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Why are we talking about leading an average life? Don’t we all want to be successful and come in the top 1 percentile? Well, that is true. This is going to sound pretty harsh, but the possibilty of you making it and becoming crazy rich is quite low (not zero though!). This article is for those who are struggling to achieve average success and barely living an average life! In the past few years, I have realized that the best way to lead an average, and slighlty better, life is to do the approximately right thing at the approximately right time. What are “right things” and how do you figure them out? That’s easy. Wherever you are in your life right now, there are some things that you ought to do, some bare minimum things that are expected of you. If you are college, it’s making sure you finish your assignments on time and get good grades. If you are in a job, it’s making sufficient progress and delivering outputs. If you are a PhD, it’s doing research and getting published! I believe as long as you satisify even the bare minimum, you would already be ahead of the crowd. ...

It has been almost two years since I wrote my last blog, and a lot has changed in my life since then. I wrote my last blog before joining the University of California, San Diego for my graduate degree, and as of today, it has been almost two months since I finished my studies and graduated. This blog serves as a closure for that journey, and I am writing this to note down a few key details that people often miss. ...

Hi, I am Utkarsh Jain, and I am going to the University of California San Diego to pursue a Master’s of Science in Computer Science degree. As a part of going to the USA, I applied for the F-1 visa, and with this blog, I aim to delineate the overall procedure of getting the student visa. So, without further ado, let’s get right into it. Please remember to go through all the resources I have shared in this blog to get an even better understanding. ...

I applied for Master’s programs in Computer Science (fall ‘22 intake) to USA-based universities. Speaking from personal experience, I know that applying to universities abroad can be confusing and tiresome. That is precisely why I am writing this article, in the hope of unentangling this long and convoluted process for you. I will begin by briefly introducing myself, and then immediately get into the application procedure. Make sure you go through all the resources I have shared in this article to get an even better understanding. ...

Before I start with the real stuff, let me quickly enumerate the different resources you will require during your preparation. Magoosh’s Paid Account (Extremely Important) Chris Lele’s Vocabulary Builder Workbook Chris Lele is an instructor at Magoosh who has been preparing students for GRE for a long time now. His book, Vocabulary Builder Workbook, is a panacea for all your vocabulary inadequacies. Magoosh’s Complete Guide to GRE Vocabulary This is essentially a subset of Chris Lele’s book (above). However, it contains some extra high-frequency GRE words. It wouldn’t take more than 3 or 4 days to complete this book if you have already finished Chris Lele’s book. Official GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice Questions This is the official GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice book by ETS that aims to cover the entire verbal reasoning portion of GREs. However, it doesn’t have enough questions to practice. We will pick up this book at the end — maybe a couple of weeks before the exam. The Official Guide to the GRE General Test Same as point 4. GRE Powerprep Practice Test by ETS These free computer-based practice tests (2 to be exact) are offered by ETS when you signup on their website. These tests mirror the actual GRE because they are both made by ETS. Magoosh’s free GRE Flashcard, and Vocabulary Builder mobile appThis app helps you review words while you are commuting or answering nature’s call. The vocabulary builder app even allows having vocab battles with random opponents. By now you must be feeling pretty intimidated seeing all the different books and online resources. But don’t be scared. I will walk you through every step, explaining the relative importance of all the aforementioned resources along the way. And before you know it, you will have a good idea of how to approach the test. ...