was1984

I received an email from the grad coordinator at one of my schools that was personally addressed and said that I should have an answer in 7-10 days and my application is still under consideration. This was unsolicited, as I hadn't emailed the department. I'm applying for an M.S. right now. Anyone want to throw out any theories on what they think this means for me?

This is true. I'm going back after 2 years in the real world, and it was an easy decision. I also feel 10 times more motivated than I did coming out of my undergrad. Also, in the general spirit of this thread, I haven't heard a PEEP from any of the schools I applied to. I thought for sure I would have heard from someone last week.

No. Too damn hot.

I've been in Austin for about 7 years and I've only rarely seen ethnic discrimination of any sort, and never on campus. Also, Austin has a substantial latino population that spans every section of society. You should feel very comfortable here.

Sign me up. Vowels suck!

Link to pic: http://lh3.ggpht.com/_fZgFZDdYrLg/R_6m6 ... edited.JPG

There is an in state school that is top 100 in my area that has a May application deadline. That's my plan B.

My border collie as a puppy: Can I get in despite my bad attitude because of the cuteness of my puppy?

This is really fascinating.

Yes, generally speaking. Intel will be knocking down your door.

Damn, and this was my safety!

Rather than requiring the GRE we should invent our own standardized test that requires more than 10th grade math skills, and tests our ability to comprehend information rather than our ability to cram thousands of useless words in our brains.

I'd like to elaborate on the admissions process. Admissions are made on a case by case basis WHEN that application is received. After all, we've been doing this for 35 years and we don't really need to wait until everyone applies to know who has the right stuff for our program. You should receive a response within a week of your application.

*refresh* *refresh* *refresh*

ditto

There are a few things to consider: The parking situation. Parking is really difficult to find on campus. You may or may not qualify for an "A" permit (~$150), and then nearby the ECE building you will have a hard time finding parking even with an "A" permit. If you don't qualify for "A" parking you will either have to get lucky and get an "S" permit (very unlikely your first semester, also costs around $600/year) to park in a garage, or you will have to settle for a "C" permit (~$100), which requires you to park about a mile walk from the ECE building, if you get to campus before 9:00a.m. Otherwise, think more like 1.5 miles. There is a shuttle, but I always preferred to walk. Your fourth option is to pay the $8 daily rate for a parking garage, which actually comes in right near 2x the cost of an "S" permit, and you are likely to be late for class some days when there is no parking available. The grad housing is decrepit and a long bus ride from campus. It is cheap, and its a pretty good part of town, both socially and safety wise. I haven't lived there but I have been there a time or two. I'll leave any further comment to someone who has lived there. Where in Austin does your dad live? Some drives aren't bad at all, others are awful. Also, if your dad lives somewhere that there is an easy bus solution, that may be another option. All city buses are free to UT students. I would avoid making multiple bus changes, because our system isn't very good and you are likely to make that 30 minute drive into a 2 hour ride. If you PM the neighborhood your dad lives in, I can give you an idea whether this is an option. I went to UT for my undergrad as an ECE student, and I think the best choice overall, especially for engineers, is living on north campus. That said, there are certainly cheaper ways to go.

Trust me when I tell you that you are not alone. This process is very difficult for everyone, and causes a lot of soul searching.

Yes, either that or swap my GRE scores with the worst set in the pile.

Be more selective

I had a very bad semester and a mediocre one at the end of my degree, unfortunately, and it is what I constantly worry about for the last 3-4 months. I started working 30 hours a week in my field and wasn't capable of managing my time, which I explained in my SOP, but my GPA dropped from ~3.6 and finally settled at around 3.3. The first of the two semesters I had like a 1.8, with 2 D's, the second semester (my last) I had a 3.0 with a C, a couple of B's, and an A. But, I took a graduate course last summer at a highly ranked school and got an A in it while working 50 hours a week, so I hope this is at least some consolation for my position. I put a positive spin on it in my SOP as a learning process that I've competed and used the improvement over time (bad, mediocre, excellent) as evidence. Before those last two semesters I had only made 1 C in my entire degree plan. People always give that clause "as long as it is improving" and I cringe. I took the meat of my coursework my junior year, and was just taking additional credits my senior year that I didn't really enjoy. That may explain some of it. I also have 2 years of full time work experience, so I hope that helps some too. Anyone want to make me feel better? Has anyone in a similar situation gotten in a grad school?

I doubt most of the professors would care. Just out of curiosity, why wouldn't you be willing to pursue a Ph.D. at UT? Whats your research area?

I'm still waiting across the board for my M.S. apps. I know for a fact one of the schools I'm applying too definitely does Ph.D. applications first, because I was told as much in an email. The only thing I'm worried about is that there won't be enough funding this year for M.S. students.

I think both have very strong reputations. If I were comparing two resumes with students from each school I'd consider the schools attended to be a wash. It looks like you are in the fortunate position of being able to choose based on soft factors like location, adviser, etc. Do you like hot summers or cold winters? Also, just in case you are curious, UIUC is 4th in EE this year, while Ga Tech is 6th. Like I said, not much difference. The differences there are fairly arbitrary. In terms of overall engineering rankings, Ga tech is 4th, while UIUC is 5th. So again, pretty much a wash. I'm not familiar enough with emag or optics to tell you which has a better program.

It depends on the program, but many programs send out notices on multiple days.

I don't care. Just tell me.