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Prospective Graduate Student Chat Jan 30, 2019
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AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:03
Good day, all. My name is Will Fenton and I'm the Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions at Penn Engineering. I'm here to answer questions you may have about our Graduate Programs, life as a graduate student at Penn and living in Philadelphia.
10:04
All PhD programs are currently reviewing their applications and making decisions at this time. All PhD applicants will receive a decision, and we will do our best to send it out before April 15.
Here are some links that you may find useful:
10:05
Where do you live?
United States (60% | 6 votes)
 
China (10% | 1 vote)
 
India (30% | 3 votes)
 
Europe (0% | 0 votes)
 
Middle East (0% | 0 votes)
 
Another Region (0% | 0 votes)
 
Total Votes: 10
Shreyas Ramachandran Srinivasan
10:05
Hello, I am Shreyas Ramachadran Srinivasan from India, in the final process of applying to MSE Robotics for Fall 2019.. I got motivated by Dr.Vijay Kumar’s Swarm drone videos during the sophomore year of my bachelor’s and decided UPenn as my robotics destination and worked really hard toward this goal and have published 11 research papers since then.
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:06
Shreyas, thank you for joining us. Dr Kumar's research and videos are quite impressive, aren't they? It sounds like you've done a great deal of research yourself.
Shreyas Ramachandran Srinivasan
10:06
I have a few doubts regarding the MSE application,
1. in the additional information tab, should we add only companies I worked at for employment or can I add leadership position I held at college at Student Chairman of IEEE PES Chapter of my institution for 2 years as well to this ?
2. I had processed reporting of  my IELTS score via British Council in the beginning of Dec, but British Council first said that UPenn accepts IELTS scores electronically, so I applied via electronic, to find out later that you accept only courier,  So I have recently found this before a week (which they messed up) and asked them to report IELTS score as soon as possible and it must reach you in a maximum of 10 days, In the mean time I have uploaded the score card pdf to the application portal…will this be a problem, if the score does not reach you by feb 1?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:06
Shreyas, here are your answers:
10:07
1) Employment should only be listed in the employment tab. Leadership positions can be listed on your CV/Resume
2) As long as you have sat for the exam by Feb 1, we will start application reviews based on the unofficial scores you upload to your application, so this will be fine. You do not need to worry.
Shreyas Ramachandran Srinivasan
10:07
Yes Indeed they were impressive :)
Joel M
10:07
I'm applying to both SEAS and the Law School for the 4 year program.  I have a BS in CS.  What steps do I need to take to make sure both applications are successful?  Is there any linkage?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:08
Joel, are you applying to the Master's in Computer Technology program or the MSE in Computer and Information Science?
Shreyas Ramachandran Srinivasan
10:09
Alright Thanks, Mr. Fenton
one another thing:, When do you declare results of graduate applications? Is it on Ivy day Mar 28, or before or after?
cool 1
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:10
You are welcome. You'll receive your decision on April 5, 2019. That's when all of the decisions for master's programs that have a Feb 1 deadline will be sent out.
Although I do like the idea of tying that into "Ivy Day." Perhaps next year.
Joel M
10:10
MSE in Computer and Information Science
Shreyas Ramachandran Srinivasan
10:12
Ha Ha indeed
Joel M
10:12
CIS seems like the one geared for those with a CS degree.
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:13
Joel, thank you for your answer. We do have a specific partnership with the Law School for the MCIT program, but they do also work with the CIS MSE program. As for a specific link, we do primarily look for folks with a CS/CIT background, so that will be very helpful.
Ryan G
10:13
Hi Will, I am applying to the MSE in MEAM and was curious about the process in how your thesis advisor is decided?
cool 1
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:15
Ryan, that's a great question! You actually work with the Program Coordinator and your Faculty Program Advisor to focus and select a topic and advisor, based on your interests and strengths. For more information, I recommend contacting the dept, Maryeileen Griffith at mebg@seas.upenn.edu.
Joel M
10:15
Thanks.  Also, is there benefit to getting my application in early, before the deadline, or will I receive an answer on the same timeline?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:16
Joel, you will most likely receive your decision on May 15, which is when the decisions for all applications for programs with the March 15 application deadline will be released. We are working with the programs to see if we can move that up, but it is mostly based on how many applications we receive, so that change can't be determined at this time.
Ryan G
10:19
Thank you, that is very useful information. I was also curious if you know the proportion of full time MSE students in MEAM to part time students?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:19
Ryan, I'm sorry but I don't have specific numbers. I do know that the vast majority are full-time.
Joel M
10:19
Is there any point to getting it in early?  Any possible benefit?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:20
Joel, at this point, no. Several of our programs have two deadlines, and if you submit it by the early deadline (Nov 15) then you would have received a decision on Jan 11.
Eshwar
10:20
Hi Will, I'm applying for MSE in MEAM. Can you comment on the acceptance rate and total student intake ?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:21
Hi Eshwar, sure thing! We received 347 MEAM MSE applications last year, admitted 175 and enrolled 80.
Amol Rao
10:21
Hello. I applied for the Masters Program in Mechanical Engineering. Although I chose a few specific concentrations that interested me, would I be able to check out other concentrations within Mechanical Engineering?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:23
Amol, yes, assuming you are admitted, you are not locked into the concentration(s) that you indicated on your application. Of course, with only 10 courses to take to satisfy the degree, we wouldn't recommend exploring too many areas. Ultimately, however, this is up to you and your program advisor.
Joel M
10:23
Thanks.
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:23
You are quite welcome!
Have you submitted your application?
Yes (25% | 2 votes)
 
Started it, but haven't submitted it (75% | 6 votes)
 
Not yet (0% | 0 votes)
 
I'm weighing all of my education options (0% | 0 votes)
 
Total Votes: 8
Ryan G
10:23
Not a problem. Is there a preference for full time MSE students or are there just more full time applicants overall?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:23
Full-time status is based on how many courses you are enrolled in during a semester, and the program is designed for full-time students. There aren't any late night, weekend, or online courses.
Shreyas Ramachandran Srinivasan
10:24
Can you help me with same stats on MSE robotics , Mr.Fenton?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:24
Shreyas, sure thing: ROBO had 543 applicants, 75 were admitted and 43 enrolled.
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