dungheap

is this possible? (no the answer is not present in their online materials) any knowledge of this happening? it'd be in the college of engineering. i guess it's all dependent on many factors but i'm just wondering if people have pulled it off.
 
i got into a nice private school, then got myself a prof who is willing to fund me with an RA there, but i also really want to be on the west coast, the program there is smaller but similarly ranked. and it's close to silicon valley so there would be plenty of good prospects.
 
was thinking of deferring to spend a year at the private school to see how it goes (i know it'll be more academically rigorous), if it sucks, take my admission at uc...

Thanks for all the replies, so here's what I've done:
 
Since this was the College of Engineering, and the fact that my interests don't seem to mesh with the majority of people in the Mech E dept., I've asked to change my admission to another department EE where there are profs doing the exact kind of work I'm interested in. I reached out to the profs directly and have garnered some interest and am now speaking with them. The transfer of departments isn't even an issue luckily! So now I have to find someone with funds who finds me attractive. Never give up! This may also be unique to my situation because I applied cold to the program without a POI, giving me the freedom to shop around like this. Hopefully something nice happens, you never know!

Ok so, here we go...get rejected from top tier schools and probably all mid-range targets, get into all safetys, what to do?
 
The overwhelming feelings of dread well up inside of you as you realize you'll never get into these top-tier schools, you fret, act like rank doesn't really mean much, it's only the program content that you're after, right? You convince yourself the locales of the safety schools aren't so bad, and you can probably get by with your sub-standard PhD.
 
What are your goals in life anyways? Academia? Professorship? Industry? Save the world with your own non-profit? Do you want to make money? Does the fact that my school was ranked #84 really matter to anyone outside this esoteric plane of existence?
 
This is sort of my situation as of now, I've worked at one of the best companies in the world, have scattered research all over the place, zero publications or journals, just a work history like a champ. So I'm applying because I'd like to actually learn more than I could teach myself in a garage. I'm almost 30. I'm interested in becoming specialized, I have no real interest in staying in academia. I want to be in the field, directly having impact on people's lives. I have connections to make my dreams come true, I just need to develop myself.
 
So I know the selection process isn't over yet, but I know this is coming pretty much, I will be relegated to a scholarly life of shame at this inadequate university. I thought going to grad school meant going to the top, not for me I guess...
 
Thoughts? I'm considering taking one of these offers. I have the wherewithal and passion to complete the degree, I probably won't pursue a post-doc though.