MaryShelley

Anyone?

Hi, everyone. So I wanted to know how many graduate students find time to participate in design/innovation contests conducted every year by the likes of Analog Devices, TI, Cadence and so on. I was interested in utilising this summer to partly think of some ideas and participate next year. Has anyone been involved before?

My first semester has been a roller coaster of sorts... From putting up with the peskiest roommates to being forced to move out in the middle of the semester and sleeping in the library for three weeks, from not being able to secure a part-time job or assistantship despite very relevant work-experience and extra curriculars, from an eating disorder to poor grades to sexual abuse, I have had a rather eventful semester. I actually also applied to two other schools with the intention of transferring from my current school, but I have been denied again. I am burned out with not an iota of concentrating ability left. I tried counselling but that doesn't help either, although I must admit I haven't been very proactive. But I just cannot bring myself to do anything anymore. I started freelancing to pay my bills but the job is very hectic with a meager salary, so to make time for studying I have literally been working round the clock. I feel lethargic and very stressed and burned now.... does anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you for your kind words. But I have come to the point where I don't even want to go anywhere, I am simply not interested. I have come from a foreign land so that kind of makes things worse..... sorry to sound like Im complaining though

How do you deal with it? Do you seek help on campus? Or is it just a passing phase?

I joined ASU this semester, not very excited about the whole thing but determined to make it work. My field of interest is analog, and there is some great work, courses and a lot of professors in this field here. I have around eighteen months of prior work experience in this field, and I wanted to get a research assistantship.(I know it's not that easy), but I was even willing to work for free if required. First of all, almost all the students here are Indians, and after speaking to most on what courses to take, considering my background, they all said taking the 500 level courses in the first semester might be difficult and it would be more meaningful to take the 591 prerequisite courses instead. I thought it would help boost my GPA since it was my first semester, and I went with the flow, although I was familiar with the material in the 500 courses from reading at work. Big mistake. Huge. Not only did taking these courses prevent me from getting an RA, (or the chance to work in a lab without payment) under any professor in the Department, I was also discouraged at the career fair, where I was told I should be taking some advanced courses if I expect to get an internship. My faculty advisor said that most Master students here do not get RAs until completion of two full semesters, and only if they have a great GPA to show. My work experience counted for nothing here. The on-campus jobs. There are hordes of people on campus and these jobs finish like crazy. Getting a job on Tempe campus seems next to impossible so everyone starts commuting to Phoenx, just for the sake of work. And the costs at ASU are crazy. 1200$ for insurance? Everything in the on campus stores, including food is ridiculously expensive. The administration here is just a bunch of money hungry people, and the tuition fees (and how fast they hike them) are proof of it. Most of the students here are just "finish courses, get a job" people. At the risk of sounding egoistic, most of them don't seem to think for themselves, and just copy older answers. It happens, and I have seen it. I'm sorry for the rant. I have no intention of putting anyone down, I'm just presenting my side of the experience here, but I am very frustrated.

I can swap. PM me, and I will trade.

Thanks :-)

Anyone willing to evaluate my SOP for Electrical Engg. Masters? We can swap probably

Remember, write an SOP that is less about what you want them to hear and more about who you really are. An SOP should be answer "Why Masters, Why this field and Why this school". What sets you apart. Engineers are aplenty these days, so excelling at a few subjects is hardly something to screech about. Top 8%? That is more impressive. At the same time, don't make it sound like a revelation here and there sealed your decision. That's way too dramatic. Instead, express your revelations through the experiences that taught you something. Knit them to make a sweater that fits, not a piece of cloth that has all the elements but doesn't piece together.

Hi, will someone please evaluate my SOP for Georgia Tech? If you could just reply to this thread, I'll PM you my SOP. Thanks in advance!

Anyone?

Hi, I am planning to apply for MS in VLSI for Spring 2014 term. My planned specialisation is Analog and Mixed Signal VLSI Design. My undergraduate GPA is 8.0. Part of the reason for a dismal GPA was an accident in 5th semester, which happened a few days before my exams started. I have one year of work-experience in analog and mixed signal design at a semiconductor MNC based in California. I have worked on 4 projects here, out of which I've been extensively involved in major part of design in one. I have 3 unrelated undergraduate projects. I have one publication in a international journal, 2 others are under review. We are filing two patents for our internal innovation system. Besides this, i have some co-curricular and extra-curricular activities in college and 2 prizes in low-key national technical competitions(but unrelated). I'd like some help in determining my chances of getting into these colleges: 1.Georgia Tech 2.Carnegie Mellon University 3.University of Southern California, LA 4.Texas A&M University Also, what is the research scenario in Columbia and UIUC? How difficult is it to get in with my GPA?

Anyone?

My GPA is 3.2, topper's is 3.56. I've clearly mentioned in the SOP that I have complete hands-on in the tools they use, and I've made it a little more technical. I've also shown that I have some decent extra-curriculars. My work-ex is completely relevant to my intended specialisation, but ironically, I also have a low score in the subject during my undergrad. Do they take into account reasons like a road accident? Honestly, it happened a week before the exams, and I hurt my eye. I'd suffered internal bleeding back then. Do you know of people who got in with low scores, but other good things on their profile?