ghanada

So where are you planning to live? I am not set on living near North since I will have classes on Central and I hear the busses are very good.

just so you all know, you CAN'T reach Helaine anymore...they cut her off from e-mail. All your inquiries should go through Steve Doherty. I think because all of us current LEAPers are putting up such a big stink they are trying to cut her off from being able to communicate with us. It is also not clear how much longer she will be around. So basically, count Helaine out, and assume you won't be able to speak to her anymore. We have also been reassured by the Dean of Engineering that they are fully supporting LEAP and that they are going to continue to offer the same service and care as before. Whether or not this is true I don't know, but you should all operate under the impression that everything will carry on just as before and that you will be taken care of at BU. I do think there are a good number of people that did receive LEAP scholarship, I just don't know where they are or how they got it. I do know that the reason for a lot of you not getting the scholarship is because the LEAP program is operating under the same funding since it basically started when it was funding like 20-30 people. Now that there are about 100 LEAPers and I hear your incoming class will add another 30-40, there just isn't enough money to go around for everyone. So essentially it is a tradeoff for allowing more people the LEAP opportunity but not being able to financially support many deserving people.

Hi all, I too am moving to Ann Arbor to start a biomedical engineering PhD this fall. I will split my time between central and north campus for classes but my research lab will most likely be in north campus. I would like a 1 bdrm for under $1000/month and I don't necessarily want a car if I don't need it. I have so far heard Kerrytown is nice, but a little pricey. The other places I have heard about are Willowtree, which sounds overpriced and in bad condition, or Northwood which sounds ok but overpriced. Are there any more opinions about these places or other great locations to look at? I would def. prefer quieter areas that are at least close to some restaurants (in case I don't get a car).

your points are all completely valid and it is understandable at how freaked out you are. I have been there myself so I know how it goes. I'm glad I can help you all out since I am so grateful for the LEAP program and I want to give back in any way I can. since you have "pho" in your username I am guessing you are trying to get in photonics? If so, are you doing EE? Prof. Nawab is the adviser for EE and he is amazing. One of the best profs I have ever had in my academic career. I'm sure he's a busy man, so don't get worried if you haven't heard back yet. Also, I'm fairly certain that if you just enroll in 2 classes you will only be charged as a part-time student. I personally don't think anyone should take 3 classes at a time. It costs the same as 4 classes (full-time) so you might as well take a 4th class or just take 2 and be part-time.

haha wow, you guys are like crazy freaking out! sorry to laugh a bit as I understand how huge this is, but I have been periodically checking this thread and the speed at which you all post is insane! ok, since you guys figured it out, I guess I will elaborate as to what is going on. What you stumbled upon is correct, Helaine has been notified that BU will be "letting her go" sometime in the next week or so. All of her duties have been redirected to Steve Doherty for now. Just so you know, the LEAP community is STRONGLY opposed to this and we are currently mobilizing action against BU right now. I am personally extremely upset with BU College of Eng. and am personally going to fight for Helaine. Unfortunately, I have no idea what this means for the future of LEAP and all you guys. I personally think this move is a stifling mis-step that may destroy the positive movements the LEAP program has been making. It is all very worrisome to me that none of you were offered scholarship at the same time this news was announced. I am very suspicious of what is going on with funding toward the LEAP program now and will definitely inquire about this to the people higher up. I don't know what else to tell you guys. I will do my best to help you all out as things progress. I will say that many students do in fact work part-time while doing the program. Feel free to message me if you have any personal concerns or questions. I'm crossing my fingers for you all!

hmmm, I don't know if I actually agree with your first point. Your argument makes sense, but I have heard from lots of people and adcoms that the name of your undergrad doesn't really matter. Now, I am sure adcoms get a sense of what "good" GPAs are from certain schools and might take that into consideration, but overall I think 3.95 GPA from a no name school holds JUST as much weight as a 3.75 from Harvard and I don't know if all things being equal they would automatically default to the Harvard applicant. I would be inclined to think that your position in your class would be more important in these cases. However, I completely agree with your second point. To the OP, you should know that I am going to be attending University of Michigan in the Fall for a BME PhD and I had an undergrad GPA of 2.57. I don't know if you consider UMich a "tier 1" school or not, but I think it is a pretty competitive school nonetheless. But, the thing is that I did a lot of research (5+ years), published a lot (10+ authorships), did a Masters (3.8 GPA), and got great letters from all my previous experiences. So obviously I would not have gotten in with my undergrad GPA, but you should understand that if you are passionate about making it to a great program, it is not impossible. It took A LOT of hard work--5 years from when I graduated from undergrad, but it happened. Don't count yourself out! Work hard, take some time off and improve your resume if you need to. Also, the best thing you can do for yourself is find potential advisers at these schools you want to attend and talk to them about joining their labs. When it comes down to it, if a professor has money to fund you and wants you in their lab, the school will not say no. That is the route I went.

According to the newest US News ranks: Top 20 ECE schools 1. MIT, Stanford 3. Berkeley, UIUC 5. Georgia Tech 6. Cal Tech 7. Carnegie Mellon, U Mich 9. Cornell 10. Princeton, Purdue 12. UT Austin 13. UCLA 14. USC, U of Wisconsin-Madison 16. UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, U of Maryland 19. Columbia, Ohio State You should probably check out potential adviser's webpages for the DSP work they are doing and see if it fits what you want to do.

On US News, it looks like NCSU is tied for #60 in chemistry? If that is the case, you should really not concern yourself with rank at all. As someone else on these forums have said, don't trust rankings past top 25. Now, if NCSU was in the top 10 or top 20 I could maybe understand you wanting to choose NCSU over UNCG. However, the most important factor in doing a PhD is research fit. Time and time again every person that has experience with PhDs will tell you to absolutely ignore rankings/name and go to a place that you will do the best research work. Even US News wrote an article saying that ranking importance is the #1 myth in PhDs. Ranking is important for professional degrees like law, business, medicine, etc, but NOT for PhDs. So yeah, unless it is a difference between top 10 and NCSU, don't sweat the rankings. http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/2012/04/13/4-graduate-school-myths-debunked

Man this thread has really gone quiet for the last month now. But for posterity sake, here's my final results: Applied for BioE/BME [PhD] at: UCSD, USC, UCLA, Berkeley/UCSF, Stanford, U Washington, Duke, MIT, U Michigan, UPenn, Columbia, Northwestern, JHU, U Pitts, Brown, U Minnesota, Boston U, CCNY Rejected: UCSD, Berkeley/UCSF, Stanford, U Washington, MIT, UPenn, U Minnesota, Duke, Northwestern, JHU, Brown, UCLA, USC Interviews: Columbia Accepted (all with full funding): Boston University, Columbia, U Michigan Attending: U Michigan

Does anyone else hate how much "rankings" mess with the psychology of how we make our choices on grad schools? Even though everyone consistently says that rankings and name brand mean little in research degrees, it is so hard to separate that out. I know this actually matters for professional degrees, but in research it is supposed to just come down to the research itself (which makes logical sense). And yet, I am a bit disappointed in myself for how subjected I get to these things and it bothers me that I care at all. I was in a similar but different situation in that I had to choose between a higher ranked program with low name recognition vs an ivy league with decent rank (top 15). I ultimately chose the non-ivy school based on research fit, but I was still saddened to turn down a (ivy undergrad) dream school. And I agree with everyone else, you didn't have a bad choice here and I am sure you will be happy with your decision. Best to just look ahead and not worry about whether or not you did the right thing.

Getting a PhD is all abou the research. Forget rank, prestige, name, etc. It comes down to whether or not the research fits with what you want to do. If none of these schools offer you the research you want and none of the PIs seem interesting, then don't go. If those "ivy" schools you want to get into fit you better than I could understand you wanting to re-apply next year. BUT if you seriously only want to go to those schools because you can say you went there, then I think you are missing the purpose of doing a PhD. The number 1 myth about grad school is that name/prestige means everything: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/2012/04/13/4-graduate-school-myths-debunked Anyways, for what it's worth, I turned down a well funded PhD at Columbia for a much lesser name school because the research fit is perfect for me. So I understand your dilemma, but it would have been foolish of me to pick a school just for the sake of going to an ivy.

yeah, just be patient guys. I'm telling you, there have been some very unexpected events regarding LEAP right now and I have a feeling your financial aid decisions are being delayed. Believe me, the admin staff at BU eng dept is very good and they aren't trying to be negligent. For reference, when I first joined LEAP I didn't hear about financial aid until May so it is only very recently that they have been trying to get financial aid info out "early". Keep in mind that this is a non-traditional program and LEAP doesn't really follow the same type of schedule as other grad programs.

hey guys, there is some crazy admin stuff going on with the LEAP program at the moment. I beg you all to not bug Helaine right now just to ask about financial aid. They haven't forgot about you guys, they are doing the best they can.

I think you should hold off on grad school until you figure out what you want to do. There is no point going through the process, shelling out lots of money, and then not even being sure if that is what you want. I recommend working for a bit after undergrad to get a sense of what you are really passionate about. Your profile sounds great and I don't think you will have a hard time getting into some great programs for whatever you decide to do, but why not work until you that out?

there are TONS of summer sublets available in Boston since everyone has to sign leases until August 31st and many people are either done with school or gone for the summer. Often times you get a better deal on these places as they are furnished and already setup with cable and internet. It would also give you some time to look for fall apartments.

For what it's worth, I started my Masters at age 26 and I am going to start my PhD in the fall when I will be 29. For all my acceptances, my age helped me a lot and I probably wouldn't have gotten them without being on the older side. So in my opinion, age is actually a benefit. It isn't the end of the world to start a PhD later in life, happens all the time. I wouldn't focus so much on MIT/Stanford. There is NO WAY to judge what your chances are of getting into those places. I have seen domestic applicants with 4.0 gpa, few years of research, first author pubs, patents, industry exp, etc and get rejected like it is no big deal. I would encourage applying there, but I wouldn't put all my hope in those 2 schools and feel like you missed out if you didn't get in. You should def apply to many other programs that fit you well. I still think that if you are happy with the school you are going to do your Masters at, you should try and stay there for your PhD. It will be the easiest transition and probably shorten the time it would take to finish the PhD. And if it is a top 10 school I don't see why going to MIT/Stanford is so important? Believe me, I understand the allure of those names, but I have met plenty of incredibly successful people that did not attend those schools. Don't sweat it.

Ahhh I see, I think we were answering 2 different things. I was originally responding to @krbhnp, whom asked HOW to apply to the PhD on the application itself. I think the poster was just confused as to which box to choose when filling out the application because he/she wasn't familiar with the difference in choices between "PhD" and "Masters leading to PhD". I was trying to clarify the semantics. haha, I actually completely agree with you that a Masters is beneficial, which is why I did a Masters before applying for PhDs. Your points are dead on with my personal experience and I actually think obtaining a Masters before PhD is a great route to go (granted it doesn't cost too much money). And what you said about being eligible for a stronger PhD after the Masters is exactly what happened to me...my Masters is at a top 50 eng school, my PhD will be at a top 10 school and that was entirely because I got the Masters first.

Sorry, I guess it might be different for computer science? My advice was from my own experience with BME so I thought it might be true for the @krbhnp, but I could easily be wrong. It has been my experience that if your goal is to get a PhD, then you apply directly to the PhD (unless the school doesn't allow that). And then some schools have a Masters leading to PhD option, so I thought that is what you are supposed to do if you don't have a Masters yet. Could you be more clear on exactly why this is incorrect? I admit I could be wrong, but I guess I didn't understand from your post exactly what "actually happens"?

Are you going to try and do your PhD at the same school as your MSc? If that is the case, transferring from a Masters to a PhD is usually just dependent on finding an adviser in the department to work with that wants you and has funding. It happens all the time (including for myself). A connection to a faculty member with funding is the greatest asset you can have when looking for a PhD. Now, if you want to apply to other schools than this is more tricky. Have you done any work this year that would enhance your application since this application year? If all you will have to add is the 3 months in the upcoming fall semester, than it might not be worth applying for PhDs at other schools yet. It would probably be more beneficial to wait 1 year so you can show your grad GPA. The other thing is that you should start researching in a lab ASAP. You would want to get your grad adviser to write you a new letter of rec and try to publish if you can. You obviously won't get anything published before you apply to a PhD, but you could at least start writing a paper and having that listed as "in progress" on your app will still be helpful.

scratch that, I am actually getting accepted at UMich through the BME dept. Did nobody in here apply there or visit?

If your final goal is to get a PhD, apply DIRECTLY for a PhD. Now, some schools don't allow this and have the option for doing an "MS leading to PhD", if that is the case, do that. The admissions websites are very specific in saying the requirements for a PhD and I have found that 90% of the school do NOT require an M.S. first and they are explicit in saying that if your intention is to get a PhD, then apply directly for the PhD. Now, even if you do apply directly for the PhD, there is usually an option on the application that asks if you would still like to be considered for a Masters if you don't get accepted to the PhD. You should probably check that box. If the application does not have this option built in, you can mention this somewhere, like in your personal statement or sometimes applications will have an area to make comments or upload any random documents you want.

@zerothorder, I am pretty sure BU's rankings in ECE (photonics) isn't particularly high ranked. However, I am getting my Masters in EE at BU (not in photonics), but I know there's lots of good work happening in that area. I also think BU gets pretty underrated for engineering. The profs are good, the research is good, and facilities are great, and the campus is nice. I am not sure if you are considering other places, but if you are worried about BU because of ranking, I think you will be ok.

I am contemplating accepting an offer at Columbia BME for a PhD. If you can, you should visit! I personally LOVE the campus. It is very small so space is always an issue, but it is beautiful and in a cool part of the city. The program is a bit young (about 10 years old or so) so it is still gaining reputation. However, Columbia is like a top 15 engineering school and the BME program is right around top 15 as well. I only spoke to current PhD students so I can't comment on the Masters, but everyone is generally happy and doing well. One thing you should note is that I view Columbia BME as more focused on business and consulting rather than biotech industry. I am not sure what your plans are after the Masters, but if you like the business side of engineering Columbia is great. Columbia is definitely a stronger program than UF, but whether or not it is worth the price tag is a serious question to consider. If you can get subsidized grad housing (not guaranteed, preference goes to PhD students) the cost is like $1100/month for a fully furnished room in a 2 or 3 bdrm apartment, which is really good for the area it is in. Otherwise, depending on where you live you can easily drop like $1500-2000/month if you have to find something on your own. If you have any other questions you can feel free to message me.

Is anyone going to attend or has done a visit at UMich? I am getting a late recruitment effort from a professor there and could really use some thoughts on the program? I applied there under BME, assumed I was rejected, and then haven't looked into the school at all. I might fly out next week to check it out, but seeing as how we are so close to April 15th I don't get much time to think about the program. I guess I got rejected from BME dept but would go through the EE dept and work in a BME lab if that matters. This is for a PhD. Any thoughts on reputation, prestige, Ann Arbor as a place to live, career opportunities after graduation for academia or industry, etc? I have only lived in LA and Boston and know nothing about Michigan and could really use any commentary from people familiar with the school or area.

Is anyone going to attend or has done a visit at UMich? I am getting a late recruitment effort from a professor there and could really use some thoughts on the program? I applied there, assumed I was rejected, and then haven't looked into the school at all. I might fly out next week to check it out, but seeing as how we are so close to April 15th I don't get much time to think about the program. I guess I got rejected from BME but would go through the EE dept and work in a BME lab if that matters. Any thoughts on reputation, prestige, Ann Arbor as a place to live, career opportunities after graduation for academia or industry, etc? I have only lived in LA and Boston and know nothing about Michigan and could really use any commentary from people familiar with the school or area.