PhD in Industrial Engineering/Operations Research Fall 2013

[shiraziaseel]

There were similar forums to this one in the previous years. I guess it's about time we start it for 2013 applicants! IEOR applicants, please share your profiles and results here.

As for myself, I'll post my information and schools that I applied to in later posts, when the forum starts getting active.

[33andathirdRPM]

Applying for: Ph.D. in Operations Research (Industrial Engineering)

Undergraduate: large public state school (Very High research activity)

Major: Mathematics (Pure and Actuarial)

Courses: Micro I, Macro I, Calc I-III, DiffEq, Linear Algebra, Introductory Real Analysis, Introductory Probability Theory, Abstract Algebra, Introduction to Topology, Operations Research, Numerical Methods, Real Analysis I (using Baby Rudin) through this semester. Before graduation I will have Real Analysis II, Applied Linear Algebra (using Strang's text), and (graduate-level) Stats.

GPA (last two years of undergrad): 3.55, major GPA: 3.24

GRE: 168Q, 167V (both 97th %ile), 4.5AW (73rd %ile)

LoR: two professors I've had classes with from Big Ten schools, one professor I'm working on UG research project with from Ivy

Research: Queueing Theory application paper/poster (In progress)

I was a complete knucklehead when I was younger and had a terrible GPA. After more than a decade of half-hearted attempts with lots of years off in between, I went back to school two and a half years ago and have had consistent (if not overall stellar) returns in my classes. My GPA for my upper division work would be better if it weren't for the "Intro" to Topology course (I got a 2.0... *sigh*). Hopefully the admissions committees will look at my recent performance, GRE scores, and personal statement more than my horrible results when I was young.

I am sending applications to the following Ph.D. programs:

Arizona State

Florida

Illinois

Michigan

Minnesota

North Carolina

North Carolina State

Northeastern

Penn State

Pitt

Virginia

Wisconsin

I know that at least a third of the programs that I'm applying to are very much long shots. Any input (constructive or, if you must, snarky) on my prospects would be greatly appreciated.

[Grad_Advisor]

Since you are interested in OR, I would rank the following programs. To increase your chances, you must contact 2-3 facutly in these departments that you would like to work with. If none are willing, there really is no point applying to the program, particularly if you want to be funded. Your GRE scores are fantastic. With a strong personal statement essay, Im sure they would overlook your low GPA. If you can get a research paper or a poster in a major IE/OR conference, you should get through in any of the list below. Personally i feel the list is too long. Must narrow it down further. Do you know what area in OR you are interested in?

Florida - very OR centric at a fundamental/theoretical level

Arizona State - Very information science centric

Illinois - very manufacturing (Mfg) focused

Michigan - very mfg focused

North Carolina State - very mfg focused

Virginia

Penn State - defense and mfg focused.

Pitt

Wisconsin

Northeastern

North Carolina

Minnesota

You should check out the US News rankings and the ASEE website for more info on each of the programs. I know there are consultants that can help you make your decision easier.

Regards

B.S.

[shiraziaseel]

GRE: 168Q, 167V (both 97th %ile), 4.5AW (73rd %ile)

LoR: two professors I've had classes with from Big Ten schools, one professor I'm working on UG research project with from Ivy

Research: Queueing Theory application paper/poster (In progress)

I believe these three lines are enough to guarantee that you'll be admitted to at least a few of the mentioned schools. Especially since you've already ruled out the top schools (e.g. MIT, Stanford, UCB, etc.). It's good that some applicants such as yourself can compensate for GPA with a significantly high GRE score; but for some applicants such as myself, I'm not very happy that the GRE scores are treated the same way as GPA. I mean, a high GPA is the result of 4 years of hard work and high grades in 50-60 courses and mastery in several related to OR courses, while a high verbal GRE score only represents great knowledge of rare English vocabulary. My GPA is equivalent to 3.90 (as converted by WES), and my GRE scores are Q170, V154, A4. As I've seen in the fall-2012 and fall-2011 threads, my verbal GRE score is far behind most OR PhD applicants, which is not very heart warming!!

By the way, 33andathirdRPM, unfortunately we don't have any schools in common! Your list has no schools in common with my list of 10 schools! I guess it's cuz I'm more a large-cities-fan and you seem to prefer otherwise.

[33andathirdRPM]

I believe these three lines are enough to guarantee that you'll be admitted to at least a few of the mentioned schools. Especially since you've already ruled out the top schools (e.g. MIT, Stanford, UCB, etc.). It's good that some applicants such as yourself can compensate for GPA with a significantly high GRE score; but for some applicants such as myself, I'm not very happy that the GRE scores are treated the same way as GPA. I mean, a high GPA is the result of 4 years of hard work and high grades in 50-60 courses and mastery in several related to OR courses, while a high verbal GRE score only represents great knowledge of rare English vocabulary. My GPA is equivalent to 3.90 (as converted by WES), and my GRE scores are Q170, V154, A4. As I've seen in the fall-2012 and fall-2011 threads, my verbal GRE score is far behind most OR PhD applicants, which is not very heart warming!!

By the way, 33andathirdRPM, unfortunately we don't have any schools in common! Your list has no schools in common with my list of 10 schools! I guess it's cuz I'm more a large-cities-fan and you seem to prefer otherwise.

Your 170 Quantitative score is above the reported mean for most programs I've looked at, and as I understand it Verbal and Analytical Writing scores are considered more for types of funding (teaching assistantships) than anything else. You have an amazing GPA! Which schools are you considering?

[33andathirdRPM]

Since you are interested in OR, I would rank the following programs. To increase your chances, you must contact 2-3 facutly in these departments that you would like to work with. If none are willing, there really is no point applying to the program, particularly if you want to be funded. Your GRE scores are fantastic. With a strong personal statement essay, Im sure they would overlook your low GPA. If you can get a research paper or a poster in a major IE/OR conference, you should get through in any of the list below. Personally i feel the list is too long. Must narrow it down further. Do you know what area in OR you are interested in?

Florida - very OR centric at a fundamental/theoretical level

Arizona State - Very information science centric

Illinois - very manufacturing (Mfg) focused

Michigan - very mfg focused

North Carolina State - very mfg focused

Virginia

Penn State - defense and mfg focused.

Pitt

Wisconsin

Northeastern

North Carolina

Minnesota

You should check out the US News rankings and the ASEE website for more info on each of the programs. I know there are consultants that can help you make your decision easier.

Regards

B.S.

Thank you for the feedback! My interests naturally lie in Stochastic Processes, Queueing Theory, Stochastic Programming (though I don't have too much of a background in it at this point), MCMC, and their applications.

[shiraziaseel]

Your 170 Quantitative score is above the reported mean for most programs I've looked at, and as I understand it Verbal and Analytical Writing scores are considered more for types of funding (teaching assistantships) than anything else. You have an amazing GPA! Which schools are you considering?

Thanks; I guess I just have to wait and see what happens. The Engineering Schools that I applied for are: USC (ISE), UCB (IEOR), NU (IEMS), Stanford (MS&E), UCSC (TIM), and Columbia. The rest are business schools. btw, I couldn't find how to add the names of the schools (applied, accepted, rejected, etc.) in the footnote!

[33andathirdRPM]

Under 'My Settings' there is a column of options on the left. The fourth option from the top is 'Signature.'

[ohyeah1234]

Jesus... Im on wrong topic.. sorry.. i just realized it's for Ph.D.

Edited December 16, 2012 by rlaehdtn89

[shiraziaseel]

rlaehdtn89

rlaehdtn89, you aren't on the wrong topic, it was my mistake that I didn't include MS in the thread topic. I noticed that the 2011 and 2012 threads were mixed for MS and PhD applicants.

Anyways, your resume looks good, good coursework, fine GPA, relevant research experience, you have a good chance of getting into one of your mentioned programs, but I still think you should also apply for lower ranked (but still high-ranked) schools such as Michigan Ann Arbor, Penn State, etc.

[aychies]

Hi,

I am from India interested in masters in operations research 2013

Undergraduate: Bachelor of Engineering, 2010 (Decent college in my state)

Major: Mechatronics

GPA: 86/100 (Rank - Class 2nd, University 6th)

GRE: 164Q, 165V, 4.0AW

Work Ex: Quant and Verbal Trainer, Assistant Systems engineer, TCS (10 months)

Business Analyst, Senior Business Analyst (March 2011 - present) - Top decision sciences/analytics company in India

LoR: One from professor in college, One from reporting manager at work, One from Top management at work

I want to know my chances of getting into a top university.

Applied to:

Stanford (MS&E)

GaTech (MSOR)

Columbia (MSOR)

LSE (Management Science)

UMich (IOE)

University of British Columbia (Operations Research and Analytics)

I was wondering if anyone could suggest a couple of mid-range colleges that I can apply to and be sure of an admit. Penn State has a dual degree in OR and applied statistics. But I don't know the ranking of these colleges for OR, so need help.

[fooBarBaz]

Hey guys,

I am also interested in OR/IE programs.  Here are my profile:

 

Applying: PhD

Status: International with undergrad degree in the US

Undergrad: State school, ok ranking

Major: Industrial Engr (Honors), Minor: Computer Science

GPA: 3.97/4.00 (Outstanding Junior, Who's Who Among Students Award)

GRE: 167Q (96th%ile), 150V (44th%ile... oh well), 4.5AW (73rd%ile)

Research: 3 REU's-- awarded best project among 20 participants from accross the country for one of them

Professional experience: software development, social entreupreunership (partner w/ Apple, Inc.)

Papers: 2 in progress, none published yet

Presentations: 1 abstract sent (well known conference), 1 paper competition in progress

LoR: 1 from school director (knows me very well, took 2 classes with her), 1 from professor and research advisor, 1 from advisor (REU), 1 from chair at work

 

I am applying to theses schools:

 

MIT ORC (very long shot)

Stanford MSE (very long shot as well)

Cornell IEOR (long shot)

U of Mich IEO (kinda long shot)

Northwestern U IE (kinda long shot)

GaTech Computational Science and Engr (kinda long shot)

U of Wisconsin - Madison ISE

Colorado State (joint program-- BioEnergy + CS)

 

I would appreciate it if you guys could give me some feedback on my chances of getting admitted (with funding) to those schools.  I know my verbal GRE is EXTREMELY lowwwww--  I am international and I didn't study too much for it.

[bbk]

Hey all!

Here is my profile.

Applying: PhD of Industrial Eng or Systems Eng.

Status: International

Undergrad: Applied Math - Not well-known uni in the Middle East

Undergrad GPA: 3.66/4.00 (Converted by WES - Rank: 2/30)

Grad: Systems Engineering - Well-known uni in the Middle East

Grad GPA: 4.00/4.00 (Converted by WES - Rank: 1/10)

GRE: 170Q (99%), 150V (44%), 4.0AW (49%)

Research: 2 extended abstracts and 2 full papers (first author of 3 of the 4 papers) and oral presentations for the papers at not very well-known Intl. Conferences + 2 manuscripts being prepared to be submitted to journals

LoR: 2 excellent LoRs and 1 good LoR, all from not well-known full/associate professors

 

I applied/am applying to these unis:

Northwestern

V Tech

Penn State

Texas A&M

U of Minnesota

Lehigh

UC Davis (Transportation)

U of Washington

Rensselaer P I

Stevens I of T (Sys Eng.)

 

What do you think about my chance of getting admission with full funding to the unis in my list?

I really appreciate your comments and advices.

[navid_navidi]

I want to apply for fall of 2014, but i dont know how i can convert my gpa to a international format ( from 4) my gpa of undergraduate is 14,40 and master is 17.00 out of 20 if you know the convertion please tell me, and i want to know with such gpa, what scores  should i at least get in the GRE and Toefl to be hopeful of being admitted in virginiatech or such universities?

[behnam1]

Hello guys,

 

I have applied for PhD in Industrial Engineering fall 2013 and I want one of you to tell me my chances for acceptance:

 

Undergraduate GPA: 3.85 (University of Tehran)

Graduate GPA: 3.66 (University of Tehran)

GRE: V163 Q167 AW3

TOEFL: 653/677

Two published ISI papers

 

I have applied for these schools:

 

stanford, columbia, berkeley, georgia tech, illinois, michigan ann arbor

 

Has anyone any experience or insight? Please tell me my chances. I am under pressure as the time passes . . .

[shiraziaseel]

Hello guys,

 

I have applied for PhD in Industrial Engineering fall 2013 and I want one of you to tell me my chances for acceptance:

 

Undergraduate GPA: 3.85 (University of Tehran)

Graduate GPA: 3.66 (University of Tehran)

GRE: V163 Q167 AW3

TOEFL: 653/677

Two published ISI papers

 

I have applied for these schools:

 

stanford, columbia, berkeley, georgia tech, illinois, michigan ann arbor

 

Has anyone any experience or insight? Please tell me my chances. I am under pressure as the time passes . . .

Behnam, it seems to me that you've put a lot of effort on your GRE verbal score. Considering the past years' results of applicants from our school, I can tell you that this will potentially be a great advantage to you. Having two ISI papers is also a great advantage. Even though I'd say you have a high chance of getting into one of the mentioned schools, I suggest that you also apply to some lower ranked schools before the deadlines pass. I strongly advise you to apply to NorthEASTern University before the January 15th deadline. You may also leave it as it is, and apply to some schools with late deadlines (there are plenty of schools with March 1st deadlines) only if you receive no admissions by late February.

Navid Navidi, I answered your question in a personal message.

aychies and fooBarBaz, I was hoping that others would come by and comment on your profiles, because I don't have enough knowledge to comment on your cases. But it seems like this year's OR applicants aren't that much into the whole gradcafe thing.

[behnam1]

Behnam, it seems to me that you've put a lot of effort on your GRE verbal score. Considering the past years' results of applicants from our school, I can tell you that this will potentially be a great advantage to you. Having two ISI papers is also a great advantage. Even though I'd say you have a high chance of getting into one of the mentioned schools, I suggest that you also apply to some lower ranked schools before the deadlines pass. I strongly advise you to apply to NorthEASTern University before the January 15th deadline. You may also leave it as it is, and apply to some schools with late deadlines (there are plenty of schools with March 1st deadlines) only if you receive no admissions by late February.

Navid Navidi, I answered your question in a personal message.

aychies and fooBarBaz, I was hoping that others would come by and comment on your profiles, because I don't have enough knowledge to comment on your cases. But it seems like this year's OR applicants aren't that much into the whole gradcafe thing.

 

Thank you my friend! I will consider your suggestions.

 

By the way, what do you think about my low AW score? Will this affect my applications negatively or my papers and TOEFL can compensate for it?

[33andathirdRPM]

For what it's worth, someone posted an acceptance to NJIT's Ph.D. program in the Results Search.

[shiraziaseel]

For what it's worth, someone posted an acceptance to NJIT's Ph.D. program in the Results Search.

Yeah I noticed it too, but it was MS not PhD. I guess this is a start for this year's IEOR results...

[33andathirdRPM]

An Ohio State University IE Ph.D. acceptance has been listed on the admissions results.

[33andathirdRPM]

An admission to the UIUC Industrial Engineering Ph.D. has been posted. Would that happen to be one of the people in this thread?

[efh0888]

An admission to the UIUC Industrial Engineering Ph.D. has been posted. Would that happen to be one of the people in this thread?

Not me, didn't even apply there--no one doing SCM :/

[shiraziaseel]

An admission to the UIUC Industrial Engineering Ph.D. has been posted. Would that happen to be one of the people in this thread?

I don't remember anyone on this thread mentioning applying to UIUC. btw, I saw two interviews posted for UCLA DOTM. But I didn't receive an email for interview. This doesn't mean that I haven't been considered does it?

[behnam1]

Hello friends

 

In my status checking for Georgia Tech I saw this notification: "Decision Complete". Two days ago I sent this email to the graduate school:

 

Dear receiver

 

You are indicating in my status checking "Decision Completed". You have posted in the FAQ section that "You must wait to receive a letter". But regarding the distance of my country from USA and some other problems , could I ask you to let me know my decision by email?

If I wait for the letter, I may receive it too late (for example 2 months from now which is late for me to pursue the required tasks to attend Gatech in fall 2013) or even not receive it at all.

 

Behnam

 

I have received no answer. Does anyone knows what all these mean?

 

 

Edited January 26, 2013 by behnam1

[Radian]

There are some explanations HERE if you scroll down to March 2010. Though it may be wrong.