<p>Hi, I've been reading through this forum, and I found it to be quite helpful. This is my first post here, and I would like to ask for an opinion about my chances to be admitted in postgraduate studies in the US. My excessive worry and anxiety is frustrating, as I cannot bear the thought of a possible rejection.</p>
<p>Here’s my current status: I'm studying Computer Engineering in Lebanon, at one of the best universities in the country. I’m one year short from finishing my bachelor degree, and my current average is 89.9 overall (3.61 GPA), and 90 major (3.65 GPA).
I will be applying to these universities in MA:</p>
<p>My questions are: What are my chances to be accepted for MS studies? To receive an assistantship (TA or RA)? I’m taking the GRE next month, how much does it affect my chances?</p>
<p>I must submit my application before the deadline (In January I reckon), and I will not have received my BS degree by then, so can I send them the grades of only the courses I’ve finished, and tell them to expect the rest later?</p>
<p>I appreciate any response, even the most pessimistic, as I can’t get more pessimistic and hopeless myself. Thanks a lot.</p>
<p>Most MS programs do not offer funding. In glancing at these programs' websites, it does not seem that these programs offer TA/RA for the MS. You might want to look about a bit more to find programs that will fund you - they aren't common, but they do exist. Is there a particular reason why you must be in Massachusetts?</p>
<p>Yes actually my brother and my uncle and his family are in MA, so it would make things tons easier for me to go there. I'm only following in the footsteps of my brother. He had a GPA of 3.9~4.0 and received an assistantship in studying for an MS degree in environmental engineering at Northeastern. However, when he applied, he had finished his BS and sent a complete transfer report.</p>
<p>Plus I read these universities do offer assistantship in MS studies. Are sure they don't?</p>
<p>Where did you read it? As I said, I glanced at the websites for the programs, and they did not appear to mention any assistantships, but I did it rather quickly. Please check for yourself, however. Unless they explicitly say they offer funding, your best bet is to contact the programs directly to inquire. They can also give you a better idea of the competitiveness of the assistantships, if any.</p>
<p>" Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Master of Science Degree Requirements</p>
<p>A minimum of thirty-two semester hours of graduate courses with a minimum grade point average of 3.000 is required in all programs. Full-time students are required to complete either an eight semester hour Thesis or a four semester hour Project as part of their program. Research Assistants, Teaching Assistants, and Industrial Fellowship students are required to complete a Thesis. Research or Teaching Assistants are not allowed to change their areas of concentration without the approval of their current academic or thesis adviser, the Graduate Affairs Committee, and the Director of the Graduate School of Engineering..."</p>
<p>The first sentences in the link I provided. I did contact several admission boards, but they only responded generally, advising me to read through their website. They're not gonna tell you about your real chances, or you want pay for their application fee anymore!</p>
<p>That's sometimes true, although I had decent luck with getting honest answers from programs. Again, I didn't check closely - I mostly looked in the financial aid sections and glanced through the rest. Also, make sure all the programs have TA/RA available. Of all the MA programs I applied to, only a couple had aid available for MA. That's less true with MS, but funding is still a rarity.</p>
<p>Be sure that there isn't a special application process for assistantships, also. Sometimes they have additional requirements or earlier deadlines.</p>
<p>Regarding your GRE, in my experience this has a major effect on TA/RA awards.</p>
<p>None of these website are specific as to the awards offered. All of the programs also have PhD programs. That means that they will likely find PhD students first, and MS students will get the leftovers. That doesn't matter, providing there are plenty of leftovers. However, that is a question to direct to the program. Simply ask them how many MS students are funded through TA/RA. Be sure to ask how much the funding generally is - full or partial. Also ascertain if TA/RA comes with tuition remission - in full funding packages, it generally does, but MS, again, may not be fully funded. Finally, find out if those assistantships are generally renewed the next year - you don't want to be partway through your degree and then lost your funding because a line ran out.</p>
<p>Yes I see your point DespSeekPhd, I've never thought about these details, and I'm sending the universities emails right now, to ask about them. You've been a great help, thanks! I hope you successfully seek your Phd without desperation!</p>
<p>I still have two questions though, if you, or anyone else, can answer them.</p>
<p>1) I must submit my application before the deadline (In January I reckon), and I will not have received my BS degree by then, so can I send them the grades of only the courses Ive finished, and tell them to expect the rest later, but surely before the beginning of the designated semester (Fall 2008)?</p>
<p>2) What if I start contacting professors from the universities, right after I send my application, and show my interest and passion in their work, and ask if they need any TA or RA, would they show any interest in return, and possibly accept my request, and demand an acceptance for my assistantship application? My brother did that with his professor, and it worked out well for him.</p>
<p>Yes, you will send them the transcripts of the already completed courses. They will expect you to send a transcript once you have finished your degree for verification. You don't need to tell them that you will send the rest later - they will assume that already.</p>
<p>I advise you to contact professors you are specifically interested in working with. Don't carpet the department with emails ;) (I figure you probably know this already, but some don't.) You may want to ask those professors if they are taking new advisees next year - sometimes people apply to a department wanting to work with someone specific, and their application gets denied because that prof is going on sabbatical or has too many grad students already. If you choose to mention you will be seeking TA/RA, do it tactfully - perhaps ask about the likelihood of getting one. Don't ask specifically if you can TA for them - profs generally play it close to the vest and will not show interest in TA/RA or even confirm interest beyond "Glad you're applying!" until admissions offers come out. Admissions is done by committee, and often your preferred professor is not on the committee. Even if they are, they don't know the full range of applicants until they sit down to admissions, and so they really can't tell you whether they will accept you or not. Occasionally I've heard stories about a prof who told an applicant that they want them in their lab and will fight to get them admitted - and the student was rejected! Also, a prof can't demand the admissions committee accept a particular student - There's usually a majority rule, and sometimes the committee has to vote unanimously. So expect guarded interest in vague terms and no acceptance until official decisions. However, letting them know you will be seeking assistantships without expecting a response is not a bad idea.</p>
<p>Also know that sometimes assistantships are negotiable. I was accepted to several programs, and the one I was most interested in told me it was very unlikely I would get an assistantship, being an MA student. I let them know that I would be unable to attend without finaid (and that I was weighing offers in part based on finaid), and they found me a TAship. If you do this, do it delicately - sometimes it's successful, sometimes not.</p>
<p>Thanks. I'll try to go by your advice. Getting a TA/RAship may not be a matter of cunning or craftiness, but it seems like it should be approached delicately in the application process. I can't thank you enough, seriously.</p>
<p>I am learning a bit about the process behind the scenes. My D is entering a Masters program and we were not sure whether or not she would get TA/RA. It was just not clear. We now learned she gets that funding via the financial aid dept, as a work study. Like any work study it is up to her to find the position.</p>
<p>Her classes are Q system, so nothing has begun yet, but she already ran into a prof she knows and he will take her as his RA without having to interview or anything, showing her how great it was that she volunteered in his lab last year and worked with him.</p>
<p>D was not sure which aspect of her field interested her and did volunteer work for a prof and in the working world. She ended up with her name ona couple of papers and the Prof encouraged her to apply to the program and will now have her as RA without having to go through the search.</p>
<p>It is amazing what a good mentor can do, if you find a fit.</p>
<p>In her case, nothing was stated up front, apply, get in, wait for the $ offer, see what happens, etc. Thus far things are happening well. We have also learned she could earn a TA 2nd year which MAY offer some tuition reduction program.</p>
<p>So, it may not always be an offer up front for an RA/TA</p>
<p>Hey DespSeekPhd
Today I received my official GRE scores and it made me disappointed. I got 800 on quantitative (94%), 570 on verbal (79%), but 4.0 on analytical writing (33%).
I was expecting something close to a 5.0 in the writing, and this score choked me.</p>
<p>Do you think this will have a big negative effect on my assistantship, or acceptance in the first place?</p>
<p>I've heard that the writing score is ignored. I've heard that you must get a 5.0 (in the humanities). I've heard that only the humanities care. I've heard that they only care about your writing sample. In short, there's a lot of conflicting information. For computer engineering, I would guess it's less likely to matter, but I can't say with any certainty what a program looks at. If I were you, though, I really wouldn't worry about it. I can't imagine a CE program wouldn't want to accept or fund a student with an otherwise excellent application because of a lower writing score on the GRE.</p>
<p>At this point (with app deadlines approaching), I'd say take a deep breath, forget about it, and focus on your other application materials (especially the SOP).</p>
<p>Yes, I've dedicated the entire following weekend to the infamous SOP. I'll see if I can find any helpful samples or some good advice on the internet. For now I need to relax like you said, because I'm worrying too much and I'm having difficulties studying! And I really need to thank you, I feel like someone else is with me in this epic battle for acceptance!</p>
<p>I'm actually a grad student in a PhD program in engineering (top15-25ish) in the US. Coinbus, have you considered applying for PhD? I think your stats fit ok with it/plus you can have more chances for financial assistance in doctoral programs. That way you can secure funding and potentially increase acceptance chances (depending on school).</p>
<p>And about the GRE scores: they're fine. </p>
<p>As far as SOP, emphasize your research experience and interests. Don't get too specific on areas where you want to work because sometimes that works against you if the professor of that area has no grad student spots left. List a few general areas you want to work in and state that you are open for various alternative areas.</p>
<p>Can I apply to a phD program before getting a master's degree? I didn't even finish my BS degree yet, and there are so much knowledge that I would miss if I skipped the MS stage. Unless they offer courses in phD programs that are common with the MS program. What do you think?</p>
<p>Hi Coinbus,
It is not necessary to first get MS before PhD in the States. However, in some cases it could make you more competitive if you have not yet had experience, this is the route that I took.
In terms of getting a RA or TA as a MS student it can be done. I did it by talking directly to the professors and getting accepted into a lab- which it seems is what your brother did. This might be your best bet.
Good luck!</p>