<p>Thanks Collegebound. You went to alot of effort here. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Jason, this is one of the most cogent, organized remarks that I have seen to date. It is based on your personal experience which gives it lots of credibility and is just what I was hoping for. How did you seek out research experiences, meaning how do you hook up with these professors. I have heard several people make similar comments about searching out research opportunities…how did you take your first steps towards that?</p>
<p>flemmyd, I know this sounds dumb but what is a summer “REU” program? It is probably really obvious but I think I need another cup of coffeee or something. Are you at UCI?</p>
<p>luvmyson:</p>
<p>Stay active and take initiative. All cases are different and student organizations are one place to start gathering the right knowledge to get research. Please have your son refer to this link.</p>
<p>[UROP</a> - Research Opportunities FAQ’s](<a href=“http://www.urop.uci.edu/opportunities/opportunities_faq.html]UROP”>http://www.urop.uci.edu/opportunities/opportunities_faq.html)</p>
<p>yes i am at uci right now. im in the physical science, but have/had some experience in engr, although probably not as much as jas0n. the area of research i want to work in is fairly close to engr, although physical science and engr have far more in common than so many people realize (including most science and engr majors…)</p>
<p>research at uci is pretty easy- just ask the professor! some professors are fairly informal and will probably just ask around to see if you are a total flake or something (if even that). some will require interviews and resumes, etc. it varies. in general, all you have to do is ask the professor
i was super scared about asking professors when I was first starting! I didn’t believe it was a simple “ask the prof…” but It kind of is! avoid emails… professors get so many, they’ll ignore you. go in person. even if you just go in person to shake hands and set a time/date. they dont expect you to have taken a class with them or full comprehend their research. just look around on their websites and see what interests you. go knock on their door and talk to them. and you may be rejected. that happens. it may not be anything about you. sometimes they want you to have taken certain classes, sometimes they just dont have room. it really varies by the prof, but in general, just go ask them in person and get your face out there. they might give you directions from there.</p>
<p>and REU is a summer research program. in this case, it stands for ‘Research Experience for Undergraduates’. It’s typically funded by the NSF. Here is a complete list of those funded by the NSF i believe (note all the different areas of research. heavily towards the physical sciences/engr.)
[US</a> NSF - REU - Search for an REU Site](<a href=“http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.cfm]US”>Search for an REU Site | NSF - National Science Foundation)
Note, other schools may have research programs that arent funded by the NSF- those won’t be listed here. and there are several other acronyms for an REU.
SURF -summer undergrad reserach fellowship… SURP- summer undergrad reserach program… blah blah. all kinda the same idea. just different labels.
as these particular are done by the NSF, they tend to target A) women and minorities (although men and non-minorities will not be discriminated… and B) those kids are schools where they dont have super awesome research opportunities like we have here at uci =]</p>
<p>Not completely relevant to the overall topic of this thread, but reading some of the posts leads me to ask the following question. What is everyone’s opinion about the idea of someone that graduated from UCLA in Mechanical Engineering BS with a low gpa of 3.0 and then going to a Cal State for a Master’s? </p>
<p>That’s my current plan and my rationale is that I want to get my Master’s at a Cal State to
a.) buy some time for the job market to relax
b.) get a MS to increase chance of getting a job after
c.) I do not believe my GPA will get me into a higher Master’s Program such as UCLA and UC IRVINE
d.) the “learning by doing” Cal-State approach over UC’s theory approach which I believe helps me more in the job market<br>
e.) I am not interested in a PHD or Academia<br>
f.) Cal State’s master program is more lenient for part-time and full-time workers</p>
<p>I understand that the Cal State engineering programs are reputable in terms of Undergraduate studies but I have very little info about their Graduate programs. Will an employer look down on a UCLA BS –> Cal State MS? What is everyone’s take on this idea?</p>
<p>I don’t think employers will look down on it. The fact that you have been to UCLA once means you SHOULD be a talented student in the eyes of industry. It really goes down to how you use the resources of your school. For example, if you want to go into robotics and the Cal State has applicable robotics/control courses and a professor advises you on a legitimate robotics project that relates to the type of job you like, the Cal State will better prepare you as opposed to a UC without much emphasis on robotics. Aside from it all, a MS really brings you up a level. Having a BS only is so limiting in terms of your job outlook…</p>
<p>Alright , sounds good. Yeah it is pretty limited to just have a BS at the moment. Doesn’t hurt at too get a Master’s if i can’t still find a job by Fall. You make a good pt about making use of resources such as robotics/control courses since the program at Cal State is more geared towards working individuals in the first place. </p>
<p>Thanks for the input jas0n.</p>
<p>That doesn’t sound like a bad plan. I think that some of the CSU’s have a stronger reputation than others. My oldest S is at Sac State in CS. We have been talking to folks in the engineering business and are hearing that Sac State has a strong reputation, at least locally, for its engineering program. Also, San Jose State and Long Beach State are have solid reputations. Of course Cal Poly SLO is the flagship of the Cal State System. There may be others, I just haven’t specifically asked about them because we weren’t looking at them.</p>
<p>What kind of GPA do you think someone graduating from UCLA as an ME would need to get into a UC Masters progam? How difficult did you find the program to be? In other words were you working as hard as you could to earn the 3.0? I am not trying to be disrespectful. Our S has just learned that he has been accepted to UCLA and we are trying to figure out whether it is worth the extra pressure/stress for him to go there compared to a smaller, private school (with a good local but no national reputation).</p>
<p>Oops, just saw this post. I hope you received my reply to your PM luvmyson. But for others reading this post. I guess a 3.2+ is a good GPA to start, but it also depends on letters of rec and your relationship between the professors. Although, I believe that if you get a 3.5 GPA or higher, you are pretty much guarantee grad sch admission at UCLA.</p>