<p>There are rumors flying around that Stanford's MS programs for engineering are cash cows requiring low stats to get in. Any comments on this? I'm interested in structural engineering with a 3.5+ and 1400+ (4.0 writing though) from a top 15 school. Very good recs with some research experience. Sufficient?</p>
<p>Is this true?</p>
<p>Turns out to be NOT true. From speaking to my advisor who knows contacts at Stanford, 1400+ and a 3.5 are minimums.(Internationals are allowed lower due to poorer verbal ability).</p>
<p>I'm assuming you or whoever started those rumors are basing that off of the relatively high acceptance rate. In 2005, it was 35.8% for MS + PhD, which means it was even higher than 35.8 for MS only applicants. Just be wary when you look at these numbers because you have to consider self-selection. Many, if not all, of the mediocre engineering students wouldn't be applying for grad schools, let alone Stanford. They would be going straight into industry, so the only people applying are those who have excelled academically.</p>
<p>based on talking to grad students at my undergrad that had gotten in. There are lots of factors involved.</p>
<p>Hmm not sure who told you that, but I'm applying for the Management Science and Engineering MS program, and it certainly does not look easy to get into:</p>
<p>Last year's stats:</p>
<p>Acceptance rate: 27% (a lot of the applicants are top stanford undergraduates hoping to do coterms)</p>
<p>GPA avg: 3.7</p>
<p>GRE Quant avg: 790
GRE Verbal avg: 620
GRE Writing avg: 5.0</p>
<p>Average GPA is a 3.69. GRE 1400? Looks easy to me. I'm looking at higher standard programs at stanford so it will be harder. Everyone knows about management and science as a backdoor to an eventual EE MS degree. While stats aren't published for the other engineering departments, they aren't as easy as management science and engineering.</p>
<p>Glad our DS didn't get in for CS. Dual undergrad engineering degrees, 3.8gpa, 1500 GRE, "research", great recs, top engineering school. Got a better offer and position at another school.</p>
<p>MS&E as a backdoor to EE MS?!!!</p>
<p>If anything, MS&E is a backdoor to MBA.</p>
<p>And I'm not sure why you think it's so easy to get in. Is it b/c of the GRE scores? GPA? What program do you think is "hard" to get into?</p>
<p>At MIT, for example, the overall acceptance rate into their graduate engineering programs is 22%. The average GRE quantitative score is 780. The average verbal is 575.</p>
<p>Now are you gonna tell me it's "easy" to get into the MIT graduate engineering program?</p>
<p>The "relatively" low verbal score of 600 is not actually that low when you look at percentile: 600 puts you close to 85% of the entire GRE test takers, which includes english majors, history majors, social science majors, etc. That's not too shabby for engineers I might add! And keep in mind that a lot of international students lower the verbal score. I'm sure the adcom has higher standards for native speakers.</p>
<p>The "low" GPA should be even easier to explain: most applicants did undergraduate engineering. A 3.7 GPA for undergrad engineering is not at all easy to get.</p>
<p>And to the person who's glad their DS didn't get into the CS Department at stanford: don't worry, all they lost was a chance to be educated at one of the best CS departments in the world at probably the best location for the CS profession (silicon valley). Pretty much every successful high-tech startup you hear about has some connection to Stanford.</p>
<p>It completely depends on the program. Stanford CS, EE, Mech are substantially harder to get in than MS&E. When Stanford EE released GPAs a while back, the average GPA was a 3.85. The reason why I'm saying MS&E is a backdoor to EE is because you are allowed to take a large amount of EE courses. Assuming you do well, you can get good EE prof's recs and eventually get in after your prove yourself.</p>
<p>Don't forget Stanford has a bit of grade inflation.</p>
<p>
[quote]
It completely depends on the program. Stanford CS, EE, Mech are substantially harder to get in than MS&E. When Stanford EE released GPAs a while back, the average GPA was a 3.85. The reason why I'm saying MS&E is a backdoor to EE is because you are allowed to take a large amount of EE courses. Assuming you do well, you can get good EE prof's recs and eventually get in after your prove yourself.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>it's interesting because I know someone who did exactly that. Took a lot of EE classes as MS&E, got recs from prof who teaches EE classes, finally got into the MSEE program.</p>
<h1>9. Son got a fullride at another national university. He's not particularly interested in CS/EE or working in silicon valley. Even if the choice was Stanford and his current university, Stanford would loose out because his field of study is stronger at his university, city, international reputation, and lead professor.</h1>
<p>Stanford may be a great school but there are other schools that are also great.</p>
<p>Funny how a thread with "Stanford" can elicit so many lurkers.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Hmm not sure who told you that, but I'm applying for the Management Science and Engineering MS program, and it certainly does not look easy to get into:</p>
<p>Last year's stats:</p>
<p>Acceptance rate: 27% (a lot of the applicants are top stanford undergraduates hoping to do coterms)</p>
<p>GPA avg: 3.7</p>
<p>GRE Quant avg: 790
GRE Verbal avg: 620
GRE Writing avg: 5.0
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Uh, I believe it's actually 601 Verbal.</p>
<p>3.7 is quite the high gpa. Engineering is generally 3.2-ish, isn’t it?</p>
<p>Actually, the averages are very high. Here is a link to the stats for 2007-2009 for the MS programs. It would be a safe bet that other masters programs may also be similar in terms of stats:</p>
<p>[Department</a> of Management Science and Engineering - Admissions](<a href=“Management Science and Engineering”>Management Science and Engineering)</p>
<p>So, is the average for admission into Masters even higher than the one for PhD programs?
I mean, a 1400+ minimum, implies suppose you have 800 on the math portion, you still need at least a 600 on the reading part. Well, I just did my GRE recently, and I got 1390 (800 quant and 590 verbal, 4.5 aw). Should I retake it (I am planning to apply for PhD programs only)?
Please respond with reference to the Stanford’s computer science PhD program. Thanks!</p>
<p>Back doors into stanford Masters EE programs…proving yourself in classes…3.7 which are easy to get…Wow</p>
<p>3.7 aren’t easy to get in Engineering or Physics or any undergraduate degree that would allow you to apply to a Stanford engineering masters program. Also, Stanford will want these “3.7s” to be from other relatively good schools. They’ll want these 3.7s to be from top five publics, top 20 national universities, top 10 ranked engineering programs, top 10 liberal arts schools…etc</p>
<p>This stuff about barely getting into backdoor Masters program and proving yourself to get into a better Masters program at stanford is crazy. If you weren’t performing to get into a program in the first place, think long and hard about why you’d start performing once you get in. There are legitimate reasons like bad semesters where you had personal problems, or maybe your freshmen year was poor but subsequent years were really great. Honestly, think long and hard about this!</p>
<p>Seeing as 3.7 is the average GPA for MS MS&E at Stanford, what kind of a GPA would be the bare minimum to have a decent shot at getting in from a top 5 public school with fairly harsh grading?</p>