<p>I'll be applying to these schools this coming winter for M.S. with the intention of completing PHD and it's been my dream of getting in (and getting funding). I will be done with undergraduate next spring.</p>
<p>GRE scores:
Taking the GRE Friday, just took a practice test and these were my scores: 470V/750Q
Assume I can raise my scores to
500V/780-800Q</p>
<p>Publications: Primary author of 1 conference proceeding, which came from a summer undergraduate research experience at U. Pitt</p>
<p>LORs:
Structures Professor at Pitt (Research Mentor)
Structures Professor at Rose (A in 4 classes w/ him, he was in the lab researching with me all summer and knows me well)
Structures Professor at Rose (A in 4 classes w/ him, grader for him)</p>
<p>I'm worried my GRE scores are not going to be up to par with these top tier schools. Please let me know if I have a high, or a 50-50(cuz other applicants are about the same) or a low chance of getting funding at these schools, and how much I can expect. </p>
<p>I haven't started my SOP because I've been trying to zone into my area of interest and have been focusing on my NSF Fellowship application.</p>
<p>The departmental web sites at the schools will tell you funding options. You have a much better shot at funding (in general) if you are going straight for the PhD. There is little funding at the Masters level, but if your intention is a PhD simply apply for it now.</p>
<p>From what I have read at university webpages, virtually all science/engineering PhD students in well-known schools get funding at least in the form of an assistantship. You should check the departmental web pages.</p>
<p>Yes, in general, do not do a PhD program if you have to pay for it. That’s even true for humanities students, where there is much less funding in general. Do not pay for a PhD. Now, needing outside income because your stipend doesn’t fully cover living expenses is another issue, and can certainly happen.</p>
<p>Joeshy, you’re thinking of it incorrectly. Generally, there is no official “master’s part” of a PhD program, even though if you leave at a certain point, after qualifying exams but before you complete a dissertation, you can petition to be granted a master’s degree. Some programs do give master’s degrees along the way, while others do not – and there’s no real difference between the structure of the two. Many programs (most, at the top) will require that you complete the two years of courses even if you earned a master’s degree at another university. If you earned that master’s at the same university, then those year’s of classes are almost always counted toward the PhD.</p>
<p>If you get into a PhD program, you will be expected to take two years of courses (the master’s part, if you will) while performing research with professor(s) and/or working as a TA. When the program determines that you are qualified to begin dissertation work full-time – usually after passing both an exam of core material and successfully presenting your dissertation proposal – then you move into full-time research. </p>
<p>You receive tuition, health care, fees, and a living stipend in exchange for your research and/or teaching work. You usually cannot seek employment elsewhere. In the sciences, you are generally supported by your advisor through his/her outside funding, and you will be expected to actively advance the PI’s research so that more funding can be obtained to . . . yes, support you and other students. (In the humanities, students often teach courses in exchange for support.) Master’s students don’t usually get that involved in academia and research.</p>
<p>If you eventually want a PhD and are qualified for admission now (the correct course preparation and research), then it makes no sense to apply to master’s programs. It will cost you more in dollars and time.</p>
<p>I have one more question:
Assuming strong LORs and SOP, and the stats I have provided, do I have a shot at getting into the PhD programs at these schools?</p>