Othello

Prof. C will basically be able to say I was able to outperform all the other grad students in an advanced course and that I can write well. This course was actually very related to my research interest and is cross-listed in both chemistry and materials science. Just to clarify, metallurgical & materials engineering (my major) is offered to undergraduates. However, at the graduate level at my school, met. & mat. eng. AND materials science are offered. Materials science is very interdisciplinary, with courses and professors coming from physics, chemE, and chemistry. Though the Prof. C is in the chemistry department, he is active in the materials science program, if this makes a difference. I would be fairly surprised if he did not recognize me... Stanford - nice. I'll likely be applying to four schools in CA (two of which are my top three choices); I've had my fill of crappy weather.

I'm thinking it's not expected of you to contact a potential advisor. I actually did e-mail a professor at Stanford who I was interested in a few weeks ago. I basically told him I was interested in his research and asked if he was taking new grad students next fall. So...he never responded, but you can't expect a reply. Some professors may be open to speaking with potential students while others may not. I guess it's worth a shot as long as you're polite and respectful. Professors are very busy people and don't need to spend their time chatting with strangers, so be very grateful if they respond.

Thanks, Peiann. I agree with asking Prof. R. He actually came up to me in the hall once and asked me about my grad school plans. He then said I'm more than welcome to come and discuss it with him later (which I did). It was during that subsequent visit that he told me I seemed like the PhD type, and he recommended that I apply to all the top schools. I was pretty flattered. He also was in charge of this big exam given to all the seniors in my department which covered topics from all our classes. I'm not sure exactly what rank I got, but I got one of the top scores (and I got a $20 gift certificate, hooray!). So yeah...I'll definitely ask Prof. R. What is wrong with Prof. C being in a different department? Chemistry is very related to materials engineering. He also can speak of my ability to perform in graduate level courses. The two recommenders I have lined up for sure will speak of my research abilities/potential. I'm not saying he's my first choice, but just testing your reasons. I think it's too late too impress any more professors. I plan on sending out all my applications in November, and the fellowship applications will need to be turned in before that even. Assuming I give a professor a month to write a letter, there really isn't much time to wow a professor in the classroom. So I guess Prof. B is out of the running. Where did you end up going to grad school?

So I need three recommendations (four if I apply to the Hertz fellowship) for all my grad schoool (PhD in materials science) and fellowship applications. Two recommenders are already known, and one or two more must be sought out. I'll give a list of potential people, and you tell me who you'd pick for the two recommenders. Here we go... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prof. L: I took one of the two most difficult classes in my major with him. I made a good first impression when I rocked the 1st exam getting the only A in the class (out of 50 students, a number of them grad students. His exams are notoriously brutal). Went on to do well on everything else. Never talked during his class. I've come in to his office a few times to discuss life and ask for professional advice. Graduate of Stanford (my top choice). Prof. M: I took the other most difficult class in my major with him. I completely dominated his course, easily having the highest grade by far. He speaks/writes very eloquently. Never talked much outside of class, but he seems curious about my plans, asking me sometimes when we pass by. Prof. C: I took a graduate course with him last semester as a junior. I was the only undergrad in the class. I got the highest grade on each assignment (a midterm and a paper). He gave me a perfect score on my paper, called it "outstanding" when I went to retrieve it from him, and will be using it as an example or something for all future classes. Only talked to him a bit outside of class, but nothing much. He's in a different department (chemistry) and went to a no-name school. Prof. B: Head of my department. He was my advisor for my senior project (took it as a junior). Didn't see him much, unfortunately, during this whole project, so he doesn't know me well. I will be taking a graduate course with him in the fall. Very busy guy, but similar research interests. Prof. R: I only took a summer class with him (mandatory for people going into my major). I stood out to him because I was the only rising junior in the group of 60 who had already taken (and gotten straight A's) in all the junior level major classes. I also received the highest grade on every test/exam he gave us. We've spoken a couple times, and he seems to take an interest in me. Back when I was unsure of what to do with my future, he said I "seem like the PhD type". Graduate of Cornell, Berkeley, and UCSB. Prof. T: He is my advisor, but I almost never speak to him. I took a class with him and made a top grade. I also did some work with him as a sophomore, but nothing substantial. He wrote me a recommendation for an REU my summer going into junior year. He seems to think highly of me, but I haven't updated him on my life in about a year. He has all his degrees from my school, so I don't feel he has the experience to give me sound advice regarding grad school and whatnot. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My fate is in your hands. Which two professors should I approach for a letter of recommendation?

Well I don't currently have a Google account, but I'll register to try out the calendar. Looks like that might be helpful.

This is my current ranking for schools I plan on applying to. I know I don't have any "safeties" in there, but they're really the only places I could see myself attending. The first three are far, far above the rest, however. I'll be very bummed if I don't get into one of those three, but it's not like I could go wrong with any of these institutions. I can't wait to see what happens. 1) Stanford 2) MIT 3) Caltech 4) UC-Berkeley 5) Harvard 6) Princeton 7) Northwestern 8)Columbia 9) Penn 10) Washington University in St. Louis 11) UC-Santa Barbara 12) UIUC What kind of research experience do you have, tvn? How's the major GPA? What kind of school do you go to?

Yeah, it's us lonesome three. Let's hope this place picks up significantly in the fall... I'll be sure to keep you all updated; I'm a nerd and get way excited about this stuff.

Hi, tvn. Nice to finally see some fresh replies here. Care to post some stats? Where do you plan on applying? Which fellowships are you most interested in? What are your research interests?

I sure hope another NSF fellowship thread is created this coming application/decision season that can match the hilarity, suspense and hysteria of this one. This is definitely the most entertaining thread to read through.

Hey, agm, I didn't notice you posted here. I'll post my stats as well to give you some comparison. Materials Engineering BS GPA 3.83, 4.0 major GRE 780/630/4.5 Research: Done some stuff for professors at home school; two good REU programs; hoping for a publication as a result of my work this summer... Relevant Activtity: Tutored students at my school for a while, also privately tutored some Korean children in English Interests: Thin film materials, bulk metallic glasses, mechanical properties It's hard to determine how strong of an applicant I am, but professors at my school have recommended top programs to me. Sure, I'll apply to all of the elite programs with matching interests, but I'll definitely go with my own advice and apply to a wide range of schools. I can't wait to see what kind of results I get in the spring, though applying to all these fellowships and grad schools will make for a rather hectic fall semester...

I too will be applying to MSE grad programs this coming fall. I don't have any great answers for you, but I will say that you should not be disadvantaged in the least being a physics major. Having basically completed my materials engineering major, I actually wish I had a stronger physics background. It's necessary to have a strong grasp of physics to study current hot fields such as magnetic, electronic, and nano materials. If what you say about your stats is true, you have no reason to avoid high end programs. Keep me posted on future developments.

So what have you been doing these past two years? Did you not reapply last year? Are you applying for MA or PhD? I can't imagine not being nervous when applying to grad school. It's been said over and over again here that grad school admissions are a crapshoot. Safety schools do not exist. Applying to a good number of schools, as you are doing, is a wise idea.

Hello everyone. I've been reading this forum for a while and thought I'd finally register and participate. It's sad to see this place so dead over the summer, so I thought I'd do my part to reenergize the discussions. I'm very curious to learn about other people preparing to apply for graduate school and fellowships this coming fall. Real quick self-introduction... I'm a rising senior at a respectable state school studying materials engineering. I'll be applying for a PhD in Mat. Sci. & Eng. this fall, as well as some fellowships. My top choice schools are Stanford, MIT, and Caltech (though the particular order changes every few days...), and I plan on applying for the NSF, NDSEG, and maybe the Hertz fellowship. I'd love to hear the plans and stats of all those applying this fall.