<p>Hello everyone! Had a few questions about my grad school application:
1-About research experience, does it help if i have a publication like the 'application of non-technical courses in engineering studies- a case study'? Or is it a complete waste of my time?
2- Also how much do ECAs such as Volleyball team captain and Spanish Club Vice-President add to my resume?
3- Which of these are more important to grad schools like Princeton and MIT?: Publications at the expense of internships or vice versa?
4- What are my chances if I have one publication a GPA from a relatively unknown int. uni of 3.97 and GREs (Q,V,W)=(770,550,4.5) but have a lot of volunteering and ECAs on my plate, along with 1 internship and a very strong LOR? i will apply hopefully next year to MIT and Princeton for ChemE.
And finally to those students who have been accepted to a PhD program? How many publications do most students have on average?
(Because from what I've read from these forums to get into the top schools you need 3 publications even with a 4.0)</p>
<p>1.Admission committees for PhD programs in engineering are looking for students who have done engineering research, but put this other publication in your CV because it still shows your writing skills.</p>
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<li><p>Co-currics show character, list them in your CV partiuclarly if they show leadership and organizational skills. In truth thouhg, you need to emphaisze research and not your co-curric activities. </p></li>
<li><p>Anything that is research is invaluable, publications are a bonus but not many students coming out of US or Canadian universities have publications. Try to do research in your final summer and year so you can also decide which area of Chem Eng you’d like to do your research in. A Personal Statement needs to be fairly specific about what type of research you’d like to pursue- for top tier schools, you include information on the specific research groups you’d like to work with. If you can get a lab job in your last year in a lab that does work related to the area you’d like to do your research in your PhD, all the better. </p></li>
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<p>For example, you will apply to, say, Materials Science, but would also include tha you want to study opto-electrical properties of carbon nanocomposites including variables such as perolation thresholds and so forth. If you can get beginning skills in your undergrad, it strengthens your application. </p>
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<li>Your marks are superb. If you are a domestic student or in the US college system, one paper is very good because it means you’ve had a lab job. Research experience is, of course, critical.<br></li>
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<p>I will have only one publication when I finish, but have presented at numerous conferences, worked in a lab during two summers and five school terms, TAed, taken many graduate level courses and love research. I have interviews and invitations to Visiting Days for the top 5 engineerng schools (in the US), so am hoping I will gain admission somewhere that does research that I love. (The waiting for admission decisions is so dreadful.) </p>
<p>Since you are a year away from applying, in your last summer and year try to TA, work in a lab, present at a conference and take some graduate level courses in the specific area you would like to apply for your PhD. </p>
<p>If you go to a conference, introduce yourself to faculty and students from universities you would like to go to, email profs ahead of your application enquiring about whether they will have a spot for a PhD student for the year you are applying and discuss their research as a PhD student would. </p>
<p>Apply well in advance of deadlines because some schools will admit on a rolling schedule so will actually admit PhD students before the deadlines.Your stunning GPA shows you can easily do these things. You GPA is a real stand-out. Even the top five engineering schools will take students with a GPA of 3.7 if they have strong research, so you can hope to get into great schools.</p>
<p>About the marks, I havent had a very tough schedule and I am an international student from a relatively unknown university.</p>
<p>The thing with my school is I can get many publications in the humanities fields but its hard to in the engineering and sciences. Do you think I should still take advantage of those or focus on core stuff?</p>
<p>Does being a grader for MATH count? (since its not a core course).</p>
<p>So do you think my research experience should reflect the research interests i mention in the SoP? Because the problem is that I know what I want to do but wont be able to get research experience for it due to lack of opportunities.</p>
<p>Regarding taking graduate courses, the problem with my situation is that the topic I want to research is not offered by the faculty, so how do you think I should mention that in the SoP? Do you reckon I take the gRaduate course for the research I am currently doing or the one that I want to pursue in Gradschool. How does i work for you: You do get credit for your Graduate courses right? How many did you manage to take? Cuz I am only allowed one, you see…</p>
<p>Yeah I dont even want to think about how jittery I’ll GET when admission decisions will be announced…Thanks for your reassuring advice!
I hope you make it into the program and school of your choice!!! The thing that creeped me out was reading that this marshal scholar with a 4.0 got accepted only after he applied with three publications…</p>
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<p>It obviously won’t matter from a technical perspective, but it will show that you are capable of carrying out research of some kind at a level that passes peer review, so it is still a positive.</p>
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<p>They won’t matter unless they show leadership of some kind. PhD programs aren’t going to care a wink whether you played volleyball or were in Spanish club, especially if those experiences were in high school. Ultimately they are concerned with whether or not you can increase their research output.</p>
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<p>With ANY graduate school, forget which ones, research experience is king. If you have publications, grand, but most undergraduates are not going to have publications, so just having worked in a research lab will help.</p>
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<p>Again, one publication already puts you ahead of the game. A 3.97, no matter from what school, will look good. Your GRE is okay, but that math score could use a little work. At a place like MIT, the average math score on the GRE is going to be around 790 or even 800. However, it is the GRE, so it won’t hurt you that much at most schools. The LOR will be nice, but like I said, extracurricular activities are generally not going to matter for much. If I were you, I would make sure you apply to some safeties. MIT and Princeton are quite picky, and to be completely honest, as far as I can see you won’t stand out among the pool of candidates at such schools.</p>
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<p>The average number of publications of people who are just accepted is effectively zero. I know very, very few people that were published in any way before starting graduate school. Shoot, even in graduate school it may be a while before you get a publication. It just depends on the situation.</p>
<p>Thanks for your forthcoming advice:)</p>
<p>“MIT and Princeton are quite picky, and to be completely honest, as far as I can see you won’t stand out among the pool of candidates at such schools”</p>
<p>Is that what they look for, something different: Can you be more specific: Do you mean like a minor or some prestigious award?</p>
<p>Another question, do you think taking 2 graduate courses would help me stand out?</p>
<p>No, they won’t care about minors. Yes, they will like it if you happen to have some prestigious award in your field. Still, not many of those exist, so you don’t need one. More importantly they are going to want to see passion and a demonstrated competence in your field that goes above and beyond the average applicant. I don’t know that there is any clear-cut answer to what will get you in. All I know is your GPA is better than mine, your GRE is worse, and there were several top schools such as Berkeley that I didn’t get into. I got into plenty of other highly regarded schools in my field though, so it isn’t like not getting into the MIT’s of the world is a bad thing.</p>
<p>Just a word of advice: start thinking about what area of chemical engineering you want to specialize in. With graduate school, it isn’t as much about how prestigious your school is as much as the reputation and blessing of your advisor. Now, if your advisor is relatively unknown, then going to MIT or somewhere like that can make up for that, but you can go to East Nowhere State University and work for some superstar in your field and be just as well off as doing your PhD at MIT or somewhere similar. Just food for thought.</p>
<p>About the grad courses though, will my transcript look better with them? I’m only allowed to take 2.</p>
<p>Right, that makes sense.
Hmm…yeah I am kind of confused between Transport Phenomena and Statistical Mechs. Problem is they only offer research in Transport Phenomena but I will keep the advisor’s repute in mind.
About your situation though, did you make sure you had strong LoRs and a compelling SoP? Did you have any publications?</p>
<p>No publications for me. Two strong LoRs from professors I had worked with. I had a handful of graduate classes but that was only because UIUC had their 400-level classes cross-listed. I did take more of them than required though, mainly because I found the extra ones interesting. At the time I thought my SoP was compelling, but looking back I have no idea whether it was or not. I know I could do a better job at it now.</p>
<p>With your school not having research opportunitiesinthe fiddl you wuold like to work, perhaps consider the following
- choose grad level courses that are related to the area you would like to do research in ingraduate school,
-TA courses in this area
-learn a lot about the area and write a stunning Personal Statement that shows you know the field and can converse on it at a PhD level.
-Perhaps try to present at a conference even if it’s on another subject. Go talk to profs and grad students who work in the field you want to do grad research into.
-Talk to the prof you work for, explain what you really want to do. He or she can provide pertinent information in a L of R to help get you in. </p>
<p>Don’t be discouraged- grad school acceptances are just beginning and among my friends I am seeing that 3.7 GPA, near perfect standardized test cores in related subjects, a prof who believes in you, and research potential will do the trick for MIT, Stanford, CalTech, Cornell, U Penn and other Ivies. </p>
<p>it will strengthen your application. Those who reveiw applications look for research potential, evidence that you will be able to pass comprehensive exams,</p>