laekkauai

I wish I had known that GRE's don't really mean much, even for highly ranked programs. I was aiming for a set score to make up for my transition from social sciences to STEM, so retook it a second time and scored exactly the same, and actually lower on AW. I wasted that time and money, which could have been dedicated to other things like my applications, my actual job, or even my hobbies. Applied to three schools (not that rankings matter, but to emphasize my point on GREs not meaning the world, one was ranked top 10, one is in the top 5) and somehow was still admitted with varying levels of funding from 25% to 100% at all programs. I honestly now think SOP (how your research interests fit with the program), and strong, diverse letters of rec matter the most. Also wished I applied to some fellowships prior, even if i wasnt confident, to at least try to see if additional funding was possible.

This JUST happened to me. I accepted School A, because it was the best financial option at the time (I applied to three schools) the April 15th deadline came around. I was set on attending, paid my deposit. Everytime I contacted School B for a decision, they told me they were unsure of when it would be released. April and May passed, and I finally decided to sign a lease with future roommates, so as to not lose the housing they found. the same day, I heard from School B and that they would be offering full tuition. Now I have to talk to School A to notify them that I wont be attending. Feel bad that I probably took someone else's spot, but have to do what makes most financial sense.

I did follow up to say that I was still very much interested and wanted to learn about housing since it's quite late. But I do understand it's been a short time since my visit. I called the admissions/secretary to follow up afterwards. I'm interested in this -- so an offer of admission is not the same as an acceptance? He also told me about the funding and stipend situation. Just a little on my toes, as I had already committed to another program since the deadline to respond was April 15th. Also secured housing since I had not heard from the program for the entire month of April and May on a decision. Housing lease begins in a month and a half and I'd need to find a replacement for my roommates.

Thank you and I hope my situation is similar to yours! It was worded along the lines of "we would like to offer you admission for the ... degree program" if I was interested. My response was that I was excited but that I wanted to visit and learn more before making a decision. @fuzzylogician thank you. I sure hope so. It was a little concerning that the contact person wasn't aware I was offered admission. I was told yesterday she has to confirm with the dept head and professor if I really am admitted.

I was offered admission via email on June 1 by the dept head. Visited the school/program on June 6th. When I contacted the admissions person, I was told that she was not aware of this communication, so I had to forward her the email I received. If it's not a formal offer, do they still have a chance to not offer me admission? Are they accountable to the offer they made via email?

For what it's worth, I think your profile will do just fine. Though I will say that I think letters of recommendation and the institutions that your references went to and your SOP are probably the most important aspects of your application. I have a poor math background, and so I mostly tried to avoid it in undergrad. But now that I'm looking for a career change, I'm switching to a STEM field. I applied to three programs (2 at top 10 schools, and another school in the midwest), and was admitted to two of them and unofficially admitted to another just a week ago in a joint masters/PhD program. Of course there is an understanding that I will have to take a calc course before starting two of the programs. My GPA was around yours and even a little lower, and my GREs for Quant,Verbal, and AW were also below yours. I really think it's how you connect your purpose to the program you're applying to and your letters of rec and how they can vouch for your ability to do research/thrive in a PhD environment/contribute uniquely to the program (two of my recs were alum of the top school I applied to). Good luck!! I'm sure it will all go well!

Second everyone else. Magoosh. They also have other guides that they recommend like the Manhattan Prep 5lb book of practice problems.

Is it okay to keep asking about my application and mention that I'd like to know for planning reasons? I've already accepted another offer to a different school, but the academic calendars are a month apart. The program I'm waiting on wouldnt begin til late Sept, while the one I've accepted begins in August. I'm mostly waiting to see if the program I'm waiting on would have a better financial offer, which would change my plans to attend the other program which provided partial funding but is farther away from home (2 flights vs 1).

Which would be the better option? MEng/PhD would have first year covered, second year with grants with a professor, and remainder of PhD with funding, but 4-5 years in length MEM has about 75% funding, two years in length

I emailed the department and heard back earlier this week. It seems if you haven't heard back you are probably on the wait list, as I am.

Just spoke to the SDC department about my application and the different options since I'm on the waitlist for the MEng/PhD. I think the MS is the professional route (no thesis required) and MEng is the more academic route with 15 extra units for your thesis. but maybe this is different for CEE?

With decisions coming out so late, do you guys think it's at all realistic to leverage a late responding program to the program you accepted back in April?

I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice to this situation. I applied to three similar but different programs last year. Two were for Masters degrees, and one was for a PhD since the website said that if you didn't qualify for the PhD, they would consider you for the MS. I heard back from two of them this Feb/March and made my decision in April after not hearing from the PhD program. I heard back today via email that they would like to talk to me on whether I'd like to pursue the PhD with an MS along the way. I'm not sure if this means I was admitted, and if there will be any financial aid (I was offered about 3/4 tuition at the program I accepted back in April). In the slim chance I am accepted/offered full funding to this late school, do you think it's possible to leverage this with the program I accepted this late in the game? Finances are one of my biggest considerations.

Coincidentally, another new hire at my workplace is an FES grad (but with an built environment/architecture focus). Just from my brief conversation with her, it does seem like Yale FES is very broad-based and not a place to go if you want concrete technical skills. But she has a different perspective from me, so she said she liked that her education was broad so she can apply it in creative ways. Also to add on to the atmosphere from the Duke Admitted Students weekend, but current students there struck me as very down to earth, which I really liked.

It's weird to have not heard either about an acceptance or rejection from Stanford yet. Even though I probably won't be accepted, and I am ~85% sure I will attend another school I visited, it would be nice of them to at least send out a notification after paying $125 for the app fee :/

@Chalupa9 it's interesting you say that about Durham. I felt the same way up until my last day in NC. I dont think the admitted students weekend really gave us any insight into how life in Durham is -- we were on the campus or immediate surrounding area almost 100% of the time. In my last night/day I ate dinner in downtown Durham, went to look at UNC Chapel Hill area to see what the campus looked like, and areas north of the campus where some of the housing is. I met some really friendly strangers (even had lunch with them), walked around a running trail near the golf course, and really found the areas surrounding and outside of Duke to be a very lively and livable. But again, if your heart says SPEA and you are really interested in the program there and life in Bloomington, I'd say go for what you think will be right for you academically, personally, and financially (I say this as someone who chose name over fit for undergrad and regretted in for much of my time) @hotmack I think it depends what your financial situation is / how debt averse you are, etc. One of my coworkers is a Yale FES grad -shes working in a field unrelated to her concentration there but no doubt probably gave her the freedom to be employed in all the jobs shes had related to the environment (incidentally, our bosses are actually Duke undergrad alums). I attended a conference there a few years back, met some FES students, and looked into the potential of applying when I was considering PhD programs. I didn't end up applying based on reasons of fit and personal preference. I think both programs would equip you with the resources, networks, and experience to go far in your field of interest -- so long as you take advantage of the resources and opportunities.

I'm in the same boat. Received a financial aid package, which would allow me to use my savings to pay for one year of remaining tuition and living expenses comfortably. After that, I'm unsure what to do for the second year.

@1PhDplz thanks for sharing that info and perspective. My brother went to Stanford for his MS in Env Eng fully funded + stipend (I think he hear back about funding kind of at the last minute, so don’t lose hope!) but this was back in 2007 or so, so I’m guessing things could have significantly changed (though he did mention it was soul sucking). My view on Stanford has also changed. It used to be my dream school but now I’m not sure, at least for the MS level. Nowadays as a married student, I’m more concerned about cost of living, relationships with and support from professors, and mental health, and have been seriously thinking about the consequences of the Stanford Duck Syndrome as a well. Your experience puts things into perspective for me, and I’m not as concerned about hearing back from th program. Will most likely accept my other offer.

Thanks for sharing your experience. So you mean that entering as an MS student and transitioning to a PhD is not possible there? One of the appealing parts of applying to Stanford was the potential to do just that, since it states on their website that it's more of an administrative step.

I'd agree with the advice on networking and money. This is my second go-around for a masters (due to career change). The network i gained from my masters in planning is actually quite valuable. It was never even a question when I had first applied, since my only naive goal was to move home so I only applied to the one program, but its proven to be very helpful. I'd also disagree on the job vs education; I think you should look carefully at the course offerings, descriptions, and outputs to be sure that it's the technical skills you want for your intended career path. I think I made the mistake of taking too many theoretical/soft skills courses, when technical skills are extremely valuable and less likely to be taught on the job. And lastly, now that I'm older and married, money, cost of living, and culture are definitely the most important factors of making the decision for me. I think academics are important, but if all options are pretty much similar in rigor, I would go for the those three as the top priorities. Congrats to everyone on their next steps!

Do you think the financial aid offer will come later? or does Stanford notify all at once?

Accepted to: Duke, Indiana Waiting: Stanford (Engineering) @hotmackI just heard back from Duke Financial Aid office today as well.

I'm wondering if it varies by the concentration within the dept? I applied to the Sustainable Design and Construction concentration. So it might be different for your application? Whatever the case, I'm not sure what their process is like, because it doesn't seem likely that they'll have decisions out prior to their Visit Day. The SDC program admin emailed me that "As of today, your application is still with the SDC admissions committee."

No word. I emailed them to check in last week. The Visit Day coordinator told me that they were entering in the results as they received the applications. I applied 6 days after the priority deadline, and still no word. I emailed them again to see if they had an idea of when results would be released (though I'm assuming at this point I've been rejected), since flights to SF/SJ are super expensive from where I'm at.

Congrats on the admission and great financial offer!