Texan_Air

I learned more that these engineering grad school admissions committees are made up of professor's in the department, so some (most in my opinion) will look at where your high grades are in and will want to see a upward trend (more so with Phd applicants than masters). I know this only because the aerospace professors in my school tell me (they are also very picky it seems as well on finding the right fit of a student). I got a full scholarship with a ~3.3 GPA (less rigorous school). If you have 2 years of research then you will be competitive with that GPA. My advice is to try to narrow down to your research interests and find school that do research in what your looking at doing. I think you have to balance the weight of the whole competition of getting funded in an advisor's research group with doing research in something that you would be interested in doing for how many years you would be in grad school.

I learned more that these engineering grad school admissions committees are made up of professor's in the department, so some (most in my opinion) will look at where your high grades are in and will want to see a upward trend (more so with Phd applicants than masters). I know this only because the aerospace professors in my school tell me (they are also very picky it seems as well on finding the right fit of a student). I got a full scholarship with a ~3.3 GPA (less rigorous school). If you have 2 years of research then you will be competitive with that GPA. My advice is to try to narrow down to your research interests and find school that do research in what your looking at doing. I think you have to balance the weight of the whole competition of getting funded in an advisor's research group with doing research in something that you would be interested in doing for how many years you would be in grad school.

Have you looked into going into biomedical engineering (half biology half engineering)? There are good masters programs in mechanical engineering that will accept you right into their program, and others that will accept you on the condition that you take some background courses (maybe 3-7 extra classes in your case). It just depends on the school in my experience from switching undergrad in mechanical to a masters in aerospace engineering. Just keep in mind that you are going to have to work hard to catch up on material in your graduate classes that your peers already know. Not sure what concentration your interested in, but they might require background courses in Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Materials, Heat Transfer, and Dynamic Systems & Controls for example.

My undergrad was diffidently a 3rd teir school. Is 1st tier just top 1-15? Anyways, the answer is yes that you will feel like you have to step it up. I decided to go to graduate school to push myself and to turn me into something I wasn't previous, so I expected Graduate school to kick my butt and break me down. I'm friends with a lot of international students, and some of these students are at a much higher advanced level than me (heck a lot of them already have masters already). Plus my undergrad is in a slightly different major from my masters (Mechanical to Aerospace) and I worked for a few years after undergrad so it seems like a disadvantage at times
Honestly just take your first semester easy...like take 2 course + thesis research credits if you feel like you need some time to adjust. Also in my transition experience, graduate classes aren't graded as harshly because everyone actually tries in graduate school compared to undergrad. So some classes will have high majority of As (70-80%) in their grade distributions. Graduate school isn't about weeding you out, but more like building you up into the great graduate student you didn't think you could be. Hope that helps...

I forgot to mention that when I said your Quant score is average I meant average out of the accepted for engineering graduate school. To me your score is competitive for graduate schools but not these two schools you have your heart set on. Georgia Tech is a top ranked school that is tough for any good applicant to get into and Columbia is still going to be strict since it is a Ivy league school.
 
Columbia mentions average GRE school for graduate school
http://gradengineering.columbia.edu/standardized-test-scores-0
 
And for Georgia Tech the average GRE scores for EE (damn that is high for a average)
http://www.ece.gatech.edu/academics/graduate/apply.html
 
Also here is UT-Austin who breaks down the mean accepted scores nicely by program
http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/prospective/stats/pdf/avg-gpa-gre-2012.pdf
 
Yes, it is easier to get into a non-thesis degree in my opinion. I think this because I applied to 12 schools and my first acceptance (even before the deadline) came from a out of state school that I applied to for a non-thesis. But some university applications don't let you specify a non-thesis degree in the online application so check your schools. Honestly though, you should choose between a thesis and a non-thesis based on what you want in a future career. A thesis degree will not only be better for going for a Phd, but will also be better if you want to pursue a career in a research focused position like at a national laboratory. All my other applications are for thesis options because my professor recommended it to me based on my career dreams in research.
 
Finally, you need to build up your research experience if you want a shot at high ranked schools like Georgia Tech. Shoot for a submission for a publication while your in school. As for industry experience, if your not busy in the summer with research then try for a internship. But applications are only ~$75 each school....so you can always apply and if you don't make it, then you can go into the industry to build up your work experience for your application. Also remember that work experience is going to be needed to land a job after completing your masters as well. But get that GPA up past a 3.0 so you don't run into recruiter GPA cut-offs.
 
Good luck and hope this info helps. I'm a low GPA overall of a 3.26 so I always root for the underdog.

I forgot to mention that when I said your Quant score is average I meant average out of the accepted for engineering graduate school. To me your score is competitive for graduate schools but not these two schools you have your heart set on. Georgia Tech is a top ranked school that is tough for any good applicant to get into and Columbia is still going to be strict since it is a Ivy league school.
 
Columbia mentions average GRE school for graduate school
http://gradengineering.columbia.edu/standardized-test-scores-0
 
And for Georgia Tech the average GRE scores for EE (damn that is high for a average)
http://www.ece.gatech.edu/academics/graduate/apply.html
 
Also here is UT-Austin who breaks down the mean accepted scores nicely by program
http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/prospective/stats/pdf/avg-gpa-gre-2012.pdf
 
Yes, it is easier to get into a non-thesis degree in my opinion. I think this because I applied to 12 schools and my first acceptance (even before the deadline) came from a out of state school that I applied to for a non-thesis. But some university applications don't let you specify a non-thesis degree in the online application so check your schools. Honestly though, you should choose between a thesis and a non-thesis based on what you want in a future career. A thesis degree will not only be better for going for a Phd, but will also be better if you want to pursue a career in a research focused position like at a national laboratory. All my other applications are for thesis options because my professor recommended it to me based on my career dreams in research.
 
Finally, you need to build up your research experience if you want a shot at high ranked schools like Georgia Tech. Shoot for a submission for a publication while your in school. As for industry experience, if your not busy in the summer with research then try for a internship. But applications are only ~$75 each school....so you can always apply and if you don't make it, then you can go into the industry to build up your work experience for your application. Also remember that work experience is going to be needed to land a job after completing your masters as well. But get that GPA up past a 3.0 so you don't run into recruiter GPA cut-offs.
 
Good luck and hope this info helps. I'm a low GPA overall of a 3.26 so I always root for the underdog.

Like you said, that GRE score isn't spectacular and the Quant score is slightly above average (162 in my opinion). So that GRE score isn't going to be a positive but it will get you past the GRE cut offs. I have seen A&M list a combined score of 320 as average and 310 as minimum in my engineering program.
 
With a low GPA you need to make up for it with research experience (publications a plus), engineering industry experience, great letter of recommendations, a great GRE score, and a great statement of purpose. These schools are tough but I don't ever think top 20 is completely out of the picture, especially if you go for a non-thesis masters. But you need above a 3.0 GPA to make sure you'll get the chance of your application actually making it in front of the committee.
 
This ranking shows Georgia Tech as #5 and Columbia as #19 (How do you guys afford these ivy league schools?) for EE graduate programs.
http://www.university-list.net/us/rank/univ-20131047.htm

You can try contacting your POI there to get a better idea on your application's circumstances. Who gave you the explanation on why you were rejected? Just wondering if it came from the dean or a graduate admissions assistant. I would also ask your POI on what would strengthen your application just in case you want to try applying again. It's never wise to burn any bridges with the school as it always has the chance to come back against you.

You can try contacting your POI there to get a better idea on your application's circumstances. Who gave you the explanation on why you were rejected? Just wondering if it came from the dean or a graduate admissions assistant. I would also ask your POI on what would strengthen your application just in case you want to try applying again. It's never wise to burn any bridges with the school as it always has the chance to come back against you.

Well lets see because I looked at my masters programs by always looking at the costs with fit. A Chemical Eng. M.S. with thesis degree has 31 credit hours at GT and looking at the tuition cost (@ $1,139 per credit) and assuming you go the 4 semester route, then that is ~$8,827 per semester + $1,196 student fees= $10,024 per semester for out-of-state tuition alone. First I would classify Georgia Tech as a Top 10 school, but there are other great programs like UT-Austin, University of Minnesota, maybe University of Wisconsin, and maybe University of Delaware at similar high ranks but cheaper tuition costs. Obviously I could be wrong on the ranks and costs but the idea of cheaper schools is out there.
 
Ultimately, if your not carrying any scholarships over to grad school then a major consideration would be going after the best funding offered to you. That possibility alone is worth the application fees and GRE if you don't have any outside funding. You obviously can choose a non-thesis option to cut the overall costs depending on what your career goals are and you can always go into the work force and have a company pay for your masters. Gaining work experience now also will be important consideration factor for when you you want to try and return to the work force after your masters. It all depends on how ready you are to start your masters and how important it is to you in getting it.

Whats your major GPA look like? Your GRE score and publications are going to be strong positives for your application. The only problem I see is that you might run into some schools that list a GPA cut-off of around ~3.2, but some programs state that they use only your last 60 credit hours, so that might help you make the initial cut.
Here is a link that might help you with choosing schools.
http://www.university-list.net/us/rank/univ-20131044.htm
 
My other advice is not shy away from the top 20. I'm applying for a different engineering field with a overall GPA 3.3 but I got an early acceptance this week from a top 15-20 program even before their deadline, so my confidence is gaining (applied to 11 schools). The candidates we mostly see on Gradcafe and College Confidential have high GPAs so it is always intimidating and difficult to judge for the lower GPAs. Some schools will actually post their average acceptance GPAs so you can get more information to judge your chances. But GPA is just one factor of your application, so make to have good recommendations and strong statements of purposes.

You can try contacting your POI there to get a better idea on your application's circumstances. Who gave you the explanation on why you were rejected? Just wondering if it came from the dean or a graduate admissions assistant. I would also ask your POI on what would strengthen your application just in case you want to try applying again. It's never wise to burn any bridges with the school as it always has the chance to come back against you.

Did you research or write a paper with any of the professors you are thinking about asking? I actually asked two of my professors 2.5 years ago if they could write me a recommendation in the future because I knew I was going to work in the industry for 2+ years before applying. When I emailed them a few months ago I attached my project/report and research papers I did with them to the email so they would have something to remember about me. I also typed up a document (with lots of pictures) on what I have been up to since last seeing them. It broke the ice quite well and they both came through for me.

This is coming from a person who hasn't started their engineering masters yet, so take my advice as you wish.
But I am going to be in the same position as you, and I plan to take 4 classes a semester. The ~30 credit hours + any background credit hours I need is going to push me to 3 semesters. I don't want to add extra money on to that with another semester. So your financial budget should be an important factor in your decision. I can't say how difficult your courses are going to be but with no working I think you should give it a shot. It's also a good sign that you are aware that only certain classes are offered in spring or fall. This seems to always get masters students. You need to make sure all your spring offered classes you want will be there for you or otherwise you might have to replace them with something you don't find interesting at all.

I would reduce the first two paragraphs to two sentences. You don't need a big introduction for a 500 word SOP. You would be wasting half of the 500 word length for it when you could focus more on your research background and interests.
It is hard to say what else is important without seeing your SOP, but try to combine sentences and eliminate extra adjectives. Also acronym your University name if you mention it a lot in the end.

I did the same thing in August as well. Glad I did though because I would have never finished these applications early with the demand of my previous job.
Not sure if it is important to mention that you are currently unemployed. I didn't mention it in my SOP as it would it would retract from the positive strength meaning. I wish there was a way to update my application when I start a new job in January though. I'm interviewing currently again.