<p>Im a Spanish taking my fourth year in Industrial Engineering and I have been thinking in taking next year a master course in engineering in a top USA university. Probably a Mechanical, Manufacturing or Aerospace Master. I dont have much information on where to take these studies so Im asking for a little help.</p>
<p>So far I have found that the best ones are:
Massachusetts IT
Stanford University
California IT
University of California- Berkeley
Georgia IT</p>
<p>Is that right? It is really very difficult to get admitted to these universities? Any others I should add to my list? </p>
<p>Also, another question. It would be much easier for me to get admitted to the Illinois IT. Is that university good enough? Is there a big difference between this and the top ones? Why is not top-ranked in the websites I have visited?</p>
<p>I hope many people here attend to engineering universities and are willing to help me. Thank you very much!</p>
<p>I’m an MIT alum (for undergrad, though), and I can tell you that MIT is extremely difficult to get into. I’m pretty sure that everything on your list is very difficult to get into - I’ve heard that it’s quite a bit easier to get into Stanford as a master’s student than as an undergrad or PhD, but that was coming from one person on the Internet and might be completely false.</p>
<p>Other places you should consider:</p>
<p>University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (for Aerospace)
Purdue University
Virginia Tech
University of Maryland
University of Southern California
Iowa State University (top 25 aerospace program)
University of California at Irvine</p>
<p>These are all highly prestigious in your fields, though some of them a bit less so than your original list. Don’t forget just how many universities there are in the US. At this point, you should consider issues like whether you want a big or small department or whether you can get financial aid.</p>
<p>Illinois IT is not “top ranked” like the other ones because (I’m an Illinois resident) it is nowhere near as good as any of the other schools mentioned here. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne is the place to go to for grad school engineering in Illinois. You could apply to Illinois IT as a safety, I guess.</p>
<p>It makes sense, though. There won’t be as many top applicants applying to schools as there will be for undergrad. Lets face it, it is easy to get the best grades in high school. But in college it’s another story. If you are a top applicant , chances are you will not be surrounded by hundreds of others with the exact same application. Plus there is the personal basis when you apply for graduate school, as you apply to specific departments and faculty.</p>
<p>Also I’m pretty sure there are departments at Stanford (Like other universities) that do not accept masters applications. Only PhD.</p>
<p>And please understand that graduate school requires a lot of research on your part, meaning you should spend a lot of time looking at the department and faculty. Don’t make a decision purely off a ranking.</p>
<p>I’ll second what roflkeke said. Don’t make your decision based on rankings. Although it isn’t as important for a MS applicant than a PhD applicant, fit should weigh into your decision making. Some schools are stronger in one concentration than another. </p>
<p>There are quite a few programs out there that don’t require a thesis, so look into that if you’re not interested in research.</p>
<p>Statistically, I’m sure many graduate schools are easier to get into than undergraduates. Self-selection comes into play because the not so academically gifted and inclined students won’t even consider applying to grad schools since they most likely can find a job without an advanced degree. At the high school level, the difference between going to college and not going is much more significant, so you’ll have more applicants.</p>
<p>All the answers were a very good help. Definately this is the forum to ask this kind of questions. Thank you!</p>
<p>To answer your questions I don’t really need financial aid and I would prefer a university in a big city with a high student population (Boston?). And if it is close to good ski resorts…much better.</p>
<p>My problem is that my university has a partnership with the Illinois IT so that they transfer a couple students every year to take master courses. Therefore, I can get to Illinois IT with no paperwork, no headaches and no worries.</p>
<p>But I am considering applying to other universities and going to Illinois IT or somewhere in Europe if everything goes wrong. Maybe I should apply to something in the middle, not in the top 5 but something good enough. </p>
<p>Next week I have a meeting with the International Transfers Department in my university to have a look on what they can find me but I don’t expect a lot of help from them. Altough this year one student is going to the MIT to do his master thesis… I guess that maybe I have some chances. </p>
<p>Someone else has some information on the Illinois IT? It is that bad?</p>
<p>IIT isn’t that bad, it’s fairly reputable in Chicago area, and its ECE, CHE, and CS programs rank around 50th in the country. It has an ugly campus, but two train rides to downtown chicago in 10 mins.<br>
It’s not THE place to be, but if all you are looking for is an exchange experience, IIT is an okay choice. Spanish students tend to have their own crowd here.</p>
<p>Yeah, I just have seen how many people from my university is going there. There must be a bunch of spanish people around. I will try something different though. I guess I will have to wait until I speak with the people in my university.</p>