paulwece

Thanks for the help everyone. Regarding the petition which is the title of this thread, I finally met the new dean today and the result is better than I thought. He agreed to withdraw that semester as long as I provide documentations from a few professors at the time, which I have no problem getting. However, deadline for UIUC is 9/1 and I'm not sure the changes can be made before than. There is a chance, but the timing is very urgent. So I probably have to submit a transcript without the withdraw and resubmit a revised copy later. This means the admission committee will still get to see the old record. I wonder if the fact that I've provided all the documentations and the dean formally approved my petition would cause the admission committee to disregard that semester as if it was withdrawn and not hold the old grades (that they see) against me?

I will not lie about my intentions. My plan is to get a MS degree and work in the industry. I will also talk about my business background in my essay, which is a huge part of who I am. However, just out of curiosity... is it true that it's generally easier to get in as a masters since there is probably more slots, more turn over, and they don't necessary have to fund you?

The honor is actually pretty significant. Per your advice, I will just list them in my resume, and not upload it as separate documents. FYI, one of the honor I'm talking about is the William Lowell Putnam math competition, and I got 3 problems right on it. This is actually no small feat. I wonder how much it can add to my application. Another achievement is my invention of a simple yet innovative medical device that won honors mention in a invention competition sponsored by the Discovery Channel. Out of over 3000 applications, I made it to top 80. I actually got the interest of a doctor from Washington University specializing in the disease for which the device target, and we were talking about testing it in clinical trials. Due to the lack of funding and the fact the disease is rare and market is not too big, I didn't act on it at the time, for it required me to build a number of prototypes. And of course, I started that company of mine 2 years ago. My goal is to research and design innovative products that can help people. I've already designed a simple yet innovative product and have received some pre-orders so far. But my ultimate goal is to move beyond the "simple" stuff and use my creativity toward something more high tech and cutting edge, and this is why I choose to go to graduate school.

I hope you are right that he meant he is busy. I emailed him back asking about time in the following week or even further down the road. I was respectful, and reiterated my interest in his work. In the meantime, I also found 3 other professors in the department with research areas closely related to what I want to do. I'm thinking about emailing them as well. Of course, I wouldn't send the same email to everyone. Rather, I will do my research on each professor and their work carefully and craft an email for each one individually. Should I do this? I don't want to be seen as "spamming" the department. The professors might appear on the admission committee. At the same time, I want to be in good contact with at least one professor before the end of next week because the application asks me to name a professor I've been in touch with. From what I've read, I feel by leaving this field blank would damage my application significantly or even outright eliminate it from running. So please me if it's appropriate to contact 3 or 4 professors in the same department simultaneously. I feel from a benefit/risk analysis given the situation, I feel I should do that. Thanks

Okay, so yesterday I followed up with the two professors I contacted and stated that I plan on visiting the campus next week and asked if they have some time to chat and that I would like to visit them in their office hours. One professor replied " Paul: Unfortunately, I shall not be able to meeet with you next week. That's all he wrote. I don't know if this means he doesn't want to meet with me ever, or just busy next week. Should I reply and ask him what time would he be available? I can reschedule my visit just for a chance to meet him. Now, if he actually meant he doesn't want to meet with me ever, then of course I wouldn't want to keep on pressing it. Please advise, thanks

You guys are right that spring admission is rare. In fact, out of all the schools that I'm interested, only 2 offers spring application, and aside from UIUC, I'm not really that interested in the other one. In order to take some of the anxiety and pressure off, perhaps I should consider reapplying for fall of next year in case I don't get in for spring. I would have way more options if I apply for fall (more schools, more programs), not to mention a chance to boost my GPA further with my grades next semester. The drawback is that I have to wait for 9 month in between. What are some good ways to not waste this time? I can perhaps get a temporary job?

Thanks for the advice guys. I did make an appointment today for later this week. In the meantime, I have started my online applications and I got a few questions: 1. They ask you if you are applying for masters, or intend to continue to for doctoral degree. Will my answer to this question affect their decision? 2. They ask if you are admitted, do you wish to receive financial aid. Will my answer to this question affect their decision? They have an "upload credentials here" tab where one gets to upload the transcript. But they also have "additional uploads" under each institution. I wonder if I can upload some scanned versions of awards/certificates I got to the "additional uploads." Although I did mention the awards in my resume and essay, I want to show my letters/awards as well. They are very impressive honors. Thanks

shinigamiasuka, why do you think competition can be a little less for Spring? Sure, there will be fewer applicants, but they might have way way less openings. I definitely agree that connections help. I emailed two professors there last week and have gotten no response. I think I will follow up again (and write "follow up" on the title), because I heard professors are more likely to respond if you show sincerity by following up. I will just ask for chance to chat, that's all, for some possible career/academic advices. After all, I am highly interested in their fields but I'm not yet well versed in it. Through a chat, they can give me advice on what I can do in the Fall semester to better prepare myself. I won't even mention anything about RA or TA for now. And if I still don't get a reply? I will drive down there next week (school starts next week) and will try to catch them in their office hours. I figure this will show them that I'm completely serious. What do you think?

At my school, the proper way to meet the Dean is through appointment in the main office. If I make an appointment on Monday, the earliest I can see him is maybe later during the week. However, if I wait in the public wait area, I might be able to catch him going for lunch/drink, etc, and say "hi." This will allow me to talk to him on Monday and touch bases, but I'm afraid this will make me appear stalkerish. What do you think? I don't want to appear pushy, so I'm not sure.

Thanks. I only emailed each dean once so far, so I did not "constantly" email them or come off as "demanding." I agree that it would not be a good idea to bother them too much. You are right that I'm anxious, but that's not all. You see, I'm applying for Spring (start grad school) of next year and the deadline is this coming Sept, literally weeks from now. For one school, the deadline is 9/1 so I got 2 weeks. I asked the registrar and they said they can change the grades right away once the dean agrees, so now it's all up to the dean now. As you can see, I have an urgent case here. I'm thinking about visiting the dean's office in person next week (maybe Tue or Wed). Given my situation, what do you of think?

Well, it doesn't look too well now. On Tuesday I emailed the soon-to-be dean say "hi" and touch base with him on th matter. Did not get a reply. Friday (today) I followed up with the lame duck dean with whom I met on Monday, no reply, and it's been a full day.I understand they might get a lot of emails, and blah blah blah, but would it kill them to just email me back and give me an update? Even if the decision is no, why would they leave me hanging? It's kinda arrogant and rude, in my opinion. I'm anxiously waiting and this is all I get. BTW, I was respectful and professional in my emails.

Thanks for all the help so far

I appreciate the advice. I sort of agree with you. I think I will just go down to UIUC in the coming weeks to speak with a graduate advisor, or whatever "advisor" they have in the department and seek some advice or feedback on my application.

I'm going for a masters. My GRE is quite strong, 170Q/167V, although my writing is only a 4.0.

Okay. Thanks for your help. Obviously, not many of us have experience with this, but any thoughts would be appreciated it. Perhaps I didn't word it well in my original post. The only reason I asked is because I have two fears: 1. The current dean never intended to agree to my request, but is only putting me off because he know he would no longer be the dean. He didn't want to say "no" to my face so he'll just let the new dean do it. Basically lied when he said he'll "do his best" or that he "doesn't object." 2. The current dean wants to help me, but has no more power. The new dean might just say "no" right off the bat. I asked a friend and he said scenario 1 is unlikely. Scenario 2 is also unlikely unless the new dean is a jerk, and most likely would honor the current dean's recommendation. I'm asking here to hear more thoughts on this. Obviously, no one can forecast the future, but some thoughts would still be appreciated. For me, this is like the "waiting game" that many of us dread, which is why I asked in this section. Thanks

My cgpa without withdrawing is 3.4. I also plan to write about it in my SOP, and an advisor who has known me from the start with talk about it in the letter of recommendation. The depression really started in my senior year in high school. I got a 36 on the math portion of the ACT, won first place in an UIUC sponsored physics competition, and got a chance to shake the UIUC dean's hand. I was also one of the top 30 math students from the Chicago area. At the time, UIUC really wanted me, and despite that I did bad in my first semester of senior year, they were willing to wait for my final semester's grade and as long as I showed any improvement, they would take me. The dean had his hand in this, told me "he would take it personally". Unfortunately, my grade only got worse so it was painful that I didn't go to UIUC. And this carried over to my freshman year in college. The first semester I did improve, but still not great. But since then, I did improve dramatically and changed my life around. Can I write this in my SOP? Although it's usually not a good idea to talk about high school achievement, I feel this tells a consistent story, and really tells me who I am and what a comeback I've made. Granted I'm no longer applying as an undergrad, and the dean that knows me is not in charge of graduate admissions, but still... I started a research based company 2 years ago and has a patent. My first product has gotten pre orders and it won honorable mentions in a invention competition. Can that count as research? PS. The school I want to get into (UIUC) has a "limited status admission" option. I asked them and they said this is for people who don't meet certain requirements, like low GPA, but this is for the department to decide. I can't ask for it in my application. I wonder if going down to UIUC and talking with the department head/dean there about my situation might help me in this regard? Thanks

Some insights would be appreciated, thanks

I did bad in a semester when I was a freshman, due to depression. I have done well since then and is close to graduating, and is currently applying to graduate school I asked the associate dean to retroactively withdraw me from that bad semester. He said it'll be easier for him to do it if I can provide a doctor's note. I provided the doctor's note in a sealed envelope and made another appointment with the dean. He did not open the envelope, only put it in my file. He said he's stepping down this Friday and he'll have to talk to the new dean about this, and that he'll "do his best." I asked him why he needs to talk to the new dean, he said he's a lame duck dean and that whatever decision he makes now, he wants to consult with the new dean, because "he'll be responsible for the consequences." But he said he personally wouldn't object to my request. We just agreed to follow up in a few days through email. I feel a little disappointed that he left me sort of hanging. I'm also not happy that I have a new "hurdle" to cross with the new dean. What should I expect? ---------------------- Assuming worst case scenario that the semester was not withdrawn, what can I do to boost my chance at my grad school application? Aside from writing it in my personal statement? The college I'm interested in only requires 3.0 or above for the last 60 hours as minimum requirement, but the department has higher standards and look at all four years. But they do have something called "limited status admission" and that's something I really want to talk to someone down there about. Thanks

Thanks guys, you've been very helpful. I'm new at this so any advice would be highly appreciated it. Some more details about myself: 1. Although I did great on the quantitative and verbal section of the GRE, I just got my analytical writing score today and it's only a 4. This was a shock because I thought I did much better. But I understand the writing section is rather subjective when it comes to grading. Hopefully this won't affect me too much. After all, 4 is still "adequate" according to ETS. 2. Although my GPA for the last two years is good, my cumulative is only around 3.5 because I had a depression in the first two semesters and didn't do too well. I have a doctor's note for this, but the department said they don't require the note, only asking me to write about it in my personal statement. I will write about it for sure, as the theme of my life now is the great comeback I've made since then. A few random questions: 1. Do state schools show preference for in state students? For example, I really want to go to UIUC, and I'm an Illinois resident. Not only will I enjoy lower tuition, will it be easier to get accepted compared to out of state students? I will also be applying to a few other schools in different states as backups, but obviously my preference is UIUC due to multitude of reasons, some are obvious. 2. I think I get the point that it's probably not too helpful to talk to a professor before applying, especially for masters. But I'm relatively close to UIUC and I want to drive there in the coming weeks anyway. Even if I get to talk to an advisor in the department, I think it would still be helpful. Any personal connections you can build at this stage can't hurt right? Or would this be a bad idea? 3. Since the programs I'm applying to are competitive, I'm not counting on any "scholarships." In order to cut down on expense, I want to be a RA or TA. But even if I get accepted, this is not guaranteed right? BTW, is this what people are talking about when they say they "got admitted with funding"? Thanks

Some advice please?

Applying for UIUC, ECE program for masters degree. I'm applying for Spring 2016. Got a 170 quant, 167 verbal on the GRE. GPA for last 2 years is around 3.8. Cumulative GPA is around 3.5. I want to maximize my chance of being admitted. Would it be to my benefit to talk to a few professors that I'm interested in right now? Or is that only necessary if I'm going for PhD? Because I sent two professors emails and did not get a response. I'm thinking about following up later next week. But then again, maybe we are supposed to wait until we are admitted and then an adviser would be assigned to us? In another, what I'm doing now is completely unnecessary... Can you guys give some advice? Thanks BTW, how are my chances?