shinigamiasuka

Just came back to the GradCafe because the feeling has been overwhelming today.

Because less people apply. If the seats are far fewer, then it would be tougher, so it depends. He's either out of town or too busy. Reply him asking when he can. I hardly suppose it's anything to fret over. If he wasn't interested, he wouldn't have responded.

I find taking handwritten notes more convenient than typing them. It's also easier to draw diagrams and write down equations--but of course, this is field-specific. Someone on this forum suggested scanning and running an OCR on the notes.

Any sort of work/research/study you did as an EE graduate (or still undergrad) working in/studying about the petroleum field that made you decide on getting a graduate/professional degree in petroleum engineering, I guess?

Update: Finally settled on this bag for myself.

It really depends. Do hold on and wait for the reply from the department. Chances are they might not consider the grades from the abnormal psych and nursing majors, but they will see them. Explaining your situation on the SOP should help, as should your (stellar!) research experience and (hopefully awesome?) current grades. It doesn't hurt to try. Include a bit more than 3 schools this application season; 5-6 ought to be good. Good luck! Edit: Since this is the SOP forum, I should add that you shouldn't make what didn't work out the focus of your SOP, but rather how it helped build you and your interests right now + how <insert institution/program here> fits into the picture.

Your new scores are awesome. Hopefully you'll do just fine. Also--in case this was the error in your apps the last time--talk more about your research and current research interests on your SOP, and highlight them on your CV/resume. If applicable: Try to weave in how your current work experience will help you as a future researcher on the SOP. Unrelated: You're working as a software engineer? Isn't that more of a CSE work? That's cool though. I have an old friend who's also an EE graduate working as a software engineer for Visa at SF.

Yep, it was on campus. ~$11k a year or something IIRC. That's cool and reasonable for NYC. I know someone who lives at ~$1200 for a studio in Columbia U's housing.

It depends on the kind of software, simulations, and coding you'd need to run. It's better that you take advice from current students and from your advisor. Some universities allow remote access to the PCs on campus, in which case you wouldn't need more than 8GB.

Well I looked up housing when I got accepted to UIC, and it seemed that >=$1k /month is the usual for a studio. Yes, Chicago is pretty expensive too.

Same.

Could be UChicago.

That's amazing! Makes for a great deal of experience for a recent graduate/current undergrad! Best of luck on the applications! Edit: Since you edited the post and talked a bit more: Your SOP is your story. It's always a good idea to visit if you can as I said in another post. If it makes way for better opportunities/chances, then all the merrier.

The following statements are based on this info: If your cGPA is > 3.5, improve other sections of your application e.g. adding more research experience, apart from a stellar SOP. Your GRE scores are already terrific. If your cGPA without withdrawing from the said bad semester is < 3.5, then that makes it a little worrisome.

1. An AWA 4 is sufficient in most cases. Like eyepod said, you're in the safe zone. 2. Achieving an average of 3.8 in the last 2 years proves that you can do well and understand the higher level courses. However, competition is tough--could be a little less for Spring, but still. Make your SOP strong and hope for the best. Random 2: The first PI I mentioned in my previous post was an old friend of my undergrad thesis advisor (I mentioned him in my email). Sometimes connections help. I now wonder if it was because of that that he replied to such an early email of mine. Anyway, it is a very good idea to visit school to get a feel of them before applying; helps in building a better tailored SOP as opposed to a general one. And yes, you'll likely make some connections too which could help later when you're admitted. Random 3: I see a lot of funded UIUC ECE Master's admits in GradCafe's results search. They're all either RAs or TAs.

While no one can possibly say if you will, but you might, given that low GRE scores tend to reduce your chances. Good luck on your retake though! As for TOEFL, it's fine as long as it's above the minimum. A good score could help with your chances in getting a TA, and could help redeem a poor AWA score (from what I know). And since the TOEFL is already easy, it helps to practise the your pacing and note-taking for a good score. Hope that helps.

I tried contacting before and after my applications, and after I got acceptances. Got one reply from a PI after I applied, and he asked me to contact him after I get accepted. Unfortunately, I was rejected from that uni. None of the other professors I contacted before acceptance bothered replying. One PI from the uni I'm going to replied when I contacted him after acceptance, and he said he could consider me, but he'll decide on that after I arrive on campus. None of the other professors here whom I contacted replied when I asked them about possible research opportunities. So yeah, that's how my experience was; yours could be a lot different. In fact, it could be much better. But to answer your question, no, you're not required to contact professors for a Master's degree. You could possibly land yourself an RA if you do, but that's better done after your acceptance (from my experience). I'm not sure about UIUC, but at UM we'll be assigned our "academic advisors" at our department orientation, and the research advisor is to be chosen later (if an RA isn't secured before the start of the program). Your GPA and GRE scores are all excellent. Good luck!

If you're already studying at CSUDH, shouldn't you know better about your own school? That's half of your questions answered.

The beginning

They're all 2-year programs.

Any chance you can get yourself a research assistantship? Have you contacted any professors asking if they're taking any students? A lot of students manage some form of an assistantship after they arrive on campus. Have you considered a PhD?

https://www.khanacademy.org/math/linear-algebra/matrix_transformations/determinant_depth/v/linear-algebra-simpler-4x4-determinant https://www.sophia.org/tutorials/finding-the-determinant-of-a-4x4-matrix--5

I come from a small, international school that's probably almost unknown in the US; that should give you some hope.

UMich has a greater focus on sensing, RF and micro/mm-wave circuits, and RF MEMS than comp. EM as far as I know. However, Professor Leung Tsang, previously in U of Washington--Seattle, has recently joined UMich and his research is primarily in comp. EM. You also might want to look into (or ask him if he takes students or not, since his site doesn't reveal much) Prof. Eric Michielssen. Prof. Mark Kushner is in computational plasma research. That said, I haven't arrived at the university yet. When I do, I could probably give you a better idea. **If you are an international student, here's a note on the universities list that someone else on this forum mentioned: there's a relatively higher probability of getting accepted into private universities compared to public ones, so it's good to have them in the list as well (e.g. Stanford, Caltech, Northwestern, etc.). Good luck with your apps!