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GradHooting

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Everything posted by GradHooting

  1. "3.6 undergrad and these letters of recommendation aren't from superstars! This person has no chance! He's a nobody!"
  2. Yeah, I'm in a bit of a rut, at the moment, as I am stuck in a place not known for aerospace, and it's what I want to do. I had no knowledge of the graduate application process until after graduating from undergrad. I had no idea what they were looking for. My friend from ERAU managed to get a full scholarship to Aero/Astro just fine, with no research experience at all. So, I'm guessing there is a bit of randomness going on. I'll keep trying to establish connections, however.
  3. If they correct their stance and say it was a rejection, just send them a counter-rejection letter, saying that you must stick with their first decision, and agree to their terms of calling you the new name they made for you But, really, that's gotta be a roller coaster of emotions right there.
  4. I do feel rather overwhelmed by the amount of really good applicants here, and I do realize that I am aiming high. However, I really would like to keep aiming high, because I'm finding that, in doing so, I am forced to think hard about how to improve myself as a researcher, professional, student, and teacher. Undergrad Institution: Embry-Riddle Major(s): Aerospace Engineering GPA in Major: 3.57/4.0 (I feel this is my weak spot) Length of Degree: 4 years Type of Student: White Male Domestic, USA GRE Scores (old version): Q:800 (94%) V:630 (91%) W:5.5 (94%) TOEFL (IBT) : N/A Research Experience: 1 Semester at UG institution researching gravitational waves. 1 Summer and 1 Semester at current institution (ongoing) researching biophysics, nanophotonics. 1 year at UG for senior design project, which surely counts as research, given the NASA involvement. (I feel this section is another weak spot I'm trying to improve on) Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Scholarship for UG institution, Dean's list Related Experience: Tutoring mathematics, phyiscs, engineering here for over a year, 1 summer working under a missile defense government contract doing classified work Recommendations : 5 - Professor from UG institution, CEO of small aerospace startup who used to supervise me and several others in missile defense, research adviser from most recent research, adviser for my tutoring program, professor for some of the classes I've taken here Applied to: Aerospace or Aero/Astro Masters (with intent on pursuing a Ph.D.) for: MIT Stanford (Rejected) Georgia Tech Caltech This is my second round of applications. I'm thinking hard about what I can do for the third round. These institutions are the ones that excite me the most. Georgia's research, in particular, seems most interesting to me. I don't really know what they're looking for, other than "generally better" but I'm doing all I can to rack up more experience in research, and keeping grades up at this institution taking relevant classes to the research I am doing. I'd love some advice along the lines of how to improve, if anyone has any! I am somewhat aware of just how fierce the competition is.
  5. It's a horrible feeling, and much worse this time around than last time, for me. I figured it would have been my second most likely school of the 4 I applied for. It was the one where I personally visited, talking with professors and presenting a handmade portfolio of previous accomplishments to each of them, expressing interests in their research teams. It had so much interesting research going on. Now, I'm not optimistic whatsoever about future prospects. Total rejections for the past 2 years has been six, and I'm just sitting in limbo here, doing tons of work to build credentials, but feeling like I haven't moved forward whatsoever. If only I had a decent adviser for undergrad. I had *no* idea what was involved for graduate school, and I glided through undergrad with a lousy 3.6 and barely any research experience. :/ Even with the additional research experience, teaching experience, and industry experience, and a running 4.0 at this school, still a rejection. It's tough. These are only master's degree programs, too! It's not like I'm trying to land a Ph.D. position, here. It also pains me that my best friend, with whom I shared similar interests through undergrad, got in on his first application round. Here I am, 3 years after him, and he's almost done with his Master's, and I've gone nowhere since undergrad. Ugh.
  6. Well, the letter finally came in today, so, from one of the schools, at least, it's an now official first rejection. I experienced this kind of terrible rejection last year, but it's so much worse this year, because I haven't a clue just how far below the cut I am. All I've been doing for the past two years is building credentials and working towards moving forward. I just feel like I'm languishing here.
  7. Thanks for the uplifting post! I've been scrambling for different plans, hoping that I get into at least one of the other three schools. Honestly, while my #1 school was based on a combination of professor personalities, friends I had there, and the surrounding environment and friends and family in the area, basing it purely on research alone, there is one other school that has far more exciting research (and, theoretically, has a higher acceptance rate, and is half the cost) and ranks just as highly. I'll be sticking to my guns and continuing the struggle. I also hope that being an older applicant, a longer time since undergrad, doesn't harm my chances at getting in during a third round. I'm still taking classes and staying involved in academia, because I don't want a learning gap to taint my qualifications.
  8. My undergrad GPA of a ~3.6 is my biggest weak point. I just had no idea what the expectations of the top schools were when I was an undergrad student 2 years ago. I have a much better idea, now! The worst part is being unsure about your future, however. Having a specific plan for what's going to happen for the next couple of years is a huge relief to have, you know? I keep aiming high, but I'm not too picky about where I land upon failure, so long as I keep going in the same general direction and improving myself along the way!
  9. I had a dream that I was attending my number 1 school. I forgot what was going on, but I think I didn't get any official notice, but, for some reason, they were running me through the process of registration, and I had a student ID card and all that. It was quite strange. It was quite a satisfying dream. I deliberately have been avoiding the results section, because that is extremely stressful to look at. At least, I was avoiding it until I got a call from someone at the #1 university that was an unofficial rejection. Now, I just don't care anymore. My nerves are pretty destroyed!
  10. I am in the Ph.D. program here because a professor highly recommended that I pursue it here, after I had been doing research. However, I am just miserable. I do not enjoy living here. Things are just generally slow and content in this city. The school feels the same way. The research is somewhat interesting; however, I'd be enjoying research in the aerospace field far more. I am doing this research because that's what was available here, and it is definitely the most interesting research I've found in this city, and I wanted to understand the process of research, doing publications, getting grants. The atmosphere, however, is just stifling. People here do look up to me and I do my best to remain a positive role model, especially when teaching struggling students and working with other researchers in the lab group. Deep down, however, I am not happy here. I was much happier elsewhere, when I was at ERAU, pursuing my undergrad degree. Even in that small town, people were doing things, and I had a great group of international friends to keep my spirits high. I just have an intense urge to get out of here. So, I don't think completing a Ph.D. and spending many more years here would be good for my sanity.
  11. It's really master's programs that I am applying to. Getting a Ph.D. for me depends on how involved in the research I get, and whether my prospects at the end of my master's degree is to get a job, or to continue with research. Right now, I see myself as a researcher and have intents on pursuing a Ph.D., but I feel that my current stance isn't anywhere close to being competitive in the top Ph.D. programs. I'm fine with that, for now.
  12. Hey, guys, I'm kind of curious... How do the top schools view older candidates for things like master's programs? Is there a certain disadvantage of being an older student, and are these schools looking for fresh young minds? Does that worry ever come up? Or, is that just completely bunk? Mind you, I'm 25, so I shouldn't even belong in this thread. But, I do know many people your age who have similar worries.
  13. Hey, guys, I want to first say that I have been deliberately avoiding the stress of looking at the results page for quite some time, basically, all year this time around. This is my second year of grad school applications, and I have to say that I'm feeling pretty discouraged. I have to wonder whether I am detached from reality, or whether my path is still good, and for me to remain tenacious and keep pushing forward. Basically, I have the looming fear that's basically "You're being silly for aiming so high. You should lower the difficulty of your goals and just get into some school already." Basically, I applied to the top tier schools for aerospace engineering. It's truly what I want to end up doing in the industry, especially with the upcoming rapid surge of the private space industry, and governmental budget cuts. I got my first unofficial rejection yesterday, based on a student from the department who consulted with admissions, and me confirming the pattern on the results page here. It's the second year that I've been rejected from the school, and, well, since that wasn't necessarily the hardest school to get into, there exists a distinct possibility that there will be more rejections rolling in, just like last year. Two years ago, I suppose I could be considered a weak applicant. I basically had an undergraduate AE degree in the 3.5/3.6 GPA range from Embry-Riddle. However, I have not been wasting my time, at least, I hope not. Over the past two years, I've landed a Northrop Grumman internship for a missile defense contract, have been doing research at a university in Colorado in the area of physics (even being accepted into the physics Ph.D. program here, however, it's not what I want to do), and I am applying for some NASA and other private aerospace internships this upcoming summer. I started my own little company on the side doing computer repairs, learned a little bit about the difficulties of that. General GRE score was fine, 800/630/5.5. I'm tutoring mathematics, physics, and engineering online and offline at the univ here, and keeping a 4.0 GPA here through various math, physics, and engineering classes at this university, to keep my skills up. However, I am truly not happy doing what I am doing here. I'm trying hard to keep my motivation up and I truly am putting forth my best effort at this place, and I am impressing my research adviser, as well as the advisers for my tutoring, and my mentor from Northrop Grumman (who split off and is now earning government grants for his own company) is really rooting for me and keeping my motivation up. I guess I need a reality check. Am I lost, here? Am I languishing, being lazy at pursuing my goals? Are my expectations unrealistic? Should I shift or modify my goals? Should I remain steadfast? There are people on these boards that have substantial experience in the graduate admissions process, many of whom have been going through or have gone going through similar experiences. I'm also seeing lots of people here who have similar respectable and difficult goals. What do you guys think?
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