POST-RESULT PHASE.

Hello friends,

My name is Pawan, the new contributor (thanks pk! :) ).
The results are out, you know your rank. You want to know how to proceed from now on.
There are two important steps you need to think about:
1. Decide if you want to do a research oriented programme (M.S) or a course-oriented programme (M.Tech)
2. Decide on your areas of interest. You must know them by now.

A little more on the first point: A course-oriented programme is much like B.Tech and you explore the breadth of computer science. Typically, you will have to take around 10 courses spread over 2 to 3 semesters. For a research oriented programme on the other hand, you need to take lesser courses, and spend most of your time in doing research in a domain. As in, you will have to read the literature, find out what problems are feasible to be addressed and then solve one (or more than 1) of them. You explore the depth here. So, the purposes are different. See which one of these purposes better suits you.

Opting for a M.S or M.Tech programme is crucial, a wrong choice can prove very costly. Also, you would not want to be stuck in an area which does not interest you. The caveat here is that both the decision points mentioned above must be exercised with proper judgment.

To know what all programmes are available at every IIT and IISc here is a pointer:"http://karthrags.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/iit-pg-admissions-part-2-the-interviews/".
Don't get stingy over applications. Even if you apply for one or two more than required, its okay! They might come in handy as back-ups when things don't go your way.

Lastly, "GATE results are out. I bagged a good rank. Now I can breathe easy!" SAYS WHO? NO YOU CAN'T. You will be put in a class of 60-80 students who have performed as good as you have. The competition will be high. If you relax, you will become rusty by the time you enter. So a week (or two) of relaxation is fine. But after that, patch up things, fill in the gaps, if you felt your GATE prep was incomplete, finish it. For those who are thinking about M.S programmes, there are written tests and interviews. They are not cakewalks. Those test how strong your ground floor is. So basics must be at fingertips. Please don't forget after doing all this hard-work in securing a good score in GATE, the last thing you would want to do is mess up your interviews/written tests. So pull yourself together, and keep it sturdy for few more months.

I shall get back on more, but that's all for now.