Need info regarding admission into PhD in EE

[siddharthakala]

Hello,

I just completed my Masters degree in EE and am looking for admission into PhD program in the same field. If anyone can provide me with information regarding that, it would be very helpful.

Here's my background:

I completed my Masters in EE in June 09 with a GPA of 3.45 from a US school which is very low ranked, infact its not even ranked. My GRE score is 800 Quanta and 640 analytical and 4 in writing. I have extensive research experience of more than 2 years in my field i.e. MEMS and photovoltaics (solar energy), and am seeking admission in the same field. I have good letter of references from my undergraduate, which I completed from Rajiv Gandhi Technical University, MP, India with 65%. I am unable to get references from my Grad school as I have moved out of that city, and it wont be possible for me to get back there and try and get references.

I am planning to apply for top ranked colleges only. Please suggest me some universities where I can get admission along with financial aid.

[noojens]

Wait, do you not have a single professor from your MS institution who would write for you? Can't you just send an email or make a phone call?

Not to be harsh, but 3.45 is a very low GPA for a graduate program, especially at an unranked institution. Sounds like you need a reality check - you might have a chance at a top institution if you have extraordinary research experience (i.e. groundbreaking publications in great journals) and fantastic letters of recommendation, but I wouldn't count on it. Times are tough, especially for international applicants. Apply to some mid-range (30-50 ranked) schools, and some safeties (100-50 ranked).

Best of luck to ya.

[siddharthakala]

I have called a professor at my Master's school and he will be giving me a reference. Some personal problems resulted in a low GPA and it messed up the whole thing for me. I do have good research experience and 4 letters of recommendation from my undergraduate (including Head of the Department). I know its almost impossible for me to get into a good school for PhD. But I really want to give it a try. I just dont want to go back to low class school and get a degree that would be equivalent to a useless degree. Well anyway, I will be applying to a few schools with higher acceptance rate and see if I get into one.

[whitemud]

I wouldn't call any sort of PhD a useless degree. Sure, top universities tend to have more opportunities and better connections - but that's not the be-all, end-all of graduate work and careers-after. In the end, you'll be judged on your own work and research. You can focus more on finding a professor and/or lab that you'd like to work with, than a top-ranked university that you'd like to attend.

Glad to see that you got a reference letter from your MS program. It would look suspicious if you didn't have that.

Also, noojens made a good point about your GPA, personal experiences aside. I agree with her, but the personal statement was made to get around those sorts of anomalies - you can try to use it to account for your low gpa and to emphasize your bigger assets.