I want to know how strong of an applicant I would be for an ECE (Electrical & Computer Engineering PhD) as an applicant straight from undergraduate. I am currently a third-year undergraduate student, but I am est to graduate early by the end of my 3rd year.
Here are my credentials: Undergrad: B.S. in Electrical Engineering at UCLA Overall GPA: 3.951/4.000, Major Field GPA: 3.950 (lowest grades received were A-'s) GRE: None Research Experience: Communication Systems/Channel Coding Lab. Did research from summer before sophomore year till now (1 year); I was funded by an NSF REU during the summer of my sophomore year in this lab. Presented at school conferences, but no publications at external conferences/journals. Work Experience: Summer internship at Raytheon Technologies during the summer before my 3rd year. Letter of Recommendation:
1 LOR from a renown CMOS circuits professor (IEEE Fellow, Editor for IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, UC Berkeley Distinguished Alumnus, pioneered RF CMOS technology used in smartphones)
1 LOR from a circuits lecturer well-regarded in the UCLA ECE department and his field (IEEE Fellow, IEEE Distinguished Lecturer, senior director and technical fellow at an US-based chipmaker)
1 LOR from professor I help do research with (however, he focuses on communication systems/coding theory, not circuits which is what I am wanting to get into) Other:
5-time Dean’s Honor List Award
External Vice President of Electrical Engineering Honor Society (IEEE- Eta Kappa Nu)
Taking/have taken graduate-level courses in neural networks, communication theory, and analog integrated circuits
I am a seeking to to focus on circuit design specialty within ECE, specifically hoping to apply to labs focusing on analog/RF/mixed signal IC design for communications. The trouble is, I am unsure about applying to PhD this year to to the fact that
a) I have no research publications (although the channel coding research I’ve done would have been irrelevant for circuits labs anyways)
b) I have no fellowships (many fellowships require fleshed-out ideas of research plans, which I simply do not have due to lack of experience)
c) I would be competing with M.S. and industry applicants who might have publications or years/decades more experience in IC design than I do (I’m just an 3rd-year undergrad with a summer of industry internship). Having said that, I heard PI’s generally are more lenient towards applicants applying directly from undergrad, but I’m not sure how true that is.
Any thoughts or advice? My other alternatives are to simply graduate in 4 years with a B.S. + M.S. at the same time, though that would be risking higher evaluation standards from PI’s. Some labs/schools I have been thinking of:
When vetting a PhD program, you don’t think of schools, you think of people. The professors doing the research that interests you the most, may or may not be at those schools. For example, it’s not your field, but there’s very cutting edge stuff happening at Wisconsin and A&M. Seek the person. That’s the one you’ll be married to for multiple years.
As for your record, it’s impressive. You need to take the GRE, and if possible, get some time in a lab doing something more tangential or ideally directly related to what you want to do.
Will you have your BS in hand at the end of 3 years? If not, finish your BS/MS. It’ll likely shorten your PhD as much if not all of the coursework will be done.
I strongly agree with this. Find professors and research groups that you would like to work with. UIUC has strong research groups in the areas you mentioned.
Hi, thanks for your response. yes, i am focusing more on labs; the IC design labs I’m interested in are in many of those schools.
I was unaware the GRE is required; its only a requirement for CMU and few others, which is not what I am targeting, of which almost all have dropped as a requirement or do not accept.
The trouble with doing lab research related directly to circuits is that many circuits professors, at least at UCLA, are cautious about letting undergrads into their labs due to the high degree of specialization and experience needed. in fact, many MS students I’ve talked to here have experienced difficulty joining circuits labs.
Yes, even if I slow down somewhat, I will exhaust of undergrad courses to take by the end of my 3rd year this year. My options are to:
(a) artificially extend the duration of my undergrad to the normal 4 years by taking gap quarters/being a part-time student. This can also help me focus on research and join multiple labs at once.
(b) at my school, there is a combined B.S.+M.S. program in which I can graduate in 4 years in; I am already taking graduate courses to begin with currently. The problem with this is (a) I may not have as much time otherwise to pursue research, especially across multiple labs. More importantly, would I face more stringent evaluation standards by PI’s if I were to apply for PhD next year instead, since I would be applying from a B.S. + M.S. program, nor a purely B.S. program?
Thank you for the advice and help. Any is greatly appreciated!
My son was taking graduate classes as a 3rd year at Cal Poly. He ended up taking 5 years, but it was leisurely and thesis based.
Don’t choose one route or another because you think It’ll be easier. Advisors want students with potential. You have to show that the best way you can. A MS will not hurt you.
Thanks for the advice. The other issue was cost though; if I pursue a B.S+M.S. program, it would be more expensive for me since I would be still officially classed as an undergraduate, simply earning an M.S. in addition upon completion of B.S. Since UCLA does not allow for undergraduates to be paid Teaching Assistants, I thought it would be much more financially suitable for me to pursue a M.S.+PhD program instead.
Many programs are no longer accepting the GRE and many others have made in optional. The OP should construct their list of target programs and then see if the GRE is required/optional before deciding whether or not to invest the time and money in writing it.
That’s not universally true. Many programs will not give credit for coursework previously completed as part of a master’s degree. Also the MS will most likely cost the OP money whereas doing the PhD should be relatively cost free.