anupamgupta2112 wrote:
The more I actually get into this process, the more mysterious it gets. I don't think ANYONE can claim to know exactly how it works. And to be honest, that frustrates me more than anything else. There is no way to say what will work and what will not. No 20 variables that can determine a probability. For an engineer, that is the most frustrating thing ever.
But crib all you want, this is the process. So you have to live with it and hope something clicks somewhere.
All the best everyone!
I think that there are a number of elements we can't control, and this is what's frustrating.
One thing that I believe is important is the story. Not how good are crafted your essays but what they tell. This is the element that I believe frustrates everyone, because it cannot be measured or quantified. There is no way to tell I have a 760 story, you have a 700 story so my story is definitely better. We try to simplify the process and compare GPA, GMAT and so on but this will never work.
Another key element out of the applicant's control are the other applicants. We may be awesome but the truth is that there is an insane competition, and we don't even know how the schools divide applicants in clusters, and who are our competitors in the process.
I only wish everyone the best.