shur42

I am in the exact same position! I don't think there's a chance that there's a delay on the university's part, since LOR submission is automated. I think I'll just wait until next Monday (some people might still be in the holiday frenzy) and then just email the LOR writer with the usual "can you please check if the request went to the spam folder?". I really can't comprehend why they would submit only one of the two remaining letters :-(

Hey guys, any news? jaylzee, I think UCSB has started looking at the applications, I got a reminder from them to submit one form that I missed.

Yesterday I emailed one of my LOR writers who didn't submit his letter to 2 out of 7 schools. And it's past deadline. I know that at this point it's very unlikely that adcoms will meet until at least Jan 1st, but I really want everything to be in order ASAP. The LOR writer promtly replied with a nice "Merry Christmas" email, AND STILL HASN'T SUBMITTED HIS LETTERS! Why

Hi there! Have you heard back from UCR? Also, there's a topic started by chemistry peeps here: And Materials Science and Engineering one (started by me, not much action so far):

Nice to see another MSE applicant here! Have you heard from any of the schools yet?

Hi there! Is that a Personal History statement? Or Statement of Purpose? I guess it should be fine as a PH, but you shouldn't use this as an SOP, because it draws no connection between you, your academic background, and the grad school of your choice. Either way, I'd suggest you make the sentences a little simpler and check all your commas, since some of them look out of place. Hope this helps!

Here's mine: Undergrad Institution: A big, well-known Russian UniversityMajor(s): Manufacturing EngineeringOverall GPA: 3.2Position in Class: Kinda near the topType of Student: F, InternationalGRE Scores (revised/old version):Q: 162V: 162W: 4.5TOEFL Total: 119Research Experience: 1st author publication in a decent journal, several materials-related research projects at universities and companiesAwards/Honors/Recognitions: Got nominated for the best poster award at a big conferencePertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for two courses, 1 year in the industrySpecial Bonus Points: M.Sc. in MaterialsApplying to Where:A bunch of UCs: UCLA, USC, UCSB, UCSD (Nanoengineering), UCI, UCRCaltech

Hi all! Are there any Fall 17 MSE applicants lurking around here? Let's share our profiles and admission results! Here's a profile template from the biology thread: Undergrad Institution: (School or type of school, such as big state, lib arts, ivy, technical, foreign (what country?))Major(s):Minor(s):GPA in Major:Overall GPA:Position in Class: (No numbers needed, but are you top? near top? average? struggling?)Type of Student: (Domestic/International, male/female, minority?)GRE Scores (revised/old version):Q:V:W:TOEFL Total: (if applicable, otherwise delete this)Research Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications (Mth author out of N?) or conference talks etc...)Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?)Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, etc...)Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:Special Bonus Points: (Such as connections, grad classes, famous recommenders, female or minority status etc...)Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:Applying to Where:School - Department - Research InterestSchool - Department - Research InterestSchool - Department - Research Interest

I like to use LaTeX. There are some very neat CV templates around, like these: https://www.sharelatex.com/templates/cv-or-resume

Hi everyone, As most fall 2017 applicants, I am currently stressing over my SOP. I was wondering if any of you guys know if it's OK to use pictures/figures in the SOP? I am applying for an engineering program and I feel that some illustrations of my past work would be a great way to attract attention to my SOP. Any thought or experiences? Would it be frowned upon?

PowerPrep I: 155V, 160Q PowerPrep II: 160V, 162Q Manhattan: 161V, 159Q Actual: 162V, 162Q, 4.5 Magoosh and Manhattan 5 lbs were my main resources. Kinda disappointed in my quant, but I hope other parts of my applications will make up for that. The experimental quant was the first quant section I got and I almost cried - very few problems were familiar and I wasn't entirely sure if it was experimental or real and I'm just terribly stupid.

I don't think anyone here (or anywhere) can tell you for sure if you're gonna be accepted to any program. Admission is conditional on a bunch of things, e.g., if the university has just hired a prof who's now actively expanding his group, you have significantly more chances. I've read that GPA in the most recent degree program matters most, and yours is not too bad. You can focus on your SOP and LORs, and certainly add 2-3 more universities to your list. Email potential advisors to get on their radar. Try to nail the GRE, get as close to 170 in quant as you can.

Hi there! You're mostly talking about how you'll benefit from your graduate degree, but you should also talk about how the school will benefit from hiring you. They already know you want in, you have to give them tangible reasons to hire you. What's so different and great about you? You say that you have international experience - great! Now frame it as diverse international experience that has allowed you to absorb a multitude of musical traditions and styles. Talk a bit more about the school you're applying to - how does its culture/traditions/program correlate to your personal experiences and aspirations? TL;DR: sounds kinda rushed and generic; try harder to convince them that you're worth it!

Hi vijay, I really like your intro and your conclusion! However, I'd make the body part more fluid and more essay-like (e.g. when you talk about coursework, maybe you can add a couple of sentences what exactly did you learn and how it's relevant to the proposed field of study? Same thing with teaching and mentorship. How big was the class? What were your duties (did you give seminars? did you grade papers?)? What was the students' and prof's feedback on your performance in this class?

Hi Jin! I think that's a great SOP. I feel that you could elaborate a little more on how you're a good match for the program and for this particular professor. Now it sounds kind of generic. Maybe how your knowledge in A, B, C, how your lab experience correlates with prof's goals and his/her recent research activity?