budgie

I write the first chapter of fiction novels. Of course, I always mean to write the whole novel as it is in my head, but by the time the first chapter has been fleshed out, I'm bored, and move on to the next. Maybe one day I'll make it into chapter 2. I also play guitar, poorly.

No supermarket?! Ithaca has one of the best supermarkets in the states; We have Wegmans (other supermarkets in town: Tops, GreenStar, Walmart, Target). IMO Wegman's is better than Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Raley's, etc.. Wegman's offers locally sourced food, cheap Wegman's brand ripoffs of almost anything you can dream of, as well as all the food you would find at normal supermarkets still at the same cheap prices.

You may also want to consider accepting the offer to work towards a PhD in materials science, but do research in an electrical engineering based lab. Many EE labs would love to put someone on projects with materials science knowledge. If the name of the field on your degree really matters to you, maybe then try to apply to EE programs, but if not, do explore the labs at the schools you're interested to see if there's a good fit for your new interests. Just for perspective, I'm in BME, but work in MAE and I'm very happy with my situation. Good luck in whatever you decide to do!

Press release from the NSF about this years awards: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=130974&org=NSF&from=news

Honorable Mention E/E E/E G/VG Last reviewer didn't try to understand my project at all! Oh well, I'm satisfied with my honorable mention. Didn't get anything last year, so this a a step up. One more year to perfect my application package and nail it. Congrats to all other HM's and awardees!

Last year, I received a generic rejection letter in email and had to log into Fastlane to view comments and scores from the reviewers. I expect it to be the same this year. p.s. can we talk about how awesome it is that we actually get feedback from the reviewers, unlike other fellowships. The comments aren't much, but it's still better than trying to guess why you didn't receive the award.

Also, you've got at least 5 years before you have to worry about employment. Having a well-connected PI in a reputable program is beneficial, but when the day comes, it'll be the work you did and the connections you made in grad school that determine your ability to secure a job.

Last year I was in the same situation. I went for the best-fit school and haven't regretted my decision at all. That said, my idea of which school was the best-fit for me dramatically changed after visitations. Don't make a decision too soon!

I was invited to interview at UMich last year with GRE scores in the 77th percentile. Based on my own profile and the people I met at the recruitment weekend last year, I'd say their admissions process is very holistic. To me it seemed that they care most about carefully matching students to faculty members.

Inside Information: Cornell is doing rolling admissions over the next few weeks, keep your fingers crossed

I got into most schools I applied to with worse GRE scores than yours. So long as you've got good research experience under your belt (and good LORs from that), with a gpa like yours, I think you'll be fine

If you're on a time crunch, at least make sure the schools that you're interested in have a focus on signal processing. You should be able to tell by a quick trip to the department's website and looking for a signal processing subcategory underneath research. When writing your personal statement, it often helps your situation to name a few specific professors you want to work with and why. Maybe wait until you choose a few schools you're definitely going to apply to before digging this deep though. And don't get too stressed, application season is exciting

If you're still in need, bump me a message

Thanks for the advice everybody! I think I knew all along that I would end up at Cornell somewhere deep in me, but I needed the nudge, so thanks for helping me take that step!! I <3 GradCafe

Now that we've completed this process it's time to reflect on the things that took us by surprise. For me, I was absolutely shocked by how impactful the visitations were. My mental rankings of the programs I chose to apply to completely swapped after setting foot on each campus, meeting with my potential PI's, and watching how the department interacted with the recruits.

If you're ready to do a PhD now, take the offer at UIUC. There's no guarantee that you'd have more luck next year, and UIUC is a fantastic school for materials science!! Even if you don't think the research fit is perfect, most people grow to love their grad research even if it isn't what they initially thought they'd be doing. There were reasons why you chose to apply to UIUC in the first place, think back to those reasons, and try to get back on that train. Another thought to entertain is that even if you were admitted to some of your other picks, your opinion of each university may have shifted after your visitations (my opinion greatly shifted throughout this process, and I ended up choosing to go to the school that I did not think I'd end up at). So even though you think you'd prefer school X over UIUC, this may not be true, and end up choosing UIUC next year, you'll feel silly for waiting. Also, if you attend UIUC and later decide that you are truly absolutely unhappy there, it is possible to transfer. And I'd argue that if you go through this process with respect for the program, you'd be able to do this without hurting too many feelings. If you're not a good fit for the school, it'd probably be apparent to not only you, but also your advisor, and your department. In that case, I think they'd support your decision to transfer (but only after a major attempt to help you stay). Though I truly think that if you give UIUC an honest chance, that everything would workout for you. Good luck in your decision!!

Program: Biomedical Engineering / Bioengineering PhD Admits: UCSD, Pitt, Cornell, University of Washington (UW) Attending: Cornell

I actually think that grad school may be the best thing you can do given your situation! You'll be able to start fresh, in a new town, with only yourself on your mind. And I'm sure you won't be the only one going through this at the start of grad school. Many people who are in relationships now must make the choice to start a long distance relationship or break-up, and I think it's more common for people to spilt, so you will have company. My ex brokeup with me a few weeks before I left for my study abroad experience. I was an emotional wreck, but as soon as I stepped foot into a new country, I felt so refreshed. Having a new start is exactly what I needed, and I even bonded with a girl who was going through a breakup as well, and she became one of my best friends. I was still emotionally screwed up for many months, but being exposed to a new situation definitely eases the pain. It sucks, but you'll get through this. Good luck <3

I graduated high school in 2005 and immediately started community college as an English major. I never truly found a passion for the subject and started exploring other majors within liberal arts. I started taking science classes in 2007 to knock out my gen ed requirements, but quickly fell in love with science. I explored a few fields within science like psychology, biology, astronomy, pure math, but as soon as I learned what engineering was, I knew I had found my calling in life. So despite only having taken up to college level algebra, I transitioned to engineering in 2008. I applied to transfer to a UC in 2010, and by 2011 I was at UCSD. I came in as a junior in 2011, and now, a little less than 2 years later, I'm finally graduating with my BS in 2013!! Also, this did not affect my admission potential whatsoever, I was actually a very successful applicant! tl;dr took forever at community college (6 years), then graduated UCSD in 2 years. 8 years total O_O

If you're trying to go into industry, UW is in a much better location for networking. Cornell is an amazing school, but it's location makes it very isolated. I ended up going with my gut on this decision, and I trust that I've made the right choice. I think that if your gut says UW, do UW. Good luck in your decision!

I made a meet and greet group on Facebook, please add yourself to it so we can get to know each other without the mask of usernames. I look forward to meeting you! https://www.facebook.com/groups/139234619592841/

April 15th is just around the bend, where have you all decided on? I'll be at Cornell this fall ^__^