Current TAMU Engineering Senior, feel free to ask me any questions!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Texas A&M University
181

I’m a current engineering grad student at A&M, so I will weigh in on a few recent questions:

@Beaudreau -


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Here’s a different question. How do you feel about the Fast Track program where a student can earn a Masters degree in five years by taking graduate-level courses starting in year 4? Are you or any friends thinking about this route? Does it help with jobs?

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The utility of the masters degree varies depending on the exact jobs you are applying for. Most engineers do more than fine with just a bachelors degree. The question that has to be answered when considering graduate school is as follows: Will I gain specific SKILLS in my masters program that are necessary requirements for entering the job I want to do?

Let’s look at an example:

Mechanical Engineering Student Bob is very interested in computational fluid dynamics (CFD). However, in his mechanical engineering degree he was only briefly introduced to the software used in industry for CFD (or maybe he wasn’t introduced to it at all and his interest stems from his independent reading and exploration of the topic). Bob knows there are jobs in CFD out there, but he can’t conceivably get this job if he doesn’t have requisite proficiency in the right software. Furthermore, Bob knows that this company will not simply higher Bob and provide training on the job since companies can find plenty of applicants that may only need minimal training in very specific topics of CFD.

If Bob goes to graduate school, there are many classes in CFD where he will gain the necessary skills for his dream job. Therefore, graduate school is likely a good decision in this situation.

As an aside, getting jobs in engineering has become much more skills focused rather than degree focused. Degrees are pretty much a requirement that must be met before moving on to the next stage of the hiring process. If you can tell the recruiter that you are proficient in specific software or analysis methods (and provide examples that demonstrate proficiency), then you will find yourself way ahead of other applicants. The best way to recognize this is to look at job postings. The bachelors degree in engineering composes 1 line of the job requirements (albeit a pretty important criteria), but the job duties are extensive and usually have very specific skills listed that the applicant must be able to fulfill.

The fast track programs can be a great tool if your son can very early in the process identify a specific area of industry (better yet specific jobs) that interest him. This allows you to identify graduate courses that will hone the skills needed for those jobs. It is more likely that the masters degree will not be necessary, but there are certain types of jobs out there where graduate school can be of real value. If you just do the fast track masters just to get the masters degree, then I think you are wasting some of the benefits of a masters that matter the most.

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@Beaudreau


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Would it help get into a PhD program?

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Well I will try to keep this answer brief even though this can be a loaded question.

In a PhD program, the primary objective is to gain some proficiency in the realm of research
(Identifying an original project, Reviewing Literature, Developing a method to approach the problem, carrying
out the method, analyzing the results to determine their relevance to the problem, drawing conclusions). A concurrent goal is to gain proficiency in analysis methods used in a specific area of research which may translate to a job in industry or academia.

Therefore, you can see that a PhD program will heavily value any research performed before applying
for the program. They sometimes may or may not value industry experience gained which depends on whether the experience translates well to a research field.

PhD programs are looking for students with a very clear idea of what they want to pursue in the PhD. This means they do like to see students that have already identified a research field and a professor in the program they want to work for. This intent can be conveyed in the Statement of Purpose essay of the application.

PhD programs do also like to see students that have excelled in graduate level courses. If they know that a student is capable of completing graduate level coursework, then they know they are taking less of a risk bringing them into the program.

PhD programs also heavily weigh professor recommendation letters. The best recommendations usually come from professors that a student does research for, but letters from professors that you take a class from are passable if the student can make a good relationship with the professor during the course (show initiative outside of class).

Finally, PhD programs require high GPA and GRE scores to be competitive for funding opportunities. For a PhD at top programs provided by A&M, a GPA higher than 3.5 and GRE Quant/Verbal of >160/>160 would be very competitive. Stats less than that can still be competitive if the student has extensive research experience.

Now to really get to your question of the fast track masters, I would say that this would help in a few respects. It would show that the student is capable of completing graduate level coursework. It would also provide the student time to determine an exact field of research that interest them. However, the fast track masters does not necessarily mean that the student will gain experience performing research which means that it would still be helpful to get involved with a professor’s research early in undergrad.

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@Quadrupole - Great thoughtful answer. Thanks!

I have spoken with my son a bit more over the last couple of weeks. He is leaning toward eventually getting a PhD and focusing on research. This seems to tip the balance more toward the Fast Track. He will talk with an advisor ASAP. Also, we hope he will get a good summer intern job next summer (2017) which could focus him more.

Now I see your second answer, so even more thanks! My son will be a junior in the fall and has a 3.8 GPA so far. It looks like if he is serious about a PhD, then he needs to focus on research-oriented classes if he can. I independently read last week that research experience/ability is key for PhD admissions along with GPA and GRE.

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@Quadrupole I read in your post that you’re a grad student. Could I ask you a few questions? You see, I am a junior engineering student, aspiring to go to grad school. Could I ask what you did in your undergrad years that helped you to get into grad school? For example, did you participate in research during the summer? Any advice would be helpful, thanks.

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@VLSI_guy

Yes, I can certainly answer about my experience.

I double majored in Physics and Nuclear Engineering, and am currently starting the PhD program in Nuclear Engineering.

My path to graduate school most definitely did not follow a conventional path. I spent my first 3 years in college majoring in physics with a desire to go into graduate studies. I was co-author on a paper sophomore year with 2 of my peers and a kind professor in physics that allowed us to work for him over the summer. This turned out to be the only research I ever participated in during undergrad.

I struggled in physics my third year, and my confidence was crushed. I then knew that I did not love this subject enough to pursue graduate studies as I hoped before. I added a nuclear engineering major for better employment prospects, and it also didn’t hurt that the overlap of these majors was enough that it only required one extra year of undergrad to complete.

Engineering courses were much easier for me than physics, but I was still mentally not where I wanted to be after junior year. I applied for summer internships first semester senior year, but accidentally applied for a spring co-op along the way. That company happened to be the first interview I got, and I ran with it anyways for experience. After 3 interviews, I worked out a deal with the company to let me intern for a full year and start back to school in a spring semester.

So I interned for the full year, and this gave me a much needed break from school. However, the best part of interning was that it provided me some time to learn about the nuclear engineering field and the relevant issues that exist in the industry. The work I did in the internship aligned very well with research being done by one of the nuclear engineering professors I had, and this professor convinced me to apply for graduate school at the last second before the application deadline.

I did not take her recommendation to apply for graduate school on faith. I looked at jobs that were out there that interested me, and all of them required skills that I did not currently possess. I discussed my desired career path with that prof and was told that I could pursue research that would force me to gain those skills that I lacked. This was what led me to go all-in on the graduate school path.

Saying all this, my success getting into the graduate program can be attributed to:

a) Getting relevant experience through an internship that aligned directly with current research

b) Forging a good relationship with a professor that did research in that area who appreciated my practical work experience

c) Taking two graduate level courses in my undergrad (one from that same professor who happened to be teaching an elective class pertaining to my research interest)

b) is the most important by far. If you have someone that is willing to make a case to others for why you are a good candidate, then you will have whole lot easier of a time getting into a program.

On top of these three things, I would say that GPA and GRE scores still mattered a lot. I know some of my classmates were not able to attend A&M for graduate school since GRE scores were not high enough to even be remotely considered for funding opportunities. GPA along with GRE scores play the same kind of role as GPA does with finding a job in industry. If it isn’t above a certain threshold, you don’t get to move onto the next stage of consideration.

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@Quadrupole That was very useful, thanks a lot!

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@Quadrupole
Thank you so much! I’m printing your comments and saving them.

Could you talk a little more about funding? I really don’t know much about this at all. I’ve heard some say you need to look for a university with good research funding, and I believe those students expect a stipend. How reasonable is this?

Would funding also impact the number of students a graduate department will accept?
Thanks!

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@AuntieMame


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Could you talk a little more about funding?

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Whether the opportunity for funding exist or not depends on the program you apply for.

For a Masters of Engineering, there is no required research component at all. Therefore, you will not have many opportunities to be funded. You can get Teaching Assistant positions if you are lucky, but you can’t count on them as a sure thing.

For a PhD program, if you do not receive a substantial funding offer, then it is generally considered not worth considering. The PhD takes at a minimum 4 years to complete, therefore I have not heard of people accepting offers where they are having to come out of pocket with large amounts of money.

For Masters of Science programs, there is opportunity to get funding due to the fact you are conducting research for a thesis. Don’t expect to be treated as a priority over PhD candidates though.

Funding is usually broken down into tuition funding and a living stipend. For my program, full tuition is covered if you receive department funding (Teaching Assistant or Research Assistant). I cannot in good faith tell you if that is the same in all other programs, but I would be surprised if it isn’t. The living stipend is also variable between programs, but it is generally fairly generous.

The other method of receiving funding is external fellowships which I happen to fall under. These are usually government funded (Dept. of Energy, Dept. of Defense, National Science Foundation, etc.) These are highly competitive, and I would venture to say that if you are unable to get department funding then these are not really attainable (Don’t take my word on this, but my experience seems to support this claim). External funding can amount to significantly more per year than department funding depending on the fellowship.


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I’ve heard some say you need to look for a university with good research funding, and I believe those students expect a stipend. How reasonable is this?

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Yes, in general I agree with this statement. However, you want to be concerned with funding at a departmental level and not necessarily a university wide level. Texas A&M as a whole is known for having substantial amounts of funds for research when the departmental totals are added together along with funds provided at the university level. However, the amount of money individual departments have is variable, and some have substantially more than others.

If you are a competitive applicant to a graduate program, then you should definitely expect funding. If you don’t receive any financial offer by the acceptance deadline (Usually Mid-April), then I would move on to other options. You could later on down the line get a financial offer, but that is a risky game to play.


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Would funding also impact the number of students a graduate department will accept?

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I would say absolutely this affects the number of students accepted to a given program. For my department, they were very clear that they want all students to have funding very early on in the process. Some students will start as TAs for a year, and they are expected to get funded as a research assistant in the future. Others are research assistants from the very beginning. Therefore, for the department to have available funds for all graduate students who will be participating in research, they have to have some kind of cap on the number of students they accept. It may not be a hard cap, but they have a general idea of the range of students they can bring in per year.

189

After completing the application from applytexas, how long does it take for TAMU to send the email with your NETid? UT sent me the email with an ID two days after my application was completed but TAMU has not and I don’t know if I should be worried…

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@LittleRoro I would give it two weeks, then call. If I were you, I’d definitely want to know!

My daughter clicked ‘submit’ for her ApplyTexas application at the very last minute (literally, about 5 minutes before midnight on 12/1), so her scenario might be different than yours since you’re so early. For comparison sake: she received acceptance from A&M on Jan 13, and from UT-Austin (or as I now call it, t.u.) on Jan 22.

@Quadrupole THANK YOU for that fantastic insight.

I found so much information for undergrad admissions that I was drowning, but finding information on applying for Ph.D. programs is just the opposite - very scarce. Your comments are the best I’ve received so far, and very much appreciated.

Granted, she has a few years ahead of her, but she knows you have to plan your path early on and keep your eyes open or you’ll miss opportunities.

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When/If you get accepted to TAMU or UT will they also tell you if you’re accepted into the major that you wanted? Or will that be later?

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To the best of my recollection, UT-Austin admits you directly into the college of your major. FWIW, their Engineering admit rate is a little lower than A&M’s, probably because their Engr program is about half the size of A&M’s, with less than half the funding for research. You don’t get the breadth of opportunity at UT-Austin, which is why my daughter preferred A&M.

A&M has the same admission policy as UT-Austin for most of the university, but not Engineering which has a separate application. (No worries: just a few more questions on ApplyTexas). They accept you into the university, then a couple weeks later you find out about acceptance in the College of Engineering.

With all things, if it’s important, I hope you do your own research because memories fade - and everything changes. Right now, the US seems to be undergoing significant change in the college admissions process, so it’s important to stay on top of things. For example, the FAFSA is now due October 1, and major universities across the US are banding together to require an application that takes 4 years to complete. Very glad we’re out of it now!

193

I have a schedule question. For the current freshman starting in Aug 2016, the first semester exams are until Dec 14th. When will the university close? The calendar says that the dorms close on Saturday 17th. It is commencement on 16th Friday. Do you know when can the current year freshman leave campus for the winter break? Wed 14th evening or Thursday 15th or do they have to stay for Friday 16th for anything?

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@Mom2Mom - Students can leave as soon as their last exams are over. Although schedules show exam dates, I would wait a month or so after classes start before booking a ride or flight home. Things change. FWIW, my son was an RA last year and just about everyone left on Tuesday or Wednesday.

195

I’m just going to say that my son is getting excited, he moves in on Tuesday. I hope everyone has good and uneventful move ins.

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What are the benefits of applying early?
Are the chances you’ll get your major more likely?
There is an ACT I plan on taking in October

197

You’re a transfer??? What engineering department did you transfer into and how were your grades? Credits earned? Do you remember when you applied and how long it took for you to get in?

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@mom2mom agree with beaudreau, another reason to wait to make plans to head home is that although scheduled, there are some courses that you do not have the exam at the scheduled time (normally earlier) or it is optional ( keep your existing grade ) or not given at all ( a project or paper in lieu of the exam). The professor will announce what the exam plan is for the course. While on the subject, Thanksgiving break also begins at noon on Wednesday - classes beyond noon are cancelled, and often classes before noon are cancelled BUT not always. We have spent the last 5 Thanksgivings in College Station, we found it easier for us to come to them than the reverse since we are OOS. There is always a football game that weekend, you haven’t lived until you’ve done turkey at a tailgate!

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Wednesday, November 23 is a “reading day” with no classes to be scheduled – see http://registrar.tamu.edu/Catalogs,-Policies-Procedures/Academic-Calendar. That said, last year my son’s Calc TA told the recitation group that they must come to class Wednesday morning and that they would be having a quiz. Well, all 16 students stayed in town and showed up for class. The TA never showed. We are considering the day prior to Thanksgiving an official reading day this year and have plans to be out of town. Fingers crossed.

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Last year and this year, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving was/is a reading day, meaning no classes ALL day. It wasn’t like this a couple years ago so I can see why there was some confusion. @lee6666, your son’s Calc TA had no right to do that. I’m surprised none of the students took it up with the professor, since it says right there on the calendar that there are no classes.