<p>So, I'm looking for some outside opinions on my graduate school prospects. Here's a breakdown of my credentials:</p>
<p>Went to a big state school with a very strong engineering program.
Double major (aerospace engineering, math)
Graduated in May in 4 years
GPA: 3.69/4.00
Female - Asian ethnicity</p>
<p>Experience:
-2 very strong internships in spacecraft engineering
-1 study abroad to China
-Currently an engineer at a well-known jet engine company
-Completed a senior honors thesis and graduated with honors
-Presented thesis results at AIAA student conference</p>
<p>I haven't taken the GRE yet, but I'm not worried about it because I scored pretty high on the SATs. The reason why I'm on this forum is because I have two C+ grades on my transcript. One was from basic freshman physics. The other was in a math course during my first semester of senior year. In both cases, I had a lot of stress in my personal life, but that's not something I really want to complain about in my applications. I was able to get ~3.88 semester GPA during my last semester, so I'm hoping that will signify something. </p>
<p>Here are my main questions:
Will working for about two years make the bad grades matter less? If I get a good GRE score, would I have a shot at any of the top aero programs (MIT/Stanford/Michigan) for grad school?</p>
<p>You should not worry too much about the C+ in your first year. The one in your senior year is of a little more concern but since it was not in your major, it too can be mitigated. Your overall GPA is good and your work experience is a real plus for engineering graduate programs. </p>
<p>You do not say whether you are applying for an M.S. or Ph.D. Admission standards for a Ph.D. are significantly higher for the programs you have named that for their M.S. programs. In general, the most selective programs has so many applicants that even if you don’t get in, you should not take it personally. They need to make initial decisions on which applications to make it through to a more thorough evaluation and sometimes it is a cut on GPA or GRE scores.</p>
<p>If you are serious and want to go for a Ph.D., by all means apply to your ideal programs but make sure that you also consider less selective programs which have the program you are interested in. You can do quite well after completion even if your degree is not form one of these top schools. Your research advisor will be very important and there are some top notch people at smaller or less renowned schools.</p>
<p>Thanks for the quick reply! Technically, the math course was in my math major, but because I’m applying for aerospace eng. I’m hoping it won’t be too bad? I’m actually on top of things most of the time so I don’t want admissions committees to judge too much off those two marks on my record.</p>
<p>I haven’t decided on MS vs PhD yet. But if I’m applying to those top programs then I would apply for a PhD. You’re totally right in that its never guaranteed. I would be really happy if I made it to UIUC/Purdue, somewhere along those lines. In that case, would the work experience make my chances better?</p>
<p>I would definitely not use stress as an excuse in any application. In fact, that would probably do you more harm than good. </p>
<p>You can’t apply directly to MIT and Stanford’s Aero PhD. They require an MS first.
UMich’s PhD Aero average GPA of admitted students is a 3.8 FWIW.</p>
<p>GRE scores are important, but it’s not the deciding factor unless you do really bad.
I don’t know how much those PhD programs care about professional experience. I’m guessing it’s favorable, but definitely not as much as research experience. </p>
<p>Caltech’s aero program is generally regarded by academia as #1 and it really is unparalleled by any other university (MIT included), but most of their grads stay in academia.</p>
<p>I should add that the math major could really help for engr research areas that use a lot of applied math (e.g., computational methods). So you may want to give that a thought</p>
<p>Yeah, the math major is definitely there to supplement my engineering major. I do have a good working knowledge of computational math and a bunch of experience in matlab. I could have continued research work but I felt that professional experience with real, hands-on problems would make me a more well-rounded candidate. </p>
<p>There’s no way of telling the future, I guess, but your responses help a bit. I meant that I would indicate a desire to do a PhD in my personal statement, but initially apply for an MS. I wouldn’t apply for a PhD directly.</p>
<p>Stanford&UMich do not offer funding for MS, unless you’re some kind of superstar applicant. They’re not terribly selective for that reason. Maybe you can get your employer to fund your graduate studies.</p>