet you have..
'the percentage shot'

my 'ingenuity' plan failed on me..
infact it may have even backfired as we might find out tomorrow.
need that reco..

so where are we?

we pick up the action on the sixteenth of October twenty o seven.

in the last two weeks, I've had to run from pillar to post within my college to get the documents i need for applying (legally) to any university in the united states.
(no kidding; i did not know that there were so many pillars and so many posts in that matchbox we call college.)

well so i got my transcripts made. and signed. and stamped. which thanks to ingenuity and luck and coincidence took only one day!
yea it could have been worse.
and that too was achieved without the pseudo-mandatory seventy-five percent attendance.

the following week (a week before today) i got two recommendation letters printed on the college letterheads. the two recommendations too are not from my top two choice of teachers but from the ones i picked with the college forcing me to choose outside the realms of my comfort.
i still have to try and work my way around this situation.
and with a little more ingenuity and luck and coincidence, it should turn out fine..

of course this is a movie isn't it? so i have truck-fulls of luck and coincidence working my way..

the present week's attraction:

• Get your two dozen mark-sheets attested by officials from your own college

also playing

• How to get a third recommendation letter from a stifler college

and the matinée show

• The crucial official third recommendation from your external project guide

next week's plans
TO BE ANNOUNCED

the story so far..

well, i started off with engineering in computers from mumbai university with the least clue of what i was getting into. i mean seriously. when standing in the frequent queues while trying to secure an admission, ppl would talk about getting enrolled in some 'mechanics' tuitions. ah what the hell i wud think.. stupid mechanical engg students.. only to later find out that mechanics was a common subject for everyone, including budding computer engineers!
talk about mech in some other place..

right so on went 3 years, some moments good, others not so good, some bad, others not so, some memories i will never forget.. etc..

toward the end of the third year, out cropped a new question:

What Next?

1. Take a job placement
2. Take the CAT exam and get into a management course
3. Take the GRE and pursue studies in other worlds

hmm.. now like the last three years.. (and im afraid and partially ashamed to say it)
i took the easy way out..
i mean i knew i was getting placed no where decent with my aggregate
and i knew i was a tad bit too late if i wanted to give the CAT seriously..
so what do we do?
give the GRE!

prepared this way and that,
secured a 1530 which people will tell you is not bad,
gave Toefl
secured a 116 which is again not too bad at all.

then reared the ugly head of the six sems aggregate again.
phew.. 54.3
bad.. in one word.

anyway, we move on from here.. and this is where we pick up the story, a few pieces missing (which i might fill up soon) but pretty much the whole deal otherwise.