<p>Here's my current situation- I'm currently a sophomore in mechanical engineering at the City College of New York. I have a 3.86 GPA and, due to taking 6-8 classes a semester and starting freshmen year with 30 credits from AP's, have completed all the mechanical engineering classes required to graduate (save for my senior design capstone class). This fall, I will be taking a few graduate courses (orbital mechanics and computational fluid mechanics) on campus and finishing my math and physics minors. I have been involved in the robotics club (I have been treasurer of the group in the last year and will be president in the upcoming fall semester), been an active member of my school's chapters of ASME and AIAA (where I have been participating in the design competition and will soon be secretary). In addition, I have been conducting research in robotics since freshman year (autonomous wall climbing robots and adaptation of shape memory alloy in use of prosthetics ) and have been a member of a student research team that is working on adapting jatropha oil for use in conventional diesel engines. I am currently in talks with the professor in charge of the experimental fluid mechanics and aerodynamics lab; I hope to conduct research in shock wave interactions in the next semester.</p>
<p>Besides these mechanical engineering clubs and activities, I am also a fellow in the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies (where I am conducting research in domestic science and engineering policy) and currently running for a Senate seat representing the School of Engineering in the Undergraduate Student Government. In addition to academics and extracurricular activities, I have also been working since freshman year. I have been employed as a private tutor working at Columbia University, a peer tutor in the School of Engineering, SAT instructor at Kaplan and will be interning with General Electric this summer. </p>
<p>With my credentials, what do you think of my chances for graduate studies in aerospace engineering at MIT, Caltech or Stanford? I plan to pursue studies for both a Master's and a PH.D in aerospace engineering and aiming for a career in academia; what are my chances for matriculating at a school and sticking around for my professional career?</p>
<p>I am worried so early because of my past experiences in college applications. After my undergraduate debacle (I applied to 5 schools and got waitlisted to all 5; I ended up applying to the City College in late June due to the lack of options), I don't want to make the same mistakes again. Although I had done fairly well in high school (96 average and 2300 SATs) and was involved in a few extracurricular activities (wrote for the school paper, volunteered for three years at the local hospital as a librarian and was captain of the Quiz Bowl team), my credentials didn't cut it. As a result, I've been rather insecure about future applications and I would really appreciate any advice you can provide in order to increase my chances for graduate school.</p>
<p>What do you want to study (fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, structures, etc…) in grad school? Your best bet is to find a professor at one of those schools that does research in that field and go talk to him. Ask him about his research and tell him that you are really interested in, where you can get more information, any ideas he has for you to get in the field. Keep in touch with him, go to any conferences where that subject is discussed to keep up with it. By the time you are ready to go to grad school he’ll make sure you get in so you can do work under him. No reason to limit yourself to only one professor either but aware that the aerospace community is very small.</p>
<p>Well, I primarily want to study space propulsion. So, you are suggesting that I build early relations with the faculty in those schools? Sounds like good advice; do you think it is too bold to ask about summer research opportunities in their laboratories in the next summer? </p>
<p>Thanks for the response! If you have any other pointers, feel free to give them; I am willing to take even heavy criticism so long as I can learn from it.</p>
<p>Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Look for papers that you find interesting in the field. READ THEM and they contact the professor and ask questions or just express interest in learning more. There is no such thing as too bold, just too presumptuous. I highly doubt you will get a summer research position if you aren’t attending their school but by all means ask. Just don’t get angry or discouraged if they say no. </p>
<p>Professors look for the people who are the most passionate and dedicated. Knowledge gaps can be made up but you can’t teach someone drive. Just remember that universities are made up of people, too many people think of admissions as some complicated mysterious process that you can just hope for the best in. The reality is it’s just a bunch of people making decisions on who they think will add value to their school based on their opinion and some guidelines they have. If those people want you there, they can make it happen.</p>
<p>One key piece of advice if I may. ALWAYS look at it from the perspective of the school and professor and think about what they are getting from you going there. Point out where you can help the school and professor. For example if you are really good at technical writing, point out that you can help write lab reports or test procedures. Don’t go in there talking about how great working there is for YOU, talk about how great you working there will be for THEM. Don’t be too cocky but these are situations where you need to tout yourself a little bit.</p>
<p>Look up the undergrad required courses for ME from each of the colleges you are interested. If there are any classes that you lack then fill your schedule with those classes if they are offered at City College. At least you will be on equal footing as the undergrads that graduate from those colleges you desire.</p>
<p>AWD, you have given some capital advice there. That’s a perspective I never thought of and I will implement your advice immediately. </p>
<p>Batllo, I’ve started keeping tabs with my mechanical friends at MIT- we have pretty much the same curriculum actually. In fact, City College has courses that MIT undergrad doesn’t offer in undergrad (mechatronics and limited numerical methods). The biggest deficit is that MIT offers far more extensive fluid electives than CCNY does…I need at least a semester’s worth of heavy work to start doing similar classes (all exclusively graduate level ME classes). My biggest loss in studying at City is that there are very few aero- classes here (since we don’t have an aerospace major). At the undergraduate level, we have nil and at the graduate level, we only have orbital mechanics, advanced fluid mechanics and computational fluid dynamics. I will be sound in mechanical engineering but I won’t have quite the same background in aero classes as graduates from the Big Three (MIT, Caltech, Stanford). Will that count against me?</p>
<p>Ah, and thanks again for your inputs, guys!</p>
<p>OP- You mentioned the debacle of your undergrad application experience- 5 waitlists and scrambling to find a place last minute. Why not include Georgia Tech, Univ. of Michigan, UCLA to mention a few in your grad school list? Since you are obviously planning ahead you can broaden your search to include other prestigious programs.</p>
<p>Batllo, been looking over the rankings and talked to professors and friends about my prospective list of schools to apply to. From their advice, I’ve narrowed it down to the three dream schools (Caltech, Stanford and MIT) and five schools I would be more than happy to attend (Princeton, U. Michigan- Ann Arbor, Georgia Tech, UCLA and UCSD). I was told that eight schools should suffice but I haven’t been able to find a school that should be a safety and I would be happy to matriculate at. The other thing I wanted to ask you all is your opinions on my chances with these schools. Granted, I am only going to be a rising junior but I think the crux of my academic career is pretty much set now; I only have to take my GRE’s and follow the advice I got from previous posts from this point onwards. What do you think are my chances and what other reputable schools would you recommend?</p>
AWD, you have given some capital advice there. That’s a perspective I never thought of and I will implement your advice immediately.
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<p>Most people never think of it that way but it will get you far in life.</p>
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I will be sound in mechanical engineering but I won’t have quite the same background in aero classes as graduates from the Big Three (MIT, Caltech, Stanford). Will that count against me?
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<p>I think it’s a common misconception that people in engineering grad school all have engineering undergrads. You need a couple required classes but my class had a physics undergrad, a public policy undergrad, even a guy who was a music undergrad. Point is you will be ok.</p>
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[QUOTE=apang90]
I’ve narrowed it down to the three dream schools (Caltech, Stanford and MIT) and five schools I would be more than happy to attend (Princeton, U. Michigan- Ann Arbor, Georgia Tech, UCLA and UCSD). … What do you think are my chances and what other reputable schools would you recommend?
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<p>UCSD seems out of place, other than that a solid choice of schools (I have degress from 2 of them :)). I’d add Texas and maybe Penn State and Univ of Wash. Look for schools that specialize in space propulsion.</p>
<p>IMHO, you need to look at how many candidates each program takes every year to give you a realistic view your odds. The common sense advice: great GRE scores, the strength and focus of your research and the professional reputation of your professors and advisors writing your LORs to name a few factors. Reading your original post, your lack of research is a troublesome problem for someone so focused.</p>
<p>Well, the chief problem is that the aero lab on campus is very selective- I believe the last time an undergrad was allowed to research in it was more than five years ago. The professor only takes in students who have basically finished the entire mechanical curriculum (including a mandatory aero-thermal lab class that you are supposed to take senior year) so my early entreaties to research them during freshman and sophomore year were useless. However, because of my earnest wish to work in that lab, I’ve basically completed all the required classes this year. As we speak, I am in talks about reading supplementary material and texts over the summer to conduct preliminary research on shock wave interactions in the fall. </p>
<p>In the meantime, I’ve worked in two non-aero related labs (in the robotics laboratory in the EE department and on adapting jatropha oil in the diesel lab). Both activities are really hobbies of mine but I’ve conducted some really interesting research (one on materials research with shape memory alloy and their applications in prosthetics and the other on design of simple heat exchangers and thermocoupling systems in diesel engines for Third World use). Would these additional research activities help my application at all? I know they are unrelated to my future vocation but I had opportunities to build up my research acumen and supplement my knowledge in smaller niches of mechanical engineering (heat transfer, turbomachinery, materials science).</p>
<p>apang90- You are acutely aware of the lack of opportunity to research in your desired area of interest. Why didn’t you apply to do research during summers at other institutions? For example, SURF at Caltech?</p>
<p>Well, frankly, I am in tremendous needs of funds (for day to day expenses) and I have applied to SURF in the previous summer. This summer, for example, I will be interning with GE, making $900 a week and my room paid for. For the duration of the summer, I will be make 10K and my living expenses will be whittled down to $500 for the entirety of 3 months. </p>
<p>Next summer, I will again apply for SURF and, hopefully, I will get the shot this time.</p>