Profile Evaluation for PhD in Mechanical Engineering

[Arash00]

Hi every one,

I am applying for PhD in Mechanical Engineering for Fall 2016. I would appreciate if some of you could give me suggestions regarding my chance for being accepted in US universities. What range of universities should I apply?

My profile:

B.Sc in Mechanical Engineering from one of high reputed university in Iran, GPA: 3.27/4.00 (Ranked 5 between 53 students).

M.Sc in Mechanical Engineering from one of high reputed university in Iran, GPA: 3.91/4.00 (Ranked 4 between 45 students).

Journal Papers: 4 (Publishers: Elsevier & Sage, impact factors: 2.75, 2.03, 1.87, 1.32)

Conference Papers : 2 international conference.

Teaching Experience: 2 years

TOEFL: 102, R:27, L:20, S: 26, W: 29

GRE: 326, Q: 170, V: 156, AW: 3.5

 

Another important issue: Should I email professors before applying?

Thank you in advance

 

[Keya]

Hi, I am an undergraduate student studying mechanical Engineering. I am looking to apply for MS for Fall 2016, and so I have done a lot of research on both MS and PhD application processes. Your profile is very strong, considering your publications and your GPA. From what I know, it is up to the student to find a PhD guide in most universities. So what i would suggest is to decide exactly what field you want to work in, look for the most recent publications in that field, and approach the professors who have been working on these publications. These people are your best bet as PhD guides. They will be able to tell you whether you will be accepted by the university where they teach as well.

The process usually goes like this, you apply to the professor, you may have an interview or two, the professor will then decide whether they think you are a good PhD candidate. If they decide to guide you, you should then apply to the university specifically stating that this professor has agreed to be your mentor. Even if the university doesn't expect you to do this, you should approach professors first, because this will greatly improve your chances of acceptance. If the professor thinks you will be an asset to his or her research, naturally, they will push for your admission.

With your profile, I would suggest applying to top mech universities, like Virginia Tech, UPenn, Georgia tech, Stanford, UMich etc. But I still suggest looking for professors through recent publications and not on the basis of their university, since this will be better from a research point of view.

Good luck.