Huntsman

After working internships my final 3 summers of college, and another one this spring. I decided to take the summer off, and bought a ticket to Europe and am just gonna see what happens. I'll be there about 7 weeks, and I cannot wait to go! With grad school starting next fall this might be my last good chance to just up and go somewhere for a really extended vacation, which is something I have always wanted to do. We are only young once, and there is more to life then just work and school. I hope everyone takes some time to take advatage of the awesome freedom that we have as students before "real life" begins!

I got my official notice of rejection just a minute ago. Now I just need to hear from three last schools so that I can likely make my decision on Duke or UT. I feel like these decisions are all very late in coming. Duke and Texas were my top two choices and I am pretty sure I will attend one of them, but I still need to have heard back from all applications so I know that I am making a fully informed decision. Good luck to those who still haven't heard! I hope it turns out better for you guys!

I also think it is likely rejection at this point, but there is still a chance! I have been accepted at, and will likely attend, Duke for an MS in Bioengineering, and UT-Austin for an MS in EE with a biomedical focus. I have always imagined myself getting an MS rather than a M.Eng, the fact that this program was at Berkeley was the only reason I even considered the M.Eng option. I am still hopeful for an admit, but I have to say it would have to be a pretty sweet offer at this point for me to say no to Duke or Texas...

Still no change - application status stuck at "submitted."

I plan on going into industry for a few years, and then going back and getting my PhD to either work in academia or a research institution. However, my undergrad was not in BioE, so I am pretty new to the field, so if I find an area of research I really enjoy I could see myself going straight through to the PhD.

Does the fact that my dream school will probably involve almost 6 figures of debt change your opinion? Also, the other program is widely regarded as a top 10 program...so it isn't like there is a huge drop off there. Ahhh the dreamer side of me completely agrees with you, but my practical side is having a hard time justifying that much debt especially when option B isn't really that much of an option B. I do agree that I will probably never have an opportunity like this again, I am pretty sure it took the fact that my undergrad advisor was a former air force colleague of their graduate program coordinator to even get me in the door. But it is just sooooo expensive...

I think that this is a good to go about it, I just really want to avoid the "what could have been" thoughts. But, I think that it really is up to us to make the best out of whatever choice we end up making. I definitely think the living situation should play a factor, but I am trying hard to not have that be a major influence and let the decision be based more upon the schools (hard as that may be sometimes). I agree that it helps to get voice your thoughts to someone so they aren't all just jumbled up inside your head! It's strange how just by voicing our thoughts our intentions can be so clear to someone on the outside looking in where as they seemed so muddled to ourself.

I don't know about everyone else but I feel like the stress of this whole process is beginning to take years off of my life. Even now that I have a couple admits, the problems have gone from waiting to get in and constantly checking emails, to trying to decide what school to go too and what offer is the best. I am freaked out about accepting an offer based mostly off of monetary considerations and then regretting not going to my dream school for the rest of my life...even if my dream school may require taking out a loan. Then again, does the school name on the degree really matter all that much, or is it all about the person? Now don't get me wrong, I am extremely grateful to have been accepted and to have options, I know there are much worse problems that I could have. But, at the same time I find myself stressing out even more over making the decision than I did when I was waiting to get in. I am thinking that flipping a coin and letting the universe decide sounds like a pretty good choice at this point. I really just want it to be over. Anyone else feel the same way?

@ symptl : Oh my gosh this whole process is stressing me out I just want to know already! But that is good news that we may still have some hope. I interviewed with Hayley Lam, she is a lecturer in the BioE department. I am not sure about her specific concentration, it doesn't say anything on her faculty page.

Does an updated status show up on your application on the website? I still haven't heard anything, but I have no computer access to personal email while at work, and my phone service is sketchy here on the best of days. Although I am all but certain it is rejection at this point I would still like to know for sure...

I wish I had the opportunity to do that! But, I am currently working an internship in the Bay Area so getting there before the April 15th deadline isn't going to be possible. Hopefully if I can get into contact with a potential PI and maybe I can talk with some of his/her current students about what life is like there, both the city, and working in the department.

Thanks for the reply, it definitely helps. You kind of hit the root of my problem in that I am not fully commited to whether I want to pursue a PhD or go into industry after my Master's. As of now, I am leaning towards stopping at a Masters degree, but I am still new to the BME field and haven't had a chance to conduct any of my own research, so it is possible that if I find a niche I like then I will want to continue on with my education. I will definitely look more into the job placements af graduates of the programs, as well as the specific courses, PI's and research going on at each institution. I was hesitant to get into contact with any potential PI's before being accepted into a program, but now that I am in is it ok to email certain professors and ask about their research and potential opportunities there might be if I choose to attend there?

I think that you definitely should. They are obviously considering you and want you to attend. So if you can find a program that works for you, and that they think is a better fit, then it sounds like a win-win. I'm not sure if this is what you meant by "admission representative" but I would make sure to talk to the admissions representative in the program that did not accept you, as they would have the best idea of where you are likely to find a good fit and get accepted.

I have been accepted into both schools Master's programs in Biomedical Engineering (at Texas it is ECE w/ a focus of BME) but haven't been offered funding for either. I don't expect that I will be as I am only a Master's candidate, and my background is not in BME. I am leaning towards attending Texas just from a financial standpoint, but I am really struggling with saying no to a program like Duke. I will probably never have a chance to attend as prestigious of a program again, but I can't seem to justify its cost compared to UT when both programs are very well regarded. Is there anyone out there famialiar with either program and can give me some advice? Is Duke really worth the money? What is a reasonable amount of debt to incur to get a Master's from one of these two institutions? Congrats to everone reading in this forum! We got in!!!

symptl: Still nothing, I hate to say it but I think TianJ may be right. I thought when I had my interview they said decisions would be out by the 15th. I assumed that meant we would be notified either way but I guess that could have only been for acceptances. Honesly, I didn't think my interview went all that well so I would be surprised if I heard anything other than rejection at this point. That being said, I haven't seen or heard of anything regarding the bioengineering concentration, so I wouldn't completely rule it out yet. Have you thought of emailing the department to check your status?