thomasantony Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 Undergrad Institution: Little known ( I think ) state university in India Major(s): Mechanical Engineering Overall GPA: 76% Length of Degree: 4 years Position in Class: 2nd in class of 63 Type of Student: International, male GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 800, 94% V: 670, 95% W: 5.0, 84% TOEFL Total: 115 Research Experience: None Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Entrepreneurship - Founded startup company that quite a few regional awards in its 1 year of existence. But the company works in another field entirely, not related to my academic major in any way. Applying to Where: Stanford University - M.S Aeronautics and Astronautics - Astrodynamics & Space Systems Design Georgia Insitute of Technology - M.S Aerospace Engineering - Astrodynamics & Space Systems Design Purdue University - M.S Aeronautics and Astronautics - Astrodynamics & Space Systems Design (Received an admit already) Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - M.S Aerospace Engineering - Astrodynamics & Space Systems Design University of Florida - Gainsville - M.S Aerospace Engineering - Astrodynamics & Space Systems Design TU Delft, The Netherlands - M.Sc Aerospace Engineering - Astrodynamics & Space Systems Design Arizona State University - School of Earth and Space Exploration - PhD Exploration Systems Design
PhysGuy Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 (edited) Undergrad Institution: University,Top 40 nationally, higher in engineering/technical disciplines Major(s): Physics Minor(s): None (should have had a math minor) GPA in Major: 3.87 Overall GPA: 3.82 Length of Degree: 4 years Position in Class: Near top Type of Student: Domestic White Male GRE Scores (revised/old version): revised Q: 169 (98%) V: 157 (77%) W: 4.5 (72%) Research Experience: 1 REU at the University of Rochester in Optics, 1 NUF Fellowship at General Atomics in Fusion/Plasma Physics, 1 year of research during classes studying Graphene. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for graduate work, so I spent my summers trying different kinds of research, and also did some work at my university during the school year. My work with graphene will be my senior thesis, it may result in a publication. I presented my work from General Atomics at an APS conference. My name will be/is on a couple of papers. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's List almost every semester, merit schoolarship from school. Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Graded for 3 semesters for intro physics classes. Applying to Where: MIT - Nuclear Engineering - PhD - Pending UC Berkeley - Nuclear Engineering - PhD - Pending Uni. of Wisconsin - Nuclear Engineering - PhD - Admitted (No word on financial aid yet) THE Ohio State University - Nuclear Engineering - PhD - Admitted (No word on financial aid yet) Edited January 30, 2012 by PhysGuy
puertorrob Posted January 31, 2012 Posted January 31, 2012 (edited) Undergrad Institution: Purdue University Major(s): Aerospace Engineering Minor(s): Mathematics GPA in Major: 3.70 Overall GPA: 3.76 Length of Degree: 4 years Position in Class: top 15% Type of Student: Minority GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 780 (89%) V: 550 (75%) W: 4.0 (45%) TOEFL Total: 113 Research Experience: Composite Materials Lab, Purdue University (3 months) Zucrow Propulsion Lab, Purdue University (3 months) Zucrow Propulsion Lab, Purdue University (5 months) Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Lab, University of Michigan (3 months) Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's List, Semester Honors, Some Scholarships. Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 3 Co-op rotations at GE Aviation Applying to Where: Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Aerospace Engineering California Institute of Technology - Aerospace Engineering Stanford University - Aerospace Engineering - Accepted Georgia Institute of Technology - Aerospace Engineering (Emailed for possible RA position, no official acceptance) University of Michigan - Aerospace Engineering Edited January 31, 2012 by racolon
George2248 Posted January 31, 2012 Posted January 31, 2012 Do you have any ideas when should we be expecting an acceptance decision from Berkeley Engineering?
PhysGuy Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 Do you have any ideas when should we be expecting an acceptance decision from Berkeley Engineering? Sorta wondering the same thing myself. I've heard back from two schools so far, and one of them got back to me within three weeks! I'm still waiting on MIT and Berkeley though. Anyone have any experience as to how long it took to get decisions from past years?
puertorrob Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) I don't know about Berkeley, but I know a couple of people that got into MIT last year and they found on the last week of February. It's going to vary by department, though. Edited February 1, 2012 by puertorrob
PhysGuy Posted February 2, 2012 Posted February 2, 2012 I don't know about Berkeley, but I know a couple of people that got into MIT last year and they found on the last week of February. It's going to vary by department, though. What department were they applying to?
puertorrob Posted February 3, 2012 Posted February 3, 2012 One in Aero and one in Nuclear. The Aero heard back on the last week of February and the Nuclear on the second week.
puertorrob Posted February 4, 2012 Posted February 4, 2012 Just FYI. A friend of mine got her acceptance for Berkeley yesterday. She applied for Civil Engineering.
smbcpc12 Posted February 4, 2012 Posted February 4, 2012 Just FYI. A friend of mine got her acceptance for Berkeley yesterday. She applied for Civil Engineering. @puertorrob, do you know if your friend is Berkeley MS Structural? I applied there too, but nothing so far... Thanks!
gottina Posted February 9, 2012 Posted February 9, 2012 I applied for CEE at Berkeley too (GeoEng)... but no response so far..
farhanqureshi Posted February 12, 2012 Posted February 12, 2012 Undergrad Institution: University of New South Wales, Australia Major(s): Manufacturing Engineering and Management (Hon 1) Minor(s): N/A GPA in Major: 80.179 Overall GPA: 77.06 Length of Degree: 4 into 5 years Position in Class: 1st Type of Student: Australian International GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 770 V: 550 W: 4.5 Research Experience: Travelled to India for 1st US-Asian Demonstration of MAV and UGV Technology. (Co-authored conference paper) Will travel to Berkeley this year to present a paper on my honors research project "Energy-efficiency of Manufacturing Processes". (First author) Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Graham Painton Prize for Cost-effective Manufacturing, R&R award from my employer, Best UGV Award in India, $25k Grand Prize winner in Staples' Inaugural Ecoeasy Challenge (travelled to NY as a part of this competition). Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Head tutor of Design and Manufacturing course at UNSW for 3 years running. Manufacturing Engineer at Leading Biomedical Firm based in Sydney for 3 months full-time, 10 months part-time with last year of uni. Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: As mentioned, two overseas trips fully sponsored by R&D based projects. A third with a trip to Berkeley in May. Special Bonus Points: I actually visited the MIT MEngM program in December to attend classes and meet current students. Had an interview with program director. (20,000 mile round trip!! ) Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: In Australia, marks are pure marks. No scaling, no adjustment, no reclassification. I'm worried with a 77 WAM since it only converts to 3.3 GPA max. :-( Also failed one of my Gen-Ed courses :-( Applying to Where: Purdue - ISE - MS (Industrial) Stanford - Management Science and Engineering - MS (MSE) Virginia Tech - ISE - MS (Industrial) MIT - MechE - MEngM (Manufacturing) Michigan - ISE - MEng (Manufacturing) UC Berkeley - Mechanical - MEng (Manufacturing) Cornell - Mechanical and Aerospace - MEng (Manufacturing) GaTech - ISE - MS (Manufacturing) USC - Mechanical - MS (Manufacturing) Texas A&M - ISE - MS (Industrial) So, what do you guys think?? I'm quietly hopeful, praying for the best iA
nanoman1 Posted February 15, 2012 Posted February 15, 2012 (edited) Undergrad Institution: UC Irvine Major(s): Civil Engineering Minor(s): GPA in Major: 3.65 Overall GPA: 3.62 Length of Degree: 5 Position in Class: Top 10-15% Type of Student: Domestic, male GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 800 (94%) V: 670 (94%) W: 4.0 (48%) Research Experience: Computation Hydraulics Group, 1.5 years -- urban flood inundation modeling, dam-breach modeling, ecological services for improvement of open channel hydraulic systems Awards/Honors/Recognitions: SURP Fellow, Dean's List, Honors society (TBP and XE) Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Research assistant Applying to Where: Caltech - MCE - Computational Geomechanics - INVITED TO VISIT MIT - CEE - Computational Hydraulics Stanford - CEE Berkeley - CEE Columbia - CEE UC Irvine - CEE - Computational Hydraulics Edited February 15, 2012 by nanoman1
MechGrad101 Posted February 15, 2012 Posted February 15, 2012 Wow, it's embarrassing how outclassed I am here. But, I haven't got any replies yet and I know a lot of you have been in my situation (or still are). So here goes: Undergrad Institution: Top 10 Engineering school from India Major(s): Mechanical Engineering GPA in Major: 3.1/4.0 Length of Degree: 5 years Type of Student: International Asian GRE Scores (old version): Q:800 (94%) V:760 (99%) W:4.5 (72%) TOEFL (IBT) : 117 Research Experience: 1 Summer (3 months) in Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; 2 summers (5 months) research collaboration with a prof from the University of Minnesota (Twin cities); Senior year research project. (Co-authored one paper which has been submitted for review, not yet published) Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 1 national level scholarship in 10th grade. (A long time ago, I know!) Recommendations : 2 - from relatively unknown profs in my school, 1 - from the prof at the U of M Applied to: Departments of Mech Engg in Minnesota (Twin cities) for a PhD (I don't think the prof I worked with has funding yet, so he hasn't confirmed my admission. I'm hoping for a Master's at least) Northwestern [MS/PhD] CMU [MS] UPenn [MS] Illinois Tech [MS/PhD] Wisconsin [MS] NCSU [MS] I don't think I have any safes in there yet, so I'm planning to send out a couple more in before March. I'm looking for safe schools that would be relatively inexpensive in case I don't land any aid. Suggestions?
mechapplicant2012 Posted February 15, 2012 Posted February 15, 2012 Undergrad Institution: UC Irvine Major(s): Civil Engineering Minor(s): GPA in Major: 3.65 Overall GPA: 3.62 Length of Degree: 5 Position in Class: Top 10-15% Type of Student: Domestic, male GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 800 (94%) V: 670 (94%) W: 4.0 (48%) Research Experience: Computation Hydraulics Group, 1.5 years -- urban flood inundation modeling, dam-breach modeling, ecological services for improvement of open channel hydraulic systems Awards/Honors/Recognitions: SURP Fellow, Dean's List, Honors society (TBP and XE) Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Research assistant Applying to Where: Caltech - MCE - Computational Geomechanics - INVITED TO VISIT MIT - CEE - Computational Hydraulics Stanford - CEE Berkeley - CEE Columbia - CEE UC Irvine - CEE - Computational Hydraulics Congrats on the Caltech man! You have great stas. I hope you get a good offer! You are going for Prof. Andrade's group right? Haha... and I thought I had a chance at it!! I guess I should assume Caltech as a reject.
GradHooting Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) 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. Edited February 17, 2012 by GradHooting
puertorrob Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 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. I feel like letters of recommendation are extremely important and MAYBE your references are not very recognized in their field. For example, most of my references are world leaders in the fields of aircraft and spacecraft propulsion and they know people at most if not all universities that I applied to. Coming from embry-ridle (which is mainly an undergraduate institution), it will be hard to get those types of references. A lot of the people that apply to the schools that you mentioned have excellent GPAs, GREs, and research experience. It is your SoP and letters of recommendation which are going to set you apart. farhanqureshi 1
GradHooting Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 I feel like letters of recommendation are extremely important and MAYBE your references are not very recognized in their field. For example, most of my references are world leaders in the fields of aircraft and spacecraft propulsion and they know people at most if not all universities that I applied to. Coming from embry-ridle (which is mainly an undergraduate institution), it will be hard to get those types of references. A lot of the people that apply to the schools that you mentioned have excellent GPAs, GREs, and research experience. It is your SoP and letters of recommendation which are going to set you apart. 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.
nanoman1 Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 Congrats on the Caltech man! You have great stas. I hope you get a good offer! You are going for Prof. Andrade's group right? Haha... and I thought I had a chance at it!! I guess I should assume Caltech as a reject. Thanks! I was really surprised Prof. Andrade actually called me up. Most my research has been open channel work / surface flow. So the Geomechanics group (which I applied to because I've always had a massive curiosity for subsurface mechanics, and the group at Caltech is doing some really incredible stuff) was a big surprise to hear back from. Should be a really exciting visit...but it's no guarantee of admission I'm sure. And don't lose hope, I'm sure as a mechanical applicant to the group you'd add some flavor!
ICE 9JA Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 I would like to start by saying these type of chats are really interesting especially the physics and math ones. Hopefully, the engineering one becomes booming like that soon. Also, I would like to write small details about mine if it is interesting Undergrad Institution: Small Midwest Liberal Arts School, known regionally and pretty good in engineering to my surprise Major(s): Mechanical Engineering Minor(s): Engineering Management, Mathematics (Just added the math one my final semester because I had time) GPA in Major: 3.944 (got my first B+ in an engineering subject in my senior design class because of a bad team) Overall GPA: 3.817 (had C average in the two freshman year seminar classes...its a bunch of BS anyway) Length of Degree: 4 years Position in Class: either 1st or 2nd (the girl doesnt speak of her gpa...haha) Type of Student: International male GRE Scores (old version): BTW the GRE is just an annoying exam I had to prepare for while working full time at an engineering firm Q: 800 (94%) expected it going in but didnt after taking the test but thank God it happened V: 370 (26%) I memorized a lot of frequent words from Barrons, only 3 came out...hahaha my luck right W: 3.5 (27%) expected a 4 cuz I did not prepare for this section and I thought I nailed one of the essays down TOEFL Total: graduating from the US so it would be waived...hopefully...haha Research Experience: not really. My senior project is on study of vortex shedding frequency of a wind turbine blade. I am in charge of the experimental part using a suction type wind tunnel to test it. Wrote all the LabVIEW programs, designed the experiment. Also perfoming modal analysis on the blade model to compare my results to the natural blade frequency Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list every semester...kinda cool I thought....in various honor societies...nothing overly special Pertinent Activities or Jobs: well I am working part time at Dana Holding Corporation after my full time job during the summer...not research related obviously Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Not sure Special Bonus Points: One of my recommender graduated from MIT and Michigan and gave me a stellar LOR (He is quite famous and studied witha professor at Clemson) Also, another one is the Dean of the engineering department and knows me quite well (school is quite small so no biggie....besides I am the only black guy in the graduating mechanical engineering department....hahaha). All the rest were great LOR apart from my academic advisor who wrote one for Michigan (that may just kill my application there...ow well). Had a decent SOP that reflects my interest a little. Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I m 20. I am from Nigeria ...just wanted to say that somewhere...hahaha. Taking a percussion class because I want to learn to play the drums...dont judge me...hahaha. Also not a lot of tough classes this final semester. I have already taking Combustion which is done only in graduate school..I think...haha. Applying to Where: All PhD positions in mechanical engineering except for MIT and Stanford because they do not accept direct entry into the PhD programs. Research interest are in Thermodynamics (Energy Conversion..more or less), Combustion, Fluid mechanics and heat transfer MIT Stanford Caltech CMU UTexas Michigan Rice Cornell Princeton - Rejected via email (Feb 16th) Georgia Tech Clemson(my only safety)- Accepted (no funding yet) (Jan 2nd on the site) Hope this is good for everyone and yeah...GOODLUCK to everyone and I hope you get to the grad school of your choice _________________________________ ICE 9JA 1
TheDuderino Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) For posterity's sake: Undergrad Institution: Decent EE Institution in America Major: Electrical Engineering Minor: Math GPA in Major: 4.0/4.0 GPA in Minor: 4.0/4.0 GPA overall: 3.89/4.0 Note: Heavily overloaded course schedule with many grad-level classes Position in Class: Summa Cum Laude (although no position information) GRE Scores: V: 160 Q: 166 A: 4.5 Area: Information Theory / Communications Recommendations: Excellent recs from known profs in my field Research Experience: 1.5 year in radar and atmospheric physics 1 year in bio-imaging 1 journal publication Work Experience: 1 summer internship and 1 year in a full time position, both at respectable places. Awards: Full scholarship senior year, top senior design project, summer research award, Tau Beta Pi, Dean's list every semester Extra-Curriculars: President of the Chess Club Applied: MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, Princeton, Caltech (all for EE PhD, MIT area 1) Accepted: MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, Princeton Waiting On: Caltech Edited February 22, 2012 by TheDuderino
Musikalgeak Posted February 23, 2012 Posted February 23, 2012 Undergrad Institution: Private School Major(s): Biomedical Engineering Minor(s): Math and Management Studies GPA in Major: Overall GPA:3.788/4.0 Length of Degree: 5 years Position in Class: 5% Type of Student: Domestic female GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q:720 V:560 W:4.0 P: TOEFL Total: (if applicable, otherwise delete this) Research Experience: I participated in two NSF REU programs at UVA and Case Western as well as performed 2 years of research at another university Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Deans List, Honors Program, Goldwater nominee Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Calculus tutor and grader Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Special Bonus Points: great recs Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Applying to Where: All of the below in Biomedical Engineering Duke UFL UMich USC Caltech JHU Northwestern
Golgotha Posted February 24, 2012 Posted February 24, 2012 Undergrad Institution: MIT Major(s): Mechanical Engineering Minor(s): GPA in Major: 4.7/5.0 Overall GPA: 4.6/5.0 Length of Degree: 4 Position in Class: Unsure Type of Student: Domestic, male Grad Institution: Stanford Major(s): Mechanical Engineering, Design Minor(s): GPA in Major: 3.7/4.0 Overall GPA: 3.7/4.0 Length of Degree: 2 Position in Class: Unsure GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 800 (94%) V: 610 (87%) W: 4.5 (76%) Research Experience: 0.5 years: non-cleanroom nanopositioner fabrication (thesis, led to 2 pubs) 1 year: impact attenuation for re-entering spacecraft Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Academic all-conference soccer team, 2 years Pertinent Activities or Jobs: spent half a year interning at various aerospace companies Applying to Where: Caltech MIT Harvard - ACCEPTED UCLA - ACCEPTED USC
mechapplicant2012 Posted February 24, 2012 Posted February 24, 2012 Applying to Where: Caltech MIT Harvard - ACCEPTED UCLA - ACCEPTED USC Congrats! Although it is quite obvious you will be admitted to all of them. So which one will you choose? Caltech, MIT or Harvard?
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