<p>Hello.This is my 1st post here. I'm a ugrad at UIUC in Aerospace Engineering interested in going to MIT for grad school. Now, my GPA isn't great (3.35) but I really want to get into MIT. I had a difficult time adjusting here to courses and stuff but dramatically improved getting mostly A's and a few scattered B's in my Aero core classes. Now, the reason I want to go to MIT is not primarily because of prestige but because the type of research I want to do appears to be only offered at MIT (Human Factors/Aviation Safety). I've done research for two summers in a row here mostly in Applied Aerodynamics/Flight Simulation and hope to get good recs.</p>
<p>Now, I've got a couple of questions. I am absolutely positive that I only want a terminal MS degree For the type of work I'd like to do (Flight Test Enginnering/Test pilot?) there really is no point for me getting a Doctorate. Also, there is a good chance that I probably will not need funding at all.</p>
<p>1) Is it easier to get into grad school @ MIT if you want a terminal MS? </p>
<p>2) Is it also easier to get in if you don't ask for funding at MIT?</p>
<p>I'd wager that most of the people here are undergraduates, and graduate admissions are so completely different that we wouldn't be of any help. I think you should talk to admissions for Course 16 and get statistics.</p>
<p>My husband was admitted to the course 16 master's program, so I know a little about the department and its procedures.</p>
<p>It's not easier to get in if you don't ask for funding -- everybody is admitted without funding and is expected to seek RAships or TAships within the department or external funding.</p>
<p>My husband says it is easier to get in if you are seeking a terminal SM only.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot mollbiebatmit. If it isn't too much trouble for you, would you mind asking you husband if he knows anything about Prof. RJ. Hansman and ICAT (International center for air trasnportation). That's the lab I'm really interested in applying to. I'd e-mail the prof right now but am too chicken to do it without at least having at least a little inside info on him and the lab and, what kind of students he likes to take,..etc. I know admissions are handled by the dept. but i've heard if a prof. likes you and has clout he can take if your GPA isn't too terrible. I'd venture to say mine isn't too awful but maybe it is by MIT standards. </p>
<p>I knew a guy who got into MIT's grad school chemistry program with a 3.3 GPA from U. of Illinois, but my feeling is that aerospace engineering takes grades more seriously than the chemistry program (especially the synthetic chemistry program.) Grades are more important the more a field relies on theory. Mollie's husband got in with a 4.0/5.0, but he was an MIT undergrad who got recs from MIT professors.</p>
<p>You might have a chance if you work in the MIT prof's lab for the summer and then get a rec from him.</p>
<p>From my understanding, MIT graduate engineering tends to favor former MIT students (simply because MIT engineering is among the top in the country) - but more schools are good at sciences, hence MIT undergraduates aren't favored in, say, the biology graduate program, IIRC.</p>
Oh, but they are -- I think every MIT undergrad who applied to the course 7 PhD program my year got in. We were encouraged to go elsewhere unless we had a good reason to stay, but we didn't have any problems being admitted in the first place.</p>
<p>
He does know Hansman pretty well -- he took his senior capstone class under him, and Hansman is a consultant for the company he's working at now. I will PM you my husband's email address -- he's happy to answer questions and give any specific details you'd like to hear.</p>
<p>I do, FWIW, agree that it's pretty tough to get into the MIT aero/astro grad program if you're not an MIT undergrad. US News used to list the acceptance rate, which IIRC was around 50%, but that figure is distorted by the fact that a huge number of the MIT aero/astro seniors apply each year and almost all of them are accepted.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the feedback molliebatmit. It would really be nice to get some inside info on the program so i can know if I have a realistic shot at getting in and what to expect.</p>
<p>
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Oh, but they are -- I think every MIT undergrad who applied to the course 7 PhD program my year got in. We were encouraged to go elsewhere unless we had a good reason to stay, but we didn't have any problems being admitted in the first place.
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</p>
<p>Ah, I heard from an '08er otherwise. Geez, my answers have been made of fail lately =D.</p>
<p>I have the commencement program for MIT's 2008 graduation and for Course 16 (Aeronautics and Astronautics), there were 58 who got a master's of science and of those, 14 had MIT degrees (or that's my guess as they had "S.B" after their names rather than B.S.; does any other school still give the degree as an S.B.?). So I'm guessing MIT undergraduates are favored in admissions for Course 16, but not by as much as some labs (I know one where ~70% of the students had their bachelor's from MIT).</p>
<p>In math and the sciences (bio, chem, physics), it seems few people get a master's (perhaps only those who the school decided shouldn't be allowed to go on for the doctorate) as there were only two in bio (neither from MIT) and three in physics (one from MIT) and four in chemistry (none from MIT). For the doctorates, though, some from each area came from MIT (4 out of 11 in bio, 2 our of 29 in physics, and 3 out of 29 in chem), but I don't know really if they were favored or not as I am not sure what percent of the applications came from IT undergraduates (but for bio, at least, I would guess they are being favored). For anyone reading who is interested in the math program at MIT, 4 of the 15 people who earned a doctorate in math had undergraduate degrees from MIT (again, that's if the S.B./A.B. is just at MIT; if it's at other schools, then ignore this entire post!).</p>
<p>
[quote]
In math and the sciences (bio, chem, physics), it seems few people get a master's (perhaps only those who the school decided shouldn't be allowed to go on for the doctorate) as there were only two in bio (neither from MIT) and three in physics (one from MIT) and four in chemistry (none from MIT).
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At top programs in the sciences, students only get master's degrees if they choose to leave the program (or are asked to leave the program) after passing the qualifying exam. The master's is the consolation prize for not finishing the PhD.</p>
<p>Actually, I ran accross something called "MIT reports to the president" that show the breakdown for enrollment, research, admission..etc. for each department. Actually the Aero/Astro admissions rate fell from 49% to 41% last year. Seems like a pretty dramatic drop but i guess with the cyclical nature of the aerospace industry this translates to diminished availability of funds to support students. Anyway, I also noticed on the Aero dept. website that more than half of students in course 16 go on to grad school. So, I bascially calculated using the data from report that the acceptance rate last year was 35% for non-MIT students. Of course, I assumed that 100% of the 50% of the course 16 seniors got in last year and chose MIT , that no other MIT students applied to Aero, and that no other MIT students applied after working in industry for a few years. So, it seems MIT students might only constitute a small fraction of all students applying (28/319) for admission after all. In any event, it still proves it is pretty difficult to get in.</p>