paulwece

1. I have not thrown a tantrum to her directly. I've been very respectful to her so far. (why is everyone here so biased toward the professors and automatically assume things?) 2. Even though it's only 10 pages, it's highly compressed and is not to be taken lightly. She wants it to have a chance of getting published. Project C is outside my interest area, is something I need to start from scratch, requires carrying out an experiment that's outside my experience, and very likely to not get decent results. There is too much of a risk of all efforts for nothing. I told her that. 3. Yes, there is a failure in communication, due to her not replying my emails. A simple "you can only do C because I won't sign off on A or B" would suffice and make my decision making easier, and bring closure. I understand professors have the right to determine what they want you to work on. 4. I cannot hurt her tenure. Only the department can. If only students have that kind of power... The fact that I brought it up here to get some other opinions means that I don't want to take that route. But I do feel mistreated and I need to vent.

First, of all, it's a Masters thesis, not a Phd thesis. Most Masters thesis in our department are around 10 pages, much like a paper. We did agree on a topic early in the spring (Project A..), and I took her class. She mentioned I can work on that project for the class and then my thesis would be half finished. Problem is, she teamed me up with a group and one group member wanted to work on a different project (Project B..) She told me I can do Project B also, and shouldn't feel obligated that I have to do project A. At the end of the semester, before she left, we had a meeting. I mentioned the possibility of doing project A or B as my thesis, she did not object. She also mentioned another project (C). Later I sent a proposal on A, she said no. She said C is better. I have no interest in C. I asked why A isn't okay anymore, got no reply. I then proposed B, still no reply. Asked for a short meeting when she's back (this week), still no reply. Look, at this point I don't care if I end up not writing a thesis, and just get the course only degree. My only issue is her not replying. That's completely rude. She could tell me something like "hey, I don't feel we are a right fit" or "I can't agree to anything unless...blah blah blah" or whatever and I'd still appreciate that. But for me to propose all those and ask her questions and not get a response is rude beyond belief. It's basically saying "5 minutes of my time is more important than your summer." That's what I want to file a complaint for, not whether she changed her mind on the thesis or whatever. Even on Slack, she never responds to me. The fact that I had to have one of her Phd student send her a message basically tells me she can't communicate and is completely poor in character. I understand Phd students get higher priority but seriously? How about some basic human decency? At this point, even if she agrees to my original topic, I don't think I want to work with her anymore. I've talked to my grad adviser and I already registered for couple of courses next semester. I'm outta here this year no matter what. But her not replying brings no closure to this. It's like breaking up with someone by just ignoring them and hoping they get the hint. I feel the department should know that because that's bad for future students. I have not done anything except sending proposals, asking questions, trying to set up a phone call/meeting, all weeks apart, and got nada. That's what pisses me off.

I got a professor who agreed to be my MS. thesis adviser (no funding). We agreed on a thesis topic. This summer, she left for abroad and before leaving we discussed thesis topic again, and I mentioned 3 possibilities. She did not object. Later I sent her a proposal and she rejected it. This is something we've been discussing all along so it's kind of a surprise. She wanted me to work on another project for one of her PhD student. It's not in my interest area, nor expertise. I mentioned this and never got any response from her again, be it email, Slack, whatever. I had to have her PhD student get my words through to her somehow. It's not the end of the world for me. I can always go on a course only option and get my Masters, but that'll take one more semester. I guess I'm just really frustrated at her lack of care, total unprofessional-ism, and lack of communication. She's an assistant professor and is always away on trips, giving talks, etc...At this point I doubt I want to work with her anymore but I'm so angry at the unequal relationship and utter disrespect she's shown by totally ignoring me, even to small requests like setting up a short meeting when she comes back ( for closure, if anything). I want to file a complaint on her. Will this affect her chance of getting tenure?

I applied for a summer internship. I originally planned on taking a 2 week vacation after school is out, and then begin my internship. I planned on just making my "starting date" 2 weeks after school is over. But this offer I got wanted me to start part time in April, which I agreed. They also want me to continue part time thru the fall, which I also agreed. It's a good opportunity and I want to do well. So it's essentially a co-op now.But that would require me to ask for a break if I want a vacation. Should I? I want to go back to my home country and 1 week is not enough. Thanks

I'm in an ECE curriculum and I want to take 3 courses (12 hours) in fall. Problem is, I got a internship for the summer and they want me to continue on a part time basis in fall as well (20 hours/week). The internship would really help my career and the company is located in a research park near campus. The courses are mostly theory (one stat course, one on mathematical optimization in vector space, and another on information theory). I want to get in touch with the professors next week and find out more about the course material and buy the textbooks now so I can self study. By fall, I would've familiarized with most of the course materials (hopefully) which should save me some time during the semester. Is this a good strategy? Aren't you supposed to do most of the study yourself anyway in grad school (or even college)? From my experience, the brain learns new materials the slowest the first time around. The 2nd time becomes easier and your mastery of the material goes up each subsequent time you review the material. The way I look at it, this is like decreasing the difficulty level of the courses which should save time. Thanks

I decided to stick with the stat class. It's very useful and I need to be confident in my abilities. The class also doesn't seem as hard as I thought. On the other hand, I really want to impress the professor in that 500 level of mine. What's the best way of doing that? (aside from doing well in the class obviously).

I'm Masters student at UIUC and this is my first semester. In addition to a 500 level course in my field, I'm also taking a 400 level statistics course as elective. I'm told that "B" is a poor grade in grad school because most people get As and Bs in grad classes. Well, this stat course is NOT graded that way, it is graded like a conventional college/high school class where the average grade is a C, and to get an A requires a 90% or above, B (80% to 90%), etc... The professor told us on the first day that there will be no curve and everyone is graded on the scale (so this means everyone can get As). I'm a smart guy and I'm going to work hard, but there is always a risk of a screw up/brain freeze during exams that might get me a B. And I would hate to get anything less than a 4.0 in my first semester. Should I drop that class and take another one? Should I talk to my professor about my concern? Most ppl in that class are undergrad. Do you think the prof will grade graduate student differently since anything lower than 3.0 means probation in grad college? thanks

Thanks, but keep in mind that I have already submitted my application on 9/1. All my LORs were in by 9/29, which is the day I visited the school and met with POI. I don't want to be seen as trying to "gain advantage" in the admission process by contacting POI at this time. Perhaps this is why some ppl on Gradcafe discourage it. I guess I can wait until the end of the month/ early Nov as that's when all will be notified. But the earlier I find out, the better it is for me, as I have some backup plans as well. I just want to be really sure before I go ahead with this. I don't want to sabotage my application, but I also don't want to miss out on something in case a follow up from me can help. I also read a lot of people had "bad luck" when they ask the admissions office of their application status, although in my case, I'm not planning to contact admissions, but my POI.

Thanks, It's been 2 weeks since I visited (and since my LORs were all in), still haven't heard anything. Should I follow up with my POI and ask about the status? Or is this too soon/inappropriate? From reading Gradcafe, it seems one is discouraged from contacting POI in this stage, so I'm not sure I should. But wouldn't it be an indication of interest and shows you care if you followed up? For example, it's typically encouraged to follow up after job interviews...

It lasted about 30 min. I can't remember everything said, but here is the gist... <shake hand> POI: Thanks for coming down here. I really appreciate it. Me: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. POI: Where else are you applying to? Me: I'm only applying to <this school> not only because it has a top program, but also because I'd like to stay in state. I also like the Spring admission, which very few schools offer. POI: <smiles> I see in your email that you are interested in innovation, I want you to know that most of what I do is theoretical. I want to make sure our research interests are aligned. Me: When I speak of "innovation," I don't mean just product innovation, but new ways of doing things from a theoretical perspective, and I believe most of the innovations in this field will be in software/new methods. I was especially impressed with <this article> of yours that <did this and that> and I feel my <whatever background> would do well in this field. <I also mentioned something specific to his lab, such as an one of a kind device his lab has> POI:That's good. I really appreciate you reading the article of mine. Are you going to go for a PhD after you get your masters? Because I'm more interested in PhD candidates. However, you can join my group and just write a MS thesis and take 2 courses of mine, but you have to get admitted first. Me: DGS told me that admission is not by a committee, but by faculty. Currently, I'm applying for MS, but I wouldn't rule out a Phd. POI: I see, how are your grades? Me: TBH, I feel my GPA are the weakest part of my application, due to <briefly explains my setback> and mentions how great I'm doing now. I also have a very strong background in mathematics and problem solving in general, which I believe which be of benefit in this field. POI: It's okay, I'm more interested in the courses you've taken than grades. It's good that you are gifted in math. A lot of our members are good at math. (something like that). Now, do you think you'll get a PhD later (2nd time he asks me this)? Me: While I can say for certain I will get a Phd later, I am very passionate about research. This is why I applied for MS (with thesis) as opposed to the M.Eng program the department is starting. POI: Oh yeah, the M.Eng is not for you ... can't remember anything else, I also asked what I can do in the mean time to better prepare myself (like skills to pick up etc...) but it ended with him saying he'll look over my file and if he likes what he sees then he'll recommend me for admission. How did I do overall? At least I told him the strength/weakness of my application so he won't be surprised when he see it. Sorry, had to post this and ask. This is what happens when you are in the dreadful waiting period, just want to hear different opinions. It's interesting he brought up the PhD thing twice. But I think I might've shot myself in the foot by saying no to the question "will you continue on to a Phd after getting MS" in my application. Ouch. I thought admission standard would be more strict if I included PhD, and also I wasn't sure at the time. However, my SOP is very research oriented and I did not rule out PhD in my SOP, only saying "upon the completion of the graduate program...blah blah blah..." I'm also surprised the DGS told me there is no admissions committee.

Many top programs have an automatic cutoff at 90 percentile for GRE quant, which means 165. I know for sure this is how UIUC ECE do it, and I imagine that's the case for many others. Some of the programs you listed might not be too competitive, but I would take the GRE again if you want to get into Ann Arbor or Madison. Competition for international students are higher than domestic.

From what I've gathered, it's best to apply to private schools if you are international . At some public schools, admit rates for domestic students can be 3 or 4 times higher than international, and many public schools have a budget crunch now.

I guess I should refine my question a bit more. Basically, I'm planning to meet this professor in a week. I'm trying to read a few of his articles to better understand his research. I plan to really understand 2 articles. Problem is, it's not easy and I'm not sure I will be able to completely understand every technical detail in the articles. Is that necessary to understand it perfectly before meeting? Thanks

I've submitted all parts of my application. But before the wait game starts, there is one more thing to do: visit professors that I made contacts with in August. How can I (or should I even) tell them that I want to work under them for my MS? "I hope I can work in your group." or "I hope you can be my thesis adviser?" My ultimate goal is to impress them so that they'll bat for me in the 2nd stage of the admission process. I will read a few of their articles beforehand, but if you have any other advice, it'll be highly appreciated. Thank

I emailed another person at the department and she told me I'm alright. She also told me the real deadline is 10/1 and she can see my profs are already working on it, and another has just submitted. Thanks