yaydonicus

Undergrad Institution: Graduated May 2011 from Virginia Tech Major(s): Mechanical Engineering Minor(s): GPA in Major: 3.18 Overall GPA: 3.24 Length of Degree: 4yrs Position in Class: 60% Type of Student: Domestic, white, male GRE Scores: Q: 165 V: 165 W: 4.0 Research Experience: Not much, senior research with extremely un-invested professor Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Nothing better than Dean's List and some minor language competition I won in HS Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I worked a software job for a year Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: no Applying for MS at: UW Nuclear Eng. and Eng Physics - accepted 2/1 UCLA Mech and Aerospace - accepted 2/12 WHEN DO WE HEAR ABOUT MONEY? - is it bad if they didn't mention it in the acceptance email?

1) If you get an email saying you were accepted by the department, but your application is still 'pending' (i have 2 admits on technically incomplete apps), you're in right? 2) if the emails said nothing about funding for you, but mentioned that funding is generally a possibility, does that mean there is still a possibility of assistance? Do you know when one would find out?

i'm no expert but anywhere

Hey everyone, I probably should have looked harder for similar posting, but I was lazy. My stats: -165 Q, 165 V, pretty abysmal 4.0 writing (49%) -3.24 GPA Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech, 3.35 last 2 years -A's and B's in math - Calc 1,2, Multivar, DiffEQ, Statistics NO Econ classes -Some research, a year work experience in IT field My Questions: -Do you guys think, with good recs or a good S.O.P I would be able to squeeze into a top 15? I specifically want to look at UW Madison and NWern. -I have some misdemeanors for being a drunk, luckily UW and NW don't require you to report misdemeanors. Does anyone know if they do criminal background checks? -Does anyone know of econ PhD programs that weigh GRE highly, or seem to? -Is there a forum for seeing stats/decisions side by side? All answers really appreciated, even if the news is bad