cjw2211

I'm having a hard time with this. I think Albany's program is very unique and will help me focus more on what I'm actually interested in, but I've heard that graduate students pretty much never get to use their amazing facilities. Additionally, I don't know if I would like the Albany area much, and the school doesn't seem as vibrant as Maryland. Maryland also gave me a stipend that's 5,000 higher, but cost of living in that area is very expensive too. Plus I went to maryland for undergrad and would like a change. Maryland's school is top 25 however. It's hard to compare with Albany because no one ranks nanotechnology programs, except for one time where albany ranked very well. I prefer the overall school at maryland because it excels at so many differnet programs, but I like how unique Albany's program is, and it has strong ties to industry. Does anyone know any extra information about Albany that they would be willing to share, or have some input about its reputation? Thanks for your time.

I could probably cut it down a bit, but I do want to at least mention that I worked 20-30 hours a week....that would give me maybe 3 or 4 more lines at best though. I feel like from what I've read, it's usually a little bit on personal stuff, then about equal parts previous experiences (both coursework and research) and research interests.

Yup, it's that point where I start to overanalyze every aspect of my SOP. Right now I've got: 1/6 page on why I want my PHD/why I like my major 1/6 page on extraneous circumstances (paying for college myself) 1/6 page on relevant classes 1/6 page on my first research experience 1/6 page on my second research experience 1/6 page on professors I'm interested in researching with/research topics I want to pursue Should research interests/professors I want to work with be emphasized more strongly in my SOP? I've cut down everything else as much as possible, but it's tough going. Thanks!

I saw this suggestion in the statement of purpose subforum, but it seemed more directed at humanities/social science majors...I personally would have a hard time envisioning a project at this point (although I know some engineering students don't), but will it look worse if I just give some effects/interactions/ideas I want to explore in the specific field in which I want to do research? Thanks.