<p>i plan to apply for an MS program in electrical engineering...i did EE bc i love math...my two interests are electromagnetics on one end...and then signal processing on the other end...first question is...for the math lover...which one would i enjoy more??...i did a little bit of both at the undergrad level and liked em both too...just need to figure out which one to delve deeper into...</p>
<p>next question...this is more like a "where should i apply" question...i graduated from RPI in 2008...i had a 3.2 (or might have been 3.18...i forget which one...two semesters really ruined my GPA...most of the "ruining agents" were classes like Material Science, Thermal / Fluids, this sophomore design class...stuff like that)...i held two TA positions (one in CAD and one in the electromagnetics class)...i ran track and played football (two years each)...i have no research experience but i've had a pretty decent / worth mentioning job at a engineering firm as an electrical engineer working to support power uprates for nuclear plants...</p>
<p>GREs...haven't taken em yet but i'm pretty sure i can ace the math...i took one practice test and got 800 quantitative...i got an 800 on the SAT math back in HS and i think the GRE math is even easier...</p>
<p>next...what type of schools would be suited for me??...i also need to figure out how to get grad school paid for...i can't afford to take out more loans until my existing 30k is paid off...</p>
<p>thanks for your help everyone!!</p>
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<p>Your best bet might be to find an employer who will allow you to take night classes for your MS on the company dime.</p>
<p>i’m not doing a part time MS…</p>
<p>Why aren’t you doing a part-time MS?</p>
<p>i dont wanna be stuck at a company for 5 years while doing the MS…and besides…the industry i work in isn’t EXACTLY what i wanna get into later on…and another huge thing is that i wanna do research…and i also wanna get my MS from a school with a decent program…</p>
<p>i was looking to go back to RPI…i was also looking into CMU…any other ideas??</p>
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<p>Have you ruled out a PhD? Those programs will completely support you by paying tuition, health insurance, all fees – plus a stipend. </p>
<p>MS programs don’t fund their students in the same fashion. Professors generally don’t want to use their grant money to support MS students because 1. a lot of the MS student’s time is taken up by classes and 2. they are not there long enough to do significant research and 3. PhD students need their funds. You might be able to get a TAship to help reduce the cost, especially after you’ve proven yourself for a semester or so, but these are rarely guaranteed to MS students.</p>
<p>That’s not to say that fully funded MS programs aren’t out there, but that they are rare.</p>
<p>i haven’t completely ruled out a PhD…the only thing is i sometimes wonder if i really wanna be in school for like the next six years, as i’m 24 years old now (gonna be 25 when i start…maybe even 26)…otherwise the idea of getting a PhD is very appealing to me…</p>
<p>another thing to add to my resume is that i passed the FE Exam this year (first time taking it)…does that look good for grad school apps??</p>
<p>any ideas on where i should apply??..good schools i’d have a chance at??</p>
<p>I’m going to warn you upfront, you might not like my comments. I’m trying to be honest and give you something to think about and I’m not trying to come across hostile. You seem to be all over the place with what you want to study and do. Also, with your undergrad grades, I wouldn’t count on getting your MS fully funded.</p>
<p>First: You say you’ve got enough school loans, but you dont want your employer to pay for it. I’m not really understanding why not. You can get it done in 2 years via distance learning and owe no money and still collect your regular paycheck. Otherwise, you’d have to pay probably about $50k for the degree AND not have a steady income for 2 years. Financially, that doesn’t make sense. You’ll essentially be 180k in the hole (assuming you make 50k/yr now, then 50k for a degree, plus your loans.) On top of that, you’ll have to find a job again after your degree is done which is not a guarantee. </p>
<p>Second: Is the only reason you dont want to get it through your employer because you dont want to be 30 before you move on to your next industry/company? That’s not really something you should worry about unless you absolutely detest your industry. In the years that your employer pays for and you payback your degree with time served, you are returning the investment to the employer. Your employer may even promote you based upon their investment in you and your work ability. It all depends on your corporate climate, but I doubt the job you have now is going to be the job you have 3-5 years from now if you have a masters.</p>
<p>Third: You also say you’re interested in research. A MS degree isnt really ideal for research, a PhD is. But then again, you say you dont want to be in school for another 6 years. What I’m driving at here is the question you havent answered is what do you want a graduate degree to do for you? Do you want it to change career fields? Do you want it so you can move up the corporate ladder? Until you can answer that and have your 5 and 10 year life plans structured around that, then it doesn’t make sense to go back to school just because you want another degree. A grad degree shouldn’t be something you do for an intellectual challenge, it should be something you do to enhance your career. </p>
<p>My suggestion is this - keep going along the path of obtaining your PE until you pay off or pay down your loans, then re-evaluate to see what you want to do and if its financially feasible to pay for it independently. I’m guessing you have about 2-3 years of experience based on your age, so you should be getting pretty close to meeting the experience requirements of a full PE license. I think you’ll find that having your PE will be a great value for your career. Also, think long and hard about whether you really dont want your employer to pay for it. Living on ramen noodles and paying your electric bills with maxed out credit cards is no joke.</p>
<p>my company wouldn’t pay for a part time masters in the field that i wanna do it in…i work in the nuclear services department as an electrical engineer…all of our work is around powering up a nuclear plant (motors, power supplies, transformers…all that power stuff)…</p>
<p>i’m mostly leaning towards doing a grad degree in signal processing…COMPLETELY different fields (even though both are electrical engineering)…as it is my company isn’t the best when it comes to tuition reimbursement…</p>
<p>the main reason i want an MS is bc i wanna end up with a mathematically heavy signal processing job…</p>
<p>lastly…my plan right now is if i don’t get it funded…i’d defer my admission for about 6 months…move back in with my parents and commute to work till my existing loans get paid off…</p>