JotCast | Applied Graduate Student Chat - April 4, 2019

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Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:34

You're welcome, Abhiraj!

SIGOEL

10:29

how many admits do we already have from the Nov 15 deadline for the MSE in Data Science program ?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:34

Sigoel, I'm sorry, but we don't disclose that information.

John

10:30

Will, is there a point of contact I can speak to in the event that my decision is not made? It was a lot of time, effort, and money to submit an application.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:35

John, you can contact the program coordinator, Maryeileen Griffith, at mebg@seas.upenn.edu. However, I know that we do not guarantee that a decision will be made by a certain time. I know that this can be a frustrating process, and we do really appreciate your patience.

Rohit

10:30

I have applied for the second round of application for MSE in CIS, will that lower my chances?
Can you give me a number of how many students are already admitted?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:36

Rohit, yes, it can lower your chances a bit, usually by a couple of % points. Unfortunately, we don't release statistics for the current application cycle. Last year we had 73 start in the program.

Abhiraj Mohan

10:31

As a follow-up question: Is there any insight you can provide regarding if there is a significant difference in the acceptance rates in the first round and the second round of applications for MSE in CIS?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:37

Abhiraj, last year there we admitted over 11% in the first round and under 10% in the second round. So not too much of a difference, but we had 1333 applications, so that is still a decent number.

Joe

10:32

Do part-time students living off-campus need to comply with the Insurance/Immunization requirements as part of the To-Do List for new students?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:39

Joe, ALL students need to comply with the insurance/immunization requirements, unless you get them waived.

Sheena

10:32

Thankyou so much Will ! Hope you have a nice day :)

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:39

You too, Sheena!

Lorenzo

10:35

Thanks for your help! Have a good one.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:39

You're welcome, Lorenzo!

Zeng

10:37

Hi, Will, I wonder how many students apply for the Data Science in first round?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:40

Zeng, I'm sorry, but we don't disclose numbers for the current application cycle. However, I can tell you that last year they admitted 24 in the first round.

Boran

10:38

Hi, Will. I applied for master's program in ChemBE, but I haven't received my decision yet, I wonder is there any chance that I get admitted tomorrow, or those who haven't received decisions are already declined?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:40

Boran, yes, you should get your decision tomorrow and yes, there is a chance you'll be admitted.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:38

Where would you plan to live?

On campus (50% | 6 votes)

Off campus, but near UPenn (33.3% | 4 votes)

Off campus in West Philadelphia/University City (8.3% | 1 vote)

Off campus in Center City (downtown) (0% | 0 votes)

I have no idea, help! (8.3% | 1 vote)

Total Votes: 12

Sheena

10:38

I had a doubt regarding tuition fees. The link shows total amount
as tuition cost + tech fee + general fee. I wanted to know does this General Fee include costs such as insurance fee, books and stationary etc? If it doesnt, can you give us some estimate at what might these charges will be, esp. Health Insurance fee

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:42

Sheena, no it does not. That general fee is a university fee that is charged of all students. Insurance, books, etc is extra and not factored in. You can find health insurance information here: https://www.vpul.upenn.edu/shs/compliance.php

Ayankas

10:38

Deeply appreciate the information, Will. Sorry to be redundant, but do Indian students face any visa issues that I should be aware of? Also, what is the usual acceptance rate for MSE Nanotechnology?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:43

Ayankas, I'm not aware of any. But as I mentioned, Graduate Admissions doesn't work with the Visa Process. The Nano MSE program last year had a 70% acceptance rate.

paramesh

10:39

Hi Will, I contacted the graduate school about the status of my PhD application to MEAM and I was told that my email was forwarded to the department. But I have not heard back from the department yet. I will soon have to make a decision on the admits I have received. I understand that you say there are no " hard" deadlines. But waiting without not knowing when you would likely hear from the graduate school is a cause for uneasiness.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:44

Paramesh, I do understand. Unfortunately, there really isn't anything we are able to do, as the decisions come directly from the departments. You can contact the Program Coordinator, Maryeileen Griffith, at mebg@seas.upenn.edu. However, this is literally our busiest time of the year, so there may be a delay before she gets back to you.

Radhika

10:39

Hi Will!

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:44

Hi Radhika!

Helen

10:40

Are all admissions go out for CIS PhD?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:44

Helen, there are still CIS PhD decisions being made at this time.

Abhiraj Mohan

10:40

Thanks a lot! If admitted, is it possible for grad students to live on the residential halls on campus or do most grad students live off campus?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:45

Abhiraj, it is possible to live on campus, however the vast majority of grad students (Penn has over 10,000) live off campus. You can find campus housing information here: http://cms.business-services.upenn.edu/residential-services/applicatio...

Yue

10:40

Thank you so much Will! Is there any information about the rate of international graduate students getting a job after graduation?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:46

Yue, we don't break it up into international vs domestic students, but you can find career info here: https://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/surveys.php#GradStudent

Felipe

10:43

Good morning Mr. Fenton, I know Penn makes Ph.D. decisions on a rolling basis, but the national deadline to accept offers is just next week. Do you think we will hear from MEAM before that? Otherwise we will need to accept offers without knowing the outcome from Penn. I appreciate you having these chats and I apologize because this question must be very common.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:46

Felipe, I'm sorry, but I can't give you a specific yes/no answer. You can contact the program directly by emailing maryeileen griffith at mebg@seas.upenn.edu. She's the program coordinator and may be able to give you a better answer.

Radhika

10:43

Hello will! Thank you for holding this chat. I have applied for the PhD in Bioengineering and I am still waiting for the decision. Could you please tell me by when can I expect a decision. Also , is there anyone I can contact regarding this?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:48

Radhika, unfortunately decisions are made on a rolling basis and there's no specific date I can tell you to expect a decision. You can contact the Program Coordinator, Kathy Venit, at kvenit@seas.upenn.edu, but this is our busiest time of the year, so I don't know how quickly she'll be able to respond. I'm sorry I don't have more positive information to deliver.

Joe

10:43

When does course registration/sign-up begin for Fall 2019?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:48

Hi Joe, you'd want to reach out to your program about this, because it's different for incoming students than current students and each program can handle the process differently.

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