predoc

Hi all, incoming ECE PhD here. Just beginning to. There are some old discussions over here

Congrats nixipixi ! Where are you headed ? Undergrad Institution: Foreign (India)) Major(s): EE (5 year : BTech + MTech )Minor(s):GPA in Major: 8.44/10Overall GPA:Position in Class: above averageGRE Scores (revised/old version):Q: 170V: 161W: 4.0TOEFL Total: 112Research Experience: 3 decent research projects, 2 publications (unrelated to area), 1 submitted (related)Awards/Honors/Recognitions: nonePertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for one semesterAny Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:Special Bonus Points: None that I can think of ; I think my recos were strong ; One of them is pretty well-connectedApplying to Where: Stanford, Cornell (going), UCSD, UCLA, UT Austin, UW-Madison, UMD (assume rejection for ones not heard) Moral of the story : Research experience can more than compensate for bad grades As

Although I know nothing about these programs, one thing you should ensure before deciding is whether the professors working in your research interests are even looking to take new students. For example, one of my top choices had three faculty members in my area of interest, but after talking to a grad student there, I learnt that none of them had vacancies in their group.

Has anyone been admitted without an interview ?

I have been accepted at one of my two second choice schools. I have an interview for the other school sometime soon. At this point, frankly, I have not thought through what I would do in case I get accepted at both the places. How do I respond to a "Have you been accepted elsewhere" ? I take it I would have to mention my admit, but I wouldn't want them to rescind the offer because I got accepted somewhere else.

I think interview invites depend on your area in EE. From results search, it looks like decisions start pouring in from mid Feb.

I had been getting a "Status temporarily not available" error and I mailed the department about it. Shortly after, I saw "Available for recommendation" which changed to "pending" again. Oh the torture !

Woah ! Is that conversion true ? Seems highly unlikely that 8.33/10 will be so high on a 4 point scale.

After sending multiple reminders, one of my letter writers submitted the letters to all universities but 2 (Don't know why). After sending a couple of more reminders, she submitted the letter (got a notif. email) to one of the remaining universities, but the other univ portal still shows that her letter is pending. At first I suspected that it could be a delay on the part of the university. But it has been 2 days since I got the notif. email. I am in a dilemma whether to ask the university's admission office if there is a delay or ask my prof. if she sent both the letter or just one. (I feel I have pestered her a lot with my reminders)