JotCast | Applied Graduate Student Chat

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Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:10

Dahan, yes, you can submit an updated transcript. Please send it to admissions1@seas.upenn.edu. It will then be updated.

Neil

10:10

Hello Will, I want to ask something about dual degree. Is it possible to dual MSE in Robotics after admitted in MSE in System Engineering ? What's the tuition fee and extra time for a dual degree ?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:11

Neil, it is possible. You would apply to add the second program after you've completed at least one semester in good standing in the Robotics program. You would then work with each program advisor to figure out which courses can be double-counted. You would potentially be adding at least one additional semester. We charge based on a per-course fee, so the additional cost would be however many courses you had to take.

Jesse Kemmerling

10:12

Hi Will, what kind of research is the electrical engineering department pursuing in semiconductor devices and nanotechnology?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:12

Jesse, please see my previous answer to you.

Abhay Sibal

10:12

Hi Mr Fenton. As someone who has applied for the MS in CS program can you please share if there will be an interview scheduled for us, and if we should prepare for that?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:12

Abhay, we do not hold interviews for Master's programs.

iambishwa

10:12

Hi Will,

I have applied to the ph.d. program at CS.

Is there any interviews held before acceptance?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:13

Iambishwa, yes, we do traditionally interview PhD candidates - it is up to the program to schedule them, so I don't know when that would be, unfortunately.

Jacobs

10:13

Hi Will, I want to know the enroll rate (after admitted) of MSE EE and SE last year. Thank you.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:13

Jacobs, sure thing. Last year the rate for the EE was 42% and for SE was 62%.

Patrick

10:13

Hello Will, will there be any interview in CS PhD program? How many CS PhD students will you admit this year on Natural Language Processing? Thanks.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:14

Patrick, I can't tell you how many will be admitted for that specific concentration, as this is purely up to the department. There are interviews, but not all admitted students are asked to interview.

Iman Habib

10:14

Good morning,

Amy

10:14

Hi. Is there a video interview for MS Robotics?

Iman Habib

10:14

Same questions about EE department

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:14

Amy and Imam, our master's programs do not usually hold interviews.

Abhirup Basu

10:14

Good morning Will. I am international student from India and I have applied for PhD in Chemical Engineering. I would like to know whether the department has started offering admits to the international students?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:15

Abhirup, yes, admissions decisions have begun to go out from the CBE PhD program.

Tom Zhang

10:15

Hi Will, I have applied to the CS PhD program with robotics track. May I know if different tracks/POIs will have different timelines? Also the same question about interviews as others have mentioned.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:15

Tom, no, decisions for all tracks are made on a rolling basis - we release the decisions when the dept/program makes them.

Ruihan

10:15

Thank you Will!

Abdulla

10:15

What is the number of international student in the MCIT program?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:16

Abdulla, I do not know the percentage currently enrolled. I will tell you that 75% of applicants last year were International.

Varaid

10:16

Morning Will, I want to ask whether the admission of System Engineering is roiling based, or all will be reviewed together after Feb 1 deadline ?

Jacob Pickett

10:16

Hi, How are you doing today? I am a PhD applicant for Chemical Engineering. I was wondering how much overlap in research happens between departments? For example, between the Chemical Engineering researchers and Environmental Science/Engineering.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:16

Varaid, decisions are not rolling; all will be reviewed after the Feb 1 deadline and decisions will be released on April 5.

10:18

Jacob, Environmental Science is actually in the School of Arts and Sciences, so there would be much less overlap between those two programs, than between two programs that are both in Engineering. That said, Penn prides itself on cross-discipline training, so if you want to explore a combination like this, you can often find a way!

Jiazheng

10:18

Hi, for PhD in CIS, are decisions made based on individual lab or the cis department as a whole?

Xie

10:18

Dear officer, I have a question. I applied for MSE in mechanical engineering. If I have low TOEFL score, can I have opportunity to be reviewed my application material?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:18

Jiazheng, both - if you're a borderline applicant it is more likely that it will be a Dept decision; but ultimately you still need an individual professor to want to sponsor you for a spot.

10:19

Xie, we review all applicants that have a complete application submitted by the application deadline, so as long as your application is complete, it will be reviewed.

All, I have nearly 70 people in the chat today, so please bear with me as I get to your questions. I promise you, I will answer all of them!

Amy

10:19

Will there be video interview for MS Robotics?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:20

Amy, the Master's programs don't normally do interviews.

John Votta

10:20

Hi Will, have there been any Wharton MBA students who have successfully enrolled in the MSE in Data Science program in the past?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:20

John, not yet, but last year was the first year for the Data Science program, so it's still quite early.

Peyman

10:20

Hi will, I have a question about the funding for Bioeng PhD. Is the funding based on being a Teaching or research assistant or do TAs receive additional funding?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:21

Peyman, most PhD students are required to TA as part of their overall position.

Julio

10:21

Hi, my question is regarding my background. I studied in a small international institution, but have been doing high impact research for the last 6 years (with publications). How can that impact the balance of my application?

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