[University of Michigan]

I'm starting on my PhD in EE this summer at UMich. I'm going to try co-op living for the summer: http://www.icc.coop/prospective/houses/northcampus/factsheet.php

If I don't like it then I'll find an apartment when fall starts.

[Campus Visit Pictures!]

UCLA in early March: https://picasaweb.google.com/113939095023945686646/20120305UCLA#

["The top schools only really look at 3.9+ GPA, anything lower is a serious disadvantage"]

Berkeley EECS: "Most successful applicants last year had GPAs above 3.7 and GRE quantitative scores above 90%."

http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Gradadm/Competition.htm

[After experiencing some really awful behavior, I can no longer be a member of this forum]

I'm not even sure what the purpose of those points are? Do people click on other people's names to view their score? Anyway, it's not like you're receiving harassing replies or private messages, so I don't see what the big deal is.

[EE Admissions Fall 2012]

Did you get that from the university? Do late notifications mean its a rejection?

Yes the secretary told me. I still don't have any decision posted on mine yet... but like I said before, the professor said he would admit me so it might not be a rejection to hear back late...

[EE Admissions Fall 2012]

Will UCLA ever gonna send those results...

Did you hear back from UCLA yet? I was told "Notifications will go out by the end of this week."

[EE Admissions Fall 2012]

ghanada, I was just informed of my acceptance two weeks ago and I will be visiting later this week. I would be interested to hear about Ann Arbor as well.

[EE Admissions Fall 2012]

They are planning to send our results by 03/29

Where'd this date come from?

[Doing a survey: How much time did you take to prepare for the GRE?]

86/94% for V/Q. The math section is pretty straightforward so it only required some getting used to of the question structure.

[Doing a survey: How much time did you take to prepare for the GRE?]

Went through a few practice exams the day before, and did pretty decently. (not to sound like an ass though)

[EE PhDs: CMU, Cornell, UCLA, UT Austin, which to choose?]

I think CMU has good comp arch but it is small in general. Austin is probably the best for comp arch and good for industry. UCLA ranking isn't very high compared to the others but I think it's well regarded on the west coast, so that's good for industry. I don't know how good they are for comp arch, but they are good for RF and IC design. I don't know anything about Cornell.

[EE Admissions Fall 2012]

The professor who invited me to visit said he would accept me, but I haven't gotten anything officially from UCLA yet. It might be tied with the funding package which he wasn't sure about.

[EE Admissions Fall 2012]

Well, there's been a few admits for UMich PhD recently so I wouldn't say you're out yet.

[PhD EE@UT Austin VS UMD VS WSU]

I'd say Austin. It's a big tech city and the school is well connected with industry there. I think they're pretty good for computer architecture or materials.

[Electrical Engineering- Stanford- Fall 2012 Admissions]

How often do MS students get TA/RA after the first quarter?

edit: I found some TA salary info here: http://www-ee.stanfo...formation_Sheet

So tuition costs up to 10 units are completely covered if doing a 50% TA (20 hours a week!). However, I don't know how likely it is to obtain a TA position when competing against so many other MS students.

edit2: Full graduate assistantship information here: http://adminguide.stanford.edu/24_2.pdf

[EE Admissions Fall 2012]

I think UMich is still deciding. I've been phone interviewed by a professor last week and he said they'll let me know sometime this week or something.

[How to address potential supervisors when they sign emails with first name??]

Just keep calling them Prof. Foo, it doesn't hurt and they're used to it. I find that a lot of professors will sign with first names but it's still a good idea to keep the relationship formal until you at least meet them...

[Electrical Engineering- Stanford- Fall 2012 Admissions]

Yes, Stanford's MS program is well known to be a cash cow.

[EE Admissions Fall 2012]

I haven't heard back from UIUC either.

[What to do over the summer?]

I have a pretty decent internship offer that is somewhat relevant to my future research interests, focusing more on the systems side rather than circuit design. However, I have to respond to this offer by next Friday. I don't know what school I'll be attending yet.

Or, I can stay at my current university and be paid half the rate and work on getting something published. However, the timeline for these things is pretty long due to waiting for fabrication, so I'm not sure it'd result in a publication anytime soon.

I do like my professor and I'd be happy to work for him, but the internship would be a pretty good experience and the location is much nicer than my university.

[MIT EECS Fall 2012 Results]

Finally posted online:

I am truly sorry to inform you that we are not offering you admission to M.I.T. in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

The number of applicants for admission to the graduate school greatly exceeds the number which can be accommodated, and it has been necessary to refuse admission to many fine applicants.

We appreciate your interest in M.I.T. and sincerely hope that you will be able to continue your professional studies elsewhere.

Very truly yours,

[UT Austin (Ph.D.) vs. Stanford (MSEE)]

I'm in the same boat. Got into my home school with funding but MS only at Stanford. From what I've read, it's definitely possible to transition into PhD there but you still have to re-apply like everyone else. MS students can petition to take the PhD quals after two quarters but it's probably pretty difficult. The pass rate is something like 50%, but you do get to take it a second time.

If I were going to Stanford, I'd probably spend the summer doing an internship and studying in the free time. Since it's so expensive I'd try to take the quals as soon as possible.