<h2>I originally posted this on the MIT board but thought it might be more relevant here.</h2>
<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'm not sure about the answers to your questions (you might try poking the user molliebatmit, as her husband was aero/astro at MIT). But I do have to say that I would be extraordinarily surprised if MIT was the only school doing human factors research in an aero/astro department. The first page of Google results for human factors aeronautical engineering (limiting my search to .edu pages) brings up ERAU, Purdue, U of Maryland, and UIUC itself.</p>
<p>Well, the google search is a bit misleading. At least at UIUC, human factors research is done in the dept. of Industrial Engineering. There is one faculty member in the Aero dept. who works in human factors but she is extremely focused on Software Engineering, and her reserch is falls really into computer science, which isn't what i'm looking for. I'm more interested in "hands-on" stuff like Instrumention/Flight Test etc.</p>
<p>In particular, I'm interested in ICAT (International center for Air Transportation) at MIT which is a very unique place that does everything from human factors to airline economics and aviation meteorology and instrumentation. I would e-mail the prof. who is the head (Dr. R.J. Hansman) about my interest but i'm too chicken to do it at this point.</p>
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I would e-mail the prof. who is the head (Dr. R.J. Hansman) about my interest but i'm too chicken to do it at this point.
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<p>Well, this is going to be your best bet to get in, and you're probably going to need to be moderately aggressive about it. Start talking to your professors at U of I and ask them whether they think this is feasible, and whether they know Dr. Hansman. If they do, ask for an introduction.</p>
<p>If you're too chicken to write an e-mail to pursue the thing that you say you really want to do, then how on earth are you going to be brave enough to fly airplanes that've only been flown theoretically in computer simulations?? Go out and git 'er done!!</p>
<p>Aibarr, thanx for the kick in the pants! You're right. The sad thing is i haven't been even able to get my pilot's license yet. I'm OOS at UIUC so the tuition has been a killer and the although UIUC has a top-class flight school it's just not feasible for me to afford the fees right now. </p>
<p>Of course, it's not like i'll be crushed if I don't get in. I am virtually guaranteed at this point, unless I fail my senior year or something, to get into the MS program at UIUC which is still a top program. And i'd have really no problem staying in my current field of Applied Aero. But, yeah I will take initiative and e-mail the prof.</p>
<p>Actually, I was on the MIT board and received a reply from a student whos husband is a grad student in Aero at MIT. So i'm hoping she might have the "inside scoop" on the admissions.</p>
<p>If you're really passionate about a specific program that's only offered at MIT, I think it would definitely help you with admissions. Especially if you've had correspondence with one of the professors within the program beforehand. I know in my field I've heard pretty consistent rumors of a ~3.8 GPA cutoff for even looking at applications at MIT, so having a professor that will argue for your behalf would definitely be a plus.</p>
<p>You don't say what your year is, but if you're going to be a Junior in the fall, then you should definitely try to get some sort of research opportunity for the summer of your Junior year. That's a great way to get a professor to know you and get your foot into the door of their lab.</p>
<p>Hi RacinReaver. I will be a junior this year but I've taken a lot of the junior courses ahead of time. The only reason I'm not a senior yet is because i'm behind in my humanities (haven't taken even one yet) except for Techical writing and haven't taken my 2 chem courses. I know I need to get it out of the way but i am procrastinating. I've done research here my freshman year and am also doing so now. </p>
<p>Though, to be perfectly honest, the research i did after my freshman year wasn't much. I was basically compiling data in excel spreadsheets. But hey, I was a freshman I didn't know very much. Now, at least i've taken Aerodynamics, and Flight Mechanics so i know a fair amount about simulation and i think i'm doing fairly good work. Hopefully next year I will be able to work in the same lab and do some quality work that will publishable in AIAA or Journal of Aircraft (very good aerospace journals). That's what i'm shooting for.</p>
<p>Oh, whoops, I meant to specify that you should try to work for a professor at MIT one summer since that would be a good way to get your name known there. I'm pretty sure they off REUs, and if they don't, you can always try e-mailing professors you're interested in working for and seeing if they'd be willing to fund you for the summer. The keys for that are to personalize each e-mail and to start way early.</p>
<p>Regarding OP's original questions:
1) Is it easier to get into grad school @ MIT if you want a terminal MS?
2) Is it also easier to get in if you don't ask for funding at MIT?</p>
<p>I <em>think</em> (Stressing hard on "think"):
1) Regardless of an MS or a PHD, if you think that an MS is more appropriate for your goals, then applying for MS would be better. Similarly, if you think that a PHD is more appropriate for your goals, then applying for PHD would be better. If you have no clue, overall, I would imagine that a terminal MS would be easier to get in.
2) I think that the university first get accepts or rejects you from the department, and then they look at the available RA, TA, funding positions...</p>
<p>Honestly, I am not sure about my answers...</p>