Materials Science and Engineering Applicant Profiles for 2019 Admission

[amm559]

 

Undergrad Institution (approx. rank/reputation in STEM): UCSD

Major(s): Chemical Engineering
Minor(s): N/A
GPA in Major: ~3.7
Overall GPA: ~3.6
Demographics/Background: 2 or more races

GRE Scores (all >90th percentile):
Q: 166 
V: 164 
W: 5.0 

LOR: 1 from PI, 1 from favorite professor, 1 from manager at HP

Research Experience: 4 years in 3D Bioprinting lab doing mainly material synthesis, lots of printing, and cell work/mechanical testing

 

Publications/Abstracts/Presentations: 2 papers (not first author)

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: full ride Jacobs Scholarship (funded by Irwin Jacobs for top engineering students applying to UCSD), Regents Scholar

 

Fellowships/Funding: have research fellowship now but not before applying

 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: worked 8 mo at a pharmaceutical company as process engineer (2nd yr spring/summer, 3rd yr fall), worked 6 mo at HP as materials science intern (3rd yr summer/4th yr fall), Program manager of AIChE Projects at UCSD

 

Other Miscellaneous Accomplishments: studied abroad at Cambridge (1st yr summer), took a few honors chemistry courses

 

Research Interests: want to go into industry, interested in management/consulting/entrepreneurship

 

Institutions/Programs: only applied to 4 top programs, MIT Chem E Master's, Princeton ChemE/BioE Master's (rejected), Berkeley PDP, and Stanford MS&E

 

Comments: Not sure if a master's in Chem E is worth it. Got into Berkeley for Chem E (#1 program) undergrad but chose UCSD for full ride with generous stipend. In my opinion, jobs are what matter the most and I want to set myself up so I am not struggling financially. I love the intellectual challenge of classes, research, and internships but at the end of the day I am looking for the best practical option. I would greatly appreciate any input :)

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

22 hours ago, amm559 said:

 

Undergrad Institution (approx. rank/reputation in STEM): UCSD

Major(s): Chemical Engineering
Minor(s): N/A
GPA in Major: ~3.7
Overall GPA: ~3.6
Demographics/Background: 2 or more races

GRE Scores (all >90th percentile):
Q: 166 
V: 164 
W: 5.0 

LOR: 1 from PI, 1 from favorite professor, 1 from manager at HP

Research Experience: 4 years in 3D Bioprinting lab doing mainly material synthesis, lots of printing, and cell work/mechanical testing

 

Publications/Abstracts/Presentations: 2 papers (not first author)

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: full ride Jacobs Scholarship (funded by Irwin Jacobs for top engineering students applying to UCSD), Regents Scholar

 

Fellowships/Funding: have research fellowship now but not before applying

 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: worked 8 mo at a pharmaceutical company as process engineer (2nd yr spring/summer, 3rd yr fall), worked 6 mo at HP as materials science intern (3rd yr summer/4th yr fall), Program manager of AIChE Projects at UCSD

 

Other Miscellaneous Accomplishments: studied abroad at Cambridge (1st yr summer), took a few honors chemistry courses

 

Research Interests: want to go into industry, interested in management/consulting/entrepreneurship

 

Institutions/Programs: only applied to 4 top programs, MIT Chem E Master's, Princeton ChemE/BioE Master's (rejected), Berkeley PDP, and Stanford MS&E

 

Comments: Not sure if a master's in Chem E is worth it. Got into Berkeley for Chem E (#1 program) undergrad but chose UCSD for full ride with generous stipend. In my opinion, jobs are what matter the most and I want to set myself up so I am not struggling financially. I love the intellectual challenge of classes, research, and internships but at the end of the day I am looking for the best practical option. I would greatly appreciate any input

Well, I definitely think you have a chance of getting a Master's. Your profile is great! However, it being worth is another thing entirely. Unless you get a fellowship, you will have to pay for the degree, which can be concerning. I would wait and see if you somehow get funding or apply to fellowships for Master's students. You could always try to get a job and then the company could possibly fund your Master's after working with them for a few years. Also, when you look at jobs you would like to have, see what degree they require. If they require a Master's, then that's a good indication that getting one would be worth it. I hope this helps and good luck!

[kronotsky]

On 1/14/2019 at 10:54 PM, kronotsky said:

Undergrad Institution: Caltech
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): (we didn't have minors, but I almost finished the math major)
GPA in Major: 3.88
Overall GPA: 3.86
Position in Class: top-ish
Type of Student: dwm

GRE Scores (revised):
Q: 170
V: 170
W: 6
Physics: 990 

Research Experience: One year of research at a national lab after graduation, in computational soft matter physics. Paper under review, not close to first author. 

Special Bonus Points: I took a bunch of graduate classes in physics and grad/UG cross-listed classes in physics and math. One of my recommendations comes from a very famous planetary scientist, and I think it will be very strong.

Applying to where:

Only one MS/MSE school! 

Harvard SEAS - Applied Physics (Biophysics/materials/fluids)

 

I can't figure out how to edit this; if it's possible someone please tell me how and I'll delete this post.

I got ACCEPTED (woo) to work with a computational mat sci professor. I didn't list him on my SoP, but we did have a skype conversation a few weeks ago that went quite well.

[benmaterials]

On 1/18/2019 at 8:06 PM, mseapplicant said:

Hi people! 

Undergrad Institution (approx. rank/reputation in STEM): Top 5 public, prestigious for both physics and MSE

Major(s): Physics 
Overall GPA: 3.48/4.00
Demographics/Background: US citizen, female

GRE Scores:
Q: 160 (74%) 
V: 154 (84%)
W: 5.0 (92%)

LOR: 2 Professors & 1 staff scientist (national lab) all from different research projects, though one prof is from research project in a different STEM field. 

Research Experience:  2 years research experience.

current project (2 years long): materials characterization using tomography, writing first author paper on this project but not published yet.

current project(2 years long): non-related STEM field project (started before i decided my career path)

1 REU this past summer, very energy materials focused super relevant

 

Publications/Abstracts/Presentations:

4 presentations (posters not at major conferences except for one)

1st author paper in progress

3 publications for non-related STEM project. 6th author on one (submitted), others much lower on author list (submitted).

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

Prestigious scholarship for women in science at my home institution.

Best poster presentation award 

Fellowships/Funding:

applied for NSF GRFP

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 

2 part time jobs (non related)

Other Miscellaneous Accomplishments:

lots of diversity in STEM outreach!

Anything else in your application that might matter (faculty connections, etc.):  have contacted some profs (met/skyped with 2) but no promises!

Research Interests:

Energy materials

 

Institutions/Programs:  all MSE PhD's 

APPLIED (12)  - Northwestern, Berkeley, UCSB, UCLA, UCSD, Columbia, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Uni of Washingtion, Oxford, EPFL 

didn't apply to safeties but hoping for at least one... will let you guys know

We applied to a lot of the same schools.  Are you planning on going to any visit weekends?

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

On 2/6/2019 at 1:32 PM, kronotsky said:

I can't figure out how to edit this; if it's possible someone please tell me how and I'll delete this post.

I got ACCEPTED (woo) to work with a computational mat sci professor. I didn't list him on my SoP, but we did have a skype conversation a few weeks ago that went quite well.

That’s great to hear!! 

[mseapplicant]

4 hours ago, benmaterials said:

On 1/18/2019 at 7:06 PM, mseapplicant said:

 

We applied to a lot of the same schools.  Are you planning on going to any visit weekends?

So far I've only heard from MIT (reject), Stanford (reject) and UCLA (accepted!). Hoping to hear this week from at least one more (waiting on NINE schools!) , the wait is driving me nuts! UCLA visit weekend March 8th but no travel assistance so waiting to plan based on other offers. Will likely end up going though! 

[chemphysbus]

Anyone hear from Caltech or Yale recently? It's been a while since my other decisions went out and visit weekend scheduling is getting tight.....

[stressedugrad]

Hey all, I know laster year UCSB materials had multiple acceptance rounds (theory was that diff concentrations operate differently), but last years second round of acceptances went out Feb 1st (first round was early Jan). Has anyone heard anything? Is it time to close the door on hoping for that one?

[benmaterials]

On 2/11/2019 at 6:00 PM, stressedugrad said:

Hey all, I know laster year UCSB materials had multiple acceptance rounds (theory was that diff concentrations operate differently), but last years second round of acceptances went out Feb 1st (first round was early Jan). Has anyone heard anything? Is it time to close the door on hoping for that one?

There are a couple of strong applicants at my school still waiting for UCSB.  I'd hold out a little longer.  The visit weekend is the weekend of March 14-16, if you need to contingency plan in case you get in.

[admissionstresstensor]

Undergrad Institution (approx. rank/reputation in STEM): Top 20 in Materials Science

Major(s): Materials Science and Engineering
Minor(s): Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Physics, Philosophy
GPA in Major: 3.85/4.00 (highest % score in every course except for one)
Overall GPA: 3.55/4.00
Demographics/Background: International

GRE Scores:
Q: 166 (90%)
V: 159 (83%)
W: 3.0 (17%)

LOR:

1 Strong from my Research Advisor (Full Professor) - pretty well known in his field

1 Strong from the Department Chair (Full Professor) - I work in the department as a Supplemental Instructor for some courses 

1 Standard from my Academic Advisor (Full Professor) - I've also taken a few high-level MS courses with him
Research Experience: 

I've been quite active. I've done research before coming to the US and it allowed me to start almost as soon as I started my Freshman year. Over 4 years, I worked on 9 different projects with two advisors, most of them related to either electrochemistry or machine learning applied to material/process design.

Publications/Abstracts/Presentations:

- MRS Fall 2018 (poster, first author and presenter)

- MS&T 2018 (two related projects in one oral presentation, first author and presenter)

- 3 large papers in late stages of preparation (would be published/under review by now if not for a medical emergency that halted my work for three months, first author in all)

- 1 large paper in preparation (to be submitted early May, first author)

- 3 small publications in preparation (fully individual pet-projects)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

- Dean's Honor List, Dean's High Honor List, etc.

- one small scholarship from a department alumnus 

- I have won $80k scholarship after some anonymous faculty nominated me, but I couldn't take it because I'm not a US citizen. International student life...

Fellowships/Funding:

Not eligible for any NSF related fellowship...

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 

For the last 5 years, I have a summer job (1month/year) that involves a lot of leadership skills and high responsibility 

Other Miscellaneous Accomplishments:

I have quite a few things that are on my resume and can be considered impressive

Anything else in your application that might matter (faculty connections, etc.):

I have personally met almost every first-choice POI at some conference or another event. About half of my them knows at least one of my LOR writers.

Research Interests:

- Computational Materials Science

- Nanostructured Materials 

- Magnetic Nanomaterials

- Additive Manufacturing

Institutions/Programs:

Materials Science PhD everywhere:

(US)

Northwestern University

University of California Santa Barbara

Carnegie Mellon

MIT

Penn State

CalTech

Harvard

(UK)

University of Oxford

University of Cambridge

(Singapore)

Nanyang Technological University

National University of Singapore

Comments:

Good luck to all of you!

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

1 hour ago, admissionstresstensor said:

Undergrad Institution (approx. rank/reputation in STEM): Top 20 in Materials Science

Major(s): Materials Science and Engineering
Minor(s): Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Physics, Philosophy
GPA in Major: 3.85/4.00 (highest % score in every course except for one)
Overall GPA: 3.55/4.00
Demographics/Background: International

GRE Scores:
Q: 166 (90%)
V: 159 (83%)
W: 3.0 (17%)

LOR:

1 Strong from my Research Advisor (Full Professor) - pretty well known in his field

1 Strong from the Department Chair (Full Professor) - I work in the department as a Supplemental Instructor for some courses 

1 Standard from my Academic Advisor (Full Professor) - I've also taken a few high-level MS courses with him
Research Experience: 

I've been quite active. I've done research before coming to the US and it allowed me to start almost as soon as I started my Freshman year. Over 4 years, I worked on 9 different projects with two advisors, most of them related to either electrochemistry or machine learning applied to material/process design.

Publications/Abstracts/Presentations:

- MRS Fall 2018 (poster, first author and presenter)

- MS&T 2018 (two related projects in one oral presentation, first author and presenter)

- 3 large papers in late stages of preparation (would be published/under review by now if not for a medical emergency that halted my work for three months, first author in all)

- 1 large paper in preparation (to be submitted early May, first author)

- 3 small publications in preparation (fully individual pet-projects)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

- Dean's Honor List, Dean's High Honor List, etc.

- one small scholarship from a department alumnus 

- I have won $80k scholarship after some anonymous faculty nominated me, but I couldn't take it because I'm not a US citizen. International student life...

Fellowships/Funding:

Not eligible for any NSF related fellowship...

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 

For the last 5 years, I have a summer job (1month/year) that involves a lot of leadership skills and high responsibility 

Other Miscellaneous Accomplishments:

I have quite a few things that are on my resume and can be considered impressive

Anything else in your application that might matter (faculty connections, etc.):

I have personally met almost every first-choice POI at some conference or another event. About half of my them knows at least one of my LOR writers.

Research Interests:

- Computational Materials Science

- Nanostructured Materials 

- Magnetic Nanomaterials

- Additive Manufacturing

Institutions/Programs:

Materials Science PhD everywhere:

(US)

Northwestern University

University of California Santa Barbara

Carnegie Mellon

MIT

Penn State

CalTech

Harvard

(UK)

University of Oxford

University of Cambridge

(Singapore)

Nanyang Technological University

National University of Singapore

Comments:

Good luck to all of you!

Your profile looks great! Also, you username is funny and oh so relatable.

[chemphysbus]

For those of you that have contacted schools to inquire about your application, what did you say in the email?

[benmaterials]

1 hour ago, chemphysbus said:

For those of you that have contacted schools to inquire about your application, what did you say in the email?

I would advise against this.  I have heard that people who inquire about their status are often rejected immediately, rather than remaining on a waitlist.

[chemphysbus]

28 minutes ago, benmaterials said:

I would advise against this.  I have heard that people who inquire about their status are often rejected immediately, rather than remaining on a waitlist.

Oh wow, that is insane, thanks for the warning!

[admissionstresstensor]

Based on your profile, I guess that you are asking because you are waiting for CalTech decision. From what I've heard and seen, they release their decisions really late (Early-Mid March), so I wouldn't worry if you didn't hear back yet.

[chemphysbus]

35 minutes ago, admissionstresstensor said:

Based on your profile, I guess that you are asking because you are waiting for CalTech decision. From what I've heard and seen, they release their decisions really late (Early-Mid March), so I wouldn't worry if you didn't hear back yet.

Ah okay, I didn't know that. I just heard from Northwestern and Berkeley a while ago so I thought maybe something was up. Thanks!

[TITX]

Did anyone get an email from Georgia Tech regarding a last minute visit/interview on March 21-23?

[benmaterials]

1 hour ago, TITX said:

Did anyone get an email from Georgia Tech regarding a last minute visit/interview on March 21-23?

I visited Georgia Tech at the previous visit weekend.  From what I understand, the students at the first visit weekend were already admitted with funding.  The students at the second visit weekend are more or less interviewing for spots with professors (and most are probably there because one or two professors are likely willing to take them on after meeting them).

[TITX]

@benmaterials Yea, that's what they basically said in the email. They mentioned that if a professor likes us, we will automatically be accepted. It sounds so Hunger Game-y... but grateful for the opportunity!!

Edited March 6, 2019 by TITX

[mseapplicant]

has anyone heard from Columbia university yet? or University of washington? 

[swathi kumar]

Can Anyone help understand this response? I had applied to Rice University PhD program for Materials Science, they informed that first round of offers have been made and second round applications are still being reviewed. Moreover, when asked that whether I am wait-listed,the coordinator told that I not on a waiting list. How long should I wait for a decision? What should I do? 

 

 

APPLIED - RICE U MICHIGAN  U ARIZONA USC  U ROCHESTER   U VIRGINIA FLORIDA STATE OREGON STATE  U WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE   MICHIGAN TECH 

ACCEPTED REJECTED 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2019 by swathi kumar

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

4 hours ago, swathi kumar said:

Can Anyone help understand this response? I had applied to Rice University PhD program for Materials Science, they informed that first round of offers have been made and second round applications are still being reviewed. Moreover, when asked that whether I am wait-listed,the coordinator told that I not on a waiting list. How long should I wait for a decision? What should I do? 

 

 

APPLIED - RICE U MICHIGAN  U ARIZONA USC  U ROCHESTER   U VIRGINIA FLORIDA STATE OREGON STATE  U WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE   MICHIGAN TECH 

ACCEPTED REJECTED 

 

 

 

 

I would wait for two weeks or so, but once early April approaches, you may want to give up on Rice. Also, you may want to wait longer if Rice is one of your top programs. However, if you prefer the other places you were accepted at, then don't wait as long. Maybe Rice bases their second round of offers on how many people accept the first round? This could prevent them from sending out too many acceptances.

[swathi kumar]

Thank you! Well, some respite from anxiety! @IceCream & MatSci

[benmaterials]

3 hours ago, swathi kumar said:

Thank you! Well, some respite from anxiety! @IceCream & MatSci

Swathi,  I'm from Arizona (Phoenix), so if you need any advice about living in Arizona, or the program at UofA, you can talk to me.

[mseapplicant]

just got into UCSD! now considering between UCSD and UCLA.... any thoughts on quality of life at the two schools for a PhD in mat sci? research fit is pretty good at both schools. still waiting to hear from other also cool options but just thought i'd ask if anyone went to/has spent time at UCLA or UCSD! thanks