<p>Heyy</p>
<p>I got rejected from a top 10 school for PhD but got accepted for MS in engineering. Is this customary? I had wanted to go straight PhD. I dont know if I should be offended or happy? It was my top choice but I feel let down!</p>
<p>This is common at some programs and less common at others. Stanford is notorious for doing this (i.e., offering an unfunded MS admission in lieu of a straightforward PhD rejection) but other schools such as Cornell are known to do this to a lesser extent as well. If you have a funded PhD acceptance at another school I would advise going there instead. It is not worth going for an unfunded MS just to be at a “top 10” school.</p>
<p>I second aceflyer, unless your other option is from an unknown school…</p>
<p>Personally, I would still consider a program even though I am not accepted directly to the PhD program (as long as there is funding/TAship cuz I’m broke) or off a Wait-list. The most important thing is knowing that your PI of interest would like to work with you as well. If you feel like there isn’t any profs of your interest who would be willing to vouch for you, I say avoid it.</p>
<p>I agree. You can definitely still consider the ‘top 10’ MS program, but if it is unfunded and you have a funded PhD acceptance from a top 20 or top 30 program you should definitely consider just going there instead. If the MS program is funded and your PI of interest wants to work with you as well, then it may not be a bad idea to go if you really want to attend that school. Ultimately, it’s your call. Best of luck! :)</p>
<p>Some of these non funded MS degrees in lieu of PhD deals (such as Stanford) are pretty much just plain sources of revenue for schools. Look into the admission before making a decision (that rhymed!)</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. My other option is a very unknown school, Im so confused!! CMU gave me partial tuition reimbursement but it definitely sounds like a cash cow for them.</p>
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<p>Approximately where is this “very unknown” school ranked by US News? If it’s something like, I dunno, North Carolina State, Ohio State, University of Florida that’s still in the top 30 or so, you should be fine assuming you think the program would otherwise be a good ‘fit’ for you. If it’s something like, I dunno, University of New Mexico or Missouri University of Science & Technology, though, you may want to go to CMU for the MS or reapply next year (spending the intervening time doing something that will bolster your application next time around).</p>
<p>It’s not bad that CMU is giving you partial tuition reimbursement. I guess you’ll just have to weigh all factors and see if you can stomach the idea of going to the “very unknown school,” if you can afford CMU, or if you want to reapply next year…</p>
<p>Unknown would be FSU… I dunno ugh!! If they dont think I am good enough for PhD at their university why bother with the MS, just reject me.</p>
<p>I see… well, this might mitigate in favor of the CMU MS or reapplying next year, depending on how you view the FSU program.</p>
<p>I’d guess the reason they didn’t reject you outright is because the MS is a ‘cash cow’ for them. Even still, if you really like CMU and don’t want to have a ‘gap year’ before reapplying to programs next year, you should seriously consider their MS program and see if you can get anything of value out of it… possibilities: doing a MS thesis or at least some research if possible to bolster your research experience; using the MS GPA to bolster any weaknesses your undergrad GPA may have had. If you do some solid work with a research-heavy or research-based MS and get good grades, this will help you when you apply to PhD programs afterward. But if the MS program strictly limits you to coursework and no research whatsoever, the value would be much more limited.</p>
<p>Best of luck with your decision.</p>
<p>Haha thanks. I dont mind florida. If anything I might figure out a way to just do an MS there and reapply to phd programs? I dunno how that works. I asked the guy at CMU what the deal was and he said based on my SOP he couldnt match me with a project (so I know to write a much better one in any case) and that there werent many new projects. I dont think my UGPA is bad, but it isnt like a 4.0 either. But he never mentioned my grades so I dunno.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>