gurumaster8899
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Posts posted by gurumaster8899
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If you are choosing a safety school from the rankings, go for those between 30-40. I don't know about USC, but A&M is quite competitive, anyways both are very highly ranked.
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The Subconscious is a Cruel Mistress...
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You need to know why you're going back, if your plans have anything to do with academia then doing it part time will become unsustainable and you'll find yourself truly torn between the two. But if you just need your masters to move up in the company, then most ppl would just go for an MBA. I was in situation for almost a year before deciding to quit work to focus on grad school.
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If you're interested in the faculty of more than one department and can explain it in your SOP, then i think its fine....but some schools only allow the application to only one department
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Most useful: Engineering
Least useful: Everything else
Such a question is pointless really, because it will diverge into what makes a society successful...which is a too complex question to have any appeasing answer...
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generally most recommenders send the same letter to all schools, but if you get the chance to do it yourself, be careful and try to make complete your SOP without repeating the same stuff, the LoR should portray from a different angle..
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I know its a bit late for me to be asking this, but is it better to send emails before or after submitting your application?
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just get it over with...
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My list shrank from 21 to 10.
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I would guess that the later you apply, the less spaces you will have to compete for, therefore probability of admission decreases..
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at least they replied early enough for you to find a replacement, stay strong..
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you don't seem to mention any research experiences you had, or how the school is a good 'fit' for you....
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can anyone who had success contacting professors mention his field and if possible the school he is contacting..
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you should be able to check through the online application
or you can just call them or send the admission assistant an email
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I let up on contacting professors after two discouraging responses.
Following the suggestions of current grad students and board members here, I introduced myself, summarized my research, expressed interest in their work, said I was assessing my fit with the school, and asked if they were taking students for next year. Both professors responded by saying, essentially, "that's not how it works." One went on to clarify that here in the US (I'm American), students get in on their own merit, not on the basis of matching students to particular research agendas. The other said that students aren't matched with advisors until much farther along in the process. My emails didn't show any presumption of a future working relationship, merely curiosity, so I was puzzled. How have others applying to doctoral programs in the US fared with the phrase "taking students"?
I guess it will depend on what type of degree plan each university has, some allow you to pick an advisor once you start, others don't untill two years into the process. You have to check that before sending any emails, I know of a program which matches students with advisors early on and was told that out of around 30 students thay accept every year around 15 are chosen by faculty from previous contact....wherase other programs contacting professors is almost pointless because they don't get to choose untill later...
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The SOP is the tricky part
But i have always found it useful to just outline your essay:
1. State your goal/research interests
2. Talk about background/ research/ work experience ...anything relevant to graduate studies
3. Brief paragraph about extracurriculars and awards/ publications
4. Why are you applying to that school/ how is it a good fit
5. Strong conclusion/ mention how you and the school are a perfect fit etc...
just get something done, a rough first draft or a skeleton, then start modifying it and stuff
and always have a couple of people willing to read and critique your essay...
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I always thought UPenn was one of the more unpredictable ones, since they don't publish a lot of admission stats...
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I submitted most of my apps, wanted to get my mind off them to focus on my studies and just stop stressing out (at least for another month or two when the decision start rolling in)
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I don't know about other fields, but many engineering grad websites specifically mention hints that contacting individual faculty won't actually make a difference....
but whenever i ask grad students or my current professors, they tell me to ignore that and contact faculty anyways... in the sense that getting your name out there can't do you harm if you play it right..
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I would think the ideal time would be during the summer or at the start of the semester, assuming professors get busier and have less time as the semester goes on, so if the deadline is in late December/early January the next couple of weeks would be the last chance to get anything significant through...
But its a good thing that we've established that contacting DOES make a difference.....it will make one more than just a number to them...
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If anyone has contacted faculty for the fall 2010 cycle, here are some observations:
1.Professors are usually too busy to even reply
2. Those who reply are usually too busy to remember you
3. Those who give a positive reply, you'll always have a hard time keeping the conversation interesting without the constant fear of being too annoying and ultimately blowing your chances
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We are all nervous...its normal....don't doubt your abilities...just send your best possible application...and relax
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put it all in there....also try to include a neat CV....try to think of something relevant you did, however small it may be and include it..
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stay strong....i don't believe the GRE part though
GRE 316... what are my chances ?
in Engineering
Posted
As long as your stats show the slightest amount of potential...If you're a good fit, you'll get in.