starofdawn

I keep saying to everyone, "I had waaay too much fun at UCSD as an undergrad, I can't believe they let me back in".

@ExponentialDecay, is your avatar from The Graduate?

Great advice. Also, I know tour groups aren't as adventurous(and possibly more expensive), but you still get to travel and stay safe.

Is this for an MS or PhD? If it's for an MS, the location shouldn't matter as much (you'll only be there for 2 years). If it's for a PhD, I understand wanting to live in a place with good weather. Being a Southern California native, I understand how good weather can be a major factor for us.

Hmm... UCSD is a great school, but Princeton is an ivy league. As jeffleung1992 said, your research interests and POI are the most important. After that, a great school name can open doors for you too.

Fat-free cookies, right?

Wow! I noticed from your signature that you were accepted to great schools (Stanford, Berkeley), but chose UCSD. May I ask why you chose UCSD?

In my opinion - the application process is very fickle and you might not be accepted to either program next year. If you are fine with that possibility, go ahead and reapply. If not, I would stick with Emory. You might be qualified to be accepted to Emory this year, but anything can change that would make you unqualified next year.

Received my Stanford rejection earlier today - I think my decision letter has been available online for a while, but it was easy to miss. I've officially heard back from all my schools - and trying to chose between UCSD and USC. Both have highly ranked engineering schools (USC ranked #11, UCSD tied for #14), both in great locations (I love LA and SD for different reasons). UCSD has more professors available that match my research interests, but USC's alumni network is very attractive (and one of qualities that I felt was lacking when I graduated from UCSD for my BS). Thoughts are welcome. Additionally - does anyone have a link (or a list) of US World News & Rankings for Mat Sci? Their website only shows top 10.

Bump! I've been accepted to UCSD and am heavily considering attending there this fall. UCSD is my alma mater, and the thought of spending a few more years in beautiful San Diego is very exciting. I lived off-campus (close to UTC) for a few years, but for graduate school, I am considering graduate school housing. Obviously everyone wants the Coast apartments, but the wait time is too long(~ 1 year). Does anyone have experience living in the Mesa or Rita apartments? Or does anyone strongly consider living off-campus in non-UCSD housing?

I've never eaten the following items: - Bacon, sausage, pork, ham, salami, lobster, oysters, crab, shrimp, catfish Although I'm cheating a little, cause Jews are forbidden to eat those animals I've also never visited the following popular tourist destinations: - Paris, London, Berlin, Cabo San Lucas, Hawaii, Montreal, New York City, New Orleans, Miami, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, Rome/Venice, Chicago

USC's alumni network far outweighs UCSD's. USC is especially known for having a great alumni network.

Hey all, I have been accepted to two great schools for materials science and engineering (UCSD and USC). It will be a difficult decision between these two schools, but I have started to weigh my priorities, and am interested in hearing your opinion. List of priorities, in order of importance: 1. Research interests 2. Prestige of school 3. Funding 4. Prestige of program 5. Alumni network 6. Location It might seem odd that the prestige of the school is more important than the prestige of the program. I decided on this because a MS is my final degree, I do not intend to pursue a PhD nor an academic career. Most of the job postings I've reviewed ask for a graduate degree in engineering - electrical, mechanical, materials, etc. I only picked materials engineering because it best complemented by undergraduate experience(chemistry). Therefore, I see the name of the school being more important that the program rank. After adding weight to my priorities (research interest score multiplied by 6, prestige of school x 5, etc) and ranking each category out of 10 for USC and UCSD, UCSD earned 155 points while USC earned 96 points. The clear winner is UCSD, but this could change on a number of factors: 1 - I ranked USC very low for research interests because there is only 1 (maybe 2) professor that matches my research/project interests. However, if that professor wants to work with me, USC's score would go up. 2 - USC is expensive, but I applied for a $30K fellowship... if I get the fellowship, it would help with tuition costs AND future employment opportunities (so they said in the fellowship application). Long story short - my priorities are a little different than some graduate applicants, and while UCSD is currently ranked higher, USC might shine through, depending if a professor is available to take students and if USC helps with funding. Even then... I don't know. This is a tough decision. If anyone has insight to offer to consider in my thought process, it would be greatly appreciated. And if you've read to this point - kudos to you!

If you're in for something a little cheesy, watch Psych. I also love Bob's Burgers and South Park.

Many parts of California, yes. Los Angeles, hell no.

Ha. I'm not sure who they'll draft, but I'm happy that Sam Shields is staying. If we lose Quarless, I'll be really bummed. Although Finley is a great player, his neck injury last season makes me suspicious of him playing again. I hear they're talking to Daniel Owens, don't have a strong opinion about that yet. We do need help with tight-ends, I would want to see Packers bolster up defense first. Our defense was sub-par last season, and that's the most polite thing I can say about that... Next Fantasy Football draft, I'm aiming for a Rodgers/Nelson pair. Those two... are incredible.

LA is super-duper health conscious as well, you'll be able to find a work-out buddy in no time! LA is also very gym-centralized, not sure if you enjoy outdoor sports. If you enjoy outdoor exercising, there is beach volleyball (if you live in Culver City, you'll be right near the beach) and hiking (if you decide to live closer to the Santa Monica mountains). Pleasepleaseplease don't bike on city streets. Drivers are absolutely nuts and cyclists get hit a lot.

Ha, UCSD, my alma mater. I was attending UCSD when they sent acceptances to the 28,000 applicants. I remember seeing some - ahem - "not very studious" high school friends getting excited about their acceptance to UCSD, only to be told that it was in error. During this application cycle, MIT's Mat Sci & Eng department accidentally sent acceptances to all of their graduate applicants. I didn't apply, but it was a bizarre time... I guess it's more common than we think... and I have no idea why it happens so often. If hell freezes over and I get accepted to Stanford, I'm definitely waiting 24 hours before telling anyone.

I haven't started yet, - but I fully expect to gain weight. If I'm under some stress, I will increase eating and gain weight. But if I'm really stressed, I will decrease eating and lose weight. I have some pretty healthy eating habits now, I hope to continue them into grad school. Nevermind the 3 Cadbury creme eggs I just ate.

Centre for Sustainable Energy says a slow cooker uses 0.7kWh over eight hours - just slightly more than a traditional lightbulb. Ovens are "more expensive".

Please be more patient. You are asking for information about a specific research interest and it's only a day and a half since you posted. I'm interested in PV as well. I was very sad about my UC Davis rejection this morning, it would have been a great program for PV research. I don't know anything about the other schools you have applied to (except for UCSB and UCSD, but you have been rejected).

Not applying at all.