Application Suggestions

[Fischie22]

Hello all,

I am planning to apply to PhD programs in Mechanical Engineering for Fall '18. I was hoping to get some suggestions as to which schools I should look into (Reach, target, and safety suggestions would all be great), and what band of schools (top 10, 11-50, 51-100, etc.) where my application is likely be pretty competitive. My applications basics are as follows:

Current Class Standing: Junior (3 semesters and 1 summer remaining)

Undergraduate University: Colorado School of Mines

Undergraduate GPA: 3.79/4 (4.0 Major GPA) after 5 semesters

GRE Scores: 161V, 167Q, AWA: tbd  

Publications: None yet 

Work Experience: Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in MD, 7 mo CO-OP in Industry R&D/Manufacturing Group w/ large corporation (mostly CAD design, machine building, manufacturing, etc. while producing an innovative manufacturing prototype machine)

Research Experience: Undergrad Research Fellow since first semester on campus - still participating, Research Fellowship (see above)

LORs: Research Prof on Campus (researched under him for 2.5 years so far), NIST staff scientist (worked with him during summer after Freshman year), and manager from company where I participated in the CO-OP (She holds a masters and a Professional Engineering Certification)

Teaching Experience: None

Awards: Various internal scholarships/grants, dean's list all semesters

Planning on Applying to: CU Boulder, CO School of Mines (home institution), CalTech, UMD, Johns Hopkins, UW Madison, USC

It would be a huge help to know if my planned schools fall in line with my profile, what other schools I should consider, and whether I would be competitive for top 10 schools, or whether I should primarily focus on less-highly ranked programs.

Thanks

[abcde12345]

Are you close to submitting a publication under your research professor? Seems like you've been working under him/her for a while. Ideally, before Fall 2017, you will have published or submitted 1-2 papers (conference papers or journals) for review. This way, you can focus on applications during Fall 2017.

I think that LORs from professors are usually the most well-received (please look this up to confirm), so your research professor is a great choice. From your description, I'm not sure if the staff scientist and manager can write compelling letters for you. Neutral letters may even be detrimental.

With publications and strong LORs, you have a good chance at top ME grad schools.

I am also new to the application process, and hopefully more experienced members here can give you advice.