Jordan+AirForce1

i just received an e-mail saying that i didn't make it to Berkeley from their admissions.

I plan to work in the industry after graduating. Which degree would you think will help more to secure a good job in the industry? Will PhD worth 3-4 more years of education, compared to MS? The MS program at Stanford for ME seems very fit to educate its students to get a job in the industry.

if i wanted to work in the industry, instead of going for academia and becoming a post-doc etc, how likely would i find a position after i finish my Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering? Would i find a wider array of offers with MS in mechanical engineering, concentrating on design projects sponsored by big-time companies?

i also realize that standalone MS isn't an option at Cornell... (at least, for ME, too) one of the people i know enrolled in Cornell for M.Eng in EE. Even before the half way over, he was offered a few positions in the industry, and he said they were all from big companies as respectable positions. He accepted a position at a company because it's located in the city he loves. He also told me his classmates had good offers, that he hardly knew anyone in his class who couldn't find a job. However, i don't think research is a big part of the program. (i'ts only one year)

Hmm... how about Stanford compared to Cornell, compared for the same situation? Would Cornell's Ivy League status outshine Stanford's name, likewise?

thank you for the good advices.. any other opinions ??

if your mind is already set on Cornell, you should go there.. (lest you might have a regret later on) but from your comparison above, Michigan seems to be the choice i would make.

are you applying to MS or PhD? as a fellow engineering grad-wannabe, i can offer this piece of advice... both schools are excellent, and either way, you will not regret your choice. i think what you should do to make up your mind is visiting the school. Obviously one's in CA while the other is in the east coast, but you should really visit both schools, talk to faculty, etc. if you can't, at least do thorough research on both schools online.

the response above is generally right. but it really depends on the school. (and possibly which program you choose) for example, some schools don't have M.Eng and their MS is equivalent to M.Eng from other schools. some schools have M.Eng longer, and some schools have MS longer..

i know what OP is talking about. there are many prestigious institutions, but from thegradcafe forum (and some other forums i've visited) there are tons of topics created that are something like "Stanford vs. some other school," but i have seen almost no existence of "harvard vs this school" or "MIT vs this school"... it's always Stanford that has many people puzzled over their selection. and, if i go into one of those topics, it's almost always the same pattern. OP will say he got accepted into both Stanford, non-funded MS, and into another school, for Ph.D full funded or something like that. OP will say he's torn between these choices, and the majority of the responses he receives are "don't go to a school for it's name, find your fit and consider overall value, with financial aid heavily factored." While I fully agree with the advices in such topics, what I don't understand is why only Stanford has so many topics like that, while there are surely other institutions as prestigious as Stanford. My guess is, Stanford gives out a lot more unfunded MS acceptances compared to other comparable institutions.. What;s your take?

how long will MS at Berkeley take, typically? at any rate, good luck! i hope we all can hear the good news from them

thanks for the good info, bone.. even if we get in, though, it will most likely be non-funded, right? All funded admission offers go out early.. is this generally correct?

So this is the official number for MS admission? Where did you get this? According to the US News report, for ME the acceptance rate of Cornell is close to 20% (if i remember correctly) and not 4% as you indicated above.. That number's way too low. I really really wanna know where you got this number.

what's not true? Admitting to MS is only granted to students with "very rare" situations, and they don't accept students for MS alone anymore. Quoted from the faculty directly.

what do you mean 20/500? what exactly is that number, and where did you get that? Getting MS alone isn't an option anymore at Cornell, i've heard... It's either Ph.D directly, or M.Eng.

so schools are giving out funded MSME this late in the cycle? i was under the impression that funded offers are usually given out early..?

hey guys, i'm in the same situation. I've been working as an engineer for about a year and a half after my BS, and well, i wouldn't say it's well-paying, but it pays for my rent, and i'm able to pay off my college loans and my car loan, as well as helping out my significant others financially. i've gone through the same thing, that considering the current economic situation, maybe leaving my job won't be a good idea.. it's a really complicated issue. i think it all depends on what you really want. I think if you choose what's best for you, stick with it, and give it all you've got, you will not regret it later. In any case, i wish the best for all of us who have to make this decision this year..

how much is the typical rent in EV?

Perhaps the most important concern for me is the financial matter. As you know, financial package is very important, and if I eventually went to the PhD option, the major reason will be the financial support I get. Another thing I've been carefully considering is the financial situation after getting the degree. Here is the comparison I came up with: 1. MS option Average salary after graduation = $75000 (from their website) Expected Debt = Anywhere from $70000 to $100000 Time Required for the Degree = 1 year or 1.5 year 2. PhD option Average salary after graduation = no idea.. Expected Debt = Hopefully zero Time Required for the Degree = average 5 years. So as you can see, comparing in short terms, if I went for MS, if I can pay back that debt with the salary in four years or so, it wouldn't be an issue as far as the finance is concerned. What do you think?

Thank you for all your responses. Yeah, I think you might be right on this. It's just that I've been hearing from a lot of people that going for doctorate degree will make me a researcher for good.. And, in some worse cases, companies will rather hire MS engineers, since many positions do not require the PhD education. Why spend more money to hire a PhD, when a MS can do the job? I even heard that being a PhD greatly narrows the employment possibilities in working at a company... Getting a MS will enhance my qualifications, make me flexible to work in many positions, while a PhD will simply make me overqualified for many jobs. So it has been my understanding that unless I want to do research, be specifically specialized in one field, I should not go for PhD in engineering. So I guess I am paranodoxically afraid of PhD programs :shock:

Sure, I'll quote from my official letter. "Funding includes tuition, health insurance, and an annual stipend, including summers, of $28,050." And about continuing to Ph.D, yeah, even though I plan to work in the industry at this moment, I realize that I can experience a change of heart while getting my MS, and decide to go for PhD. Time will tell, I guess... As for the rest of the schools, yeah, I still have a few more schools I'm waiting to hear back from. Hopefully I'll get a funded MS offer somewhere, and I will have more choice Or it will make my decision even more difficult..

i see your point. However, it has been my understanding that, as an engineering major, if I wanted to go for MBA and enter management, companies will look for someone who can handle technical issues, since the candidate will be working closely with engineers. Because of this, I've heard that getting MS before MBA was the way to go. I'm not disagreeing with you You are speaking from experience, from seeing people around you, and it is definitely something to think about. Thanks! Thanks to liszt for your input, as well

Thank you for your response! Yea, I know what you mean, so going for Ph.D is not completely out of the picture for me.. I'm trying to gather as much information as possible, and trying to ask around. But with the decision deadline coming next month, I'm at a crossroad where I think I may potentially make a decision that will determine what I do for the rest of my life. Pretty burdensome feeling, haha. You are a psychic! In fact, I have been exploring that option, and from what I gathered, the optimal path would be MS -> MBA. Getting Ph.D and then exploring MBA would not be conventional. After Ph.D, one would most likely go to either academia or work in the industry as a heavily specialized researcher.. with very little exposure to the management aspect of the company. I just figured MS would be all I'd need if I were to go for MBA.

hello, I'm in a bit of a dilemma here... I got my BS in mechanical engineering a couple of years ago, and i've been working in the industry so far. I've wanted to go back to school and get my masters, so I applied to schools this cycle. I was kind of skeptical about going for PhD, because I have heard (from many different people) that getting a Ph.D will confine you in your career. Overqualify you. Unless I plan to go into the academia, masters should be all I need to work in the industry, I've thought. So I've applied to masters program to many schools, and I recently got into Stanford for MS, but no funding at all. I also got into Ph.D at Cornell, with full funding. (apparently getting just MS isn't an option anymore in Cornell) Last weekend, I visited Cornell, and found the town to be small but charming. I liked the faculty, and overall, I liked the school. But the problem is, I can't go for MS at Cornell. Getting MS and getting a job in the industry has been my goal, so I don't know if committing myself to five years of heavy research would be a good choice for me. On the other hand, I have not visited Stanford or met with the faculty, but obviously it's a very good school for mechanical engineering. The only problem here for me (and most masters students) is the lack of funding. I know I'll accrue a lot of debt if I went to Stanford. So I just want to see some perspectives and hear what you have to say... Anyone in the same situation or was, in the past, and willing to give me some advice?

my trip won't cost as much as you, but i recently got a MS admission to Stanford, and i wanna visit on the official visit day but it is not reimbursed. I'm expecting around 500-600 dollars for the total expense. i'm in the same boat. I really do think visiting school before committing is necessary, but the trip would cost me a lot, so i dont know what to do..