Sephi226

Look deeper into WashU's BioE. It's solid stuff.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to apply to as many fellowships/scholarship as possible so I can avoid needing funding, but if that does not work then I will probably settle with PhD applications and maybe drop down if I hate it. I like working as a researcher at the moment, but it is rather different doing it for a summer than for several years.

Hi all, after a talk with my research professors, I am now no longer so certain about doing a PhD and instead going for a master's in ECE. Since I am now looking at simply going for a masters degree, I was wondering if any of you could give me advice in the following: Why masters over PhD? I assume a masters is more flexible than PhD and what I want is job flexibility and good enough money. This is the case correct? How should I pick my master's school? At the moment, I am working under an embedded systems professor, but what I am doing is making a quadrotor and make a vision tracking / head tracking system. I like these projects, but they are, in their foundation, not embedded systems as he specializes in--it's more like project to use for research. So, I ask, must I be as thorough in picking my graduate school for a masters as with a phd--must I seek a specific area and look at individual professors, or do I go for just prestige and quality of preparation? Where should I look at applying credentials wise: ECE Rice University with minor in Applied math GPA Overall: 3.51/4.00 Major (ECE + minor): 3.6 *Not sure if this matters, but I have a high upward trend with a 3.7 for the past 2 years taking 15 hrs per semester. GRE: N/A yet Research/Project work: Quadrotor, vision / head IR tracking system, Guitar effects processor (senior design, 3rd place at Rice in TI Analog competition), commercial breathalyzer design for a startup EC's: Held plenty of positions such as IEEE Vice President, did interviewing for Rice, etc. I'm not sure if these are even considered for Masters because they don't matter for PhD. Funding? I know PhD can be funded, but what would allow one to get funding for a masters aside from a fellowship like Hertz? Thanks!

I would be hesitant to do so because I get the impression that excuses, even if valid, still come off as excuses. Thanks for the advice though-- I'll definitely consider it.

Hello everyone, I'm a senior electrical engineer at Rice University and I was hoping I could get some advice about my situation in applying to graduate school. I am not graduating this year for reasons I will explain later, but my breakdown goes as such: Major: EE minor: Applied Math GPA: 3.48, Major:3.57 / 4.00 GRE: 780M 680V 5W Experience/Employment Rice University – Researcher under Dr. Zhong Spring 2010 – present • Design a quad-rotor helicopter that is self-balancing via microcontrollers and sensors. S&G Imports – Contract Engineer Spring 2010 – present • Head engineer and project consultant for a commercial bar breathalyzer. I’ve redone the product for more accurate sensing and am incorporating a smart interface with touchscreen controls among other capabilities. Rice University − Teaching Assistant for ELEC 301 Fall 2009 Rice University − Research Intern – Compressive Sensing – Dr. Baraniuk Summer 2009 • Created a 3-D projection system, performed Compressive Sensing on images and studied other methods such as Compressive Structured Light. Rice University − Teaching Assistant for ELEC241 Fall 2008 Baylor College of Medicine − Lab Assistant for Dr. Scott Pletcher Summer 2008 • Engineered devices for Dr. Pletcher to improve his lab’s efficiency such as creating and programming a robotic arm from servo motors to incorporate into a fly counting system I engineered via photointerrupts. Honors: Louis J Walsh scholarship for Engineering (2008), F & M Rogers Scholarship (2008), National Hispanic Scholar (2005), Rice Intramural Billiards Champion (2008), National Society of Collegiate Scholars Inductee (2006). Basically, I have a lot of work experience with a few graduate courses under my belt. I am not graduating this year because, while studying abroad last Spring in Singapore at NUS, I had to come back to help take care of my father who was diagnosed with cancer--so I am one semester short. I've luckily been able to continue school and still help my parents since he's being treated across the street at MD Anderson but that is why I will be doing an extra semester. Now, my GPA is low because, quite frankly, I've had interesting circumstances to work through such as taking a full load while living out of my car because of hurricane damage last year, helping parents through cancer treatment and so forth. Anyway, that doesn't show in a transcript so it does not matter. What does matter is what I should be doing in this next year to give myself the best possible chances. In terms of recommendations, I have an excellent recommendation from S & G Imports (a small startup) because I am literally in charge of everything about their product and they are simply paying me to get their end goal product done. One of my better recommenders is a man (Rhodes Scholar) who I have had several Applied Math courses and a research seminar with and is a top 10 in the world Numerical Analyst. Also, the current research under Dr. Zhong should produce a great recommendation as well, and during the summer I expect to be able to get another good to great one at my internship at Schlumberger. As backup, I have a few other recommenders because I am intimate with the faculty at Rice being the IEEE Vice President. Also, if all goes as it has been for the past three semesters, I should be able to get a 3.55+ GPA in the next year (by application time) because my past two years is a 3.75 GPA with mostly engineering courses. So, do I have, realistically, any chance of being accepted at schools such as: Cornell, MIT, Rice, Cal Tech, Georgia Tech, WashU, Berkeley, Purdue, etc. In terms of project experience, I would have done the following Guitar Effects Processor (senior design) sponsored by Freescale Commercial Breathalyzer with a smart user interface Self-stabilizing quadrotor platform and probably one more thing under Dr. Zhong. What should I do to better my chances aside boost my GPA as high as I can, and does my GPA keep me out of the top programs? Thanks!