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Congratulations on all of your offers! i think you have some great options. If I were you, I would go to either Cornell or CMU, not to mention that UCLA and UT Austin are both well-reputed schools. You shouldn't get too caught up with the ranking, as there are many other things to consider--finding the right advisor, funding availability, etc. Given that public schools like UCLA tend to have far more students than private schools, one of the advantages of going to private schools (Cornell & CMU) is a favorable student to faculty ration. Although SoCal is a pretty awesome place to live, living in LA, particularly in the neighborhood of UCLA, could be very expensive. I'm currently living in a one-bedroom apartment near UCLA and my rent is $1510 per month. You can probably find cheaper apartments but I think you would have to pay at least 1250 for one-bedroom.

Hello, I had a question regarding the TOEFL requirement specific to Carnegie Mellon University. I was wondering if a person who has earned BS and MS from the university in the US and who is also a permanent resident of the US need to take the TOEFL. If there is anyone out there who knows anything about the TOEFL requirement for CMU, please let me know. I called the admissions office several times but no one responded. "I'm unable to answer your call..." I emailed them but I received an automated message saying "Due to the heavy volume of emails.....". I apologize for posting this kind of thing on the forum. Thank you, Kevin

Hello, I'm considering applying to several ph.d. programs in mechanical engineering. I would greatly appreciate if anyone could tell me whether I need to take the TOEFL or not. I have been attending schools in the US since I was 6 and I am a permanent resident of the US. I earned my BS and MS from the university in the US. I took the GRE and got a score of 730 out of 800 on verbal. Carnegie Mellon University states that "TOEFL scores are required of international students whose native language is not English. This requirement cannot be waived for any reason." And this school defines an international student as " someone who is a citizen or permanent resident of a country other than the United States, and who will be studying in the United States on a temporary visa." Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Kevin

Hi Sarp, I think it would be helpful if you could score at least 450 on verbal and 4.5 on AWA. I think most of the admitted students to top engineering schools have fairly strong GRE scores (i.e. Quant 780+, Verbal 550+, AWA 4.5+). Though your verbal score is on the lower side, I'm sure that the admission committees will consider the fact you are an international student. If you were to retake the GRE, I believe you will end up taking the revised version. I personally don't know what kind of questions will be tested on the new GRE. It may be harder. Furthermore some people have told me that top schools don't care too much about GRE scores. Your research experience, SOP, GPA, etc. are much more important. Kevin

Hi Sarp, Your credentials are definitely strong--you have a very high GPA, work experience, and several publications. I personally think you have a very good chance at UT Austin. Stanford and UC Berkeley are very selective, but I think you have a descent chance at getting admitted to one of them. So you should go ahead and apply. Just bear in mind that sometimes applicants with 4.0 GPA and several publications get rejected from UCB, Stanford and other top institutions. It is very important to get strong letters of recommendation from your professors and write a focused SOP. Are you planning to apply to other schools? If possible, I think you should apply to at least 6 schools (including two safety schools). I wish you the very best, Kevin

Dear newms, Thank you so much for your valuable insight! Take care Kevin

Hello, My name is Kevin and I will be applying to several Ph.D. programs in Mechanical Engineering for Fall 2012 Admission. It would be greatly appreciated If anyone could please gauge my chances of being accepted by top engineering programs. I'm considering schools like : USC, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard, Cornell, Johns Hopkins. My profile: B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Cumulative GPA 3.70; Major GPA: 3.84 ( USC) M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, GPA 3.75 ( USC) GRE: Q:800; V:730; AWA:4.5 3 years of research experience ; no publication 2 graduate-level projects 2 design projects (Undergraduate) I'm a permanent resident Thank you so much in advance

Hello, My name is Kevin and I will be applying to several Ph.D. programs in Mechanical Engineering for Fall 2012 Admission. It would be greatly appreciated If anyone could please gauge my chances of being accepted by top engineering programs. I'm considering schools like : USC, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard, Cornell, Johns Hopkins. My profile: B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Cumulative GPA 3.70; Major GPA: 3.84 ( USC) M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, GPA 3.75 ( USC) GRE: Q:800; V:730; AWA:4.5 3 years of research experience ; no publication 2 graduate-level projects 2 design projects Thank you in advance