JotCast | Prospective Graduate Student Chat Jan 30, 2019

Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page

Ryan G

10:27

If I were to pursue the degree part time, I would be able to attend any weekday classes with my flexible work schedule. However, I would only be able to take two classes a semester. Does this lower my chances of acceptance?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:28

Ryan, no it doesn't. We don't care about whether or not a person can attend full-time or part-time, unless they're applying to the PhD program.

Shreyas Ramachandran Srinivasan

10:28

O wow..that is some competition right there

Eshwar

10:28

Thanks, Will. Of those 175, any idea how many were international students? Does it matter if a student is domestic/international?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:29

Eshwar, we don't release specific numbers for international vs domestic on a per program basis, but I can tell you the majority are international.

Eshwar

10:29

Also, Do you have a mean GRE, GPA, etc stats for successful admits from last year? (MSE MEAM)

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:29

Eshwar, no, we do not release those statistics.

Shreyas Ramachandran Srinivasan

10:29

Are there any funding opportunities for MSE students for ROBO? RAs or TAs? I know on the website..it specifically says ..no..Will there be these opportunities if the professor accepts me into his lab?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:30

Shreyas, as you stated, we don't fund master's students. There are some RA/TA opportunities in multiple programs, but these are hourly-paid positions, they do not have tuition reimbursement. In addition, you cannot apply until you have completed at least one semester in good standing.

Shreyas Ramachandran Srinivasan

10:33

Alright Mr. Fenton , I think I have all the information I was looking for. Thank you for your time. I am signing off.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:33

You are welcome, Shreyas. Best of luck to you!

Jingcheng Wen

10:33

Hello Will, I'm applying for MSE in Data Science. Could you also comment on the application statistics like acceptance rate last year?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:34

Jingcheng, sure thing. We received 747 applications, admitted 65 and had 40 enroll. This program had our lowest acceptance rate.

Eshwar

10:34

Alright. Thanks, Will.

Neel Kachalia

10:35

Hi Will I hope you’re doing well this morning. My name is Neel Kachalia and I am considering application to the MCIT/MBA program. I would like to ask if, when applying to the MCIT program, my personal statement should reflect my interest in the joint degree, or if I should direct it towards my MCIT interests only, or if there is no preference whatsoever.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:36

Neel, I would recommend you primarily focus on the MCIT program. However, you can definitely expound upon the appeal of the program being that you can do it in combination with Wharton.

Ryan G

10:36

Will, thanks for answering all of my questions! The last thing I wanted to ask was if you had any general recommendations for writing the personal statement?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:37

Ryan, yes we do: We recommend no more than two pages in a readable font. It can be written to answer the following questions and we ask that you please provide detailed and specific examples from academia, industry or research when possible:
1) Why are you interested in the program?
2) What have you done that makes you a great candidate?
3) How will you benefit from the program?
4) What do you hope to do when you are in the program?
5) What will you do/accomplish once you have completed the program?

Jingcheng Wen

10:37

Feeling a little pressure. Thank you Will!

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:37

Jingcheng, I understand. But you'll never know if you don't apply, right?

Eshwar

10:38

Will, the MSE MEAM program is eligible for the two-year visa extension under STEM category right?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:40

Hi Eshwar, do you mean after completing the program?

Eshwar

10:40

Yes

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:41

The OPT extensions are unfortunately up in the air a bit at the moment, due to the current administration and varying proposals. However, at this time yes, you would be eligible.

Neel Kachalia

10:41

Excellent. Thank you Will. In addition, if I am planning on taking the GRE a second time, would it be recommended that I wait until receiving my new score before submitting my MCIT application, or for the sake of getting in the application earlier, would it be recommended that I submit my application with the initial test score and then update the admissions committee after I receive my second score?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:42

Neel, it really depends on when you are planning to take it again. We do not consider scores for exams taken after the application deadline.

Shreyas Ramachandran Srinivasan

10:42

Mr. Fenton, I forgot to ask this question: Can my personal statement for MSE robotics be 2 pages or must it be restricted to one page?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:42

Shreyas, we recommend no longer than two pages.

Benjamin Eu

10:42

Hi Will, this is Benjamin, and I am applying to the Robotics MSE. I am currently completing my BSE in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan.

Can I check what the expected number of years to complete the MSE is, and if I have to complete research with a professor in the department? Thank you!

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:43

Hi Benjamin, the usual time to completion is two years. You do not have to complete research with a professor, but that is one of the reasons many choose to come to Penn Engineering, as we have a lot of faculty doing very exciting research.

Yiming Fan

10:43

I have submitted my application for PHD in Mechanical Engineering program at Fall 2019. These days, I have completed the courses of Fall 2018 and achieved the new transcript. Should you help me to update it to my application?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:44

Yiming, you can submit your updated, unofficial transcript by email to admissions1@seas.upenn.edu.

Where would you live?

On campus (16.7% | 1 vote)

Off campus, but near UPenn (16.7% | 1 vote)

Off campus in West Philadelphia (0% | 0 votes)

Off campus in Center City (16.7% | 1 vote)

I have no idea, help! (50% | 3 votes)

Total Votes: 6

Shreyas Ramachandran Srinivasan

10:44

Alright Mr.Fenton

Yiming Fan

10:45

thanks for you very much !

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:46

You are quite welcome, Yiming.

Hamesh

10:46

How's life in Philly?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:47

Hi Hamesh. Right now it's pretty cold. We will not be as bad as the midwest part of the country, but the high today is 33F and the low will be 5F. Aside from the weather, Philly is really great. We continue to become more walk-able and have more restaurants/stores/and-other-entertainment options open all over the city.

Tori

10:47

Hi Will, this is Tori. I am applying to the MSE electrical engineering program. Could you also comment on the application stats of EE last year? Also, I'm wondering how many of the master's students eventually go on to pursue a PhD degree versus how many decide to go into industry?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:48

Hi Tori, sure thing. The EE program had 612 applicants, admitted 329 and had 86 enroll.

Connecting…