Admission to PhD EECS/EE at Berkeley/Stan/MIT for Fall 2011

paxboyo
Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:12:36 +0000

OK thanks everyone for your comments. Let me clarify a few points.

I agree that I can’t get good LORs from my advisor or co-advisors and that is why I am planning on getting them from the faculty in whose courses I have aced and also from PhD level scientists/colleagues where I interned. That covers my academic and some of my research achievements. Still, I agree, not as good as having your advisor back you up.

About how the faculty at the top four will view this, I think my case is like applying to a PhD program with an MS and work experience and that is exactly how I will be showcasing it. I have an MS from a good school and work experience in a reputable company and now I want to do a PhD in a good school. I know and I am sure you know many people, even from this website, who go to a prestigious school with an MS. from another school. I am not sure why some of you guys think the faculty where I am applying will view this as ditching my PhD. If that was the case no MS. holder could possibly get into PhD programs at the top 4.

I agree that if one does groundbreaking research that echoes on the walls of academia s/he will have a good chance in securing a faculty job. But really, take a look at the EE faculty in good schools, the top 4 graduates occupy >60-70% and that gets to >95% when it comes to the top 4 themselves. And these are people who have joined in 90s and early 2000s when the competition was even less fierce than today. I have been working in bay area for more than six months and hung out with Cal and Stanford PhDs and I know how thirsty they are, especially now with the economy and lay offs in industry, about getting faculty jobs and that is why I am not surprised to see them take over new faculty openings at almost any good school in CA.

gthopeful, thanks for your comments. I assume you go to Georgiatech from your location, how many of your school’s graduates have become faculty in say top 30 even after postdocing (even counting georgiatech itself)?

I am not trying to downsize work/research done by graduates of top but none-elitist schools. Actually I think an unbiased referee would find their work nothing less than that of elitists. However, that is unfortunately not how the academia works when it comes to faculty jobs and unless you are OK with becoming a tenure track in the boonies, elitist affiliation is necessary for getting a good faculty job these days.

Thanks again for your comments. I would still like to hear about my chances with admission.