Tobson
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Posts posted by Tobson
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Hey Matteo,
you may find a similar profile of mine in the "applicants of 2009" thread in the engineering section. Did you convert your GPA?
I wouldn't do that, I don't know about Italy, but the grading especially the "philosophy" of grading is in the very different in the US
, compared to Germany.
I always think that this is very hard, but I tried:
Chances:
Embry Riddle
Purdue (no funding for Masters)
Texas A&M
Virginia Tech (I can tell you more this coming fall)
Matches:
Minnesota Twin Cities
Case Western
Illinois Tech
Safeties
Missouri S&T
West Virginia
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well as far as international (esp. European) applicants are concerned I found a very nice study by the IEE (mostly about the acceptance of the Bologna Process)
(http://www.iie.org/Content/NavigationMe ... er2009.pdf)
One nice part, applicable to this thread was this:
page 10 -In your opinion, of the factors listed below which three are weighedmost heavily by academic departments in considering international applicants for
graduate study?
- Preparation for study in a specific field or specialization - 74%
- Standardized test scores - 57%
- Quality of institution(s) previously attended - 52%
- English language ability - 50%
- Prior experience with students or faculty from an
institution -19%
- Prior experience with students or faculty from an
Educational system in home country -13%
Length of undergraduate degree -12%
Other -12%
- English language ability - 50%
- Quality of institution(s) previously attended - 52%
- Standardized test scores - 57%
- Preparation for study in a specific field or specialization - 74%
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well as you mentioned one has to be realistic, the job marked for tenure position in the social sciences is really competitive. (I think that is part because there are a lot more women than in the engineering disciplines - where I come from - and also because this job market in general pays less). You should discuss it whith your partner in depth but in my opinion she is right with her doubt. It might be different if you were 33 y/o without debt but with debt it is probably almost impossible. You don't only have to pay your debt/interest, you also have to start thinking about your social security after retirement as well as the possibilty of getting children (expensive). Just run the numbers. A good school with good funding would possibly be a first step towards solving this dilema - especially if you really want to get on the tenure track.
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Didn't they tell you anything? About te decision?
Good luck!
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Haha, I know what you mean, I am moving to the US for my Masters. Since I am from Europe the only things I will bring are my books, clothes, computer and my camera. Any international student will face similar problems and I'd almost go that far and say any student moving more than 300 miles will be in a similar situation. Just see it as the adventure it is. About the academic stuff I don't worry about in the moment, I am in grad school right now, it can't get worse
(I am working week-ends and hollydays....)I second the suggestion of making list, especially a time table is very good - for example I have to submit homework on monday and a presentation for an international conference on wednesday - no reason to worry about anything else than that
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I just received an email a couple of days ago from a masters program at Penn State...The deadline was Feb 27 for the application(I submitted mine earlier) so I am not sure what took so long. The email said that the program had accepted me and is now taking my application to the graduate school for approval, who would then send me a formal letter, so it is April 30 and I have not received a formal letter. If April 15 is the normal notification date for our decisions, why do some schools not tell us we are accepted until after that?
because April the 15th is the deadline for studentes with funded offers - the first round of admitts. So if somebody rejects the offer, they will offer it to their pool of qualified applicants (which probably weren't as qualified as the first round)....Since some people wait pretty long to decline the offers, some admitts will be pretty late. This is especially true for programs that only accepts funded students.
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lol - guys, that's what I am thinking all the time. I am glad somebody spoke it out. It is not called theUNDERgradcafe...
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Why do you think so? This certainly depends on the area you want to pursue research in. If they publish a lot they won't have securtity restrictions, maybe you just applied to the wrong schools. But you are right many fields are also covered my the ME departments so this is an advice to take into account.
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I second the "Barrons" - it is a good book -especially the practice CD.
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Thanks for the reply. I had previously come across Ohio State as having a late deadline, I'll look into the others you mentioned. I honestly don't know how realistic it is to be admitted at an institution this fall.
It's also highly impractical for me to consider applying during the "typical deadline season" which would mean starting a program in fall of 2010, some 17 months away!
University of Rhode Island also has a July deadline. I seriously would call the addmission people and talk to them, maybe it is possible to enroll as a non-degree seeking first (first semester) and switchto degree seeking, that might enhance your initial chance.
e: oh I forgot, spring addmission is not recommend by most school, but very often possible.
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Sorry but you are way to unspecific. We don't know where you come from, what you want to do with your degree (final degree, or progess to a phd) and honestly I expect a college graduate to at least weigh the options. I mean you selected the schools and applied there ...
Good luck with your desicion.
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The truth is this is a moral choice which only you will be able to make. There are a few other threads about such a dilema, but personally I would
go to the place that wanted me in the first time.
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Undergrad Institution: University of Applied Sciences - Germany
Major(s): Mechanical Engineering
Overall GPA: not comparable
Length of Degree: 3 years of Bachelor's + thesis (best grade possible)
+1 year of graduate school
Position in Class: not ranked, top 10%
Type of Student: International, male
GRE:
Math: 780
Verbal: 380
AWA: 3.0 - I know this sucks, but really I don't know why it is that low - I tried to compensate with a writing sample
Toefl:
Listening: 29
Reading: 29
Speaking: 23
Writing: 28
109 out of 120
Research Experience: thesis, acknowledgement in one paper (should have been co-author by the amount of work done),
one international conference presentation coming this May, Research Assistant
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Fulbright Scholarship
study abroad
Studied abroad one semester at a top 50ish US University, maintained a GPA of 3.75 there - taking 4 classes.
I took three classes in my major, and one history class, in which I was ranked 3 out of 70 participants.
(no chance to get credit for at my home instituiton - shows commitment)
LOR two good ones, third I don't know
Applied to: Virginia Tech - Accepted
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Thanks.
I've done a bit of research today and have discovered that several "regional state universities" offer rolling admissions up to 6 weeks before the start of a semester for grad programs. Going to grad school is something that I have wanted to do ever since finishing undergrad. I'm not one to look at grad school as an easy way to make "big bucks." I look at it as an opportunity to further my knowledge. I'd much rather have to live the rest of my life making minimum wage as an engineer, than make triple the minimum wage doing a mindless job.
well I do not know what you mean by "regional state universities" but there are quite a few universities with late deadlines. Ohio State(1.June), SUNY at Buffalo(15.May), Syracuse(1.July) just to name a few (depending on the departement). But the thing is, I don't know how good chances are to apply that late. Sure there won't be any funding, but how the chance of admission is, I don't know either.
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ha sounds like a desicion I had to made some time ago. Well, I went for the program and choose the middle of nowhere location. But it is only for a Master's, for a phd I would take the environment into the equation - happy people do work better. So I would vote for option B - only because you just spent 10-12h in the lab doesn't mean you can't have fun afterwards. :mrgreen:
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The reverse logic makes just as much sense to me: wouldn't they offer any new available funding to people who haven't accepted theor offer yet (in order to attract them) instead of to people who have already accepted?
The answer could change from school to school. Really, I don't know which they would prefer.
to be honest this point of view came to my mnd when I wrote my comment - you're right it makes as much sense, if not even more. But I wanted to make that point.
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but isn't it possible that if the get new funding they will offer to applicants who have already accepted without funding (but whom they told that there might be funding in the furture)?
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HAHA! I think s/he's inferring that they rejected her because she asked the question?
well then I would have been rejected many times. :?
Isn't it refreshing if even the graduate coordinator doesn't know when desicions will be made.....
It is not over till it is over!
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well you should know wheter you want a MS degree or a PHD....? Same goes for specialization. If you are not sure about the specialization, the MS degree might be better, because you have the chance to gain insight over what you really want. We cannot make the desicion for you!
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don't get crazy folks, eduaction is what you make out of it. I'd personally go for the funded offers - gives you the stability you need for a fruitfull research and in the end it comes down how good and many publications you have published.
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Let frankdux do it. This is his baby.
well I sure won' t claim parentship. But as long it keeps me from spaming my schools I don't care what I do....
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Tomorrow the waiting should be over.
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If you are coming in with your own funding and have acceptable stats I don't see why they wouldn't take you. However, there may be other logistical issues at play - like there isn't an adviser in your specific area who is able to take a student, or they need to limit their cohort for other reasons like wanting diversity of interests. I do wonder though how admissions decisions are made for people coming in funded. You'd think that on an administrative level as long as they were a strong student the school would be happy to take money instead of giving it out!
Thanks for your reply. Maybe I should have mentioned that I applied for a MS program. What I just don't understand that they dodge all the time, telling me that there hasn't been made a desicion yet , and that they don't know when there wiill be one....that is just bad style...
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Hey folks,
I am Fulbright grantee from Germany, unfortunately we are only allowed to apply to one school and my (semi free) top choice was Virginia Tech.
First they messed up my stuff at the graduate school and lost my Toefl score report, so after a long time of waiting they sent it out to the department
and that is the place where it still is. The secretary/grad coordinator told me that a descicon will be made "shortly", that was three weeks ago.
Last week she, as well as the graduate school told me that a descicon on my application has not been made yet and is not due to April the 15th.
I just don't get why this is taking so long, I am fully funded by the program...., am I waitlisted?...any ideas?
My stats, in case it helps:
GRE:
Math: 780
Verbal: 380
AWA: 3.0 - I know this sucks, but really I don't know why it is that low
Toefl:
Listening: 29
Reading: 29
Speaking: 23
Writing: 28
109 out of 120
GPA: hard to translate, the System is very different, A's are only given for outstanding work -
so I would say it is something like a B+. Finished my Bachelor's thesis with the best grade possible.
Studied abroad one semester at a top 50ish US University, maintained a GPA of 3.75 there - taking 4 classes.
I took three classes in my major, and one history class, in which I was ranked 3 out of 70 participants.
This professor also wrote me a LOR.
Other than that I am graduate student here, also working as a RA.
Chances?
in Applications
Posted
look it up: https://engineering.purdue.edu/AAE/Acad ... gradfinaid
I am on a Fulbright, so I applied to one school only.