zirtico

Thanks for the response! Coming from McGill, I'm really very disillusioned as to what grad schools find "acceptable". It is good to know that work experience is important. I'll focus on getting really good LoRs then, to make sure that that part of my application is as solid as can be. What did the MTEC students have to say about the programme from personal experience (if you happen to know)?

Anyone know anything about the admission statistics for this program? I read somewhere that it's between 25-30% but I'm not sure. I finished a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from McGill University and I'm looking to apply to ETH Zurich for an MSc in MTEC. I got a 165Q, 161V and 4 AW on my GRE. My GPA wasn't great; 3.1 which still puts me above average at my school, but McGill isn't known for having high grades within engineering departments. I have worked for over a year at a green engineering firm in California and I'm ready to take this next step. If anyone has any information about what it takes to get admission to this program and whether I stand a chance, please speak up here :-)

To clarify: My grades were not poor, however, they were not excellent either. I believe what I learnt is far from accurately represented by my grades. And I did not go to UBC. When a professor of mine couldn't find a mistake in a midterm I wrote, he said he had no choice but to take off ~25% to help keep the class average at a certain level. He took off marks for stuff like writing 4/10 instead of 2/5, which in my eyes, is not justified especially in an exam where time is a factor. I have also been told to "come back with a lawyer" if I want to discuss my test further. I understand this may seem shocking, but in all honesty, I need to move on and figure out the next steps rather than dwelling on the past. The latter never helps. Also, I am not the only one in my class who was subject to this. I will try and see if there is any I can do to convince OSU to at least give me a tuition remission, but I can't say I feel too optimistic at this stage...

First off, excuse me for the long post! I got my engineering undergrad from a very reputable university in Canada, where I really struggled to get through, not because of the material, but because of the academic misconduct. Professors asked students for money to award them the grade they deserved. I graduated with a lot of debt and a GPA that did not reflect my knowledge in the least. After spending about 10 months applying to literally hundreds of jobs, I remained unemployed and decided I had to go back to grad school as a last resort. FYI, many of my fellow graduates with similar GPAs are still unemployed while those who underperformed academically, attained very well-paying jobs. I took my GREs, scored in the 90th percentiles, got 3 good letters of recommendation and applied for an MS. Realistically, I expected to get into Oregon State U., which I did, and obtain funding, which I did not at least not in the first round. I have had no income and cannot afford to go deeper into debt, therefore if I am to attend grad school, I will need to secure an assistantship, or get a tuition remission and get a part-time job. What do you suggest that I do? I figured my chances were better to get into a state school in the US than another university in Canada, where I would most likely have to pay full fees. Is there anything I can do to attend grad school?

Thanks for your informative reply. I will contact them. I didn't receive a paper acceptance, but an online formal one. I assume the letter has been mailed to me. It did not say anything about funding and apparently funding offers will be issued in "early Spring" according to them. Is that next week? Two, three weeks from now? I'll try contacting the financial aid office and see whats going on. They said they typically give out 8-10 assistantships every year and I don't think they accept more than 12 combined PhD and MS students if my information is correct. In any case, I think the only thing I can do is all the fin. aid office and other than that, just wait it out...

I got admitted to Oregon State U. on Feb. 20th and was issued a formal acceptance last week subject to my Certificate of Finances. I need a GTA/GRA to actually attend grad school so it is utterly crucial that I get this. I called to find out when they would be given out but have been unsuccessful in reaching the department after several attempts. I chose Oregon State mainly as my safety school (WashU was my "reach"). If it has any relevance, I applied for an MS in chemical engineering and I hold a BEng from a worldwide top 20 school. I scored 161V, 163Q and 4.0 AW on my GRE. One of my LORs definitely attested to my ability to teach, as I have several years of tutoring experience. Would you say I stand a chance to get one of the assistantships? Does anyone know when Oregon State actually issues GTAs and GRAs? Thanks!

While I know academic rigour varies largely from school to school, did you find that the time spent strictly on classwork at grad school was more, less, or equal to the time spent on classwork in undergrad? I personally came from a school which KILLS you during your undergrad due to an exceptionally poorly organized degree programme, so I was curious how people found their grad school classes compared to their undergrad classes. Classwork + a TA/RA of around 12-15 hours a week sounds like a very heavy time commitment unless there's less time spent on coursework. Curious to hear what it's like, or supposed to be like.

I am considering MFE at NYU-Poly as well. Are there any significant forms of aid for international students in this major at NYU-Poly? A little reluctance not completely submerging myself in debt is why I haven't already submitted my application.

Being a Vancouverite myself, and having visited Berkeley, I can tell you that Berkeley is simply a superb school and if you get in, it is definitely the place to go. I think you will establish an even more fun social circle there and find the company quite stimulating in general. Besides, weather-wise, it really doesn't get much better than the Bay Area, and is FAR superior to our rain! I would focus on getting your GPA high and good recommendations. Getting in earlier may even be better.

I graduated with a B. Eng. in chemical engineering from McGill University and I've been unemployed for 8 months with a well-above average GPA and fairly decent resume. I am now pursuing grad school and was considering a MFE. What are the job prospects like? Is the money any better than what I can make with an M.S. in chemical eng.? More importantly, I was leaning towards chemical eng strictly because it is a discipline that I can get an assistantship in, as I am deep in debt after my undergrad. On the other hand, an MFE takes half the time that an MS in chem eng does. Would there be any way that I could alternate full-time study and work so that I could pay off my degree as I go without going deeper into debt? Or should I just stick to the MS option? Your opinions are appreciated!

Is McGill your number one choice?

Looks like there's tons of Cornell acceptees on this thread! Congrats! It's my top pick for ChemE. Do you guys know that stats on the grad acceptance rates for Cornell engineering? I'd love to know what the numbers are.

You guys have insanely high GPAs! Anyone here apply to Cornell? I gradded from McGill Univ. in Canada, where a 3.5+ in chem eng. is unheard of. In fact that's probably the weakest part of my application, as academic misconduct is rampant at McGill. With a 3.1 GPA, and excellent recommendations from my former employer and someone whose son I used to tutor and a good one from my professor what chance would you say I have at Cornell and Oregon State U for an MS? My SoP was coherent and focused on the area I want to research and my GRE was a 163Q (much lower than expected), 161V. Roughly would I be ruled out for either school? Do I stand a chance??