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Golgotha

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Posts posted by Golgotha

  1. To be honest I don't have the slightest idea what happens over at admissions. When applying for my Master's I was wait-listed even though I had been offered a position in a lab already. So it's really a mysterious process. But I have heard that MIT has a bias against admitting it's own undergrads into their graduate program..."inbreeding" they call it. Not sure if this is true but my MIT history could very well have worked against me.

  2. Stanford Master's student here. It depends on your end-game. If you want to contribute meaningful research to a field that you're passionate about, and you're excited about devoting the next 4+ years to research, go for a Ph.D. If you just want two more years of coursework and a degree with Stanford's name on it, go to Stanford. In my experience, at Stanford it's notoriously difficult for matriculating Master's students to obtain any significant research position unless they have their own funding. In the end, a Ph.D is a Ph.D, it doesn't really matter where you get it.

  3. Congrats! Although it is quite obvious you will be admitted to all of them.

    So which one will you choose? Caltech, MIT or Harvard?

    Thanks! Sheesh, that's a good question. I've established a foothold in socal so CalTech would probably win out in the event I get accepted into all three (I wish I were as optimistic as you; got rejected from CalTech and waitlisted at MIT when I applied for my Master's). Plus it's sort of a personal dream of mine to work at JPL someday. However I really have no contacts at CalTech, whereas with MIT and Harvard I've had a pretty constant dialogue with professors who have expressed interest in me so it's a tough choice.

  4. Undergrad Institution: MIT

    Major(s): Mechanical Engineering

    Minor(s):

    GPA in Major: 4.7/5.0

    Overall GPA: 4.6/5.0

    Length of Degree: 4

    Position in Class: Unsure

    Type of Student: Domestic, male

    Grad Institution: Stanford

    Major(s): Mechanical Engineering, Design

    Minor(s):

    GPA in Major: 3.7/4.0

    Overall GPA: 3.7/4.0

    Length of Degree: 2

    Position in Class: Unsure

    GRE Scores (revised/old version):

    Q: 800 (94%)

    V: 610 (87%)

    W: 4.5 (76%)

    Research Experience:

    0.5 years: non-cleanroom nanopositioner fabrication (thesis, led to 2 pubs)

    1 year: impact attenuation for re-entering spacecraft

    Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Academic all-conference soccer team, 2 years

    Pertinent Activities or Jobs: spent half a year interning at various aerospace companies

    Applying to Where:

    Caltech

    MIT

    Harvard - ACCEPTED

    UCLA - ACCEPTED

    USC

  5. Thanks for your reply. Yea in the e-mail I sent to him, I told him that I wasn't sure if the e-mail was appropriate and that I wouldn't be offended at all if he declined, so I'm hoping he understands that I'm not trying to put him in an awkward position or anything. I guess we'll see what his response is!

  6. Hey guys.

    So I was internally wait-listed at my top institution, which happens to be my undergrad institution as well. My POI is also my undergraduate thesis adviser, LOR writer, and I've done a lot of coursework under him so he knows me really well and has been impressed with my current/past work. Well, he basically told me that if I got accepted into the grad program, he has an opening in his lab that he'd like to offer me.

    Now, is it a good idea to ask this professor to speak with those in admissions and try to sway the odds in my favor? Or is this in bad taste? Hell, is it even possible to influence their decisions at this point in the game?

    *It should be noted that I've already sent him an e-mail out of pure haste and desperation, and in retrospection I realize it might have been a really bad idea, but I honestly have no clue.

    Feedback is appreciated.

  7. nope...I tried emailing them two weeks back..but I didnt get any reply. I have almost given up hope...because most admits from MIT come in bunches and come before the beginning of March. Since there are already so many ME admits in the results section and very few people actually refuse an MIT admit...I doubt I have any chance.

    Actually, the only admissions thus far for MIT MechE have been Master's candidates. AdComm is behind and Ph.D decisions are supposed to come out in early March (maybe this week?)

    Fret not, you still have a chance!

  8. You can e-mail the grad ME department directly and ask about your status. Unless they're in the process of reviewing applications they may be able to help you out. But if you got the e-mail saying your application is complete, then you should be good to go.

  9. I applied to Purdue's ME program as well. ApplyYourself still says I'm missing my transcript, but I've gotten e-mails confirming that my application is complete. They probably just don't update the website after the application has been received. I wouldn't worry about it.

  10. Undergrad Institution: Top engineering school in the US

    Major(s): Mechanical Engineering

    GPA in Major: 4.6/5.0

    Overall GPA: 4.6/5.0

    Length of Degree: 4 years

    Position in Class: Top 30% at least

    Type of Student: White male

    GRE Scores:

    Q: 800

    V: 610

    W: 4.5

    Research Experience: Currently doing Bachelor's thesis on microfab in the Precision Compliant Systems lab, working on NASA-funded airbag attenuation concept, designed and manufactured prototypical 360-degree optical tomography platform.

    Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Candidate for Pi Tau Sigma honor society (top 35% of class), NEWMAC Academic All-Conference soccer team

    Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Several summer internships in the past.

    Applying for PhD at:

    MIT - pending

    Stanford - pending

    Berkeley - pending

    Purdue - pending

    Texas A&M - accepted

  11. Undergrad Institution: MIT

    undergrad G.P.A: 3.6

    Major: Mech. E

    GRE: 1410 (800-Q + 610-V), 4.5 AW

    Experience: 2 summer internships as mechanical engineering intern, NASA-funded research position

    Publications: 1 journal article in progress

    Awards: NEWMAC Academic All-Conference soccer team, Pi-Tau-Sigma mechanical engineering honor society nominee (top 35%)

    Recommendations: Professor with reputable background in MEMS, Instructor for one of my courses, Supervisor at my last summer internship

    Applied to:

    MIT - pending

    Stanford - pending

    UC Berkeley - pending

    Purdue - pending

    Texas A&M - accepted

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