Which is better to help me gain admission to the PhD program of my choice?

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi guys, I've graduated with a 3.85 GPA from NJIT and I've decided to pursue my education and get my PhD. I was planning to apply to some of the top schools to get my master's first and then the PhD. While I was asking one of my professors to submit a recommendation letter for me, he advised me to stay at the school and get my master's while maintaining a high GPA (above 3.80). He said that if I went to a better school (more difficult) for the master's degree, I wouldn’t be able to keep a high GPA which will make it more difficult to get into a decent PhD program. However, staying at my current school and finishing the master's degree with a decent GPA (above 3.80) will definitely increase my chances of getting into the PhD program of my choice. In other words, master's from my school with a 3.80 GPA is better than master's from a more difficult school with a 3.50 GPA.</p>

<p>He says that when it comes to final decision making in “top-ranked schools”, a high GPA weighs more than the school's name. He also says that schools' rankings change every year, but GPAs stay the same. </p>

<p>I really don’t know what I’m supposed to do. All what I know is that I want to get my PhD from one of the top-ranked schools. Should I stay to get my master’s first or move to a better school and get my master’s there?</p>

<p>Any responses will be greatly appreciated. I really need some help with this. It’s driving me crazy!</p>

<p>Thanks a lot,</p>

2

<p>You should apply directly into a PhD program.</p>

3

<p>If you are absolutely positive about getting a PhD and have great research experience, GRE scores and recommendations, I see no reason to do a master’s first.</p>

4

<p>I agree with both of the above. It seems you have a strong GPA, and if you also have strong recommendations, good research experience and can get a good score on the GRE, then you should skip the master’s and go directly into the PhD. It will cost you less in both time and money.</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the replies,</p>

<p>That’s actually a very good point, but I don’t have any research experience. I do have very strong recommendations and I’ve had three internships from which I gained experience in automotive, mechanical design, and manufacturing. My GRE score is 1230 (I know it’s horrible that’s because I am damn horrible at standardized tests)</p>

<p>Would that be good enough to go directly into the PhD?</p>

6

<p>What is your quantitative score on the GRE? You might want to retake to get the math up close to 800 since engineering programs really want to see that. While you might be bad at standardized tests, practice tests help immensely.</p>

<p>I understand why you might want a master’s first – no research, although your internships sound good – but staying at NJIT isn’t the answer. It’s not known for its research. Getting a master’s there will just give you another degree without the kind of research you need for a PhD program. So even if you went for the master’s degree prior to entering a PhD program, then NJIT isn’t the answer.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that a master’s degree rarely takes time off your PhD years or waives your coursework. All it does is give you an extra credential when you apply.</p>

<p>Can you take a year to work on research before applying? If not, I suggest that you apply to both PhD and master’s programs (including NJIT, if you want) this coming fall. See what happens.</p>