ShortLong

It depends a lot on the program and the adviser. A lot of PhD programs are designed for you to get a Masters along the way. I am not a grad student yet, I am finishing up the process by choosing between two schools. This is an important issue for me, and I have asked this a lot when talking to current grad students. The general consensus is that for the most part it can be treated like a normal work week, except when you get close to deadlines you might work more. The first year or so might be busier because you are taking classes as well as research, and even busier if you are a TA, but there is more free time than undergrad. Some advisers might expect you to work more, but that is a question you ask when deciding and you don't choose that adviser.

A lot of people have compared this process to dating, and the relationship with your adviser is similar to marriage. It makes sense that a lot of it will be based on gut. For me, I am trying to decide between two top 4 schools, and all of the objective criteria can be basically assumed to be the same, like funding, education and such. The biggest differences are the advisers and the projects, which comes down to which one I would enjoy the most, which comes from gut. You need to be with an adviser you like and treats you well, working on a project you are passionate about, in a city you enjoy. Otherwise, you won't be happy, and if you aren't happy you are likely to not complete your PhD.

Undergrad Institution: UT Austin Major(s): Aerospace Engineering Minor(s): GPA in Major: Overall GPA: 3.80 Length of Degree: 5 years because took two semester off to co-op Position in Class: Near top, I tihnk Type of Student: Domestic female GRE Scores: Q: 166 V: 165 W: 4.0 Research Experience: In fourth semester working in a satellite lab, two summer internships at a DoD research lab, a 6 month co-op at a NASA center, two summer internships at a different NASA center, 5 month co-op at a private space flight company rocket test site Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Iridium scholarship, a couple internal school scholarships Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Internships listed above, 3 semesters as a tutor Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Applying for [ MS ] or [ PhD ] at: MIT - Aero/Astro - Accepted/ March 1/ available depending on project Georgia Tech - Aerospace - Accepted / Jan 28/ TA position for first year, assured for following years, nominated for $42,000 two year fellowship UIUC - Aerospace - Accepted / Feb / $20,000 1st year fellowship Purdue - Aerospace - Accepted / Jan 27 / No word Maryland - Aerospace - No word

I think that sounds about right. I had a slightly different situation, but I think that if a professor wants to work with you the department won't reject you.

I did that. I bought my own plane ticket and they were going to reimburse me. But I decided I no longer wanted to go to that school, so I emailed the administrator and the professors I was meeting with and politely told them so. I think they appreciated me not wasting their time or money when I knew I was not going to go to that school. I

Pretty much every school asks for three, no more, no less.

That is exactly how I feel. I am ready to make my decision, so I guess they won't be part of it.

I canceled a visit to a school because I had narrowed my decision down to two other schools. I had to email the professors I had scheduled meetings with to cancel the meetings. I basically just said that I was not going to attend that school, and I thanked them for being so welcome and inviting, but I felt my research interests would be better served elsewhere. All the professors responded back that they wished me well in my future endeavors. Professors understand that you have to choose between schools. As long as you are polite, it should be fine.

It sounds like you guys need some engineering wisdom. I learned about the Analytically Hierarchy Process (see links below) in my systems engineering class, and a friend of mine has actually started a chart to use it to decide on his grad schools. It is a real thing to use to numbers to help compare between hard to quantify things, and the math isn't hard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytic_hierarchy_process http://www.boku.ac.at/mi/ahp/ahptutorial.pdf On that note, I started a spreadsheet when researching grad schools and it has grown into this ridiculous document with multiple pages, like info on the school, application process, results, and all that jazz. For the most part, it is to have all the information in one place and not so much to help me decide. I have been able to narrow it down to two places fairly easily. I might need it for the final decision though.

For Georgia Tech, I emailed a professor while I was filling out applications asking about a possible project that wasn't his typical field and it turned into a project idea that he wants me to work on. It was a shot in the dark that worked out really well. For the other schools, I am not entirely sure. I have had a lot of internships over summers and a couple semesters where I did not take classes (co-op program, which I highly recommend), two of which were research internships. I think the letters of recommendation are very important though. Make sure you get to know professors by going to their office hours, and asking them to be your mentor in career decisions. Working in a professor's lab is also very important. That is a very strong part of my application.

Does anyone know when Maryland is planning on sending out decisions? It seems pretty late and if they wait much longer people might have already chosen elsewhere...

I am a super senior is Aerospace engineering at UT Austin. I think that any research experience will help with grad school applications, but before you commit to the embedded systems prof, you should look into the professors that do nano tech and email them to see if they need help. They understand that as a sophomore you don't have much expertise, and that they will have to train you. They also will look at you as cheap labor. It will be a good experience. Either way, more research will not hurt your application.

I agree with the other two posters. I had the opposite experience to aero9, I was seriously considering two schools and the first one I visited I loved, the second one I hated. There is a lot that can be determined from the visit, that can't be determined otherwise, and those are the things that will most effect your happiness.

I got an acceptance email today!!! I can't believe it.

The strong reputation could help you get a better job and therefore earn more money. I would still lean toward school 2, but things to consider when taking out a loan: How much debt you have from undergrad How big of a loan would it be Would you get more funding for the second year What is your earning potential after graduation and how hard it would be to pay back the loan in a reasonable amount of time. I am an engineer, so I have little student debt and a very high earning potential. I am not that afraid of taking out loans because I know I will be making a significant amount of money after graduation. But then again, as an engineer, my programs have a lot of money and I don't need to worry about funding as much.

Thanks for sharing! This is really helpful.

Did school 2 offer you some funding at least? If they offered you enough to live off of without taking out loans, then I would go with school 2. I am a big supporter of moving to new places to get new experiences to widen your worldview. Plus, the prestige definitely helps. Then again, since you aren't going for a PhD as well, I do not think it is as big of a deal to continue on to a Masters there. I also understand that a lot of people do not like change. I personally like a change of scenery every once in awhile.

Oops sorry, I agree with this correction. I was only ranking the schools you applied to and overlooked Princeton.

I went to one recruitment weekend last weekend and am attending one this coming week. I have been accepted at both schools, and they both told me to dress business casual. I wore slacks, and a nice button down. No one wore ties.

I am an undergraduate in Aerospace, for a bit of background, applying for Master/PhD programs. For starters, you applied to a lot of really good schools, and you won't be sacrificing much in terms of prestige going to any of them. Yes the generally accepted top 3 are MIT, Caltech, and Stanford, but Georgia Tech is also lumped into their category as an equal. The next tier of your admits would probably be Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, and Maryland, then the next tier is the rest of your schools. It is a very good sign that you were invited to visit Georgia Tech, and probably means you are accepted. I have a friend that was accepted, and not invited to visit. This decision depends a lot on what you are interested in within the field, but Georgia Tech is much better about funding than Stanford and can give you an almost equal education in terms of prestige. Purdue is very well known when it comes to space, like orbital mechanics and such. I am not as familiar with the last tier schools on your list (not overall, just the worst of the best if that makes sense. I think you should look at which companies recruit at which schools. For example, I am a space person and I would love to work for JPL. JPL recruits on campus at schools like MIT, Caltech, Georgia Tech, Purdue, and UT Austin (with a few others I can't remember). I would recommend that you go back over the schools that have accepted you and figure out which ones are the best fit research wise, then look at prestige.

It couldn't hurt to reach out to some faculty.

It actually sounds to me like you are on the waitlist. They are interested in you enough to not reject you outright, but not enough to actively search for faculty to keep you. Then again my experience with Georgia Tech is through their aerospace department, so mechanical might do things differently.

I think that people need to stop jumping the gun on the results page, and only post if they have received official notification from the school. None of this "assume rejected because admits were sent out". If you get one of those emails, post it in a forum like this, not the results page. As far as the decision goes, it would be great to be accepted, but it is not the end of the world. I at least have three other admits, two of which with funding. That being said, every time I get a new email I get a little nervous inside because it might be from MIT...

I am still pessimistically hopeful, if that makes sense. But I am thinking that I am probably on the wait list. Oh well, I have a few good offers and I am only hoping for MIT for bragging rights, not so much research fit, you know what I mean?

I had the opposite experience. I was invited to the visit day, then a week or two later officially admitted. The visit day was last weekend, and one of the first things they said to us was that we were all admitted, in case we hadn't been told yet. I have heard this happening at other schools within aerospace engineering as well. I think it is a very good sign, and you should definitely go. If anything, it gives you a free trip to be wined and dined, and they are a lot of fun.