AdilB990

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Clean up

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Appreciate the feedback, MsDarjeeling. Having read your response, I've realised I should immediately mail the respective Reference/Recommendation Forms to my referees. There is a prompt within the forms, which will make it a bit easier for them to write a more focused LoR. (Man, why the hell didn't I think of that earlier! ) And yes, I've been following up with them with periodic mails, making sure that I sound extremely thankful for their time and effort.

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I second the request! Two of my LoR's will be written by my seniors at work. And they don't have much experience (if any) in writing such a document. So any kind of feedback/help will be most appreciated. Thanks.

gone mental

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Blackadder, in my opinion, you have no reason to think about a retake. Your GPA and your scores are really good! And I'm assuming the projects you've done are relevant to your prospective MS programs. Now, as Monochrome has mentioned above, GRE isn't going to make or break your chances as your Quantitative score is above the 90th percentile. If u still feel a little nervous or unconvinced, check out the respective program websites for average GRE scores for those admitted in previous seasons (If they're not available on the website, mail them). Focus on writing an exceptional SoP, complemented with strong LoR's, and you have a great chance of getting into a top school. Best of luck!

Thanks fuzzy, that is really helpful. By the way, I have a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and I'm applying for an MS in Transportation Engineering. My first job (for around a year from '08-'09) was unrelated to transportation. However since early 2010, I've been working for a large, state-owned Railway company. So in a way, most of my work experience is quite relevant to my prospective program.

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I second flip-a's query above! Allow me to slightly tweak it for my own sake: As a working professional for 4 and a half years, and no research experience whatsoever, what should I focus on in my CV? I've worked in 2 organisations since I completed undergrad in late 2007. Thanks.

River Trout

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More than any other factor, if you have the willpower, resolve and perseverance to stand by your decision, nothing will hold you back. Dig deep. Some good suggestions from jenste and Rogue856 as well. My uncle was a chain smoker till about his mid-40's. But then one day, he decided to quit; has never smoked since! He's in his late sixties now.

Top Chef

Let me ask you something with the above in mind. In your opinion, what was the strongest part of your application package?

I'm not a very exceptional candidate either. The silver lining is that all 4 of my prospective universities explicitly state that they offer funding for master's. Being an optimist, hoping for the best. Btw, are you an international studying in the US?

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Hi everyone, I'm in the final stage of my application process for an MS program. As an international applicant, my decision of attending grad school will be heavily dependent on whether I get funding or not (RA-ship or TA-ship). I've been a working professional since graduation; around 5 years back. I do not have any research background whatsoever. But I have a strong inclination for conducting research in my field (transportation engineering). And I have a specific area in mind which will definitely help me in my professional/career goals. But one question has been constantly bugging me over the last couple of months: is it realistic to think that I may get into one of the prospective programs with funding? Or is it a bridge too far? Thanks in advance.