fallfish

Not awarded. Reviewers honestly make me question why I even thought I had a chance. GPA was bashed a bit, even though I explain why - they thought it wasn't a reasonable explanation apparently. There wasn't a whole lot I could change for next time since I can't change the past. Oh well. At least I got into a good school with 4 years of funding already in the bag, would have been nice to get this too though. For intellectual merit one reviewer said and I quote "good background". Thanks for the insight... Congrats to all who won!!

@mars667 @mocefacdargeht regarding the university you're going to take the NSF funds to... What if in your research statement you stated you would do said work at one University with a certain professor, but have since changed? And the University mentioned in my statement has a decent number of students who have received the award in the past, but the one I actually chose, in the end, doesn't have as many awardees....?? Any thoughts on this?? I am one of the odd-ball applicants who is not an undergrad senior nor a current grad student.

I was in the same position, 17th ranked school compared to a 2nd. I ended up choosing the 17th because I knew I would be happier. I had more funding, I got the sense they wanted me more and would be more supportive. I loved the lab group and the opportunities I'd have were amazing (I likely will be able to do field work out in the Pacific Ocean!!). The prof at this school is also younger so he is pretty on top of things especially getting funding and publishing. He was also more outgoing and would definitely introduce me to the right people and help me network. I start there this fall so I can't give any hindsight advice. The other school though highly ranked also had some red flags, similar to what you mentioned for your school B. Students weren't super happy and had some issues with the program. The prof was great, but not very outgoing and would probably not introduce me to many people. There were only 2 years of funding offered as well. In my opinion, I would much rather be happy with what is going to be several years of your life. Plus, like what's been said, retention of students and sticking through the long haul of a Ph.D is hard for a lot of people. I think the connections you make along the way are definitely more important than the name of the school you went to. So I vote school A all the way. Who cares what people think. The important people will be happy for you no matter what you choose. Plus, it's your life, not theirs. You do you!

Those asking about UCLA, I called the advisor I wanted to work with to see what the status was and she told me she had offered positions to 3 students and they had all taken them. So I never really got a rejection, but I knew I wouldn't go there or get an offer. Might be worth calling the advisor you hope to work with? This may only be applicable to PhDs though, not sure about Masters.

Anyone on here a non-traditional applicant? I have been out of my masters for about 4 years and applied to PhD programs for this fall. Wondering if anyone has any stats on those applying under the non-traditional category? And good luck to all! I'm trying not to think about it, but obviously, it's not working.

Yea, I know what you mean. I turned down Georgia Tech, which is a higher ranked program. For me having gone to Michigan for undergrad and a masters I felt like Georgia Tech was a bit too much like Michigan, and not in a good way. I've gotten the sense that higher ranked schools like that get by on their ranking instead of actually giving students focused attention and support. I've even heard of poor experiences at programs like MIT and Stanford. These programs think, well you're already at a high ranked school what else do you want? At least that is how I felt at Michigan. No one really wanted to see me succeed during my graduate studies, they just wanted to take my money and leave me with minimal job prospects. Plus everyone was so competitive with each other. Definitely not what I am looking for, I want a more collaborative environment. But that's my personal preference based on my needs and goals, which is different for everyone. I also think the supervisor you have is one of the most important aspects of deciding where to do a Ph.D. You have to interact with this person for a long time. People keep telling me you have to be passionate about the research. If you don't like them or their research, it's going to be a tough 4-5 years. Not only that, but I also considered the connections the professor had for getting me potential internships and overall networking. Btw, I don't think Virginia Tech is a bad option at all. I thought of applying there and got shut down outright by a professor because my GPA was too low in undergrad, lol. No matter what, I think you'll be in a good place regardless of what you choose. Good luck!!!

I have basically decided I will be going to NCSU in Raleigh, NC for a PhD in Civil. I am studying coastal engineering, so I am in a pretty small cohort of people. Have you decided @strawberrykat ?

Thank you both for your helpful insight. It is a very difficult decision. For some reason I thought getting in was the hard part! I have already visited Prof B and met all of his students. I still wasn't sure after meeting him in person where I stood, but now that he has accepted me I feel a little differently. There were a few things he had said that rubbed me the wrong way, but like I said I feel differently about that interaction now that I know he wants me to work in his lab (he said something about not assuming meeting him meant I was automatically in and it was just the way he said it). My conversations with prof B have definitely been more fluid and easy, but not without their awkwardness here and there. I also really liked his students and they raved about him and said he was amazing and everything they'd hoped for in an adviser. Prof A, I have not met in person nor his students, but I have spoken to a couple of his students on the phone. I do plan on making a visit too. Prof A's students both said similar things as the students for professor B, that he was great and they had no complaints. One of his current PhD students even worked with him as an undergrad and he told me she gave up MIT and Stanford to come work with him for her PhD (This is still a good school I am talking about, don't get me wrong, but not quite at MIT and Stanford level) so I feel like that is saying something. I am hoping when I meet him in person I will be more equipped to decide where I am leaning.

I need advice on how to take this interaction I had with a potential PhD adviser, call him professor A. I have been admitted to the program, due to his support and suggestion to the powers that be that I should be admitted. Professor A spoke with me several times prior to me submitting my application and he even spent time helping me apply for the NSF-GRFP. He was even a letter writer for the application. Sounds good, right? Sounds like he wants to work with me, right? Well, not so sure. I had a conversation with him just the other day via Skype after I had been admitted. We discussed my questions regarding funding options, which he said he had none at the moment. Ok, fine. Then I mention, well hopefully I get the NSF-GRFP and he responds, we would definitely take you then, but had to correct himself and say well we would take you either way...awkward. Then later in the conversation, he tries to make small talk with me and asks me how my masters work is going...I completed my masters in 2014. I have been working for the past 4ish years all of this information is obviously in my application materials (transcripts, CV, essays, etc.)...not even sure what to make of this. It's also hard because I have also been admitted to another school where the potential adviser, professor B, is super interested and is trying really hard to get me to come work with him. He wants me to tell him about other offers I get so they can make better ones to get me to go there. He has invited me to come visit for an event and even said I could start this summer. These interactions are so drastically different that it makes me wonder if professor A is going to be a good adviser or not and now I am feeling not so great about our potential relationship. Especially considering how interested professor B is. The school where professor A is at was my top choice, but now I am no so sure. Does he actually care if I come there if he can be so careless with what he remembers about me as an applicant? Help!

@strawberrykatI went to UMich for undergrad and for a masters degree (neither in engineering) but, if you have any questions about Ann Arbor, let me know! It's an amazing place. Great school!

I have applied to a variety of PhD programs, most in Civil Engineering. I applied to Oregon State University (two programs: Civil Engineering and Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science), UCLA (Civil Engineering), Georgia Tech (Ocean Science Engineering/Civil Engineering), North Carolina State University (Civil Engineering) and Delaware (Civil Engineering). I don't have a background in engineering so I wasn't really sure how I'd fair plus my undergrad GPA wasn't the best. So far I have gotten into North Carolina State, Oregon State (Civil program) and Georgia Tech. Super excited!!

Hello all, I would like to get an idea of what my chances are of getting into PhD programs in Civil Engineering. Here are my credentials: B.S in Environmental Science with a Math minor GPA 2.9 I have a pretty good upward trend in the last 60 credit hours thou. MS Ecology GPA 3.3/4.0 Both degrees are from the same University (top 30 Big10) GRE: Q: 162 V: 156 Written: still waiting on results. I have loads of varying research experience mostly summer based, nothing resulting in a publication, sadly. I have been out of my masters since 2014 and been working in environ. edu, conservation and now project management. I am on a few publications in prep and will definitely be published by the end of the year (not sure if before applications are due however). Letters of rec are coming from the two people I am working under right now and another previous employer, so no professors who had me in class. Current list of schools are: Oregon State University (CEOS), Georgia Tech (Civil Eng), North Carolina State (Civil Eng), UDelaware (Civil Eng), Virginia Institute for Marine Science (Physical Sci) and maybe UCLA (Civil Eng). Let me know what you think my odds are!!

Thanks GreenEyedTrombonist! This is all very helpful!

Hi there, I see this was posted a while ago. Did you end up applying? My undergraduate gpa was a 2.9. I studied environmental science with a mathematics minor at a top 25 university. I got into several public health masters programs including schools in the top 5. I know this might be different than research based programs as mine was professional. However, I did transfer after a year to a different program at the same university and graduated with an MS in ecology.

Hello all, I am in the process of applying to PhD programs in Civil Engineering and Oceanography. I started way ahead of the game and began contacting potential advisors back in May and June. I have spoken to quite a few via Skype and one in person. I am wondering since it has been a while, should I be sending email to check in or something? I don't want them to forget about me since it has been so long. I also had another question. Have any of you had the experience where you were speaking to a professor and they said they had a spot for a new student and basically said you could have it as long as you apply? I am just curious of the odds of talking to professors and them actually wanting to accept you before applications are due.