boneh3ad

I guess the point I am making is that the suggestions made by belowthree might be something that could be expanded into separate sections. As it is, the site has almost all sections for "current grad students" within a few small subforums. Meanwhile, all of the application-related material is spread out and organized. While that makes sense given that the current purpose of the site is primarily graduate admissions, it may not be a bad idea to expand those aspects of graduate life into their own separate forums and section. That is, if you guys are actually looking to broaden the aim of the site. I know that if it was broadened to cover current graduate students, I would most definitely stick around.

I think one thing that you might consider is adding a few more forums that fall in the general talk category so that after admissions season there are other things to talk about on here. I know there is the Lobby, but that is one forum out of like, what, forty?

I have been admitted to 3 M.S. programs so far and 1 Ph.D. with full funding and my GRE scores were as follows: V: 550 Q: 800 AW: 5.5 In other words, my discrepancy was greater than yours, yet I have gotten in, and the 3 M.S. programs are all top 10 in my field, while the Ph.D. is top 25. The key here is what is your program looking for? If you were majoring in English lit, I am sure that your school could care less about your Q score. For me, in mechanical engineering, they don't care about the V score. I don't know what your program entails, but as long as it isn't too math-intensive, I think you will be fine.

IF I get accepted, that is probably my top choice program, though funding will be an issue. We will see. We ME's are getting shafted as far as hearing in a timely manner this year. I don't know where I am going to find the time to go visit the places I get into.

FWIW, RPI is sending out their ME Ph.D. acceptances right now. I just got an email...

Yeah, so far I haven't gotten funding anywhere, but my fingers are still crossed. I really want to hear from a couple more before spring break so that I can have a nice little cross-country trip of my own to go visit. As of now the only school on that visit list is Georgia Tech. And lightyears, Minnesota is too cold. I am here at Illinois, and the cold already bugs me. haha.

FWIW, I had a fairly low GPA compared to the majority of people who go to grad school for mechanical engineering, but my GRE scores were really good, which definitely helped my applications.

No idea, but its driving me insane...

I had two consecutive bad semesters and briefly addressed it in my personal statement. A couple profs advised me to do that, one of whom was on the admissions committee at UIUC until a year or two ago. Basically, if you can explain the semesters and put a positive spin on it somehow, or explain how it made you a better person or somehow fits into your journey towards grad school, then go for it. Just don't dwell. That was the most important thing that my profs told me. Don't focus on it, just mention it in passing if you choose to mention it at all.

Sometimes you get too close to see Another side of what life can be. And if you stare too long it all becomes a blur And it's easy to forget just who you are. Don't stare too hard Just take a look around...

Haha, nope. That is like my #1 choice and I am just chomping at the bit to find out. It is driving me crazy!

Hectic semester. No end in sight.

Fixed

The third season was pretty crappy if you ask me, which is why they fired the producers and hired new ones. The fourth season, however, has been very good so far. Not quite as good as the 1st, but definitely better than the 2nd and 3rd. I actually look forward to watching it again.

Someone asked about parking... Parking can be a nightmare. Everything is metered, but that is assuming that you can find an open one. The best way to get around is walk or bike, as there are sidewalks everywhere and bike paths all over campus. Public transit is good too. If you must drive, it costs something like $800+ a year for a reserved spot in a campus parking lot, which may or may not be close to your classes. As for where to live, someone mentioned they would live between Kirby and I-74, but this is not a good idea. Anything north of University Ave. and you start getting into the rough parts of town (which are admittedly small, but rough nonetheless). Urbana is nice, but I am not too familiar with it. If I stay here for grad school, I will look in Urbana first I think.

I am going there currently as an undergrad and I got in for Mechanical Engineering, but I applied to the largest list of schools known to man so I am waiting to hear about funding everywhere.

I got in for Mechanical Engineering, but I applied to the largest list of schools known to man so I am waiting to hear about funding everywhere. Purdue is right down the road from Illinois, so I will probably go visit soon.

Still waiting on the decision here... hope it comes soon =/

Undergrad Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Major(s): Mechanical Engineering Minor(s): N/A GPA in Major: 3.5 Overall GPA: 3.25 Length of Degree: 4 Position in Class: Not really sure... top 3rd or so I suppose Type of Student: Domestic male GRE Scores: Q: 800 V: 550 W: 5.5 Research Experience: 2 yrs in field with two different professors Awards/Honors/Recognitions: None that are pertinent Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Internships at Halliburton and Rolls-Royce Applying for M.S./Ph.D. at: Purdue University - ME - Accepted via email for MS on 1/8/09, No funding University of Illinois - ME - Accepted via snail mail, then email for MS on 2/16/09, No funding University of Michigan - ME - Rejected from M.S./Ph.D. on 4/8/09 Cornell University - ME - Rejected from Ph.D. on 5/21/09, Offered admission to M.Eng instead. Declined. Texas A&M University - ME - Accepted via email for Ph.D. on 3/16/09, Full tuition (TA/RA) Johns Hopkins University - ME - Rejected from Ph.D. on 4/10/09. Offered admission to MSE. Declined. Georgia Institute of Technology - ME - Accepted via snail mail for MS on 12/3/08, No funding Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - ME - Accepted via email for Ph.D. on 3/5/09, Full tuition (TA) University of Maryland - ME - Pending... University of California - Berkeley - ME - Rejected from M.S./Ph.D. on who knows when, I called 4/2 though. It says I was accepted as an MS, though on my application I marked that I intend to pursue a PhD after completion of my MS. I applied at a lot of places since, as you can tell, my GPA is quite low. I was actually pretty surprised to get into a couple places so far.