fizzycist

Background: I was accepted into my alma mater for an MS in MechE for fall 2016 after graduating with a BS in physics (Dec 2015). I got a really great job in a very related field so I chose to defer until Fall 2017. Before I graduated, I was doing a project with a professor in the Mech E department and we spoke about possibilities for a grad project. He knew I was applying, but I didn't let him know I got accepted because I was at my job and we hadn't had a meeting since December and no correspondence after I graduated. (I didn't do much for him, just support on a project with some other undergrads) Is this a good time to email him and let him know? Am I too late? Or should I wait until the summer is over/school is back in session? I never solidified any plans with him, it was all a very "if you get in" discussion. I know he is in the office with his grad students because I am still on the lab email list and he occasionally sends "out of office" emails. Just not sure if I'm too late to email him or if he will even get back to me since it's summer. I guess I'll send an email now and if he doesn't reply, resend when the quarter starts again?

I have been accepted to University of Washington l for an MS in Aeronautic/Astronautic Engineering. It's a very good school, it's out of state, and I didn't receive any funding (which was expected). I also got accepted to another school (Santa Clara University) for a MS in Mechanical Engineering. It's a private, much lower ranked school, but it's in Silicon Valley (which is where I want to eventually end up moving someday) and the program involves exactly what I want to study (mechatronics and space systems). I am much more interested in mech engineering than I am aero, and this decision is making me feel like my future career is going to hinge on where I choose to go. I just can't get over the fact that SCU is such a low ranked school relative to UW, with so little research funding, and it makes me worry about future job prospects as well as the likelihood that I'd get into a PhD program somewhere down the line. Still waiting on my first choice school, but I'm not hopeful about that one. Any input from people who have faced a similar choice?

Yeah :| I know Santa Clara does not require a SOP or letters. just application, transcript, and GRE scores for masters applicants. A little more searching revealed I freaked out prematurely. Santa Clara is my first choice though which I why I am/was worried. It is ranked #9 in CA. #85 in US. It's not like, top ten, but it's still probably going to be hard to get into (for me).

I'm applying to MS programs in mech engineering and half of them don't require a statement of purpose or letters of rec... And I'm kinda worried. Does this mean my entire decision is based on my GRE and GPA? I don't have a super stellar GPA (~3.39) and my GRE scores are alright: Q 164/88%, V 165/95%, AWA 4.0/56% . My main concern is that i didn't do my undergrad in ME (I did physics and was banking on being able to be admitted conditionally and take undergrad courses) and I have limited engineering project experience. I was hoping to explain the steps I've taken to address that in my SOP. Thanks!