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tarrman

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Everything posted by tarrman

  1. This seems a little different than "reverse academic snobbery". It sounds more like you are dealing with people who consider studying liberal arts, non-STEM, etc. a complete waste of time, and there's nothing you can do to convince them otherwise. Just do as everyone else says and ignore them. I wouldn't "write them off as idiots"; you'll most likely develop a superiority complex and a lot of cynicism if you do this often. People will always have their opinions. Why try to force something with people you have little compatibility with?
  2. There's always violence in cities, but never in the Cambridge area. It's much worse in other areas like Dorchester. What's been going on this past week is extremely unusual and not at all common. The media has also been playing up how violent the situation is.
  3. What's more baffling is the date of the posts... there are schools with admissions processes in the Summer???
  4. Not all schools will be affected by the sequester. I'd say lesser known schools would be hit harder than big name schools like Duke. And as Sabdo said, there are other sources than NIH. And if you look at the numbers, you'll see that only a small fraction of grad students/applicants will be affected. Contact the PI as Sabdo said if you have any doubts.
  5. Rank is more important than prestige. Ever hear of a Harvard engineer? Austin is also a much more affordable city. Go to UT. You sound like you like it more.
  6. Ah, well if your reasons for disliking particular topics is based on job markets, then I second ConGrUenCy's suggestion and go for embedded systems. It's heavy in programming, is applicable to most fields in EE, and there are plenty of companies looking for people with embedded programming expertise.
  7. Robotics is pretty heavy in control systems. Computer architecture is another good field for those who enjoy programming. Why don't you like controls? It's no more mathematical than communications.
  8. I agree with ak48. There are geniuses all over the country at both well-known and unknown universities, but they comprise such a small percentage. It's also a little naive to think that Ivy Leagues (and similar universities) are substantially more difficult than other universities, as this is not at all true. I've actually heard stories about Ivy Leagues having major issues with grade inflation. At my undergrad institution (a state school), I've noticed so many of the other students struggle and can barely handle the workload simply because they weren't properly trained in high school. As long as her training in her Masters and undergrad programs wasn't a complete joke, she won't even notice a difference from what she's been doing. But she shouldn't be comparing herself to other students. There will always be someone out there who is smarter than you, and this can be said about anyone.
  9. How long is the masters program? And what's the price at A for a year? The funding at school A doesn't seem that bad. While it's nice that it's guaranteed at B, I wouldn't be too concerned about it at A, especially since you've already been offered funding for the first semester. You ought to try and get in contact with grad students at A who are doing masters and ask what the funding situation is for them. It might be difficult finding a job with a degree from a university that employers haven't heard of (I'm just speculating here since you haven't given that much information.)
  10. I like Austin in this case. It's a much better place to live than Purdue, and I think the CommNetS department is really strong. I strongly considered attending there for a while. As long as UT is giving you SOME money, I don't think it's worth turning down for a little more at Purdue.
  11. Congrats! It's a great school, and I know you won't regret it!
  12. It's likely that the statistics shown there include those rejected from Ph.D. but offered unfunded MS as well as those who applied to MS only. Remember Ph.D. is much more competitive. It may not be as low as 10%, but I wouldn't place it higher than 15%. UT Austin had a 10% acceptance rate in my track, and Prince ton's was 12%. UIUC has a 15% rate for MS and 7% for Ph.D. (if applying w/ MS) UMich's acceptance rate has got to be comparable.
  13. That's definitely wrong. UMich is pretty competitive. I'd put it closer to 10%. UIUC MS has an acceptance rate of 15%. As far as Stanford goes, it seems like they offer most Ph.D. rejects an MS. I'd say it's around 10% for those who applied directly to MS.
  14. I'd do it before work just in case. Is 4 hours really going to make a difference?
  15. Tech's EE program is pretty reputable when it comes to industry, not so much when it comes academia. You'll definitely have a job waiting for you when you graduate, and the department is large enough the you should be able to find multiple professors you are interested in. I know your visit didn't go over too well, but it might be worth it to give it another chance. The quals are also really easy; undergraduate level problems taken from some of the undergraduate courses, but it tests you on many topics in EE.
  16. School name doesn't matter so much if you're going for just a Masters and then going into industry. Internships and research experience are your biggest asset when it comes to finding a job. I don't think you should reject a funded offer for an unfunded offer, even if the school name is much better. You'll always have the chance to reapply to a different school after you get your Masters if you end up disliking where you go. Take the offer from whoever offers you funding!
  17. Schools plan for people not accepting, which is why they accept more students they can realistically accommodate. Students are accepted off the waitlist only if an unusually high number of students reject their offer or if a POI intervenes and wants to take the student. Don't worry about taking someone's place; it's unlikely that you are. And even if you are, that's life.
  18. What's wrong with a program having a lot of Asians? In science and engineering, there isn't any way to get away from that (not that I would want to.) If you want to have any hope of getting into academia, you're gonna have to be competitive. Also, it's a bad idea to do an unfunded Ph.D.
  19. I doubt Stanford does MS visits, but statistics would be pretty useless here. Your success is ultimately up to you; statistics won't help you. If you really want it, you will make it happen. I know Stanford has a non-thesis MS, but if there's a thesis option for MS, you might want to consider doing that. It's a good way to get into a group, and it gives you more time to reapply (you'd reapply in your second year).
  20. I think Stanford might be worth the risk here. If you work hard, you can definitely make it happen.
  21. Both program rank and advisor reputation matter when applying for a job in academia. The first thing departments ask when hiring new profs is where are you from, and who was your advisor? I'd say the ranking difference is slightly significant, but you shouldn't let it dissuade you from Cornell if you're more interested in attending there. You can definitely overcome lower program rank (in your case it isn't that different) by doing high-quality research and/or having a very well-known advisor. Another thing to keep in mind is that some schools receive lower rankings simply because the department is much smaller in comparison to other schools (which seems to be the case for Cornell). I think you should take the Cornell offer; it sounds like you'd be much happier there. My only concern is that it might be hard to make friends with only a ~10 student incoming class. You could always contact the department/POI and ask what the placement in academia is.
  22. Check out this link: http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc421.html Only the stipend you receive is taxable, and only if you spend it on non-school items (like housing, travel, personal expenses, etc.) The portion of the stipend you spend on textbooks and school supplies is not taxable.
  23. Man that's cold. Getting into Stanford Ph.D. after MS is definitely doable, but you really got to want it. You can expect to work much harder than you would at JHU. You need to figure out if this worth it to go to Stanford.
  24. What is your reasoning for more job opportunities at Columbia? Because it's in a big city? The UIUC name will open up more job opportunities for you than Columbia will. But... I can understand wanting a change in scenery. If the cost of attending Columbia isn't too expensive for you (but I bet it is) and you really like the research at Columbia much more than at UIUC, then I'd take the offer. Otherwise stick it out in the middle of nowhere for another two years; you will definitely have a job lined up by the end of it and you will be debt free.
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