CMU Visit - Question and answers

I wrote this for my MISM -CMU yahoo group.The CMU campus visit was a great one.

I met the following ppl:
a)David Eber, Associate Director of Admissions
b)Ron Delfine, Director of MISM/MSIT Career Services
c)Sumitha Rao, Associate Program Director

I also met two American students and one Desi guy.One of the american was a student rep so he walked me through how the program would be.

The infrasturcure is really good. The university is an old one (more than 100 years old),so you do find the buildings faded and old,but it has got everything that you might possibly need - a book store, a fed ex store, an Indian resturant etc.
All the students have one common feedback- the faculty is great.

I might be exaggerating here but I guess every second student there is an Indian and every third student out there is a chinese.There are so many of them.! :)

Answers to a few questions:

Q) I narrated my profile to Mr Eber and told him "why" I applied to this program. I gave him an understanding of what the program is all about and then laid out my expectations. I asked him if I was wrong in them. ?

A) He said that this program provides a business perspective to technical students and will help do well in IT jobs. So if you are looking on those lines , this would be the best fit for you.

Q) What will be the batch size?
A) The students for this year would be around 90.They have received good number of applications and are quite happy that the program is being recognized.

Q) Can I mix and match courses?
A) You always have an ability to mix and match courses and can opt for courses from
a) Software Engg Institute
b) Tepper Business School
c) Networking Institute
d) University of Pittsburgh.

Remember, this is a interdisciplinary course and the strength of the program is that it draws its strength from other programs .


Q) I asked him about the laptops. A lot of us already have one.Why should we buy them.

A) You gotta purchase it from the university primarily bcoz it is easier to maintain them .Ppl coming in from SE Asia would have cheaper and good laptops but then if it breaks down, it is sometimes difficult to fix them. The price for the laptop this
year would be around 2000$.


Q)How many of the students have NOT yet been placed?
A) Around 20-25% of all those seeking a job.Some ppl opt for higher education (Phd) and some opt to return back to their home country (J visa).So,students who are putting in hard work and are determined to get a job do get it.CMU will definitely provide you with opporutnities to the best recruiters. How you sell urself and market urself is upto you.A student told me that almost all Indians end up with good jobs.


Q) What course exemptions can I chose?
A) Course exemptions can be done by mostly ppl with work ex or folks who have done that course in their undergrad. Yes, if you can talk to the faculty and convince them, you can do that. Usually,ppl opt out of Java classes,professional speaking classes,telecom management etc.

Q) Are there any courses from the Software engineering department that are available to the MISM students?
A) Yes, they are available in plenty.The courses are usually tough (as per students.) so u gotta plan it well.

Q) Are the jobs techie types...are there coding jobs too?
A) If it is Microsoft recruiting ,the job will be coding type. But if it is Delloite or Mckinsey, it would be for IT consulting. Some companies come only for MISM students and some for all the streams of CMU grads.So, the job profile would differ. Majority of the ppl who get consulting jobs have some prior work ex . Ppl with a computer science/IT background also do well.If you want to do a technical job, you can opt courses from the software engg institute.If you intend to get into consulting, you need to opt for more business courses.
Bottom line: You should be very clear with what you want.


Q) How easy or tough is it to get a job.
A) Depends. Some ppl get jobs easily and some do not. But yes,over the last 2 years, the MISM program is being recognized and if you are focussed towards getting a job, you do get it.


Q) How about the mixed response that we have been receiving?
A) Depends on the expectations of the students. Some want to get great jobs and don't have a background. Some don't put in the required effort. Study the program, understand that if that is what you really want to do and choose ur classes. They have straightened out a lot of things in the last 2 years and the MISM program is gaining momentum.

Q) How much is the average salary this year?
A) 66,000 $. The highest has been around 85-90K.

My feedback: The course is good if someone is very clear about what he wants. If you are just going thinking that you might get into a consulting job, u'll be disappointed. You should come to this place prepared for the worst (that you might have to take a coding job), but if you are lucky, work hard and sell urself well, you will enjoy the place. The CMU tag will always be there and u'll have a good exposure and a good learning environment.