atmaero

now THIS is what we were all looking for. Quite a leap. Your story must be interesting....

completely agree.it is an asset if, and only if , we know why we are doing it.

Ditto here. Only that I would be working for my PhD in Hypersonic Aeroelasticity and CFD development. My CFD work was primarily in Ansys Fluent , though I did dabble here and there with CFX. Most of the Aero grad programs do not encourage using commercial software, for various reasons. CFD algo development is the "in thing" ,especially in areas like high speed flows.You have got a very good advisor .. All the best!

yeah. it is quite common... but for direct PhD Aero programs ( like in my case) sometimes give more priority to Aero undergrads. UTIAS is a great place for Aero! (I like Prof.Zingg's work ) pity that I did not apply there. A mech degree is often advantageous sometimes , especially in areas like manufacturing , where Aero undergrads cannot match upto us. Of course , CFD and Aerodynamics are places where we lack , but we can easily make it up in the grad program. And yeah, looks like ur undergrad experience was pretty much like mine. I was a national level aero-modeler , and my project was in CFD :-) On the whole I guess a Mech degree is a great plus for Aero Engineers. Just out of curiosity, which area of aero ur planning research in?

Awvish, I did not mean that you were showing off .. You do not , in fact! Its just that our academic diversity looks intriguing to many.. and that we also tend to learn a lot during the course of our life. Often, having knowledge outside our specialization comes in handy.

Well yeah Awvish. For most of us here our undergrad program was something which we took up due to the circumstances of the day. But on the hindsight, it does look kinda cool when u got degrees in different branches ( u Actually have a broader knowledge than others who have had done their UG and grad programs in the same branch). For example, here I will be a qualified Mechanical Engineer -cum- Aerospace scientist when I finish my Phd .. Isn't this what we call "diversification of interests" ? In my opinion, as long as u get into your new grad program comfortably, the undergrad is going to be more of an asset and "added qualification" than a disadvantage.In fact, my undergrad Mechanical will help me a lot in my Aero program, and even if its not so for others , you can atleast show off ( Man Awvish..ur a pro in Chemistry , English and now ecology.. ..how many people u know of can boast of that? ). I say that we are a more flexible bunch in our pursuits , and we do not refrain from taking such risky,intimidating grad school maneuvers .

:rolleyes:Thank u qbtacoma and others! That was quite something ( I did not know behavioral patterns differ even inside the US ) . And incidentally, I am going to the Midwest next month ! Though not exactly a rural area, but I will be put up in Columbus for quite some time to come. Well, regional stereotypes apart, How about the academic environment -i.e. grad students from different parts of the US,other countries , university support staff etc. ? I will be spending more time in the university than with the people outside the academia., so are these regional stereotypes a factor when interacting with other students... ?

Lol... Im going to Ohio from a tropical country where summer temperatures touch 47 deg celsius . I have never seen snow in my life ....and boy I'm looking forward to it !! (though my parents are positive that I'l run away after the first winter ) . wonder whats in store for me...and to the brave soul going to Edmonton...> You'r gonna learn much more than grad school can ever teach you

I have been hearing this many a time from different people. And being an international student who's gonna enter the US in a month, I am a bit wary about this whole thing. The very purpose of international exposure is not only academics but also to learn and experience new cultures.well at least this is what I think. I agree that people tend to be in their comfort zones with people of their own ethnicity/country during the initial stage of their foreign experience...but what i want to know from you people is, why does this continue for years ( even after years, having finished their grad program..I have seen many people yet to make any local friends) - is it because 1) The locals are not receptive enough to offer their friendship ,as much as people from their own country do? or 2) Are these people not willing to come out of their comfort zones? Forgive me if this sounds offensive to some , but considering my position , I guess you can understand why I am asking this.

Well I'm not sure if this counts as an entirely different major, but yeah. I did my undergrad in Mechanical Engineering and got accepted into the PhD Aerospace Engineering program. But technically, Mechanical and Aerospace are fundamentally related. So i guess it would not have been a big factor during the admission decisions. though I did have my undergrad in Mechanical , my heart was out flying in space ( i.e. Aerospace, which I had really wanted to take up for my UG but could not- due to a variety of reasons) Being so, the day I entered the Mech program I had decided to go to grad school for an Aero degree. IMO, it was this mindset which made me to actively participate in Aerospace quizzes, contests, research and even aero-modelling - Anything even remotely related to aeronautics I would be involved in. My sole objective was to learn aeronautics in my undergrad.. and i didn't care about the Mech curriculum much. My undergrad projects, research etc were all related to aerospace. Having done this, it was only a matter of time I applied to grad school with a neat SOP stating point blank " This is what I want to do in my life" I dunno how much this helped you, but this was pretty much my (rambling,if not vague ) experience this fall.

Thank you! the link you gave was very useful.!!

WTH?? what strikes me is the absolute disrespect with which the student treats the Professor , even in spite of his efforts to correct himself.He may be boring, but Professors of his credentials deserve to be given more dignity.

Hi..... I will be joining Ohio State for My PhD coming Fall ........ Really looking fwd to Columbus :-)

Hello ! I am an international student and Will be attending the Ohio State University coming Fall for my PhD. i have secured a TA and will be getting a Stipend of $1650 p.m How much of this income is taxable..... Will I be taxed both by the Federal and/or State govt.?And how about the Tax laws of Ohio for an international grad who establishes residency in a year.. would I need to pay lesser? Any views on this would be appreciated!!!!!!!!! thanks

<br><br>You can post your query in the appropriate forum - computer science - here in gradcafe and you can expect more relevant replies.<br>Also, you can try your luck in www.edulix.com , as it has many Asian/Pakistani applicants, and they may be able to guide you better on the prospects of international students of your profile applying to Canadian/US universities.<br><br>IMO, you should have applied to more universities to have a realistic chance of getting admitted in any of them. Just 2 are not good enough. Considering your profile, I don`t think its impossible to get admission to some decent university in Canada.You should work on building your profile and SOP to portray your achievements better.<br>Search for more universities suitable for your profile... you have to apply more to have better prospects.<br>All the best<br><br>

That was very informative. My main preference is to get into a research position in the Industry. Academia is not my main choice,but I am more interested in research - so, in the end,a position which satisfies my interests will be better, whether it is academia or industry. But just out of curiosity , I went through the Aerospace faculty profiles of MIT and Stanford. Though many of MIT faculty were alums of MIT themselves , there were still others from other univs.( One of them is from OSU !). Stanford has a greater variety . They have profs educated in UFL ,U southern Calif. , U Maryland and U Mich.Very few Stanford alums in there. So things got a little confusing on this front..How did those Professors get to MIT/Stan?. What are the general criteria an Industry or an academic job expects from a fresh PhD graduate ( univ rankings apart)? Publications, Impact factors, presentations....anything specific?

@hasseye: Thank you! I have a Bachelor`s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a GPA of about 9 (on a 10 point scale) Involved in Departmental research in heat transfer of Nanofluids for a couple of years and published my work in an international conference. A few papers also pending review in a few international journals.Also, I did a couple of projects in CFD and heat transfer. Added to this, I had some industrial exposure and also had a short term training in aircraft maintenance systems with the Indian Air Force.Other details you might find insignificant though, but this is my overall resume. I`m quite happy about OSU actually. I was just concerned if the rankings would affect my career growth in any way.It may sound naive` to you, but since I`m an international student I don`t have much idea of how important university rankings are in the US.

Dear Brown, thank you for your response. I saw these lines in the MAE website. however, my question is , as to "how important is ranking in choosing grad school for PhD? " Some one pls throw light on this

Dear Brown, thank you for your response. I saw these lines in the MAE website. however, my question is , as to "how important is ranking in choosing grad school for PhD? " Some one pls throw light on this

Hi ppl.. I have been admitted to the PhD program in Aerospace Engg.at the Ohio State University for Fall 2011. I`m taking the direct path from B.S. -> PhD. I want know how much is the university ranking important for a PhD student? I really like the research going on in the Aero dept there and I also have got a TA offer, so it`l be my most probable destination. but one thing I`m a little worried about is the Aero program ranking. does it really matter much for a PhD? I`v heard people saying that "a PhD is all about research and not ranking".. To what extent is it true? OSU is a big ten School but the Aero program is ranked in the 20`s.. Please let me know of your opinion. Thanks