victor.s.andrei

Your reasons are likely insufficient if you want to go into a PhD program straight out of undergrad. Why exactly do you want to get into a PhD program, much less a funded one? You can do research in industry and teach at community colleges with a strong MS, but you will need a PhD if you want to become a professor. Keep that in mind.

Why move a printer? Just find the one you want on Amazon, sign up for the free Amazon Prime student membership, and have it shipped to you for $3.99 overnight (or less for two-day). I personally use a Samsung ML3312ND black-and-white laser printer with duplexer and Ethernet...usually runs about $100-$125.

Sorry for bringing up an old thread, but I finally saw your comment. Thank you for vindicating my comment - which drew a few negative points from people here.

Uh huh. Sure. http://ask.slashdot.org/story/13/01/06/1649232/ask-slashdot-advice-for-getting-tech-career-back-on-track "After the dotcom bubble burst so long ago,when tech jobs were so scarce, I went back to school and finished my PhD in Physics. They lied — there really is no shortage of scientists. Before the downturn I was a product manager for home networking equipment. Since getting the degree I have been program/project manager for small DoD and NASA instrumentation programs. I desperately want back into network equipment product management, but my networking tech skills aren't up to date. I find networking technology absolutely trivial and have been retraining on my own, but hiring managers see the gap and the PhD and run screaming. I'm more than willing to start over in network admin but can't even get considered for that. Suggestions?"

Yes. It does help. Make sure you discuss your experience in your SOP and how it - plus your degree program - would help you further your career goals.

2.3 is a very low GPA. Take the GRE. Do well. Sign up for non-degree status in the master's degree program. Take core classes. Do well. I'm more concerned with your LORs and SOP at this point. With that low a GPA, you probably don't have LORs from undergraduate, so you will have to get them from non-degree graduate. Good luck.

All of your stats are fine. Your GPA is not mediocre. Good luck with your master's applications.

Penn State has a few sample letters of recommendation: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/writingrecommendationlettersonline/node/154

This depends on what sort of engineering program you are thinking about. EE...you probably will need physics and chemistry. Systems Engineering...you might make for an interesting candidate straight up. CS...that's a toss up.

You are correct: a master's degree is better to have than a second bachelor's degree. As for funding, once you find a good employer with sufficient tuition assistance, you're set.

Manhandled, LOL.

1. Your GRE quantitative score is a bit low. 2. Please translate your CGPA into the U.S. 4.0 grading scale, if you are planning to apply to a U.S. university.

Depends. If you're in technology or engineering, there are plenty of companies here that offer paid internships. Not sure about other fields, though.

Common first semester experience. Did you try petitioning for a medical incomplete? There's another poster here who said you should finish. I agree with that poster. Don't quit now.

Maegan, I don't live in Philly, but I have friends there (including one in the Library and Info Science program at Drexel) and every time I've been up there, I've had a ton of fun, so I'm sure you will too, especially if you are planning on staying close in. After all, you're in the middle of everything: 2 hours to NY and DC, a flight away from Boston (and most major cities, for that matter - flights out of PHL are less expensive than IAD/DCA, where I am). Good luck with your move!