<p>yes i actually found this out..keep in mind i am also interested in math/cmpsc programs( i am a math minor)......stanford has a computational mathematics program and i spoke to someone in the department who has been really helpful...seems to want me to get in...so hopefully all will go well when i apply...she said masters students typically dont get funding...i asked her about the possibility of TA'ing and she said very few masters candidates get TA positions...sometimes one or two and sometimes none....its apparently a really new program but really interesting stuff....</p>
<p>.....and i'll be applying to the chem E mENG programs at MIT and Princeton.....(no thesis requirement)......we'll see what happens...i'll try and ace my chem E classes this fall...and try one graduate class in the spring(hoping this would look good to masters programs)......</p>
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Is that 3.8 for Chem engineering, specifically, or for all engineering? I had a 3.5/3.6/I-don't-remember from Rice and got into Stanford's structural grad program. No research experience. Rice civ isn't even on the radar for "top ranked programs," either. It's ridiculously tiny... graduated 12 my senior year.
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<p>I have the same general question as aibarr does, for I happen to know a lot of people who got into Stanford for engineering master's degree programs with nowhere near a 3.8 (and the OP was asking specifically about master's programs). In fact, it is a general opinion among many in Silicon Valley that it is almost certainly far easier to get into a Stanford engineering master's program than it is to get into the Stanford undergrad *program, and some people therefore view a Stanford bachelor's as a *more impressive credential than a Stanford master's.*</p>
<p>*Note, I am not saying that I share that view. I'm just telling you what others have said.</p>
<p>This is not debatable. Masters programs are a lot easier to get in than Stanford undergrad. Getting into a Stanford PhD program OR getting funding for a Stanford engineering Master's is more impressive than getting in for a bachelors at Stanford however. At my weekend, out of 100 people who attended the MS/PhD prospective student weekend, 5 total were funded.</p>
<pre><code> Where are your anecdotal examples from? If they are from MIT, then this skews things quite a bit as people from highly selective undergraduates such as Rice, MIT, Stanford, Ivies,..etc. are allowed to have lower GPAs.
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Where are your anecdotal examples from? If they are from MIT, then this skews things quite a bit as people from highly selective undergraduates such as Rice, MIT, Stanford, Ivies,..etc. are allowed to have lower GPAs.
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<p>Nah, more like people who come from regular state schools. </p>
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any degree from Stanford is impressive, regardless of whether it's an undergrad degree or a master's degree.
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<p>The question on the table is what is more impressive.</p>
<p>Ive been monitoring this thread and others for a while now. My friend gave me an interesting link the other day from his program at Stanford. Index</a> of /group/blume/pdffiles/Resumes</p>
<p>What you notice are the GPAs are insanely high with none of this 3.5 GPA stuff outside of a Columbia grad.</p>
<p>Okay so I am currently a junior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York majoring in civil engineering. I am interested in the structural engineering PhD programs at Princeton, Columbia, MIT, Cornell, and about three others. Right now I have a 3.40 GPA and expect it to be around 3.45-3.5 after next term. I know it’s good to have a 3.5+ for these types of schools, but I was wondering what type if exceptions are made? I was heavily involved in extracurricular activities (I was on an executive board of an organization since I was a freshman), I have research experience at Georgia Tech, and will be doing research at my school this upcoming semester, and this summer I hope to participate in another REU. Should I DEFINITELY try to raise it to a 3.5 (i.e. having no social life next semester) or will these schools settle with a 3.47 or 3.48 if worse comes to worse?</p>
<p>Regavo: your GPA will not rule you out at those institutions, primarily because engineering is known for grade deflation, although obviously you should strive to get as high a GPA as possible. Your research and your letters of recommendation are the most important parts of your application. And make sure you study for the GREs. Although GREs are not deciding factors in admissions, engineers are expected to get close to perfect scores on the quantitative portion, and higher verbal scores will distinguish you from engineers who don’t score as high. </p>
<p>Make sure you talk to your professors now about grad school. Ask their opinions about where you should apply. If nothing else, it will lay the foundation for letters of recommendation next fall.</p>