Applying for a PhD in Operations Research

[georgiades]

I am applying for a PhD (actually 3 applications are already on their way) in Operations Research / Industrial Engineering at several universities (approximately top 20).

In total I plan to submit 20 applications, about 5 of which will be for a PhD in Operations Management / Decision Sciences at Business Schools.

I did my undergraduate in Electrical & Computer Engineering and my final dissertation was on OR and was meritted as one of the 13 best in the country in my field by the IEEE (international Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers). I am from Greece by the way.

In the department, my final score was 7.32 / 10 and I ranked in the top 8% (24th / 302).

My GRE scores are 540 (Verbal), 800 (Quantitative) and 4.5 (Writing). In the TOEFL iBT I got 111 out of 120.

I have also been awarded 2nd prize in the National Mathematics Olympiad a few years ago (11th grade)

I wonder if you could ball park my chances of being accepted and what universities should consistute a realistic goal.

I will be applying to Harvard (HBS), Princeton, MIT, Columbia, U. of Texas at Austin, U. of Winsconsin, Duke (Fuqua), U. of North Carolina, Rutgers, U. of Penn (Wharton), U. of Illinois, Northwestern, UCLA, Stanford, Cornell, Penn State, George Tech and Purdue.

Funding is most welcome, but I won't say no to a top university even without funding.

Thanks!!

[Minnesotan]

I believe your last sentence included the most important datum in your entire application: you don't need funding.

Make sure schools know that.