CrazyCelt

Almost everyone who does a PhD in Ireland is fully funded for fees and receives a stipend of about 16,000-18,000 euro a year for living expenses which is tax-free and PhD's take between 3 and 4 years to complete. I've just finished a 2 year masters of engineering and I'm thinking of launching a couple of applications to the top american universities (MIT, Stanford etc)... what kind of funding opportunities are available to international students? Are you automatically funded if you are accepted? What kind of living expenses can you expect to receive? Do you have to hunt for funding yourself?

InDesign

For all those people wondering about their gpa my 2 cents of advice is that since you are applying to a very specific program, the admissions committee will be interested in your gpa in your particular major. So in all, it doesn't matter if you didn't do well in German, if you majored in bio.

Peace

zipzip

hey romeo2die depends what you are studying!

If you are an engineer your GRE score would be fine..my friend got into USC with a 308 (total combined score). I don't think the GPA is bad, it is a good GPA. However, you would want something that makes you standout as a candidate, maybe some research or publication...

Being an alumni does not help at all.

International student??? ERGGG>....try applying for private schools..It is fairly well known now that at public institutions, they only accept around 1 or 2 (if very lucky) international students to attend and not have to pay...so you have a much better shot at a private school.

Your TOEFL is what I would be concerned about, it is somewhat on the low side....Maybe try to raise it to 600..

Jenzep

I made a separate thread for my problem but I just went through this thread and I think it's more related to me query. So here it is:

I did my B.Sc in Electrical Engineering with major in Power Systems. Unfortunately, I underperformed in my B.Sc and came out with very average GPA. However, in my last year of engineering(with all Power Systems courses), my GPA was 3.3.

I am doing a job in Oil & Gas company and will be having a solid 1 year project site experience in UAE. SO I am hopeful that this will be helpful in overshadowing my bad GPA a bit.

Other than my undergard(probably which matters the most for admit in graduate programs), my school and high school grades are pretty stellar(rank 3 and rank 5 among 20000 students respectively)

GRE and TOEFL I have to give as of yet and will probably be giving within a month or so. I am working hard and will come out with good score(I hope as I scored pretty well in mock tests). Will get good LOR's as well.

Funding is a BIG issue for me and I am having $20-$25k(+5 at max) for my Masters. Here are the universities I have finalized to apply to:

1-ASU
2-Iowa State
3-UFL
4-University Of Texas, Dallas
5-University Of Cincinnati
6- NCSU
7- University of Missouri, Rolla
8- University of Tennesse, Knoxville

So please do help me in making my decision. Do you people suggest to take another year off and apply in 2014 to improve my chances?

Moreover, I do have plans to do job for few years in US before heading back to my country. Hence, post-MS job prospects(in Power Systems in particular) also value a lot for me.

What you guys advise for me?

villager

Which top CS graduate schools have an admission by committee?

RacinReaver

I don't know of any schools that don't.

Jenzep

Could anyone give me some insight about my post above?

crucial bbq

Jenzep:

Your situation is a personal decision but there is nothing wrong with applying for 2013, and then again in 2014 if you are not accepted into the schools on your list.

hpmbs

Biology grad school questions (cancer bio/genetics field)

1. Does applying earlier than the deadline matter? If the deadline is Dec 15 does it matter if the application is in Oct 15 vs Nov 15 vs Dec 15?

2. Do letters recommendations have to be from "academic" professors? Is it better if they are? I graduated undergrad. 4 years ago. I since worked in a hospital as a research tech and have a good relationship with the lab head PhD (2 middle-author publications). I have also worked in the biotech industry and am considering having a scientist (has a PhD) write me a letter (does it matter if he is a manager? It is a biotech company so not academically focused, more molecular product development focused. I would get a 3rd letter from my thesis research adviser from undergrad. It's been 4 years, but I did work in that lab for 2.5 years. My other option is dropping the biotech scientist reference for a professor from undergrad- although I didn't keep in touch with professors I simply took a class with.

3. Will the biotech experience be a negative at all? It is related to my field and it did involve experiment design, data analysis, some reading of literature etc.

arodna924

I wasn't sure exactly where I should put this message, but I figured this would work out fine.

I'm currently a senior planning on applying to graduate school very shortly (the deadline is January 15). I'm applying to my university's M.A. program in English Literature, and in short: The requirements are very vague.

There is no minimum GPA requirement, the instructions regarding GRE percentile scores are rather unhelpful as well ("Your score should be somewhere around *insert percentile*). The information on the site also says (under FAQ) that the personal statement, letters of recommendation, as well as the writing sample (a 10 page minimum research paper) all weigh more heavily than grades and standardized test scores. I am planning on talking to an advisor sometime this week, but I'm afraid that will be just as unhelpful as the online site. I hate not having clear knowledge of what is expected. What am I supposed to expect from such a vague program?

Does anyone have any experience with liberal arts master's programs in general? There are a lot of posts on here about math, technology, science, and business related programs but I've seen nothing about the arts.

Sorry this post is so long, I just have one more question. Is it okay to use a Doctoral student as a writer of a letter of recommendation? I plan on using two professors from my undergraduate field, but that leaves me one person short. The bad part about my major is that there are so many professors, and even more graduate and Doctoral students. It's very hard to get the same professor more than once or to get close enough to a professor. Most of my courses are, in fact, taught by Doctoral students so naturally these people are the ones who know me and my work best. I was just curious how the admissions committee would view this? Especially since the Doctoral student is at the university I am applying to and would clearly be able to vouch for my abilities pertaining to graduate work having been with the program. I of course wouldn't think of using a M.A. student, but I've always seen Doctoral students as more professional.

Again, sorry for such a rambling long post. Any information is appreciated greatly!

abyj85

hpmbs/

HI, I'm also applying for biomedical this yr. Although my interest lies in immunology/microb.
I'll just tell you what I know about your question. It's a personal opinion so don't take it
as a definite truth.

1. Everyone- my peers, advisors, even the webpage info of the program - told me applying early will have advantages with no disadvantages. The applications will pile up as time runs toward deadline. I would apply at least 15 days prior to deadline to grant my application a full consideration.

2. I think getting your rom from your supervisor is fine. I am getting my letters from 2 professors and my lab director who is my boss.

3. Absolutely not. Why would experience related to your field be considered negative? I think if you pull out your story persuasive enough about why you are turning from working in industry to academia, it will be your forte.

lumpyspace

Hello,
I keep seeing in a lot of postings that a low GPA/GRE can be offset by great LORs, a personal statement and research experience - but can a lack of research experience be offset by high numbers? I am interested in applying for a neuroscience PhD (but also sort of debating an MPH/PHD in Public Health) and my info is:

Graduated '08 from a northeastern liberal arts top 60 university
GPA 3.88
Phi Beta Kappa
Major- Psychology (with focus on neuro)
GRE - V 170, Q 161 (83rd percentile - I am open to retesting to improve quant score)
Research: One semester undergrad neuroscience research assistant; Currently 8 months volunteering as sociology research assistant on IRB study
Work exp: 4 years professional experience in public health/sexual education/youth work
LOR (need 3): 1 solid from academic advisor. 1 maybe from undergrad research assistant supervisor (who I've been mostly out of touch with until recently and who I'm not sure how well she knows me). 1 maybe from current sociology research assistant supervisor (can speak to my research skills, but not neuro specifically) or 1 maybe from an employer
Applying to: NYU, Columbia, Albert Einstein Yeshiva, Weill Cornell, Rockefeller, Mt Sinai, Possibly SUNY Downstate and CUNY, tentatively. Open to/investigating other neuro programs within several hour drive from NYC. (Any suggestions?)

Does anyone have any feedback about whether I have decent chances at these types of schools given my lack of neuroscience research/professional experience?

Also, do you think it's better to have all academic/research-related LORs, or to include one from an employer considering that I have been out of school for 4 years now?

Also, any feedback from those who lead very busy lives on what has been most effective, useful and hopefully time-efficient in terms of investigating individual programs? (e.g.: calling admissions departments, appointments with admissions depts, appointments with professors, cold calling vs cold emailing profs, asking admissions departments to be put in contact with a current student, etc)

Thanks for any responses and for reading this!!!

juillet

It doesn't work as easily the other way. Graduate school is about research - grades don't matter as much. It takes experience with research to get through the entire program (not just the first 2-3 years), and committees may think people with more research experience are less likely to discover that they don't like research after 2-3 years and drop out.

If you don't have neuroscience or related research experience (bio, chem, etc.) I think it's unlikely you'll be admitted to a neuroscience PhD program. You have better chances at a public health program, but mind you most PhD programs in public health are not MPH/PhDs. You can do the extra work to earn an MPH, but mine was an MA/PhD program, and a lot of them require you to have an MPH or related degree before you can get the PhD. You'll also be sort of borderline - you have a great record otherwise, and your 4 years of experience in public health will really help (especially here at Columbia where everyone does sexual health) but your lack of research experience will make people wonder if you know what you are getting yourself into. Only get an LOR from an employer if they themselves have a PhD and can attest to your ability to do research in a research-focused program; otherwise, all academic LORs is best.

None of the methods you listed are effective or useful for investigating programs. Definitely do not cold-call the professors or the department without having very specific questions that are unanswerable by the website. The most useful way of investigating individual programs is looking at the website. Most university departments have pretty extensive websites with all of the information you need to apply. I would only contact professors if you have an interest in working with them as a student, and then you can just write them a short email stating your interest and mentioning how you are familiar with their work (read 2-4 recent papers first), and asking if they are taking graduate students next year. Calling and asking to be put in contact with a current student is okay, but only if the website does not list the students' names and contact information. The Columbia psych department website has all of our names and contact information on it, if you want to do neuro through the psych department. The PhD program in neurobiology and behavior also has a current student list here:

Columbia University - Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior Site

Their names are links to their emails.

I go to Columbia for a PhD in public health, by the way. I'm also in the psych department. Unless you have family obligations, I don't think you should limit yourself to the NYC metropolitan area.

musicbuff

Hi i need urgent advise on the following:
- I am a neuroscience major at a top 20 univ
- GPA 3.8
- among top 50 students selected nationally for paid undergrad research starting in 1st yr
- did research on various topics all of 1st and 2 yr
- did research internships every summer
- most recent internship at Harvard Medical School
- expect very good recommendations
- various awards (top of the class, deans list etc)
- process of writing a paper (but not first author)
- will be attending a national conference, poster session in Jan2013
- however I just took the GRE (with basic prep /even lesser sleep, and got 152 verbal and 156 quant..am very disturbed about this, since i certainly didnt expect it)
- so does anyone think i can still apply to harvard with this?
- unfortunately i sent in the scores , is there any way to cancel them? or prevent them from being sent, i just took it last week?
I need all the advise possible since I am quite upset over this...because I thought i was putting together a great applicaton..

Kazemi

Hello guys,

I am a senior in Mechanical Engineering. I am very eager to apply for The Mechanical Engineering PhD program at US universities.

As you may know, the usual minimum requirement for the TOEFL iBT score for Mechanical Engineering departments is around 79 or 80. Mine is 86 with a score of 26 in the speaking section.

I would like to know if passing the minimum requirement is enough or not.
It is worth mentioning that I have five publications (one book (in press), 1 journal paper and 3 conference papers). My CGPA is 17.7/20 and I am studying Chemistry beside Mechanical Eng. as my second major. In fact I would like to know if other sections of my resume will compensate the TOEFL score or not.
Thanks a lot.