Got accepted at MSU for MSCS, still feeling miserable
I have been feeling miserable ever since the universities started rolling out admission decisions. It started with a rejection from UIUC, followed by UC Boulder, and then VT (although I did get into their MEng CS program). It felt like a constant blow to my confidence and self-worth. After three rejections, I finally received an acceptance letter from MSU for the MScs program. At first, it was a relief to have an acceptance in my hands, but the more I thought about it, the more uncertain I became. I don't know much about MSU and whether it's a good university for computer science. It's not the university I had been dreaming of attending, and it's not one that was even on my top list.
Looking back, I wonder if I had been too confident about my application. I thought that my profile was strong enough to get me into UIUC or any of the UCs, but clearly, I was wrong. It's a humbling experience, but it's also disappointing to not get into the universities I had been dreaming of attending. At the same time, I'm not sure if I should be happy or not about MSU. I don't want to settle for something that is not a good fit for me.
I'm feeling a mix of emotions right now. I'm happy that I at least got accepted somewhere, but I'm not sure if it's the right place for me. I'm hesitant to commit to MSU when I have yet to hear back from UCLA, UCSB, and UCSC, but I have a feeling that they will also reject me. It's a tough pill to swallow, and I'm feeling lost and uncertain about my future.
In light of my recent acceptance to MSU, I'm trying to do more research on the university and its computer science program. However, I'm finding it hard to get a clear picture of the university without hearing from those who have first-hand experience. So, I'm reaching out to anyone who has attended MSU or has knowledge of the university to share their thoughts and views.
I'm interested in learning about the batch size and whether it's a close-knit community or not. I would also like to know about the research assistantship (RA) and teaching assistantship (TA) opportunities available to students. Additionally, I'm curious about the work opportunities for computer science graduates in Michigan and if there are any tech companies in the area that hire MSU graduates.
Apart from academics, I would also like to know about life at Michigan and what the campus culture is like. Are there any extracurricular activities or clubs that I should know about? How is the social scene on campus?
Overall, I'm feeling lost and uncertain about my future. I thought I had a good profile, but it's clear that I wasn't as strong of an applicant as I thought I was. I just want to make the best decision for myself and ensure that I'm not settling for something that is not a good fit for me. Any insight or information that people can share about MSU would be greatly appreciated.
My profile- International applicant Cgpa - 8.97 (2019 passout department rank 1, tier 2 college) 4 research publications (one of the publication has an impact factor of 3.86, have 6 citations on one paper and 2 on another) 4 years of work ex as data scientist with a leading consulting firm 2 national hackathon wins IELTS : 7.5 GRE: didn't take (only applied to unis where gre was waived off or optional)