MIT ESD/TPP Fall 14'

[Deergus]

Hi,

 

Anyone else applied to this program and is waiting for the results? 

 

So far it doesn't seem like (m)any results are out. Does anyone know more?

 

[phdcandidate022014]

I applied to the ESD PhD program and this is what I know. 

 

I called about two weeks ago and asked if they had decided on a date for accepted student visitation (I did not ask for a status update on my application or applications in general).  The person I spoke with said (with some uncertainty) that she believed they were planning on having the visit weekend on or around March 14th.  In light of that information, I expect we should hear decisions within the next week since, presumably, ample time would need to be given for out-of-state students to make travel arrangements.

 

I've only seen one reported TPP Master's result pop up so far, and I would expect the decision process for Master's differs from PhD since the PhD is the cornerstone of the ESD program. 

 

Past years of data are fairly incomplete so it is hard to draw a conclusion regarding when they "typically" send out decisions. 

[phdcandidate022014]

Looks like someone just posted a rejection from the TPP Master's program

[Deergus]

Thanks for the information!

 

Indeed, it would appear that the visit weekend will take place on the 14th, so I imagine decisions will be out by then.

 

It's true that there's very little historical information about ESD, but it does seem that they tend to announce on the first week of March.

 

Good luck with your application!

[phdcandidate022014]

So....anyone feel like calling up admissions and finding out when decisions are going to be sent out? If the visit date really is going to be on the 14th of March, it seems like decisions should come out very soon. 

[koo]

Hey guys, not sure about PhD but I'm pretty sure Master's offers have been sent out. MIT TPP seems to have a habit of sending out the offers on Valentine's day. When I applied for the Master's last year, I got my acceptance on Feb 14. I eventually deferred for a year. My updated admission letter is also dated Feb 14 2014. In addition, they've already sent out the invitation for the open day. Unless you've been wait-listed or something's gone wrong with your email, it might be better to assume your application wasn't successful. If you've been admitted for the 2014 TPP Master's class, pls mssg me so we can keep in touch. Good luck guys

[Deergus]

There's also a Master's program in ESD, although I'm not sure if it's treated any differently than its PhD counterpart.

 

Is the open day on Mar. 14? Is it TPP only or ESD in general?

 

Also, congrats and good luck!

Edited March 2, 2014 by Deergus

[phdcandidate022014]

My guess is that the open day of March 14 is for everyone.  A colleague of mine that also applied to ESD PhD program called the admissions office up last week and found out that they are "not close" to finishing their evaluations of the PhD applications, and that they "hope" to finish by mid-March.  They also indicated it could be possible that people receive admission AFTER the open date. So I see what you're saying, koo, but according to my buddy it is wholly possible (and perhaps likely) that admits will be notified up to and following the visit day.  I'll get in touch with you if I get accepted and make the trip up for the visit date.

Edited March 4, 2014 by phdcandidate022014

[cyado]

I am currently at MIT and trying to switch to TPP and had to apply. Up to last week I was informed that the admission committee was still making decisions. Not everybody is invited to the open house so you may receive your admission notification after the 14th. When I applied to my current program last year I got my admission letter the week before the open house so it's not too late.MIT tries to send out notifications after other schools so that you can fully evaluate all your options. In addition, spots may open up later on as some people defer or turn down offers. So unless you get a rejection letter before March 31st you still have a chance of being admitted.

 

Good luck!

[Deergus]

Looks like there won't be any decisions made this week.

 

Next week is going to be long..

[gradstudent2014-15]

...and the week begins..fingers crossed, good luck everyone!

[phdcandidate022014]

OK so a couple of notes to pass along.  First, my colleague that also applied to the PhD program (Healthcare focus) called the department last week and asked for a decision over the phone.  The decision was a rejection (I don't think he's posted results to GC yet).  I haven't heard my decision yet (I also applied to PhD, Energy/Environment focus).  What is strange is that someone just posted an acceptance to the TPP Master's program on GC and claimed that MIT's acceptance e-mail said that the ESD committee evaluating PhD applicants had not yet made their decisions.  I'm inclined to think MIT did not erroneously give my colleague a rejection, so it's likely true that at least some decisions for PhD applicants have been made. 

[Deergus]

Thanks for the information! Sorry to hear about your colleague..

 

It is quite possible that some rejection decisions have been made so far. It's very normal for an admissions committee to grossly reduce the pool of applicants first, and then continue with that process until they are left with a short list of 'finalists'. Unfortunately, it's difficult to say where each of us stand at this point, as no decision were given officially.

 

Also, note that the acceptance that was just posted is in fact from Feb. 14, so it isn't really new information.

[Deergus]

2 days remaining until the open house, and according to the stats page - no decisions have been made yet. 

 

Is it possible that they are planning to hold a visit day with no students, or can we assume that decisions have already been made for the most part, but people didn't report?

[nickelsaur]

All the best, guys..!

 

Was wondering if you could help me out while you wait.. I'm planning to apply for the next round of esd phd but am still wondering if it'll be a good fit. Mind I field you guys for your profiles, and why you chose esd..?

[phdcandidate022014]

All the best, guys..!

 

Was wondering if you could help me out while you wait.. I'm planning to apply for the next round of esd phd but am still wondering if it'll be a good fit. Mind I field you guys for your profiles, and why you chose esd..?

 

My 10,000 ft observation suggests there may not be great cohesion within the department. If you look at the faculty profiles, a large fraction are dual appointments. It is unclear about the support that the department itself is getting.  The website is a bit stale and appears to (at least superficially) reflect a department that maybe lacking a bit in identity.  It comes off as if the department is a bit neglected, so it is comprised of excellent component parts (leading researchers) but it's largely something being that's a side project of sorts. 

 

Despite these observations, I applied to ESD because the coursework looked interesting and because it is such a broad discipline that I would have great flexibility in developing my dissertation research (I can't think of another department where you could study under a leading healthcare policy expert or a leading product development expert).  So the appeal of "I'm interested in many things, so entry into this program will give me flexibility to choose one of many interesting paths" was one of the keys to my application.

 

I'm a civil/environmental engineer by training. I mainly want the opportunity to enter ESD to become part of the MIT ecosystem. The goal would be to leverage the opportunity to go into some Boston-based industry, perhaps a start-up.  The chance to take multiple courses in the business school is particularly appealing.  To be honest, I'm ambivalent about whether or not I get accepted as pertains to the program itself (but I would be disappointed if I don't get in because then I don't have the chance to be part of the MIT ecosystem).  I haven't gotten an invite to the visit weekend, so I may have been rejected already for all I know.

 

I spoke with a few current ESD students that were late in the program (3-4th year) and very interestingly none of them knew what they were going to be doing post-graduation.  It's almost like ESD is the perfect program if you're indecisive about your future direction.  Not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation based on a very small sample size.

 

Finally, if you're looking to go into academia, there are only a few equivalent programs out there (Carnegie-Mellon, Stanford, and I think a school in Singapore).  I'm not sure if having an ESD PhD would hurt your chances of going into academia in your BS/MS discipline, like yours which is Mechanical Engineering.  Depends on the individual, I suppose.

 

You can check out alumni profiles here http://esd.mit.edu/people/alumni.html  It is a giant pain to evaluate lots of profiles since you have to click in each individual link for each individual last name letter.  Ugh.

[Deergus]

Rejection came in .

[leolaranjeira]

4 rejections posted... any acceptance?

[cyado]

Got my acceptance email on the 20th

[chai_tea_1234]

I definitely agree with the post above. I guess the drawback with the ESD/TPP master's program (which most people apply to) is that it would be tough to get into academia, and if you applied also to the PhD programs (and I am assuming you wouldn't have to look for your own funding as actively as in TPP) and interested in academia, then PhD might be a better choice. And for the alumni, it seems like people go more into the public sector/government/non-profit - so I don't know if the program might exactly be a good fit if people are thinking about going into other career sector after graduation...