<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>I apologize for a rather lengthy post, but I am looking for some advice with regards to applying for aerospace graduate school. I attend the University of Maryland, College Park which has a pretty good aerospace engineering program, but I would really like to go somewhere else for graduate school. I am an aerospace engineering and french double degree (a rather odd combination) with a 3.95 cumulative GPA. I recently took the GRE and got 800Q/660V (these are my unofficial scores so waiting on writing still). </p>
<p>In the summer of my sophomore year, I had two internships at aerospace companies, but I did not enjoy them as much as I expected. In the fall of my junior year (which was a pretty tough semester) I decided graduate school was definitely for me and I started research in January with a professor who works with composite materials and I won a scholarship to do research with him over the summer as well. It is going very well and there is a slight possibility I met get published before I start applying to graduate school. I also TA'd in Statics for a different structures professor in the department, last semester, so I should have at least two solid letters of recommendation (I know I need a third one as well). I have taken a class and done a little research in the past with her. </p>
<p>I am aware that my research experience probably falls a little short in comparison to some of the other applicants I am up against, but I believe working this whole summer in research and TA'ing for a class might help me out. </p>
<p>Here are my questions about graduate school:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Which aerospace graduate schools would you recommend for structures and materials science, particularly in composite materials? It seems the big three (MIT/Stanford/Cal Tech) are all good candidates as well as the University of Texas-Austin. I also considered Princeton, but the research going on there didn't interest me very much and I don't want to go to Michigan. Are there schools in the UK or France that are worth considering?</p></li>
<li><p>I am also very interested in controls. Could I perhaps apply to graduate school to do research in control theory as well even though I have no research experience in this field? Obviously I will apply to most graduate schools to do structures, but if school X's structures program is not interesting yet there controls program is, should I apply to X to study controls?</p></li>
<li><p>What is the best way to research schools? In addition to reading posts on this forum, I have been looking at departments' websites and reading research statements of various professors to see if I am interested in their research. If I am, should I send them an email asking about the projects they are working on?</p></li>
<li><p>Does one have to get a Masters before pursuing a PhD? I apologize for asking what might be a straightforward question, but I have heard conflicting answers.</p></li>
<li><p>LORs- Do most schools only accept three. MIT, for example, is pretty explicit when they say they only want three. Do other grad schools ask for three minimum and give you the option of sending in more? </p></li>
<li><p>I know this question is sort of cliched, but do you have any last minute advice about how to strengthen my application to be competitive at the top schools over the next few months? CalTech is my top choice so far since I like the research going on there (judging by the website) and they do a neat joint-masters program with a French university which is interesting to me since I speak French. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thank-you very much for your advice and having the patience to read my rather verbose post. Based on the number of replies (i.e. if I get any), I will answer any questions you may have in order to get the best advice and I will keep you updated as to where I apply.</p>