noojens

Sounds to me like you made the right decision. Hope it works out for you.

Are you doing MS or PhD in MSE? And would you mind posting your stats, either here or in the profiles thread in the Engineering section? I'm extremely curious about what it takes to get into a school like Penn or Toronto. In response to your question... I think it makes far more sense economically to go to Toronto. It's extremely unlikely that the cash invested in a Penn education will ever pay off, when compared to a free degree from Toronto. But your mileage may vary.

I think it's pretty clear at this point that we have not. Although the tone of your posts gives me an inkling of why you haven't been accepted.

It depends on your financial situation, I suppose. I bet if you hired a consultant who'd served on admissions committees in your specific field, they could make some very valuable contributions to your application portfolio. Personally, though, I'd start by posting my stats and story here. We may be amateurs, but this community does have a lot of collective knowledge and experience. Best of luck.

You're certainly not obligated to tell them -- but, out of curiosity, why wouldn't you? Seems like common courtesy to me.

Do you want to continue for a PhD? If so, take the thesis track. If you're interested in the MS as a credential for a career in industry, then just do whatever's more interesting for you. A thesis may help if you end up applying for jobs in a field related to your thesis research, but IMO it doesn't matter that much for industry. Best of luck.

Here are my thoughts on your situation. First, what is it exactly that you want to do? You mentioned planning, geography, policy, environmental engineering.... If your statement of purpose on a grad school application is as vague as your posts here are, it's unlikely you'll get in anywhere. Second, your GPA. To be quite honest, with a 2.4 GPA you'll have a hard time getting in to any grad school, let alone one in the top 100. Your 3.0 in community college coursework is a little better, but still not grad school material. If your end goal is a graduate degree from a good university, you need a track record of strong academic performance. Finally, it sounds to me like you're excited about getting back into academia, and exploring it in a way you couldn't the first time around. If this is true, I think you'd be better off in an undergrad program, where you can take a variety of coursework and find your true calling, than in a graduate program. Grad programs are typically highly focused on one specific area; they don't afford much room for exploration. So much for the reality check. On to the strategy! If I were in your shoes, I would concentrate my energies on applying to a strong undergraduate school. I'd probably apply to bigger schools that have solid programs in engineering, geography/planning, and life sciences (and any other areas you're interested in). Places like Madison, Michigan, UIUC, Berkeley (if you're in CA), OSU, U. of Washington, etc. come to mind -- big state schools with good reputations, tons of research opportunities, broad course offerings and relatively cheap tuition. I don't know where you're from, but you might look at the flagship state school in your region as a starting point. As you decide which schools to apply to, make sure to ask admissions people about transferring credits from your previous degree. You should be able, at a minimum, to transfer your basic science classes and humanities/social science courses; this should shorten your second degree time to around two years (if you go full time). Those two years get you a second degree (which should improve your job prospects and compensation, even if you decide not to go to grad school), time to explore a lot of fields and decide on your area of specialization, a demonstrated track record in tough courses at a strong institution (shoot for a 3.5+ GPA if you want to be competitive), research opportunities (research experience is perhaps the most important factor on a science grad school application), and relationships with big-name professors (potential recommenders). Plus, college is just fun. Good luck, whatever you decide.

Some random things I'm doing differently between my two rounds of PhD applications: - refining my research interests - researching departments and faculty who are strong in my field (last time I just applied to well-ranked schools in fun cities) - reworking SoP to reflect my newfound goals and interests - completing a master's at a top ranked school - taking a year to do research at a nat'l lab - publishing a paper or two (hopefully!), giving some presentations - contemplating retaking the GRE (to improve my 770Q/700V/4.5W to ~ 800Q/730V/5.5W, hopefully? not sure if it's worth it) - replacing two recommenders with professors who know my research and academic abilities better Lack of research experience was my big handicap last time around. With a couple years' worth of research and a master's under my belt I think my applications will be a lot stronger. We shall see.

I can't really speak to the GRE requirements for molecular biology; most of my experience is in the physics and engineering fields. However, research experience is huge in the sciences, and yours looks top notch. Have you published any papers, or given any talks on your research? Will your research advisor(s) write you a good recommendation? Also, will you be taking a GRE subject test? Generally, subject test scores are regarded as quite a bit more important than general GRE scores. So I don't have enough information to decently evaluate your chances, but your research experience sounds strong, and your GPA shouldn't hold you back if your tests and recommendations are solid. Good luck

Lying (or omitting required information) on an application is grounds for later actions such as: - Dismissing you from the program, if you get admitted - Revoking your TA/RA funding - Revoking your degree Do so at your own risk. Also, check out physicsgre.com; some admissions professors read and post to those forums, so you might get an inside opinion there.

At this point in your education, I think the reputation of your advisor and your department are far more important than the reputation of your school. CU may not have the Ivy League panache, but it does have a fantastic condensed matter physics group (with plenty of semiconductor expertise) and at least one researcher who's interested in working with you. Bottom line: go where you'll be happy. The tone of your posts suggests you already know where that is.

Are you going to work with Noam

What's your goal with your MS? To improve your career prospects, to prepare for PhD coursework, or to gain skills that would allow you to work in some other job, closer to your passion? If you're happy with your current job, and you're looking at the MS more as a means of increasing your earning power, I'd say stick with the job and take the cheaper/longer/more relaxed route. Play your music, save some money, and have a life outside of work and school! If, on the other hand, you're looking at the MS as a transition either into a different field of employment or into a PhD program, I think it's worth devoting more attention to your studies (and, if the PhD is your goal, perhaps it's worth applying to stronger programs). Just my two cents! Best of luck.

Test scores and GPA are strong; research is about average (it will be strong if your papers get through the publication process); scholarships are definitely a plus. It's tough for international applicants, but I'd say you definitely have a shot at a top 20 program. Best of luck!

I think it's not so much whether you took 17 or 20 math courses, it's which math courses you took. Most math grad programs will presume knowledge equivalent to: - lower division courses: calculus, ODE/PDE, computational linear algebra, vector analysis (calculation-based courses) - upper division courses: real analysis, complex analysis, modern algebra, linear algebra, and perhaps probability theory (proof-based courses) If you're missing one or two of the upper division courses, some programs may allow remedial study while you pursue your MS. Your application will be stronger with a demonstrated record of excellence in upper division (theoretical) math courses, but IMO they're not strictly necessary. Your mileage may vary.

I think it depends hugely on your field. Science and engineering? Research > *. I don't know much about humanities and social sciences.

Considering they were obligated to inform you one way or the other by April 15, yes. Good luck

Have you sent a follow-up email yet? If not, you should do so.

Thanks folks! What about rudimentary things like sentence structure? I remember using a lot of semi-complicated stuff like prepositional phrases and semicolons in my AW section. Is it best to keep it simple? I mean it's graded at least in part automatically, and writing algorithms to recognize good grammar ain't easy. Microsoft's been trying for a decade plus with only middlingly successful results, so how good could the GRE software really be?

Anyone have advice or strategies for preparing for the writing section? I scored a 4.5 last time, which I'm fine with or whatever, but it would be nice to at least understand how that damn section is scored.

Is Penn's MS a two-year program? Do you have funding at either school? In many ways, the Cornell MEng program is designed as a fifth year of undergrad, with (as you say) a project designed to cultivate industry-specific skills as the core of the program. However, it's also flexible -- if you take, for example, core EE PhD courses instead of fourth-year electives, and choose your project to be more research-oriented (preferably under a professor with whom you'd like to do a PhD), you can make the switch. An advanced degree certainly won't hurt your prospects of getting into a PhD program, but a two-year research-based MS is typically more advantageous than a one-year MEng, IMO.

Most acceptances to top programs that I've seen definitely are in the 3.7+ GPA category. That said, you have a strong research background, so perhaps that will improve your chances. Does your MS advisor know anyone at Berkeley, Princeton or Stanford? Personal contacts always help.

I think a gap year looks fine, as long as you use it to do something productive. If you can land a position doing research that's directly related to the research you want to pursue in your PhD thesis, then I say go for it. The master's would no doubt be costly, and (speaking from experience here) it's tough to give the PhD application process (retaking the GRE if necessary, motivating recommenders, hunting down transcripts and test scores, contacting departments, etc) the time it deserves while you're juggling master's research and classes. As for whether or not the master's classes would transfer -- dunno. If you know the schools you'd like to apply for a PhD at, you could send them an email and ask about transfer credits. Best of luck.

Congratulations to all who've gotten acceptances! As you BioE/ChemE folks receive those last responses from the schools you're still waiting on, could you please post your profiles (GPA/GRE/research) in the Profiles Thread? It will help with our continued correlation of profiles and results. Many thanks - Your Friendly Neighborhood Moderator

I was asking about merit-based aid, and you answered my question - thanks.