Going for an M.S.

Graduate School
1

<p>I will be applying to graduate school this fall for an M.S. (non-thesis based if available) in Civil Engineering. This is because I plan on becoming a consulting engineer and not a researcher.</p>

<p>These are my choices as of now:</p>

<p>Drexel University
Penn State
Virginia Tech
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
MIT
Columbia
Cornell</p>

<p>And here is an overview of my stats:</p>

<ul>
<li>4th year student at Rose-Hulman majoring in Civil Engineering</li>
<li>Overall GPA: 3.02</li>
<li>Major GPA: 3.3</li>
<li>GRE Scores: 440 V, 650 Q (taking again in October)</li>
<li>3 summer's worth of internship experience</li>
<li>I will have strong recs from professors and work advisors</li>
<li>Heavy involvement with ASCE</li>
</ul>

<p>I don't have any research experience, but I have extensive summer internship experience working on real projects. I know my GPA and analytical scores are on the lower end of the spectrum, but do I have a chance at getting into any of these schools? If not, are there any other schools where I could have a good chance of getting in?</p>

<p>Thanks for any insight</p>

2

<p>I'm not sure about the others, but I think with that GRE you would otherwise have to be walking on water to get into MIT. Your GPA would be fine, I think, if your application was otherwise great, but your GPA + GRE might be a problem.</p>

<p>A lot of your schools are very competitive. You may want something a little gentler - even if you can get into some of the schools on your list, it doesn't hurt to have good schools that you're confident about. How about WPI, Clemson, or GWU?</p>