you got to prepare yourself and go through it. You may need to have the following:

Research Experience: It would be advisable to have some ersearch experience in India prior to you applying for a Phd abroad. You can join for a one year or two year project in some labs in any of IITs, IISERs, CSIR labs and lot more to get that relevant work experience. It would be advantage if you already have research experience or have some final year projects

Letter of Recommendation: You need a good letter of recomendation from either one of your ex-faculties at college or preferabley the mentor/guide of your research project. It is very important can be very critical as any word by your guide is taken very seriously by foreign universities. It is more influencing if your recomendee is some big shot prof from IIT or IISc or IISER. That just adds more weight in his words.

GRE/TOEFL: although to get into good US university it is advisable to get a good score (320+ GRE, 100+ TOEFL) but I have seen people with score of around 305 getting into universities like Caltecha

SOP: This is very important. Even a weak GRE Score can be taken care of by a good SOP. You need to show that you have some solid plan. What you want to do with a phd, what intricates you? What research you want to do? or whatever question is asked on website of that university. Take help of you faculties they will definitely help you.

Phd applications has two openings per year namely for Fall or Spring semester for some US universities. However, for some Universities applications are invited once in a year. This detail is mentioned on every respective university website.

You may also write to some faculties of your target universities to tell them about how you find their research interesting and talk to him that what more research he can do ? You may even write them a mail questioning about their research? Ask a genuine doubt from their research, they will be happy to help you? Ask why did they not use some other method? DO NOT OVERDO IT. REMEMBER YOUR OWN BASICS. If you can show him some way or tell him what more better he could do, it will sure help you. Then tell him you wnat to join his group as a researcher.

In some US Universities you may have to gor a M. PHil prior to commence your Phd. It is a requirement and even in India you take various course. You will also be offered teachning assistanship wchich will help you in the academia in future.

Hope this helps.

Hello Athul,

A young experiment with democracy and a shared national love for fried food, the United States has a long, unique history, especially with producing some of our favorite films and television shows. Add in an enthusiastic love for baseball and (American) football, and you’d come close to arriving at the image of American culture.

The U.S. is a massive place, with each state containing its own history; and when you’re going from one side to another, it feels as if you’re going from planet to planet.

International students from all over the world look for options in the U.S., and travelers and explorers are often looking to find out whether Americans are as loud and silly as they are on television (spoiler: they are). Being a student, though, brings you in contact with the top-ranked and largest universities in the world, and they are ready to welcome students like you every year.

Each university in the U.S. has its own system on their website that allows future students to apply for and enrol in their degree programmes . So, once you select the university of your choice, you can go through their application and submit your materials there.

Here are some of the basic requirements you’ll need for every application:

• A scan of your diploma (high school or Bachelor’s degree)
• A transcript/record of your previous courses
• A scan of your passport
• Your CV
• Testing scores
• Evidence of scholarship or funding
• Letters of recommendation (between 2-3)
• Portfolio and/or writing samples

Take Preparation Courses: These kinds of courses enable degree-seeking students to get an extra educational boost just before they start their Master’s degree or other post-graduate degree programmes. Try a pre-M.B.A., pre-Law, or pre-Medicine programme, as well as any other foundation or preparation courses that will allow you to study in the degree programme of your choice;

Improve your English through an English-language prep course: If you’re attending a degree programme in the U.S., you will need to prove that your language skills are good enough to participate in the classes and understand the lectures. These courses will also prepare you for any of the English-language tests that universities require.

English-language tests

To apply to study in the U.S., you’ll need to provide proof you have a diploma for your English proficiency.

The certificates generally accepted by the universities in India are:

• TOEFL
• IELTS
• C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency

Still, you should always check on your university’s website, just to be sure what the exact requirements are.

Hello Athul,

For a Math PhD in the USA, you need to complete a B.Sc and M.Sc in Math from India. Then, you have to float a research idea/proposal to some professor you want as your supervisor. You can contact him/her by mail after looking up their areas of work. If selected, you have to apply for language tests like IELTS, and scholarships like those issued by the Tata Trust Fund.

The best universities in the world would be Stanford, Yale and MIT.