CanuckBoy

Hey, Normally I would say UIUC hands down; however, it seems like a US vs Canada vs Europe decision. It depends on what you want as a career. If you wish to pursue an academic career in a reputable institution, US is you best bet. Good luck.

CMU engineering is one of the best in the world. I know rankings don't show everything but it is an indication. I have family in California in ECE line of work, and there is no doubt CMU is one of the best out there in the field. Engineering http://www.topuniver...ings/technology http://grad-schools....ls/eng-rankings http://www.arwu.org/FieldENG2010.jsp ECE http://grad-schools....eering-rankings http://ranking.heeac...L%20ENG/TOP/100 http://ranking.heeac...ain/ENG/TOP/100 Do you mind posting your stats? I'm a Canadian looking at CMU for PhD for 2012. Competition for NSERC is mighty fierce recent years.

Thanks Addison, I agree with you completely. I am quite happy working in my current area and I would love to continue in this field. My area is multidisciplinary, cross between CFD from mechanical engineering and earth sciences. I have found Stanford ERE and Penn State fits my current research area very well. Stanford ERE is indeed my first choice. My intentions are to become a faculty member, hopefully back in Canada, in which my current area is not well funded at the moment. If my current research area does not work out from a long term perspective, I still would like to have an option to stay in fluids field from engineering prospective which are offered at the other schools I'm interested in for PhD. What do you think?

Hey everyone, I know it's early but I'm curious on what I need to improve to increase my odds at the schools I'm applying to. My focus is on fluid mechanics, mainly CFD. If you can help that'll be great! Thanks! Undergrad Institution: Top undergraduate Canadian engineering school Major(s): Mechanical Minor(s): GPA in Major: Overall GPA: 3.79/4.0 Length of Degree: 5 years due to co-op program Position in Class: Near top Type of Student: Domestic Graduate Institution: Same, second in Canada for engineering research Major(s): Mechanical Minor(s): GPA in Major: Overall GPA: 4.0/4.0 Length of Degree: 2 years Position in Class: Top Type of Student: Domestic GRE Scores: (Taking it in June) Research Experience: - Published journal paper during undergrad, not in field of current research, 2nd author of 4. - Publishing another journal paper being 2nd author of 3. - Publishing a conference paper in May, 2nd author of 3. - Working on another journal paper either 1st or 2nd author, should be in time before applications - Worked for a year in R&D lab in a large multi-national company doing heat transfer analysis after undergrad. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: - NSERC Canadian Graduate Scholarship (National) - Institutional graduate scholarship - Various scholarships during undergrad Pertinent Activities or Jobs: - TA - Various work experiences during undergrad Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Considering applying for PhD at: MIT - Mechanical Berkeley - Mechanical Stanford - Mechanical Stanford - Energy Resources Engineering (closely related to current research) Georgia Tech - Aerospace Michigan - Aerospace Johns Hopkins - Mechanical Penn State - Energy and Mineral Engineering (closely related to current research) Am I limited to area(s) of research which I have experiences in? Do I have best chance of admission if I stay in my current area? What can I do to increase my odds at these institutions since I have until December of this year to strengthen my profile. I am confident that at least 2 of my LORs will be very strong.

I certainly hope that is not the case. Industry experience is invaluable as it puts you in a better perspective of what is possible and what is not in the industry. Having been in industry myself, I see many of the experts in the industry (with PhDs) frown upon some of the research conducted in academia where "this will work if cost, money, and space" don't matter. I believe universities are starting to realize that. My buddies who are looking for professor jobs have mentioned that a lot of the openings prefer candidates with industrial experiences. In addition, you are at an advantage of knowing what topics/areas are of interest to you. Plenty of grad students in my university have industrial experiences. Don't be overly concerned, your credentials look fine. Best of luck.

That is what I heard as well, they promote academic incest! I was told to put down that you are staying at your home institution regardless if you're leaving or not. Last year I put down 2 possible supervisors, one in my home institution and another one elsewhere because I wasn't sure. I was rejected at the university level even though I was ranked high enough at the department compared to the number of awardees for the department. This year I only put down my home institution and I was successful. Of course I also sharpened up my application in that one year. The other thing I heard, at least for masters, was that it is more difficult to apply for NSERC in your second year if you didn't get it in the first year. To attract more talented fresh blood?

I think I've had similar experiences as you, except mine about scholarships, not acceptance. I didn't get the scholarships I needed to attend grad school for fall 2009, so I worked (am still working) from June 2009 in a industrial R&D lab and this year I got my scholarships. I believe full time work experiences played a big role. I think in general, work experiences show that you know what area(s) you are most interested in. I know plenty of grad students in their 30s and 40s with lots of industrial experiences in my school. From what I have seen, students with relevant industry experiences is a big plus when it comes to admission. Like you, I do not have patents nor publications from work, but there are plenty of experiences to talk about such as contributions to relevant industrial R&D activities (solved <insert problems>, reduced cost, increased efficiency, etc.), leadership roles, and communication. I heavily emphasized relevant industrial experiences in this year's applications as that distinguished myself from most of the applicants. These are very important attributes that your transcript doesn't cover. Best of luck.

It is not an easy question, I think you should ask yourself: Which instituion, professors, research groups, classmates can best help you achieve your long term and short term goals? Where will you be most productive?