noojens

Yeah, my spreadsheet came in hella handy. Not only does it have a column for every item in the path toward application completion, but i use it to jot down notes about research groups of interest, professors I contacted, dates I ordered transcripts, department contact information, etc. Plus, being able to check something off when you make progress is a nice little reinforcement.

Lots of great advice here. My quick tip: Apply for outside funding. External fellowships are extremely competitive and typically have deadlines in early November. Their applications are in many ways as extensive as a graduate program application, requiring transcripts/recommendations/essays. This may seem like a prohibitive amount of work to dump in your already busy schedule, but it's worth it. Every application I filled out this year had a section for "external aid applied for," and because I missed the early deadlines I had to leave these fields blank. Sucks! Also, if you do get a fellowship offer, it relieves any financial burden from the school of your dreams... which can have a huge impact on your admission chances. Here's one database of fellowships: http://www.epp.cmu.edu/graduate/fellow_index.html Good luck!

Again, I don't really feel competent to comment unless you clarify your stats (GPA in US terms and quantitative vs. verbal GRE score). The MS and publication will definitely help, but all factors are important. As for safety schools, my suggestion would be to clearly define your research goals, and look for lower-ranked departments that are strong in your specific field. Without knowing your specialty, I can't really comment on that list. Good luck

A few things: - check out the engineering PhD profiles thread in the engineering section of this forum - convert your stats to US metrics if you want a meaningful evaluation (you're applying to US schools; you'll have to do this anyway) - total GRE score doesn't tell me much; what was your quantitative and verbal? (most programs expect 800 or very near on the quantitative section) - of the schools you mentioned, Berkeley/Stanford/CMU/Michigan are extremely competitive - Purdue and Duke are less competitive but not by much - you should definitely apply to some safety schools - most schools don't accept engineering PhD applications for the spring semester Best of luck.

Berkeley has had problems this year with documents not uploading, both SoP/personal history statements and recommendations, due perhaps to buggy code or a busy server. Has your recommender tried multiple times, or just the once? I suggest you have him/her try the upload again.

Definitely attach it, but make sure you clearly note that it's under review. A header saying something like. "Preliminary draft; please do not cite without author's permission" would do the trick.

1000 times better, Tam! Nice work One nitpick: "specific speciality" is repeatedly redundant!

Strong SoP, but it could use some work. My thoughts: It's a bit apologetic in tone, and you restate some items that appear elsewhere in your application. Given the limited space you might want to cut out some of the restating of your GPA, etc. What really interests me is your story: you dropped out, but got a great job anyway - how? Even though you have a good, challenging job with nice pay, it's not enough - why? You'll probably never make as much as a math PhD as you're making now, so what is it about math that so inspires you? Your reasons must be there, and they must be strong, but ten minutes after reading your SoP I can't for the life of me remember them. You also devote a paragraph to explaining (not really justifying, though...) dropping out of Rice, but only half a sentence to what you've accomplished in the ten years you've been working as an engineer. What are you good at? What skills have you developed? How do they set you apart from your typical 22-year-old, 3.8 GPA, "straight-and-narrow" applicant? For instance if you manage people, you might talk about how mathematical research problems are typically solved by teams, and you have the organizational/interpersonal skills to oversee and direct such teams. Finally, don't be afraid to sell yourself. Use strong language. Think of this as a job interview -- I'm a professor on the admissions committee who's choosing between you and the 22-year-old mentioned above for a research assistant position. Tell me why I should choose you over him.

Tons of stories of folks who've reapplied with better results. The key is to be able to demonstrate that you've put some hard work into improving your preparation for grad school -- and it seems like you have. I encourage you to reapply... just make sure to get your letters of recommendation in on time, k?

I wouldn't include a non-required subject GRE score unless it was top notch (90%+).

You're under no legal obligation to finish your PhD, but most people would consider it poor form to let a professor or institution fund you for two years of a master's program (an investment in your skills so that you're competent to conduct research) and then leave without giving anything back (i.e. your PhD research). IMO if you only want the master's degree you should apply to terminal masters programs, but to each their own.

These positions are almost always filled by grad students. To my knowledge no such database exists. Your best bet is to decide what you'd like to work on, find researchers in that field, and start contacting them. Have a CV and cover letter ready, and familiarize yourself with their research before you call/write. Luck.

I've never had any problems sending or receiving emails with attachments to .edu servers. Or .gov for that matter. Have you actually had problems with this? As for your other points: agreed, maybe it varies based on field (I'm familiar with engineering and the sciences). "Introducing yourself" emails are fine, and are certainly better than not contacting faculty at all. My goal with these emails though is not simply to establish communication, but to leave the impression of competence and professionalism. Hence familiarizing myself with their work and asking specific/pertinent questions. Your mileage may vary!

Of course publications help. They're not strictly necessary, though -- a strong letter of recommendation from your research advisor praising your abilities is a fine substitute.

Tough to say, really. Check out the profiles thread at the top of the forum; there are some EE applicants with similar GPAs and test scores to yourself. The bad news: - 740 is quite low for a quantitative GRE score on an engineering PhD application. Context: at an Ivy I attended, the ME admissions secretary said that over 50% of the applications each year have perfect 800's on their quantitative scores. - EECS is generally one of the more competitive engineering PhD programs to get into. The good news: - Your physics background will set you apart from engineers. (I'm also a physics major-turned engineering PhD, and this has been true in my experience) - The GRE isn't a dealbreaker; it's more of a box that'll get checked off when the admissions committee reviews your application. If you have very strong recommendations and connect with a professor who wants you as a student, your GRE score won't matter so much. That's my general read on your situation. If you have specific questions feel free to ask.

No single aspect of your application is a dealbreaker. That said, if your GPA is weak you'll need to be exceptionally strong in other areas (GRE scores, letters of recommendation, or research experience) to compensate. Best of luck.

I prefer aggressive and creepy requests, personally!

Here are my thoughts: First, do your homework on the department and the professor BEFORE you write them. Don't expect a professor to do your legwork for you. You should at a minimum read their website and the abstracts of a few of their recent papers. Bonus points for reading an entire paper and bringing specific questions on the content. Second, keep your emails extremely brief. Professors are very busy people, especially this time of year. In the introductory email I'd state the most important 2 or 3 facts about yourself, cite a paper of theirs that interested or inspired you, and ask 2 or 3 clear and direct questions. Attach a CV or resume with your background information -- if they're really interested, they can read it there. The whole email shouldn't be more than a few sentences, IMO. Best of luck.

Got any research experience? What field of EE are you interested in?

I wouldn't worry about a hiccup in your transcript 12 years ago. Your performance at CC and the "public ivy" (what is a public ivy?) have shown your commitment and capabilities. For what it's worth, it looks to me like you'll be a very strong candidate at those schools.

also: - where their recent students have gone post-graduation - if you can meet any of their current students - average time to PhD of their students and i always make sure to ask for any general advice or suggestions they might have.

Don't flaunt it, but definitely show your knowledge of their work. Citations are unnecessary, since the author(s) will probably be reading your statement The ideal strategy would be to identify some interesting way of extending their current research. If you can outline a significant, thesis-level project they'll be impressed.

Yes, the best thing you can do before leaving your PhD program is ensure a letter of recommendation from a faculty member you've worked with who understands and accepts your reasons for leaving. If you can't secure such a letter, your worries may be justified.

Are you asked for a CV or a resume? If it's a Curriculum Vitae they ask for, then send them just that -- the "course of your life." A CV should be a relatively exhaustive list of your life's achievements. Don't skimp. If it's a resume, then keep it concise -- just include the experience that's relevant to the position you're seeking. Good luck

Tough to evaluate your chances, of course. Publications are strong; GPA is weak. You can significantly improve your chances by studying for and retaking the GRE -- shoot for 800 quant and forget about the other sections. You'd be wise to shoot for higher than a 3.5 GPA too (grad classes have grade inflation -- a B- in a US grad class is roughly equivalent to a D in an undergrad class), although this isn't as important as long as you submit your applications before your grades get in. Retake the GRE though, seriously. It'll help.