RAW1nn3r

GPA: 3.04/4 Undergrad Institution: University of Pittsburgh (BS Chemical Engineering) GRE: Q: 159 V: 156 A: 5.0/6 Experience: Undergraduate Research - RO/Nanofiltration Treatment of Drilling Waste Water (Spring 2016) Research Assistant - Worked with hydraulic fracturing professor with various rock mechanic applications (Summer 2016) Research - Working on delayed breakdown analysis of granite beams using Acoustic Emission data to characterize rate of breakdown (Current) Research Interest: Hydraulic Stimulation (fluids, rock mechanics, etc) Schools Applied: Colorado School of Mines Penn State Texas A&M Texas Tech University of Houston University of Louisiana at Lafayette University of Tulsa Admitted: University of Louisiana at Lafayette Rejected: University of Tulsa In the acceptance letter for UL Lafayette, they encouraged me to get in contact with the department head. I would like to establish contact without committing, so what should I include in my first email to the department head, without it being offensive that they're not my #1 pick? Also, decision deadlines were not included for UL and I know some of the schools don't send decision letters for spring admission until later in the fall so I would like to get a step ahead in contact. Despite my lower GPA/average GRE scores, I am still holding out hope for other schools because I have worked at gaining more research based experience to improve from my fall applications. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!!