why is nobody answering me??

[ababio]

Hello.I'm a nigerian who is considering graduate study at one of mit,stanford,georgia tech,uiuc,carnegie mellon,berkeley,cornell,michigan, in the field of electromagnetics and communication(engineerinr physics).I finished with a first class degree(the highest degree) of 4.62/5.00 and ranked amongst top 10 in my class and was also on mobil and etisalat scholarship thru my undergrad and I published papers in three international journals with my professor(I could av done better,but we lack research apparatus and opportunities in nigeria).I also have 3 very good letters of recommendation and a high gre.but my problem is this:in my 3rd year first semester,I had a few bad grades(2D's in electronics and programming,three C's in programming and civil engineering technolgy and statistics a few A's and B's) but I tried to make up for this by scoring all A's through my 4th and 5th year and by taking classes in the areas I was deficient in and also in programming and I am now very good at it I also took the mit open courseware classes to brush me up in areas that my school doesn't teach so that I will be fit to take graduate courses.I mentioned these facts in my statement of purpose after discussing my research and research interests.I would like to know my chances of acceptance esp. at mit,stanford,berkeley,uiuc and gatech.I need replies.thanks

[BDav]

I don't know your chance of acceptance, but most Universities say that they judge your last 60 credit hours more than the earlier ones to see what kind of student you were when you graduated.

If, as you say, you've retaken the classes you did poorly in, explained it, and done everything else, I don't think you'll be worse off.

[MCS_aspirant]

I just got into Michigan's aerospace PhD which is in top 5 in the nation. I believe EECS program is at least in top 10, and consequently quite tough to get in. (I have a bit odd story of getting in so early. Let us not bother about it.)

I am pretty sure you will get into Michigan with assured funding for 5 years. A cool thing about Michigan is they guarantee funding to all of its graduate students. If you have been able to demonstrate your research experience, I hope you will get in. Your C's and D's won't look great- but you have other things to back up. Also, I am not sure how well known your undergrad institution was. If it was the best in Nigeria and you were the top (or one of the tops), that would mean you are almost in.

Also, at Michigan, the professor who would be your potential research mentor would be almost all in all in the decision process unlike most other universities where graduate admissions committee takes in students and plays the major role. Try to contact some faculty if you can asap. Michigan opens on January 4th after winter vacation, and the review would probably begin soon afterward.

Michigan has an Applied Physics program through aerospace department, and the usual EECS program. I assume you applied to the EECS program. I was bit confused because you said "Engineering Physics" which is an undergraduate only program at Michigan.

I can tell you have a similarly good shot at berkeley, UIUC and Gatech (since they belong to the same tier as Michigan). For MIT and Stanford, no one probably can say for sure even with 10 patents and 20 journal papers. And I am curious to find out about MIT and Stanford myself (I am also waiting for decision from these).

Edited January 1, 2012 by MCS_aspirant

[A Finicky Bean]

Give people time to answer you. It is New Year's Eve/Day weekend, after all. Plus your tale is a bit confusing at times to follow (how many classes did you take that one semester?) and I'm sure people are trying to work through it. But changing the heading after only a day to something a bit aggressive isn't going to help you get more answers. Good luck.

[ababio]

Thanks very much.my school is the best uni in Nigeria and are kinda partnered with mit.I will also try to be a bit patient,but u know,for me here in Nigeria,this is a lifetime opportunity to school in the u.s. and get a Ph.D.Anyways I am still expecting more replies