wabisabi Posted February 4, 2013 Posted February 4, 2013 I always feel weird posting stuff like this online (as if anyone cares enough to figure out my top-secret identity), but I like to read others' profiles, so I guess I should contribute. I'm in kind of an interdisciplinary field, the specifics of which I will be coy about because, you know, top-secret identity. Undergrad Institution: 1) Elite liberal arts college 2) Low-ranked state school (currently in MS program at UG Inst. #2) [long story about this whole journey]Major(s): Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering (double-majored, as they're separate programs)Minor(s): GPA in Major: 3.8Overall GPA: 3.4Length of Degree: 5 yearsPosition in Class: ?Type of Student: Female DomesticGRE Scores:Q: 165 (92%)V: 170 (99%)W: 5.5 (96%)Research Experience: Yes, both undergrad and grad Awards/Honors/Recognitions: XE, two big undergrad scholarships, I feel like I’m forgetting something here but I kind of never want to see my CV again after obsessing over it for so long, so I'm not going to check Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 3 terms of TA work, started a campus chapter of an engineering association, did freelance work requiring computer skills that evidently are useful to two POIs, tons of volunteer activities that probably don't count for much Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Well, I’m getting an MS right now, so I have that going for me. Very famous advisor. One conference presentation. Firm plans for thesis submission to journal. Have had good interactions with profs at seven of my eight schools . . . four in-person meetings, three phone interviews (not super-official interviews, more like discussions of research interests). My undergrad GPA was hurt by some youthful nincompoopery, but was 3.87 in my last two years. Decent amount of non-engineering work experience.Applying to PhD programs: UC Irvine: Mechanical Eng. U Col. (Boulder): Mechanical Eng. Colorado State (Ft Collins): Atmospheric Science [1/31: accepted with good funding] Scripps: Climate, Ocean, & Atmosphere program Harvard SEAS: Env. Eng. MIT: Civil Eng. UC Davis: Civil Eng. [1/25 email from POI offering to pay for me to visit 2/8] Carnegie Mellon: Civil Eng. I think I ended up aiming higher than was wise, but the research at MIT and Harvard is ridiculously interesting to me and I think I would be somewhat well-equipped to jump in.
henryx Posted February 4, 2013 Posted February 4, 2013 Hi Guys, do you think this ranking website's information is reasonable? It is about PhD program rankings. http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings
Radian Posted February 4, 2013 Posted February 4, 2013 Hi Guys, do you think this ranking website's information is reasonable? It is about PhD program rankings. http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings Cut the pain and use USNEWS. foreverfree and wink_e 2
Wabisabi! Posted February 4, 2013 Posted February 4, 2013 Cut the pain and use USNEWS. Wait, what? My understanding was the the NRC data is way better for ranking grad schools, and the PhDs.org site uses some stuff from the big NRC report. I personally didn't find US News useful at all: 1) No way to choose "atmospheric science" as a specialty 2) You can't figure out what schools have the best Civil Eng. PhD programs: choose "Civil Engineering" and the site tells you "These are the top schools for a master's in civil engineering." Uh, thanks. Don't care. 3) For chemical and mechanical engineering, US News lumps together Master's and PhD data. These tend to be different student populations, and somewhat different programs. If you look at the US News ranking methodology, you can see they put a lot of weight on peer assessment and recruiter assessment scores. Peer assessment maybe, but 15% of the US News ranking comes from "corporate recruiters and company contacts who hire from previously ranked programs." They also factor in number of doctorates granted, and total research expenditures, which would seem to heavily favor large schools. I guess both sites have their niches. I would rely more on US News if you're looking to get a graduate degree and then get a job . . . I would use PhDs.org if you're interested in doing research.
Radian Posted February 4, 2013 Posted February 4, 2013 Wait, what? My understanding was the the NRC data is way better for ranking grad schools, and the PhDs.org site uses some stuff from the big NRC report. I personally didn't find US News useful at all: 1) No way to choose "atmospheric science" as a specialty 2) You can't figure out what schools have the best Civil Eng. PhD programs: choose "Civil Engineering" and the site tells you "These are the top schools for a master's in civil engineering." Uh, thanks. Don't care. 3) For chemical and mechanical engineering, US News lumps together Master's and PhD data. These tend to be different student populations, and somewhat different programs. If you look at the US News ranking methodology, you can see they put a lot of weight on peer assessment and recruiter assessment scores. Peer assessment maybe, but 15% of the US News ranking comes from "corporate recruiters and company contacts who hire from previously ranked programs." They also factor in number of doctorates granted, and total research expenditures, which would seem to heavily favor large schools. I guess both sites have their niches. I would rely more on US News if you're looking to get a graduate degree and then get a job . . . I would use PhDs.org if you're interested in doing research. Yes I do agree that for some majors USNEWS doesn't provide much of a data. Though for the common ones that pretty suffice. In terms of masters and phd, as far as I am concerned there is not much difference between the programs and I myself don't see any meaning in seperating them in US educational system except for schools where professional degrees are offered. But the most importnat point that you are missing here is that USNEWS is not just designed for you and me as students. What makes USNEWS useful is that fact that it's being referred by employers and even school heads. It's the MEDIA thing. even if wrong or whatsoever you'd better stick with the ranking which is better accepted through society.
henryx Posted February 7, 2013 Posted February 7, 2013 Dear All, Thanks so much for your comments. The reason I asked for the ranking problems is that I was admitted by Princeton University PhD program with a very great funding. The direction is in risk management, disaster research (e.g. effects of climate change, mitigation measures) and insurance. I have to take lots of courses in engineering and financial engineering at Bueheim Center for Finance. I know Princeton's finance is very reputational in Wall Streets but when I looked at the ranking by USNEWS they give a low rank to Princeton's engineering. But NRC ranks Princeton's PhD program in my area as a top 5 positions. Could you give me some suggestions if you know more about Princeton's engineering reputation? Thanks.
oolay Posted February 12, 2013 Posted February 12, 2013 (edited) Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts college Major(s): Physics Overall GPA: B.S. 3.91Length of Degree: B.S. 4 yearsPosition in Class: Unknown (not available)Type of Student: International studying in USGRE Scores:Q: 170V: 158W: 4.0Research Experience: Involved in research within campus for last 2 years, one summer research away from campusPertinent Activities or Jobs: Physics TA Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Dean's List, college scholarship, minor recognition from the departmentApplying for Materials PhD (unless stated otherwise) at: JHU Cornell Northwestern UIUC Penn State Dartmouth Rice ..... (around 13 in total; I feel I applied little too many) Good luck everyone! Edited February 12, 2013 by oolay
DStory247 Posted February 12, 2013 Posted February 12, 2013 Undergrad Institution: Graduated May 2011 from LeTourneau University; small, private liberal arts school in Tx. Mostly known for aeronautical engineering Major(s): Physics, ChemistryMinor(s): EducationGPA in Major: 3.4Overall GPA: 3.4Length of Degree: 4yrs Position in Class: Idk, top half for sure Type of Student: Domestic, white, male GRE Scores:Q: 164V: 162W: 4.0Research Experience: None- not proud of this, but wasn't required in my program and I had no desire for grad school at the time.Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Student Teacher of the Year, various scholarships Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Physics and Physical Sciences Lab Assistant/TA Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Intern for 1 year in Env. Lab at Eastman Chemical Company. Was hired upon graduation and now have 2 years experience in Analytical Laboratory at Eastman.Applying for PhD at:Washington University in St. Louis - Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering - Accepted 1/27 $27k Univ. California Riverside - Chemical and Environmental Engineering - Accepted 1/10 $26kUniv. Texas - Chemical Engineering - Rejected 1/10 Louisiana State University - Chemical Engineering - Accpeted (provisionally) 2/9 University of Houston - Chemical Engineering - Waiting University of Michigan - Chemical Engineering - Waiting Vanderbilt University - Chemical Engineering - Waiting Yale University - Chemical Engineering - Waiting North Carolina State University - Chemical Engineering - Waiting Univ. Connecticut - Chemical Engineering - Waiting Univ. Oklahoma - Chemical Engineering - Waiting
aero9 Posted February 12, 2013 Posted February 12, 2013 Dear All, Thanks so much for your comments. The reason I asked for the ranking problems is that I was admitted by Princeton University PhD program with a very great funding. The direction is in risk management, disaster research (e.g. effects of climate change, mitigation measures) and insurance. I have to take lots of courses in engineering and financial engineering at Bueheim Center for Finance. I know Princeton's finance is very reputational in Wall Streets but when I looked at the ranking by USNEWS they give a low rank to Princeton's engineering. But NRC ranks Princeton's PhD program in my area as a top 5 positions. Could you give me some suggestions if you know more about Princeton's engineering reputation? Thanks. I'm afraid to answer that you need to give us more information. What department did you apply to at Princeton? Simply looking at the graduate engineering rankings on US News is not helpful because it's more important to look at your specific department like mechanical, civil, aerospace, etc. In any event, I would strongly encourage you not to place the institution's ranking as the most important factor in your decision (I apologize if that wasn't your intention in the first place). Funding is very important as is your 'fit' with the program itself. Hopefully you'll have a chance to visit the schools where you were accepted and meet faculty to gauge where you truly want to go. Congratulations on your Princeton acceptance. Congrats to all others who have received offers!
yaydonicus Posted February 13, 2013 Posted February 13, 2013 Undergrad Institution: Graduated May 2011 from Virginia Tech Major(s): Mechanical EngineeringMinor(s): GPA in Major: 3.18Overall GPA: 3.24Length of Degree: 4yrs Position in Class: 60% Type of Student: Domestic, white, male GRE Scores:Q: 165V: 165W: 4.0Research Experience: Not much, senior research with extremely un-invested professor Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Nothing better than Dean's List and some minor language competition I won in HS Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I worked a software job for a year Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: no Applying for MS at: UW Nuclear Eng. and Eng Physics - accepted 2/1 UCLA Mech and Aerospace - accepted 2/12 WHEN DO WE HEAR ABOUT MONEY? - is it bad if they didn't mention it in the acceptance email? Radian 1
DStory247 Posted February 13, 2013 Posted February 13, 2013 Yaydonicus- Congrats on your acceptances! Is that U Wisconsin? Washington? My acceptances mentioned the stipends in the acceptance letter, both of which are coming from chemical engineering departments. I assumed your fields would be similar. Did they make any mention of a recruiting visit? Maybe they'll send you a supplementary letter later detailing the stipends, but I would think you would have heard that from UW by now.
codejunkie Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 yaydonicus: as you applied for MS, it's likely that you will not receive any funding. DStory247 1
wabisabi Posted February 28, 2013 Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) Got my MIT rejection this morning. Not surprised, but still super-disappointed. Updated stuff below. Undergrad Institution: 1) Elite liberal arts college 2) Low-ranked state school (currently in MS program at UG Inst. #2) [long story about this whole journey]Major(s): Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering (double-majored, as they're separate programs)Minor(s): GPA in Major: 3.8Overall GPA: 3.4Length of Degree: 5 yearsPosition in Class: ?Type of Student: Female DomesticGRE Scores:Q: 165 (92%)V: 170 (99%)W: 5.5 (96%)Research Experience: Yes, both undergrad and grad Awards/Honors/Recognitions: XE, two big undergrad scholarships, I feel like I’m forgetting something here but I kind of never want to see my CV again after obsessing over it for so long, so I'm not going to check Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 3 terms of TA work, started a campus chapter of an engineering association, did freelance work requiring computer skills that evidently are useful to two POIs, tons of volunteer activities that probably don't count for much Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Well, I’m getting an MS right now, so I have that going for me. Very famous advisor. One conference presentation. Firm plans for thesis submission to journal. Have had good interactions with profs at seven of my eight schools . . . four in-person meetings, three phone interviews (not super-official interviews, more like discussions of research interests). My undergrad GPA was hurt by some youthful nincompoopery, but was 3.87 in my last two years. Decent amount of non-engineering work experience.Applying to PhD programs: UC Irvine: Mechanical Eng. U Col. (Boulder): Mechanical Eng. [2/15: accepted, told that they'll decide funding based on visits in March. Probably won't bother.] Colorado State (Ft Collins): Atmospheric Science [1/31: accepted with good funding; 2/15: visited, loved it, great people, nice facilities] Scripps: Climate, Ocean, & Atmosphere program [2/15: unofficial email from POI] Harvard SEAS: Env. Eng. MIT: Civil Eng. [2/28: sad, sad day. Didn't realize how much hope I was holding out for this.] UC Davis: Civil Eng. [1/25 email from POI offering to pay for me to visit 2/8] Carnegie Mellon: Civil Eng. [2/22: accepted, full funding plus nominated for an additional $5,000/yr university fellowship. Visit days are end of March and beginning of April] Edited February 28, 2013 by wabisabi DStory247 1
henryx Posted March 1, 2013 Posted March 1, 2013 @wabisabi Did you apply for MIT's master or PhD? I am still waiting for the MIT's result.
wabisabi Posted March 1, 2013 Posted March 1, 2013 @wabisabi Did you apply for MIT's master or PhD? I am still waiting for the MIT's result. PhD. Good luck to you, you're clearly doing something right judging from where you've gotten in so far!
henryx Posted March 1, 2013 Posted March 1, 2013 @wabisabi Thanks. But its just weird I haven't heard from MIT for so long. anyways, good luck to you with Harvard applications. In fact, CMU is not a bad option esp with full funding.
SydTheKyd Posted March 2, 2013 Posted March 2, 2013 I don't really like giving out details about my life, but this may help someone so... Undergrad Institution: U Pittsburgh Major(s): BioengineeringMinor(s): NoneGPA in Major: Not sureOverall GPA: 3.33Length of Degree: 4 yr program + 1 yr co-op rotation = 5 years totalPosition in Class: No idea - probably average?Type of Student: African American female GRE Scores:Q: 156V: 153W: 4Research Experience: - In total, >1.5 years lab experience with tissue engineering research, which includes biomaterials research for a summer in Germany - In total, 1 year industry experience, which includes 2 semesters co-oping with a highly regarded medical device company in R&D and 1 semester co-oping at research equipment company in R&D - no publications, no big poster talks, etc Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Tau Beta Pi, two corporate scholarships from NSBE, university scholarships (that I had upon entering), Dean's List Pertinent Activities or Jobs: - Heavily involved with National Society of Black Engineers university chapter, including regional level position - Mentored freshmen engineering students as part of diversity program - Engineering school tour guide for 4 yrs (I talk a lot at student recruitment days) - 1 yr volunteer work with mentoring high school students about bioengineering/tissue engineering, and other outreach activities Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: I think I had pretty good letters - I never saw them, but I trust my letter writers! One was from a professor I have a good relationship with, one is from a current PI, and one is from an R&D manager at my previous co-op Applying for [ MS ] or [ PhD ] at: Applying for PhD in Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering (regenerative medicine/tissue engineering focus) at: Vanderbilt - Rejected, 1/??/13 U Washington - Rejected, 1/??/13 Carnegie Mellon - Accepted, 2/7/13, full tuition + stipend Rice University - Accepted, 2/26/13, full tuition + stipend U Pittsburgh - in cahoots with high level dean/professor who is "very sure" I'll get in...so I'll take that as an eventual yes? o_O U Michigan - Still waiting Northwestern - Still waiting Regardless of Michigan and Northwestern decisions, probably will end up going to Rice - I'm ready to escape the cold! SydTheKyd, TexasGuy and Hanyuye 3
wabisabi Posted March 6, 2013 Posted March 6, 2013 I don't really like giving out details about my life, but this may help someone so... I had to get over the same issue! Thanks for sharing, it's always interesting to see other people's profiles. Regardless of Michigan and Northwestern decisions, probably will end up going to Rice - I'm ready to escape the cold! Uh-oh, is Pittsburgh really that bad? I'm leaning towards Carnegie Mellon myself!
tarrman Posted March 8, 2013 Posted March 8, 2013 I'm pretty surprised at how few people are actually replying to this topic. Where are all the engineers?!!! Undergrad Institution: Top 10 public universityMajor(s): Electrical Engineering, PhysicsGPA in Major: Both 4.0Overall GPA: 3.96Length of Degree: 5 yearsPosition in Class: Top 1-2%Type of Student: Domestic white maleGRE Scores: I hate standardized tests, but it doesn't seem like the big-name schools take them very seriouslyQ: 162 (86%)V: 157(73%)W: 5.0 (92%)Research Experience: - 2 summers at Lincoln Lab - 1 year working on a digital signal processing project - 1 year in soft condensed matter - NO PUBLICATIONS!Awards/Honors/Recognitions: - Several departmental scholarships in Physics - University research grant in soft condensed matter - Eta Kappa NuPertinent Activities or Jobs: - Undergraduate math TA for 2 yearsAny Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Strong LOR's all from Ph.D.'s I've done research with. I've also taken four graduate courses (three in DSP, one in quantum mechanics). Spent over a month writing my SoP, but I don't think it was exceptionally good.Applying for PhD at: UT Austin - Accepted, 1/29/13, $2k/month RA + $9k/yr fellowship (Guaranteed for 4 years) Georgia Tech - Accepted, 2/1/13, $1.3k/month TA ( so low!!!) Princeton - Accepted, 2/21/13, $32k 1st year fellowship UIUC - Accepted, 3/5/13, $1.9k/month TA UMich - Currently on "waitlist" w/ POI for RA. Received email earlier this week indicating I'm on a short list of applicants strongly being considered for admission. Hopefully will hear by the end of March Rice - Went to recruitment weekend. 70% attendees accepted. Hoping to hear within the next week or so MIT - Rejected Good luck everyone! DStory247 1
SydTheKyd Posted March 8, 2013 Posted March 8, 2013 I had to get over the same issue! Thanks for sharing, it's always interesting to see other people's profiles. Uh-oh, is Pittsburgh really that bad? I'm leaning towards Carnegie Mellon myself! wabisabi - The cold isn't awful, in my opinion, but I guess it depends on who you ask! I'm originally from MD, so PIttsburgh is about 10 deg colder on average and a lot more snow. If you ask people who are, for example, from California or Florida... they'll give a much different answer! However, I got pretty used to it. I still love the city! SydTheKyd 1
wabisabi Posted March 10, 2013 Posted March 10, 2013 I'm pretty surprised at how few people are actually replying to this topic. Where are all the engineers?!!! I know! It looks like specific disciplines ended up starting their own threads, so I guess a lot of people got channeled there. Princeton - Accepted, 2/21/13, $32k 1st year fellowship One of my schools also only specified a first-year fellowship. Do you know what the deal with that is? The last time I searched the forums I didn't really see anything about this.
tarrman Posted March 10, 2013 Posted March 10, 2013 One of my schools also only specified a first-year fellowship. Do you know what the deal with that is? The last time I searched the forums I didn't really see anything about this. Depends on the school. Princeton has a ton of endowment (highest endowment per student in the country; something like $2.2 million, but all endowment doesn't go to students), so every grad student regardless of discipline is guaranteed full funding for the duration of the Ph.D. (correct me if I'm wrong, somebody). The fellowship is provided for the first year to free you up from any research/teaching duties. The next four years, you're funded via TA, research, or a combination (but I think the stipend is the same all 5 years). The reason they only tell you one year is that you don't know the source of funding for the next 4 years. All you know is that you are guaranteed funding. Rice ECE is the same way. First year fellowship frees up teaching/research responsibilities for the first year. You will be funded for the following years, but the deatails are worked out during the first year of school. My guess is it's the same for your school. Is it a private school? (I think this is more common among private schools). It might also have to due with the fact that you don't pick an advisor at these schools until second semester. At UT, my RA comes in the form of a first year fellowship and then 4 years of actual RA (again, to free me from TA/RA responsibilities my first year) since I've already got my advisor. wabisabi 1
wabisabi Posted March 18, 2013 Posted March 18, 2013 (edited) Thanks, tarrman! It's Carnegie Mellon, so yeah, I think the setup is similar to what you described at Princeton. Hey, does anyone following this thread know where UC Davis fell for Civil Eng. in the 2013-14 US News rankings? I found last year's rankings online here, but I'm obsessive and want to know the number for this year. EDIT: 2014 civil rankings Edited March 18, 2013 by wabisabi
Cyrone Posted March 19, 2013 Posted March 19, 2013 (edited) My statistics are garbage... I'm really not optimistic about my chances of admission to Berkeley, which is the only domestic institution I applied to. Undergrad Institution: UIUC (#1 for Civil/Environmental, my main selling point)Major(s): Civil/Environmental, with a focus on EnvironmentalGPA in Major: 3.5Overall GPA: 3.22Length of Degree: 4 yearsPosition in Class: AverageType of Student: Out-of-State citizen, middle eastern ethnicityGRE Scores:Q: 160V: 158W: 5.0Research Experience: - practically none, other than at my current company which is in-line with my major Pertinent Activities or Jobs: - Undergraduate differential equations TA for 2 semesters - Lectured engineering topics at a university level upon graduation (Vietnam) - Currently a research associate for remediation firm, and tutoring in Calculus/Physics/SAT Misc note: Strangely, the admissions lady at UCB told me that "I did not have to take the GRE again" when she looked at my application when I enquired whether UCB would receive a 2nd GRE score in time if I re-took it in December. I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean. Applying for MS at: UC-Berkeley only. I have a couple other opportunities abroad, but I stayed in Berkeley 1 month over the winter and loved it. Will let you know my result in April... Edited March 19, 2013 by Cyrone
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