<p>This is a long post, but in short i am looking for: a) Suggestions for strong programs that are less selective and appropriate for someone of my qualifications, and b) any advice on the application process. </p>
<p>I'm a senior in Mechanical Engineer at Cornell, and I'm interested in getting a PhD. I figured out pretty late in the game what I want to do, and my stats aren't really stellar either (especially research experience), so I thought I would post here to get an idea of where I should be aiming.</p>
<p>GRE: 770Q, 630V, 5.0 W (kind of bummed, but not worth taking again)
GPA: 3.48 overall, 3.56 major
(Lots of Bs and a C+ my sophomore year. I've had above 3.5 for 4/6 semesters, above 3.7 in 2/6.)</p>
<p>Research experience: Two summers and a winter in Materials Science at a flagship public university near my home. It was a good experience, but unfortunately not in my area of interest (robotics/mechatronics, controls/dynamics), which I picked up after I took Mechatronics last year. Worked on a design project as well as helped a grad student with his research. Did not write anything publishable. I was a freshman/sophomore and didn't know what I was doing/was not as good at getting things done as I am now. </p>
<p>Work experience: Most recent summer at a large engineering company. Did various design and analytical work. Again, a good experience, but completely unrelated to my field of interest. Also found out that I like the corporate environment and would probably like to do research in industry.</p>
<p>Other: No significant awards (four semesters on Dean's list), but I hold leadership positions in a couple of campus organizations (this can be fairly time-consuming). I have also worked about 8 hours a week grading papers for Statics and Dynamics.</p>
<p>LORs: One from my research professor, should be good. One from my boss from my internship, should be good. The other will probably be from a professor whose class I took, and will be meh (this student did well in my class, he is a hard worker, blah blah blah).</p>
<p>I have picked out reach schools I would like to apply to:
Cornell, Michigan, Purdue, Carnegie Mellon</p>
<p>My adviser suggested that I might be more competitive for top 25 schools. How selective are:
UCLA, UCSD, Maryland, Wisconsin, RPI, Case Western?</p>
<p>In short, how likely am I to get into any of these programs, and do you know of any others that might be a good fit for a person of my interests and qualifications?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>