Chances of getting into CVN (Columbia) Engineering

Hi everyone,
I am interested in getting a masters in Electrical Engineering. I’d like to get into CVN, but Columbia seems to be very competitive according to everybody…
Do I have any chance getting into the program…?

I did my undergrad in UIUC and graduated with 3.5
Had undergrad research exp
Had two internships in undergrad
been working for 1 yr post graduation
haven’t taken GRE yet. don’t think I will score well in the verbal section

any other schools recommended for masters in EE (online)?

Thanks a lot!

I’d say you have decent chance, especially if your GRE quant score is above 770 with decent AW score (4 or above).

Hi Alice12a,

I was in the same situation as you 2 years ago.

I also graduated from UIUC EE department in 2007.
My GPA was 3.54
GRE Verbal: 510
GRE Math: 800
Analytical: 4.5/6
Had 2 internships prior to graduation and did a few research.
I worked for 6 months post graduation at a semiconductor firm, before I decided to apply to CVN.

Before I applied to the actual degree program, I took a course in Communication at CVN to experience first-hand the quality of the graduate program.

I was impressed by the content of the course and the quality of the instructors.
I aced the course and I believe it improved my chance at admission.

Upon completion of the course, I decided to apply to the degree program. It took them about 6 weeks to offer me admission. The application procedure is very similar to the on-campus degree application. You still require 2 recs, essay, GRE, etc.

I’d say you have a strong chance at admission.

There are other schools offering similar Distance Learning program:
Georgia Tech and USC are some of the more prestigious schools.
Georgia Tech’s tuition rate is significantly cheaper than USC and Columbia.
I must say I was lured by the prestige of Columbia, the breadth of its course offerings, the quality of the instructors (many are high-ranking executives or investors in NY or neigbouring area), its opportunity for networking and the fact that I live in MA, which is very close to NYC. You also get exactly the same degree and transcript as the on-campus students and get to attend the commencement. If at any point, you decide to leave your job and pursue your degree full-time, you are welcome to do so.

I’ve been 2 years at CVN, although I switched to Engineering Management degree last year, as it’ll help with my career at this point. I’ll be completing my degree requirement next May and Im extremely thrilled.

Good luck with your application!

CVN’s Engineering Management degree designation on transcript is listed slightly different in that it’ll show your concentration on your transcript. It’s also slight different in the same fashion (listing concentration on transcript’s degree designation) for EE.

But for other majors like CS, OR,… etc, the degree designation on transcript is exactly the same. (I am in OR.)

Otherwise, I agree everything you said about CVN.

Columbia’s CVN and Georgia Tech are the 2 schools I’d highly recommend for distance education in engineering (I’d highly go against U$C), but CVN has the most comprehensive course offereing than any other schools that I know of offering distance education.

You are one of those who used to intern at Anheuser-Busch, right?

Wow, how did you know?
Did you also intern there? What’s your name?

I still think my chances are slim…GRE just scares the heck out of me…but I will give it a shot…

So what’s your GRE score?

Can a employer differentiate between a
degree earned through CVN and a regular full time student’s degree.
Does anywhere on the degree they mention ‘CVN’ ?
Would be thankful if you could respond