Fischie22

I have been looking through a lot of university websites, and seen that many Engineering graduate programs (PhDs mainly) are fully funded. Just wondering if this is the norm (i.e. if you are accepted you are fully funded) and how long full funding with a stipend usually lasts (entire time, 5 years, 4 years, etc.). Just hoping some people who have heard back about funding offers could enlighten me, or direct me to the appropriate forum post. Thanks!

Also got a 5.0 for AWA, so I am reassured by your post that my scores won't hold me back, and that the possibility for me to improve scores won't make much of a difference in my application. I think I will work to improve the publication/ research portion of my application rather than retake. Thanks for the advice! Just as a point of reference, what types of schools are you looking to apply to, and what programs do you think you will be competitive in applying to?

By my understanding, graduate students are 'full time' at 9 credits a semester. Typically the first 2 years will be taken to complete most of the coursework in a PhD. I am not sure that this is the case at JHU, but it is at other schools with similar credit req's. You should likely look at their website for this information or, if you can't find it there, email the graduate program/office. JHU will have contact info for this on their graduate admissions or specific graduate program page. You should likely figure out all the details of the program before an interview.

At what point should the GRE be retaken? If there is time, and you think you can improve your score, should you retake it? Also, if you have beaten the average of previously accepted students, but think you could do better, retake?

Masters degree is definitely more manageable in terms of admission requirements/averages. As for research/engineering experience, you should work with your recommenders and tailor your personal statement to reflect the fact that you understand that you lack the background in engineering, but are passionate about becoming involved. Also, try to show that you have an ability, passion, and aptitude to conduct research - that is a big aspect of what grad schools look for in many cases. I come from an engineering background, so have only looked briefly into requirements of non-engineering majors. As I understand though, all STEM majors are treated about the same in the admissions process.

Hello all, I am planning to apply to PhD programs in Mechanical Engineering for Fall '18. I was hoping to get some suggestions as to which schools I should look into (Reach, target, and safety suggestions would all be great), and what band of schools (top 10, 11-50, 51-100, etc.) where my application is likely be pretty competitive. My applications basics are as follows: Current Class Standing: Junior (3 semesters and 1 summer remaining) Undergraduate University: Colorado School of Mines Undergraduate GPA: 3.79/4 (4.0 Major GPA) after 5 semesters GRE Scores: 161V, 167Q, AWA: tbd Publications: None yet Work Experience: Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in MD, 7 mo CO-OP in Industry R&D/Manufacturing Group w/ large corporation (mostly CAD design, machine building, manufacturing, etc. while producing an innovative manufacturing prototype machine) Research Experience: Undergrad Research Fellow since first semester on campus - still participating, Research Fellowship (see above) LORs: Research Prof on Campus (researched under him for 2.5 years so far), NIST staff scientist (worked with him during summer after Freshman year), and manager from company where I participated in the CO-OP (She holds a masters and a Professional Engineering Certification) Teaching Experience: None Awards: Various internal scholarships/grants, dean's list all semesters Planning on Applying to: CU Boulder, CO School of Mines (home institution), CalTech, UMD, Johns Hopkins, UW Madison, USC It would be a huge help to know if my planned schools fall in line with my profile, what other schools I should consider, and whether I would be competitive for top 10 schools, or whether I should primarily focus on less-highly ranked programs. Thanks

First question is: Masters or PhD? Typically a masters program will have *slightly* lower admission standards from what I understand, which will influence your chances. A 3.3 GPA might be about average (or only slightly below) for many masters programs, but will be fairly far below for PhD programs from what I understand. As for GRE scores, if you get your predicted scores, the Quant should be pretty good, but the Verbal will be a bit low - should shoot for at least 157-160. Although a low Verbal won't ruin your chances, it can't hurt to improve it. Unfortunately your lack of research and/or technical experience won't help. Will have to ensure that you are able to demonstrate your ability to perform research with your LORs, etc. As for programs, make sure you look at school websites, etc. to see if you will meet their GPA and test score requirements (or recommended requirements). Not super familiar with Petro or nuclear programs. There are some really good resources for finding GPA, test scores, etc. of students that apply/are accepted to programs (Magoosh has a lot of articles on related topics). I would suggest looking into this to narrow down the band of schools that you should look into. Hopefully this helps a bit.

ETS Powerprep Test 1: V:156 Q 166 (taken with no studying, 3 weeks before exam) Kaplan Free Online: V:158 Q:166 (2 weeks before exam) ETS Powerprep Test 2: V: 158 Q: 169 (1 week before exam) Actual GRE: V:161 Q: 167 (taken 1/7/17) My practice tests were fairly accurate. Improved my score slightly by doing Magoosh vocab builder app, reviewing math concepts, and looking over test strategies.