cheezburger42

Hello, I'm going for a masters in Aerospace. As far as I know, there's like this small reunion for intl students like a week before starting classes. I believe it is not compulsory, though. What is compulsory, however, is the official registration at the ISS office. They give you a specific date and hour for that, I believe. Anyways, I don't know about other programs, but aerospace has a special website for incoming students, grads or not, where they also notify about reunions within the area and a variety of tips from seasoned students. Maybe other programs have a similar site

I'm from Mexico, going to Purdue for an aerospace Engineering Masters

I kinda did exactly what you said and asked around for advise regarding the living options (aka: I just creeped out lots of people through emails). One thing led to another and now I'll stay at Salem Courthouse with a grad student that has already been living there and has shared with me her firsthand experiences. So it seems that if both the online reviews and her stories end with "It's overall a nice place to live", it might actually be a nice place to live. I'll keep in mind to not go to 2nd street at night, though. Anyway, if it's of any help to anybody, here goes the summary of my apartment hunt (of the places where I seriously considered living at): Crestview North: Upsides- have discounts for 1b/1bth apartments that make them cost almost the same as a studio (aprox 600usd). Plus, the apartments are really close to the engineering section, so you can even walk to the place (or go on a 10 min bike ride). Downsides- the heaters on all apartments are really small and apparently they are stricter when returning the deposit at the end of the lease. Most complaints that I've read on the internet are due to deposits not being returned. Riverwalk Apartments: Upsides- No undergrads, fiber optic internet, the "bronze loop" bus route covers the place, and the new management (HunterLP) is extremely professional. When I talked to them, they only had a 2 bedroom available, but then emailed me when a 1bedroom was released. Downsides- they are kind of expensive should you decide to live on your own (on the range of 650-700usd), they are away from campus and the night bus routes do not come that often across the river. I believe there's only the 18NightRider that goes until 3am, but still you have to walk a stretch to get to the apartments). Copper Beech: Upsides- really huge living spaces for little money. A 2bed/2bath costs 800usd for 1200sqft, which is quite a lot (had a discount though, the real price is about 1000usd). They have a shuttle that takes you directly to campus and the staff seems to be well intentioned. Downsides- it seems that the shuttle is unreliable, and on winter apparently insulation is not the best. Also, it seems that you need a car to travel everywhere else and, of all the previous choices, this is the one with the poorest reviews, and those reviews are fairly fresh. Finally, they have a "parent info" button on the webpage, so that's not a good sign anywhere. Salem Courthouse: Upsides- Is close to a shopping center and to Purdue's Research Foundation (among other important stuff for grads) by walking, for the main campus you need to take a bus, and with like six bus stops covering two bus routes you will find one every 10 mins or so. In this place, it seems that the most economical way to live is to have a roommate, as i'll end up paying 400usd for a private bed and bath, which is nice. Also, there are washers/dryers on each apartment. On a personal note, the fact that there's a physical person taking a good look at the potential apartment is a big plus. Cons- For a 1b/1bth apartment, the place is quite expensive. You pay the same for an apartment at River Walk, which has a lot more of space. There's also quite of a bug problem on the 1st floor apartments and they also seem to have insulation issues on some units. And, just to please my inner number freak (and possible fellow freaks), some numbers: Rent 1bedroom | Mins to Armstrong Hall |Ratings Crestview North - 607 USD 15 mins (walk) 43% RiverWalk Apartments - 670 USD 23 mins (bus) 77% Copper Beech - 750 USD 33 mins (bus) 16% Salem Courthouse - 670 USD 20 mins (bus) 73% Times taken for a monday at 8am using google maps. The ratings where taken from http://www2.apartmentratings.com and the rent values from their personal proposals. You can check the prices on their webpages anyway. All of them are offering grad discounts that will end up giving you those approximate numbers, I believe. I would like to add that all of this info is based on internet blogs/reviews/posts with some emails giving me advise here and there. Please take all this info with a bit of salt. And sorry for the mega long post. Cheers

Hi everybody, I will be also attending Purdue this fall and I am seriously considering renting at Crestview North; however since I'm an international student I can only see the place on pictures and Google Maps, which doesn't help much to be honest. Can somebody give me his/her opinion regarding the place? I've been reading some reviews and they are somewhat contradictory; some people like it and some people hate it. Any advise would be greatly appreciated ... I'm finding the process really scary because I can't visit the apartment before august. Greetings

By the way, I would love to know if it's ok the short approach that I am taking... you know, writing just one page instead of a 2-3 page long SoP. I'll apply to Georgia Tech and They have this 4,000 word limit so I'm having my doubts, yet I personally believe that, were I on the admissions committee, I would just skim through such a long SoP.

So, ladies and gentlemen, I wrote my SoP as concisely as possible and I would be so glad to have feedback from any of you guys tell me your favorite parts, the things that you consider must go, etc etc. I will be eternally grateful to all of you PS. Excuse my english, anyway here goes... PS2. I'm really trying to make it short and easy to read. PS3. Paragraph two is the one that will get personalized for each university. PS4. This statement will also go to french and british schools, hence the kind of strange format. ------------- To Whom It May Concern: The reason I want to enter your graduate program is because I want to have a professional development of the highest level in the structural sector of the industry, all in order to contribute to the creation of lightweight, economic and reliable engines. For that, I plan to ultimately obtain a PhD but before that happens, I want fully prepare by means of a Masters. Your program has an interesting specialization on solid structural mechanics and has a particular attention to computational aid methods. Besides, your strong links to the industry proves that your researches have a practical application, which I find of utmost importance for the continuation of my studies at a postgraduate level. I have a practical experience with the structural design and analysis of turbines thanks to my internship, as I have aided Pratt and Whitney with the structural development of an engine’s Mid Turbine Frame. One of my favorite duties is the creation of methods for evaluating discontinuities and wrong dimensions; this has even led to my graduation project of a methodology for stiffness assessments. I have also aided Honeywell with a fuel-saving high-turbine frame redesign via finite element assessments; I aim to develop these experiences during your graduate program. As for my academic experience, my university’s program allowed me to learn from a wide range of relevant subjects, being my preferred ones Engines, Structure Design, Solid Model and most recently Failure Analysis and Prevention as they were the basis of my knowledge on structures and are of my interest to develop at a graduate level. Furthermore, I understand all too well that the aeronautics industry and academy is global in nature; Spanish, British, and American hands have touched Pratt’s motor, for example. That is why I have taken a special liking for foreign cultures and languages such as French, which has helped me in collaborating with varied personalities. I have also attended several courses at the Technologic Institute of Queretaro regarding the technical side of research, such as a proper article formulation, citation methods, and the patenting process, among other courses important for serious researches that might come along the way during my graduate studies. Finally, on my precious spare time I like to amuse myself by drawing, playing music, and cooking. In conclusion, the continuation of my education through your graduate program will coherently help achieve my goal of obtaining an advanced professional development and be useful in the solution of needs that the technologic advances request to better society’s life quality. I commit to overcome any personal and cultural hindrance that might threat the degree completion, to diligently attend courses and researches, and to perform my duties with a responsible, collaborative and respectful mentality. Sincerely yours, xxxxxxxxxx

Thanks for your response, I do agree that the chances of being admitted directly to a PhD are slim, yet a sizable amount of my work on the mid turbine frame is very research-ly in nature. The difference, I believe, between most researches and my work is that the discoveries, methodologies, and optimizations created all aim to improve and validate the current motor's design (a design that has been subjected to modifications and adaptations for the past 2+ years by engineers in the USA, UK, Spain, etc) and have therefore a non-publishable nature. I have been looking at articles regarding solids' structural analyses and it seems that the main difference between an article and my work documents is that the ones I write are concise because it is assumed that the reader already knows the basics of the project. However, I do understand that following your insightful advise may not do the trick for all the PhD programs that I intended to apply, so I will change my approach and I will apply instead to several Masters and a couple of PhDs. I hope that explaining my closeness to research will help me with those ones, yet I am willing to study a MsC to be fully prepared for a PhD. It may take a bit more time and effort, though, but It doesn't bother me because I know that it will be totally worth it. Again, thank you very much for your answer, I've found it incredibly helpful. Regards

So, taking into account that I suck at juggling, I would love If anybody gave me any advice regarding the way I should approach my applications so that they don't go straight to the trashcan on the admissions office. You see, the non-american school where I had my undergraduate studies focuses a lot on applied knowledge (it's aeronautics engineering specialized in manufacturing, fyi) so I have a lot of practical experience on labs, simulators, and internships. I've been able to create an airplane's window out of composite materials, formally worked (and still working) on the design of Honeywell's and Pratt's mid-range motors with the help of Ansys (because screw confidentiality agreements), tried things like soldering (I used the Darth Vader helmet and everything) and even created an excel that could solve all the problems of a motor's textbook (hey, I was scared of flunking my final exam and he said computers were allowed). Sooooo, thanks to those random experiences I've tasted different areas in aeronautics and I've found my passion on the structural assessment of solid parts. That is why I want to study a masters and/or PhD on aeronautics structures, because i can imagine myself doing that forever on a more advanced level. I've seen what PhDs do on my area and I really envy them because it all looks awesome. Anyway, my practical experience seems to be enough for the most part of structural postgraduate programs on Europe because they work really closely with the industry. But you see, I've been stalking everybody on this website and it seems that the norm to apply and be accepted to any graduate study in america (that aims for a PhD, so the Meng is out, I believe) is to have a tiny bitsy speck of research experience. Which I don't have. Unless I take into account some conferences that I took long ago regarding research methods. And I am pretty sure that I cannot just tell them that I know how to Google. Any feedback, opinion, nagging, and advise on this issue is more than welcome. Bye Ps. Have mercy on me if this topic wasn't supposed to be here. Also, sorry for the awkward english learned by this awkward foreigner. PS2. About my stats. Eughhh, oh well. GPA 9.5/10, GRE 160 on both sections, written section 4.0 and a toefl iBt of 111. In an alternate universe, Harvard has already accepted me with full funding ; ) .