mechengr2000

Are you financially dependent on your mom? Since you are over 18 years of age, you can be independent now if you choose to be. Also, what school/major did you do your undergrad in? I could use your help by the way - I need to learn some digital media and basic drawing skills for some of the projects I am working on. Make a LinkedIn account and display some of your work on there. My friends and I get emails quite often by job recruiters through LinkenIn, and I'm sure you will also.

Any Berkeley students left here on gradcafe?

I think we need more information! Can you say a little bit more about yourself? And what program at UM are you looking at? Is it also BME? Have you already gotten into all of these programs? What is the research? What are the support packages?

What field are you in? What schools are you looking at? After my experience of applying to ~20 schools, I feel the admissions process is a very informal one. I think they really only care about measuring your aptitude to do well in their programs. In this specific case, if you think you can prove higher aptitude by taking the GRE a second time, then do it.

I dont think there are any programs that would feel comfortable accepting you for an MS in Comp Sci when they see you havent taken any math or comp sci courses in your undergrad career. I advise against picking a field because you heard it has good career opportunities because you will be competing against people who are passionate about the field. Do more soul searching - what is it that you like to do? Do you like working with people? Do you like math problems? Do you like creative thinking or deductive logic? You mentioned you were eager to get into the workforce, so what was it you saw yourself doing after graduating with your first BS?

I think your future is more important than the way a 1 minute phone call will feel! Think of how good you will feel for the rest of your life knowing you had the courage to act on your feelings and do what was best for you! If you are afraid of the phone call, just type a 2-line email so its even easier. Do what is best for you! In the case of the original poster, he has NOTHING to lose, and EVERYTHING to gain from doing this! Good luck my friend!!!

Tell school B that you cannot attend due to unforeseen circumstances concerning your wife. (Say this in an email.) Go to school A - its worth it. They actually care about you, you actually care about them, and its one of the best schools in the world (I think I know which one it is). What field are you in? Would you feel comfortable naming at least one of the schools?

They do not force you to do the research you propose in your application if you win. YES - start working on it now! It is a darn hard fellowship to win!

So, with Obamacare Health Insurance, I plan to say on my parent's insurance plan throughout grad school. (Obamacare allows you to stay on your parents plan until age 26.) I'm doing this because my parents have a very good plan. I was offered health insurance as part of the compensation package I accepted at my grad school, starting fall 2011. If I waive this health insurance, will my cash stipend increase since the school would no longer paying ~$1000 to insure me? Is anyone else in this situation? It is my understanding that in the "real world," when one is offered a job in industry, if you turn down a part of your benefits package, the money that would have gone into it just goes back into your paycheck.

I dont think its anymore lonely than undergrad! It all depends on how outgoing you are. If you put in the work to socialize, then you will get to enjoy yourself. Don't expect any meaningful social interaction if you are not putting the work in! The cohorts I've seen at many schools were very friendly - they treated each other as brothers and sisters. I have heard of the opposite, but those were very rare ( <1%).

I agree 100% with what Eigen said, but I would like to add something. If someone is asking how the program is ranked, they usually only care about US News's ranking. That one carries the most weight since its the most popular one. All the other ones are really only known by "insiders" of academia. US News is considered "de facto." Also, if someone is asking about ranking, its because they dont know anything about the quality of the school. Keep that in mind. Ranking of the school is the strongest indication of their reputation. It SHOULD NOT be taken as a measure of the quality of the program. Go on Yelp and read reviews of how awfully people have been treated at some of the top ranked schools. The most important thing about the PhD application process is to become "street smart" and lose the naiveity of an undergraduate. Do your own research into things and don't take lipservice as gospel.

Hey, how hard is the Math GRE Subject Test? I got an 800 on the General GRE Math Section. I am an MS in Mechanical Engineering, and I did a minor in Math as an undergrad. Here are some courses I have taken: Prob Stat I & II Tensor Calculus Calculus of Variations Linear Programming Multivariable Calc, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra What do you think I should focus on and study for the MATH GRE, based on the info above?

bump

Someone asked if putting GRFP in their signature would be pretentious. Some people said it would be. Some people said it wouldn't. It's a matter of opinion, and I think that's why the question was asked i.e. to get a sample of feedback from others, in an environment where one would feel safe asking such a question. That's what I see this website as. Its a place where people can act as compassionate peers for one another, helping build each other up.

I'll think about it more and then post a cogent thought.

OK, maybe things are different in the humanities. I can say that science/engineering tends to be a conservative culture, and thats why it might be frowned on.

What is your field of study and what region of the US are you from? Maybe cultures are different - I am from the Northeast, and I'm in engineering. Also, why do you feel that "you always have to promote yourself" as a student ? If you feel you have to promote yourself to each person you are emailing, then go for it. Unfortunately, we cannot always control how we are perceived by others, so I think its important to keep that in mind. Perhaps that is why it is better to supply information on a need-to-know basis.

I would NOT try to pay off loans while in grad school. That would mean skipping meals, unless you have some realllllly handsome stipend! Where are your loans from? Federal government? Bank?

"I lived and breathed research with a passion." For your field, genetics, I think a graduate degree is a big deal. Think long term, not temporarily. I think you know that you really want to do grad school, and that you are just "caught-up-in-the-moment" since you have a job ready for you. You will always have a job ready for you - if you can get one now in this economy, you will defititely have one 2-5 years from now when its that much better. And you will have a job that you will love because youll have the graduate degree to show you can handle the independance and responsibility for it.

The NSF Fellowship is NOT a credential - it is a financial award. Having an NSF Fellowship does not make you a better qualified engineer/scientist/etc than anyone else (but an MS or PhD or professional license would mean that.) It does not mean you have a specific skill that could possibly be relevant to the person receiving an email from you. It does not bring anything to the table for the people you are sending 99.99999% of your emails to. And your email signature is not there to promote yourself. If you are going to use a formal sign off, it is there only to let the recipient of your message know what position you are responsible for as part of your organization. If that person is interacting with you as an individual, and not as person representing that organization, it is not to be mentioned.

That is the format I use when I sending someone a very formal email, and it actually matters what department I'm in and where I'm coming from. But otherwise, I just use: Full Name Contact Info

Things come off as pretentious when someone mentions them without having a reason to mention it. Why are you mentioning it in an introductory email to potential collaborators? Would they have to pay to support you if you did not have this fellowship? If so, then you should mention it to them in a sentence. I don't think its something that goes into a signature, at any time. It's not a professional credential.

I currently have an MS in Mechanical Engineering. I am starting a PhD in Mechanical Engineering with specialization in computation this fall. I have the option of doing a second MS along with it, in either Applied Math, Physics, or Chemistry. After graduating, I would like to work on projects related to energy, water, food, and medicine. Which discipline do you think in order to help me work on these problems?

You MUST be SHREWD. These schools are looking out for themselves, not for you. You must balance being shrewd (getting the info you need) and being respectful of them so they dont feel insulted. Look out for yourself. Follow up on everything

I totally neglected my health in undergrad, so I'm looking forward to making time for the gym regularly in grad school. I plan on being in the gym every day. The school also has a 100+ acre garden, which I will be visiting at least twice a week. I went to undergrad in the city, so it will be nice to treat my health with some TLC over the next few years.