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noojens

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Everything posted by noojens

  1. Are you steadily moving to stronger institutions as you go? It won't look great if you do your PhD at a lower ranked school than your undergrad, for example. But if you're moving on up then it's probably not a big deal.
  2. Wait, do you not have a single professor from your MS institution who would write for you? Can't you just send an email or make a phone call? Not to be harsh, but 3.45 is a very low GPA for a graduate program, especially at an unranked institution. Sounds like you need a reality check - you might have a chance at a top institution if you have extraordinary research experience (i.e. groundbreaking publications in great journals) and fantastic letters of recommendation, but I wouldn't count on it. Times are tough, especially for international applicants. Apply to some mid-range (30-50 ranked) schools, and some safeties (100-50 ranked). Best of luck to ya.
  3. Tell your prof what you're thinking and get his advice. Apply to top 5-10 schools and to your current school as well; see where you get in, where you get funding, visit schools, meet professors you'd like to work with, talk to their current students and recent grads, etc etc.
  4. Ya, just get one score with an 800, or very near, on the quantitative part and leave it at that. For engineering the verbal and writing sections don't really matter. Certainly not worth spending $500 on retakes, that's just silly.
  5. Have you been working in a CS-related field?
  6. Cute, but not particularly useful until you cite your actual sources.
  7. I vote School A. More professors in your field, and it sounds like you'll be happy with the location. This is important. Plus, paying 15% tuition for a year isn't bad; start looking now for fellowships/RA/TA positions for next year. And if you ask around campus I'd be surprised if you can't find work (the easy academic kind) to cover the rest of this year's expenses. You made a commitment. Stick with it.
  8. The combined score is good, but engineering departments don't care much about your verbal score. For instance, at the school I attended for my master's degree (top 10 in most engineering fields), the median quantitative GRE score of applicants was 800. So getting a single question wrong places you in the bottom half of the application pool. Take a look at this site to get an idea of the average GRE scores of admitted students at the universities you're considering. For instance, the average incoming PhD student at Georgia Tech has a 772 QGRE score. 757 at Boulder, 756 at TAMU.
  9. At a school like OSU the median QGRE score (the only one they really care about) of the applicant pool will be 800. Retake the GRE.
  10. QGRE is a bit low for the schools you're looking at; might be worth retaking. Apply to some safety schools. Your list is all pretty competitive universities, and it's tough for international applicants (especially in this economic climate).
  11. There are always exceptions, of course, and it depends where you're applying. There's no hard and fast GPA cutoff for a given school, but the top universities get many hundreds of applications each fall and have to choose a couple dozen out of the bunch. GPA and GRE are easy weed-out statistics. That being said, if you have redeeming qualities like a strong GRE score or great recommendations, a sub-average GPA won't kill you. Take a look at the profiles thread at the top of this forum to get at least an idea of where people with GPAs like yours get in. Any work experience helps. Again, can't really tell you how much yours would help without more information. Heh, this information is out there if you just google around, but I'll humor you. These are just my opinions. 1) Strong recommendations from professors/employers who know you well. 2) A personal statement clearly outlining your qualifications, research interests and goals. 3) Experience. Getting into a funded graduate program in engineering is like interviewing for a job. You need to demonstrate that you'll be a good employee (researcher) to your future boss (advisor). Research experience is priceless, work experience is also good. 4) A good GPA from a good university (Waterloo qualifies). 5) GRE scores good enough to get you past the first cut. As far as weight goes? I dunno. I'd say 1 >> 2 > 3 > 4 >> 5. #1 is sort of a wildcard, because having a connection with a professor at the university you're applying to can make up for any number of weak points on your application. Good luck.
  12. 1) GPA is mostly a box that the admissions committee secretary will check off. "GPA over 3.X? GRE quantitative over 7XX? Okay, this one's worth the committee's time." In later stages the committee may review your transcripts in more depth, and at that point upper division coursework will probably be given more weight, but mostly what matters is your cumulative GPA for the AdCom's first cut. 2) It helps. How much? Depends on your field, your research interests in grad school, the kind of work, the recommendations your employers are willing to write for you, etc etc. More information needed for a meaningful response. 3) 3 is the standard number of references. A mix of academic and industry recommenders is fine, but letters from well-connected professors or industry PhDs carry more weight. The best letter is from someone who's known by the AdCom at the school of your choice. Academics are more likely to have those connections. 4) PEng as in professional engineer's license? If you've passed the FE and done your apprenticeship under a PE for 5 years and passed the PE test, then yeah-- that's a great credential. 5) Subject GRE tests are for the subject they test. Take the physics GRE if you want to go into physics. Take the chemistry GRE if you want to study chemistry. No subject GRE tests are required for engineers. If, for instance, you're doing something like material science or semiconductor physics -- something that draws heavily on physics -- then the physics GRE might help. But in your case anything other than the general GRE would be a waste of time, IMO.
  13. Yeah a 1 year MEng degree is great for your career prospects and earning power. A 2 year MS is better PhD preparation.
  14. Yeah, it's possible. For example, people occasionally complete the last few years of their PhD (the research component) working at a place like IBM Watson Lab. It's not super common though, and it requires either you or your advisor having strong connections to a company that performs basic research (of which there are few).
  15. MEng programs are typically project-based rather than thesis-based. They are generally regarded as preparation for work in industry, although if you enter the program knowing you want to do a PhD you can perhaps tailor your coursework and project to position yourself for doctorate admissions. MEng degrees are also typically self-funded, whereas 2-year MS programs are more generous with funding.
  16. My understanding is that certain aspects of biomedical research require a MD to perform. For instance, a biophysics research group I worked briefly with was devising methods of in vitro imaging of cancer cells - but to perform experiments with living tissues the physicists had to have the assistance of an MD. The MD's role was more of a rubber stamp than any meaningful contribution; nonetheless, having the credential opens certain doors that are closed to purely scientific researchers. Your mileage may vary.
  17. Tough decision. How are your relationships with faculty at Delft? Because if you already know a professor whose research and personality align well with yours, and who's willing to advise your PhD research, this would be a compelling reason to stay at Delft. Also, having already completed coursework at Delft might eliminate requirements that you'd otherwise have to fill if you transfered (depending on what you've taken and how it relates to your PhD research, of course) and thus shorten the overall time to PhD. So, no real answer for you based solely on the information you gave, other than to apply to and visit several schools and go where you feel you fit best. Good luck
  18. Well, it's obviously difficult to evaluate your chances based on a few numbers, but the stickied profile thread at the top of this forum will at least give you an idea of where people with your GPA and expected GRE scores have gotten in. A lot also depends on "softer" criteria: your statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, work experience, awards, and so on. The generic advice on what to aim for is to pick out 8-12 schools: 3-4 "reach" schools, 3-4 schools where you have a solid chance of admission, and 2-4 safety schools. You'll have to decide for yourself how competitive of an applicant you are, although you should get input from your professors as well (especially those who serve on the admissions committee). My only other advice would be to get involved in research now, so you at least have something to put in the "research experience" section of your grad school applications. Research is also a great way to develop a personal/professional relationship with a potential recommender. Best of luck.
  19. How different are your future interests from your past research experience? With a PhD in astrophysics you already have a strong mathematical background. Why not apply for more math-oriented postdocs, spend a few years expanding your mathematical expertise, and make the transition to an applied math department? I agree that having a PhD will make you less appealing to a lot of PhD programs. Furthermore, it's probably unnecessary for your career goals. Plenty of people retrain in a different field in their postdoc years.
  20. You're going to be there for like 5 years, so yeah, I think it's important for the school to be a good fit. Anyway, the advisor you work with is as important as the reputation of the school you attend. Maybe more important. So go where you'll be happy.
  21. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by scientific computing. Do you mean algorithms for solving scientific problems? Because if so, such things are typically covered in the scientific fields themselves, e.g. by a computational physics groups within a physics department.
  22. Ayup, if it's money you're after, a PhD is generally a poor career decision, regardless of your field. Certain exceptions may apply, but math ain't one of 'em.
  23. See the two stickied profile threads at the top of the PhysicsGRE forum for what it takes to get into the schools you mentioned. Admission to top physics PhD programs is extremely competitive, particularly for international students. Expect difficulties if you don't score above 950 on your PGRE, and do yourself a favor and apply to some safety schools (as in, ranked 50 or below). Take more physics courses if you can, and get some research experience. Good luck
  24. I don't have definite answers for you (your professors, particularly those that have served on admissions committees, can provide that), but here are some random thoughts: - A big factor in the strength of your application will be your score on the math subject GRE. Berkeley's math PhD website says they typically don't admit people who score under 80%. I suggest you don't take the subject test lightly. - Are you interested in applied or pure math? Because applied math programs will be much more receptive to your course profile; pure math departments will probably want to see a bit more theoretical preparation. - You might google around for math grad school forums. I don't know of any personally, but there are two threads on the PhysicsGRE forums (stickied) you might find interesting. They document a couple hundred applicant profiles - GPA, GRE scores, research experience, etc. - and their admission results. I started a similar thread for engineering on these forums, with mixed results. Those threads won't give you math-specific information, but they'll give you a general feel for what's required to get into top programs. Good luck!
  25. Yep. For engineering/physics/math, the median GRE quantitative score at most top schools is 800. What field are you in, nato?
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