<pre><code> I am currently a Engineering Physics junior at Cornell and am starting to look at various graduate programs. I am thinking of either continuing with Applied Physics or perhaps look into some Mech E. programs. I would like to do a PhD program but I have doubts about my qualifications so am also considering masters and will actually look into job opportunities as well (can always go back to school after some work experience). As far as Ph.D programs, I am really not sure what to shoot for so I will tell what I have and see what comments people have. As I said, I am an Applied and Engineering Physics junior at Cornell (top rated program I think?) with a 3.4 gpa and about a year of research with the Mech and Aerospace department. Because of my research, I also am fairly well experienced in Cornell’s Nanoscale Facility so maybe that can count for something. I also have a summer research internship lined up with the Air Force Research Laboratory in physics and space research. So my questions are:
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<li>What level of programs should I shoot for at the Ph.D and Masters level?</li>
<li>If it’s too much for a top program, would work experience then going back to grad school be more beneficial?</li>
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<p>A 3.4 GPA is decent but there will be a lot of applicants above you if you wanna compete only on that. A good gre score, lot of good research[ur already on the right path] would help you a lot. If you could get a publication then you could perhaps make it anywhere with a good SOP and LOR's.</p>
<p>I think you could certainly be able to shoot for several of the top 10 engineering schools and be a competitive candidate. I was accepted to two of the top five engineering schools and my gpa was in your range, and had research experience which I started my freshman year. I was lucky in that I found an advisor, who was, unbeknownst to me at the time, nationally recognized at the top of his field. I mention this because I believe his letter of recommendation, along with my research experience, played a huge role in my admissions. I think my statement of purpose was good, but not great; I only had one other person proofread it who was my age. I think the key with the SOP is to convey your knowledge in your area of interest, coincidentally, mine was nanoscale transport phenomena, and the admissions committee will judge you on your knowledge of the subject and how well you would fit into their program.</p>
<p>In general, to anybody who is looking to go into graduate school, certainly a respectable gpa and gre are important, but lower numbers can certainly be reinforced by extensive research experience, strong letters of recommendation, and a passionate statement of purpose. If an applicant has all of these pieces in place and is still rejected, it speaks more to how the applicant's interests would not match the department's more than whether or not the student is qualified to go to that university.</p>
<p>In short, go for it, there are too many intangibles that you cannot convey through this forum that could make you a more competitive applicant than you think. The absolute worse case scenario is that you are rejected to all of the graduate schools and must enter the job market with a Cornell degree in hand, which is certainly not a bad place to be.</p>
<p>Thanks for the comments so far. I am thinking of applying to the top 15 programs or so and see what I can get. Also, is there a big difference in getting into MS programs vs PhD programs? I imagine there is a difference, but I was thinking if say I had a better shot at doing a MS program at a top 5 program than if I tried for their PhD program.</p>
<p>I think applying to 15 schools might be a bit overkill, you should look at all of the faculty pages there and determine which actually have people you'd be interested in working for. Wouldn't you rather go somewhere ranked 15-20 with a fantastic advisor than somewhere 5-10 with nobody that's personally interested for you?</p>