BG7
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Posts posted by BG7
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Did you get accepted into the masters or PhD program? In the US it is not very common for schools to fund masters programs in math, but expecting a student to pay their way for a PhD is almost unheard of.
phD
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Anyone heard back from Cornell's Applied Math program recently? Is it a good or bad sign that I haven't heard anything yet?
if you haven't heard back, then you're probably rejected. I asked about this to find out. They already sent out acceptances and wait lists
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Though I'm not sure I understand your wording completely, it is reasonable to expect that if you were to be awarded an NDSEG fellowship, your application would be reconsidered. Money has a way of changing minds. Moreover, it seems reasonable to expect the school(s) in question would be at least somewhat sympathetic to the situation, especially if it is a public institution with federal funding...
If you do win, be relentless in getting after them about reconsidering your application.
Yes, I know my application would be reconsidered if I got the NDSEG fellowship. But would it be reconsidered if I notified them about the fellowship after the April 15 deadline?
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How did you find out that the NDSEG will not notify students until late April?
If this is true, then it seems very irresponsible for them to wait 5 months from the time of application submission to give out decisions.
I emailed them. They mentioned that the late notice is because they have to wait for the DOD or something like that. Screw them
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so I found out today that they won't make any decision until LATE April! But schools have deadline on April 15th for me to accept their offers of admission or not. Is it possible that if I received the NDSEG fellowship after the 15th that the schools I got rejected would still be willing to accept me?
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So I got into the applied math programs at Arizona and Maryland (but not Cornell
). At the moment, I will probably pick Maryland because it has a better overall reputation than Arizona which matters to me since I don't have a clearly defined research interest. I could go into physics, astronomy, fluid dynamics, numerical analysis, or dynamical systems/DEs. Luckily both programs are very interdisciplinary, so thats why I thought they were great matches for me. Does anyone have any detailed thoughts or opinions about these programs? For now, my main interests are probably in astrophysics and optics -
So I got into the applied math programs at Arizona and Maryland (but not Cornell
). At the moment, I will probably pick Maryland because it has a better overall reputation than Arizona which matters to me since I don't have a clearly defined research interest. I could go into physics, astronomy, fluid dynamics, numerical analysis, dynamical systems/DEs, and maybe even signal processing. Luckily both programs are very interdisciplinary, so thats why I thought they were great matches for me. Does anyone have any detailed thoughts or opinions about these programs? -
I got an e-mail on the 13th saying I had been waitlisted at Cornell. I asked for some admission stats and I was told that there were around 200 applicants, 10-15 first round admissions, and 10 waitlistings. I was also told that historically, 0-3 people get in off of the waitlist.
Did they say how many 2nd round admits, if any, they plan to have? If only 10-15 people get admitted, then their website is bull**** as they say they usually admit 15% of their applicants
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I've started painting.
I would too, but its rather expensive, right?
Anyways, I'm just spending my time self-studying what I expect to see in grad school. In addition to preparing me for the intense workload, I also see it as self-punishment because I spent this past year doing little as I could've applied last year if I had better known what I wanted to study
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has anyone not heard back yet from Cornell? I called them yesterday and they told me NO decisions had been made yet! yet I see lots of people posting their results here about whether they've been accepted , waitlisted or rejected. The wait is killing me
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By the way, how much of my undergrad really matters for getting funding if I have almost no prior engineering background? Though I had a 3.8 phys/math gpa and worked on 2 different research projects, would I have been any worse off than if I had a 3.2 gpa with no research projects and tried to get funding in Aerospace Eng? I only took 2 engineering courses: got an A in heat transfer but B- in intro fluid mechanics
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I cannot emphasize this enough...
Go to the school and meet with professors that you share interests with as soon as possible, on your own dime. You will almost -never- be given funding as a condition of admission for an M.S. degree. You have to be proactive. This is how I got funding for my M.S. degree. A lot of professors would love to fund you, or get you the inside track for a TA position if you impress them when you meet. Emphasize at your meeting that you have a Ph.D. in mind, but didn't feel like you could be admitted with your background.
Good luck!
For UCLA, I tried contacting the professors I wanted to work with countless times. They always just told me that they dont currently have funding and don't know when to expect to get it.
BTW, tuiton is about twice as much at GaTech and UT-Austin vs UCLA for me. But for personal preference, I would love to go to a different school than stay at ucla.
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Even though you applied for MS, i think you should have indicated your interest to pursue PhD. I know some people get funding for MS studies but usually preference is given to PhD students. However, what i know from other people is that usually MS students do get (/can find) funding after one year if they go for thesis. It is a hard call to say if you should attend GaTech or UT Austin without funding or UCLA. There would be a significant cost difference but at the same time both UT Austin and GA Tech are ranked very high for Aerospace.
I did mention my interest for the phD. I just thought it would be wiser to apply as an MS student rather than phD since I have no engineering background.
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So I've been admitted to UCLA for the unfunded MS program for fall 2010 (last fall), but since it was the only school I applied to for fall '10, I decided not to accept the offer and instead wait to apply to programs for fall'11. So far, I've applied to Georgia Tech and Texas-Austin for fall '11. Since my BS degrres are in physics and applied math, I figured that I had no chance for PhD programs, so I just applied to MS programs. I want to do the thesis option and will probably continue for the PhD.
How likely are MS students to get a TA ship or RA ship in Aerospace Engineering programs? Since I'm from CA, the in-state tuition is much cheaper than the out-of-state tuition at GaTech and UT-Austin. If I get accepted into either one, but am unlikely to get funding, would I just be better off going to UCLA? Or perhaps taking classes at UCI (I live close to UCI) as a non-degree student?
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Are there any top-25 programs that are joint pure/applied math depts that don't require the math GRE? At this point, its too late for me to take it and I have to wait until next April to take it.
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You might want to double check, but I recall UT-Austin not requiring the subject test, and they are definitely a top 20 school.
After asking them about it, I got an email from them saying the physics GRE wont replace the math GRE, and my gpa isn't as important as not having taken abstract algebra or topology . I could apply, but it would be difficult, considering the competition
As for other schools, Berkeley mentioned that they could consider the physics GRE, though not as a full replacement to the math GRE. MIT mentioned I'll probably still be competitive for admissions. Cornell says they'll accept the PGRE, but wouldn't be put near the top of the applicant pool. Chicago reviews applications without the math GRE, but the strongest applications always include it.
Should I even bother to apply to these schools?
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I'm applying for grad schools this fall, in physics and applied math. For the applied math, I would like to apply to programs that combine pure and applied math, rather than just separate applied math programs. But since I decided to apply to grad schools just a couple months ago, I registered for just the physics GRE, not the math subject. Its too late to take the math subject. This turned out to be a huge mistake. Also, the only proof-based math courses I've taken are linear algebra, analysis and fourier analysis. No abstract algebra or topology
Here's my stats:
- physics gpa: 3.64, applied math: 3.93 from a top state school
- I just took the PGRE and expect to get around 80th percentile
- I've done two different research projects, but no publications.
Applied math programs I'm thinking of applying to (since these don't require math GRE):
Maryland, UC Davis, Cornell, Harvard, Brown, Arizona, and maybe NYU (they only accept 3.5% of applicatns)
A few of the pure/applied math programs mention that they'll accept the PGRE, but most of the top-20 math programs say they highly recommend the math GRE and mention they may not even look at your app if they don't see your math GRE. I spoke to a math prof at my school about this, and he said I'll still be competitive at pure/applied math programs like NYU, UCLA, etc, even though I haven't taken the math GRE. Is that really true?
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So let me get this straight. You want to do applied physics? If so, there are a number of programs.
How about these:
http://www.stanford.....html#condensed
If not, then what do you mean?
yeah, I'm thinking applied physics. I've already checked out those schools. I considered applied math previously because I had thought I wanted to study CFD and aerodynamics. But I've changed my mind since then, and am now more interested in theoretical physics. But I still want interdisciplinary programs, so those applied physics are good choices
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Yes, the university of arizona is another very good applied math department (definitely top ten) to look at. Like you said, it is very large with a diverse faculty. And best of all, they don't require the math GRE. The theoretical and applied mechanics program at Cornell or their plain old applied math department might also be good options for you.
I guess the frequency of switching depends on the university. A private school would be more conducive to this. For example, Ed Witten switched departments three times at Princeton before landing in physics. Cornell, as a matter of fact, is very open to this and somewhat encourages it. At a public school, due to funding issues movement will be harder.
actually I just came to the conclusion that I'd rather study the physics aspects of problems than coming up with the most efficient solutions. Hence, although applied math programs like Arizona are nice in that they do alot of interdisciplinary work, it might not be for me. But its rather hard to find interdisciplinary research in physics and engineering programs
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Have you thought about computational/mathematical biology and neuroscience? Mathematical neuroscience is a really cool field that uses a variety of ideas from math and physics, including spin operators, information theory, dynamical systems and chaos, statistics etc... It might be up your alley.
It sounds like a large applied math department like University of Maryland, Texas, Minnesota would be your best bet. Those programs will have a a lot of different research areas available to you and you can see what you like. Also, keep in mind that switching grad departments is not something unheard and probably happens quite frequently.
BTW, a PhD is a lot of work for something you are not passionate about. You must have some passion in life about something, no matter how obscure or crazy it seems. What is it? You may be able to turn it into a science problem
thanks alot for your response! unfortunately, i'm not interested in biology or neuroscience at all. However, I also saw the applied math dept at Arizona, and it seems like a great fit because theres research related to aerospace engineering, optics, materials, applied math, and physics... alot of different departments. Its programs such as this that I'm really looking to apply to
how common is it to switch grad departments? i didn't know that happens quite frequently
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I graduated last year with BS degrees in physics and applied math. I also took heat transfer and fluid mechanics courses which helped me land a job at an aerospace company before getting terminated recently due getting my INTERIM denied. I'm not too disappointed with that as I didn't see myself working there long-term. The work seemed dull and I missed learning new things in school and working on research projects. I could continue looking for another engineering job or just apply for grad schools. I'm leaning towards getting a phD much more now than in the past. The problem is I have no idea where to apply as i have a broad range of interests but nothing in passion
Based on my undergrad research experiences, i'm certain that i want to avoid experimental work and instead work on computational simulations of physical systems. I like the theory involved in physical problems but don't like practical stuff, other than the stuff in the aerospace/defense industry such as rockets, missiles, weapons, etc. So you can say I'm 'practically retarded'. I am certain that I want to do modeling/simulation research for my career, whether it be in academia or industry.
The programs I'm considering are:
1. materials engineering - Two of my undergrad research projects were related to materials modeling, which were pretty interesting. I thought quantum mech was ok, but I wasn't too excited by it. Also, I've read some interesting articles related to lasers in online magazines. I also never got to take solid-state physics but it seems interesting. However, the few job listings I've seen that look for this background do work I'm not interested in, such as working with solar cells, semiconductors and electronics, etc
2. mechanical/aerospace - I liked the theory covered in heat transfer, such as the heat equation, but didn't like using it to solve electronics cooling problems. Also, the aerospace industry may not be for me as evidenced by my clearance denial. But I would love to work on weapons, missiles, rockets, etc. I'm not interested at all in the other fields that MEs go into. CFD also looks interesting but I haven't taken an advanced fluids class
3. applied math/ computational math and science - I liked most of my math classes especially linear algebra, numerical analysis, real analysis, math modeling, ODEs, and PDEs. But I didn't really like fourier analysis and abstract algebra for being too abstract. I don't think I would like programs that require alot of CS. I would like to use applied math for physical problems, so I thought materials modeling or CFD would be good fits for me
can anyone help me with this? would it be a good idea to apply to computational math/science/physics programs, so that way while studying there I can get a better idea if I like to simulations in CFD or materials, or doing something else such as numerical analysis and PDEs? How do I find out which ones are the best fits for me? Should I ask one of the previous professors I worked for for advice?
On a side note, I had planned on doing my MS in ME/AE part-time while having my company pay for it until I suddenly lost my job. Now, I probably won't attend that MS program.
funded MA programs?
in History
Posted
I did my undergrad studies in the math and sciences, so I have very little background in history (I just took 2 semesters' worth of lower-div gen ed courses). However, I am considering pursuing graduate studies in History. I realize I won't get into any good phD programs with my background (and atrocious 490 verbal GRE score). What are the best ways for me to acquire the necessary history background so that I can get into the more competitive phD programs?
Are there any Master's programs that provide funding to its students and accept students like me without a History background? Or do I have no choice but to earn a second Bachelor's degree in History or take History classes as a non-degree student?