JotCast | Applied Graduate Student Chat Jan 17 2019

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Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:27

Guest, you can contact faculty you'd like to work with; however, they may not reply right away at this point in the application cycle, as they are extremely busy with selection, research, class teaching and application review.

Sean, the BE PhD program had 466, admitted 15% and had 36 enroll.

10:26

Hi folks - please bare with me; this is a new chat system and it's not quite as easy to use as the old one. Oh CHANGE!!! (shakes fist at sky, haha)

Josh

10:25

Hi Will. I recently applied for a PhD program in materials science. What is the timeline for admissions results and acceptances. Around when should I expect to hear back

Stuart

10:25

Thanks Will!

Guest

10:25

If I qualify for a TOEFL waiver (having lived in the US for 4 years and have a master's from a US university), where do I cite this in my application? How will you know?

Huan

10:25

Does your CS PhD Program has a GPA cut-off?

Rong Song

10:25

Hello, Will. I have applied for Computer and Information Science, MSE. I am wondering if you can tell me how much the admission rate was for this major in previous years?

Izzy

10:25

Hi everyone, and Mr. Fenton. This is a bit of a silly question, but if a professor's website says 'contact me if you're an interested prospective grad student', and you are, is it appropriate to contact them after submitting your application but before receiving a decision? What about meeting them in person?

Peixuan

10:25

I applied for a PHD's degree, but if I am not accepted, will I be considered for master's program?

Bond

10:25

Hi Will, I understand your policy, so I want to know the previous year admission statistics.

Gadiel

10:25

Hi, I was wondering, what funding opportunities are there for PhD students? Is it typical for the advisor to fund you or is it more typical to have apply for your own funding?

Guest

10:25

or Bioengineering PhD program, Should I contact professors I am interested in working with? And if he/she is really interested in working with me, does he/she make decisions about admissions or can graduate admissions override his/her choice?

Chao Ni

10:25

Hi Will, I applied for Mechanical Engineering PhD, when will I be informed of the decision or online interview?

Sean

10:25

Hello, Will.
Could I know the admissions statistics for the Bioengineering PhD program of last year?
Thank you so much in advance!

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:24

Aishwarya, last year the CBE PhD program had 290 applicants, admitted 25% and the class started with 22 this fall.

10:23

Ramon, most graduate students live off-campus. Here's the office information: http://cms.business-services.upenn.edu/residential-services/applicatio.... And for our on-campus graduate housing, these leases don't usually fill up until the summer.

10:22

Joshua, the stipend does depend on the dept, but yes, it should be enough to live on in Philadelphia. Here's one resource to look at costs of things in Philly: https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/philadelphia.

Tony Stark, don't you already know everything there is to know? But yes, it is possible to transfer - you can apply after completing at least one semester in your original program in good standing.

10:21

Alex, it is possible to upload additional material, but we can't guarantee it will be taken into consideration, as we consider all application's final upon original submission.;

10:20

Xinyu Wang - no, not all applicants are interviewed. If you are chosen for an interview, the department will contact you directly.

Christian, yes, there's an office of Off-Campus Housing, http://cms.business-services.upenn.edu/residential-services/applicatio...

10:19

Haoxuan, you can still submit additional information. However, we don't guarantee that any information used after your application was submitted will be used in the review, as we consider all application information final upon submission.

10:18

Juzheng Liu, this would be up to the department if they would have an online interview or not. They do frequently choose to do this with international applicants.

10:17

Bobby, last year Systems Engineering had 246 applicants, admitted 48% and 45 started this fall.

10:16

Stuart, most Graduate students live off campus, because there is very limited graduate housing on campus. And living in Philadelphia is pretty great - but I'm biased as I've been here for 16.5 years. It's pretty easy to get around without a car and while it's a relatively small city in terms of size, it has the largest park system in the US and always has a lot of art and culture and volunteer activities going on every day of the week.

Avery, if the TOEFL was taken after Dec 15, we don't accept the new scores, as we require all information for the application to be sent by the Dec 15 deadline.

Dheeraj, we don't release statistics for the current application cycle.

10:14

Rostacia, each department handles their own PhD visit weekend.

10:13

All, please scroll to the beginning of the chat if you have questions about when Decisions will be coming out, as well as looking for links to important info, like housing!

Alex

10:12

Hi Will, this is quite a busy chat... What is the role that publications play in engineering-discipline admissions?

Ramon

10:12

I haven't looked much into it. But does the university offer some form of graduate student housing. Just curious to what options students use. Since most apartment leases are taken by the end of the spring semester.

Joshua

10:12

Hello Will. I applied for PhD in Mechanical Engineering. I wish to know what the cost of living looks like at UPenn environs especially accommodation. Will assistantship stipend be enough to cope?

XIAN

10:12

Hello Will, I have applied for MSE in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, could you please tell when should I expect to receive the decision?

Gadiel

10:12

Hello Mr. Fenton

Tony Stark

10:12

Hello Will, I want to know if it possible to transfer from System Engineering to Electrical Engineering after admitted ?

Chel

10:12

Hi, I am Chel, and I have applied to the IPD program. May I ask is this a rolling basis admission? Thanks!

Alex

10:12

Hey Will, I applied to the CIS PhD program. Is it still possible to upload additional application material?

Ruyuan Wei

10:12

Hi, I have applied the PhD program of MSE in your school. Could you tell me the time of interview?

Xinyu Wang

10:12

Hello, Will! I applied for the materials science and engineering and I heard there would be an interview. I wonder if all the applicants will be interviewed and approximately when? Thank you!

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