mattchurgin

Personally, it took me a long time to find programs I liked, so I recommend starting to do research into which schools you want to apply to. Read about professors' research and read some of their papers. This may take a long time if you do it for an hour or two a day. I also e-mailed some professors I was interested in over the summer and tried to strike up a connection. For the most part, it didn't work, but I think it got my name in their heads. Also, there are some great books on applying to grad school: Donald Asher's "Graduate Admission Essays" and Robert L. Peters' "Getting What You Came For" are both very helpful books that I consulted during this process (I applied this Fall 2009). You have to get down to the bottom of why you want to go to graduate school and why you want to go to a specific program. If you can pinpoint those facts and relay them to the admissions committee in your SoP, you will be in very good shape. I worked very hard on my SoP, and I think it paid off. Good luck and don't let the bad days get you down! -Matt

I don't think you should worry about which one people think is more prestigious. Both schools are top 5 in those fields, so it shouldn't matter. I would choose based on the following criteria: -Which one has professors you would like to choose as a thesis advisor? -Which one has research options you like better? -Find out which one has happier grad students (this may be important since both schools are extremely stressful, from what I've heard) -Which one is in an area you like better? Remember, you will be living there for at least 5 years and possibly more. Personally, I hate Baltimore and I LOVE Boston, so the choice would be a no-brainer for me. Hope this helps, Matt

I did! I have never been so excited. So if it isn't obvious, I've decided to go to Penn. Oh and I'm an EE undergrad right now at University of Delaware. Good luck to everyone with decisions pending!

I got 28k. 25-28 seems to be the average, with more money customary in cities. I'm in Philly.

I don't know much about those fellowships, but I prepared extensively for my interviews. I tried to read (or at least skim) a paper from the professors I was meeting and come up with a few questions for each. Admittedly, I was over-prepared. But personally, I'd prefer to be over-prepared than under-prepared. One piece of advice I have is to ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have some questions ready. If you don't, there will be some painful and deadly silences.

I just got into my first choice, and I figure now is as good a time as any to get gifts for the 3 professors who wrote my letters of recommendation. I'll obviously include a short note, but what about the gift? I could go for the generic and banal gift basket. What do you all think? -Matt

Hey I am going to Penn for Bioengineering. Anyone else? Where's a good place to live? Price is a consideration, distance from campus less so. I just want a nice place to settle down for a while.

Penn was pretty amazing, to be honest. Every professor was so nice and I loved all of their research. It's by far the best school and program for me. I hope hope hope I get in.

Hey guys. I'm interviewing at Penn next Friday. It's my first choice! I'm excited, as you can tell by the short sentences. Anyway, does anyone know about how long it takes for an admission decision after an interview?

Thanks for the link. Some good advice in there!

Never mind, got the rejection today.

Hey guys... Has anyone heard from MIT's MEMP program? I know their is an interview weekend for all promising applicants. I haven't received any word from them yet and I'm wondering if all hope is lost. Matt

Undergrad Institution: Big University, no special reputation in engineering Major(s): Electrical Engineering GPA in Major: 3.8 (ballpark) Overall GPA: 3.78 Length of Degree: 4 years Position in Class: Top 5 (I'm guessing) Type of Student: White Male GRE Scores: Q: 760 V: 600 W: 4.0 (proof that this test is meaningless in my opinion) Research Experience: 2 years with same professor, honors senior thesis project Awards/Honors/Recognitions: A few scholarships; nothing big though Pertinent Activities or Jobs: President of Eta Kappa Nu, Vice President of IEEE, Writing Fellow, Course Grader Applying for Biomedical engineering [ PhD ] at: UPenn.... Interviewing in March MIT...... Waiting UMaryland ..... Phone interview last week Drexel ..... Accepted BU...... Waiting UVirginia ...... Waiting

toiletpaper, I got an e-mail a few days after I submitted notifying me that my application was under review.

Applicant profile thread. I'm at the bottom of the 4th page.

Undergrad Institution: Big University, no special reputation in engineering Major(s): Electrical Engineering GPA in Major: 3.8 Overall GPA: 3.78 Length of Degree: 4 years Position in Class: Top 5 (I'm guessing) Type of Student: White Male GRE Scores: Q: 760 V: 600 W: 4.0 Research Experience: 2 years with same professor, honors senior thesis project Awards/Honors/Recognitions: A few scholarships; nothing big though Pertinent Activities or Jobs: President of Eta Kappa Nu, Vice President of IEEE, Writing Fellow Applying for Biomedical engineering [ PhD ] at: UPenn.... Interviewing in March MIT...... Waiting UMaryland ..... Phone interview last week Drexel ..... Accepted BU...... Waiting UVirginia ...... Waiting

I got an e-mail from Drexel last week saying they would be sending a letter in the mail in 7-10 days. I'm guessing that letter has funding info. Did you get a letter in the mail yet?

@hopingandwaiting Penn sent me an e-mail, and it was clearly not a mass e-mail. I applied to a specific program within the Bioengineering group and the interview is specifically for that group. I applied for the HHMI Interfaces Scholarship which is for students interested in medical imaging. Best, Matt

UPDATE: Today, Saturday, I got an invite to interview at Penn's Bioengineering department in the beginning of March. Penn's my first choice, so I'm really happy. I'm also glad I have a lot of time to prepare/bite my nails before the interview. Good luck everyone! Best, Matt

I think you may be placing too much emphasis on the GRE. From what I've heard, the GRE is not the be all and end all of graduate acceptance in engineering. If you have a strong application otherwise, which it sounds like you do, I think you should get into some programs; maybe not MIT, but certainly some decent ones. A 3.6 GPA isn't incredible, but I think it's certainly enough to get accepted somewhere. If you don't get into grad school this year, I think you should either get a job or re-evaluate the schools you applied to and try again next year. It sounds like you have strong credentials, and you should be able to get a job if you put your mind to it. Maybe you can work for a while and then reapply to grad school; I'm sure a few years of work experience could not hurt your resume. I hope everything works out for you. Best, Matt

Hey I visited MIT this winter to get more information about HST's MEMP program ( I applied). I talked to one of the heads of admissions. He gave me this information: -300 Applicants each year (50 of which are totally unqualified and immediately rejected, whatever that means coming from an MIT professor) -50 invited to interview (maybe less, I forget the exact number; maybe he said 30) -about 10 accepted Basically he said the HST program was incredibly selective and that they routinely reject the best applicants that apply and that you shouldn't feel bad about yourself if you don't get in. I got the sense that it was a bit of a crapshoot. When it comes down to 50 stellar applicants, the choices may end up becoming somewhat arbitrary. I don't know how many foreign applicants they accept. Best of luck. Best, Matt

Hey guys, I applied to biomedical engineering Ph.D. programs too. I applied to UPenn (first choice), MIT (MEMP program), U. of Maryland, Drexel, Boston U., and U. of Virginia. I got an e-mail on Monday announcing my acceptance to Drexel (it's my safety so it's a good thing, but I hope to not end up going there). Yesterday I had a phone interview with U. Maryland (it sounds like a great school, but I would like to be in a big city for graduate school; Philadelphia or Boston preferably). I really want to go to UPenn, so I hope I hear something soon. Two questions: Do you guys know if rejection letters come out before acceptance letters? Also, when do most acceptances or interview requests come out? Best, Matt