JotCast | Prospective Graduate Student Chat, Dec 12, 2019

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Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:14

It helps if you can be very explicit in your person statement as to why the program appeals to you and what you would plan to do if you are admitted with the plan.

Adaranijo Adedolapo

2:09

I am a prospective international student , and i passed my IELTS exam , but i graduated with a 2.98 in computer science . I aspire to apply for a Masters in Data Science , but am not sure if UnPenn will consider my CGPA . However, is there any remedy , and whats steps should i follow??

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:16

Adaranijo, the GPA is just one of the many pieces that makes up your application. However, that is on the low side for our applicants. The "remedy" would be that the rest of the application would need to be of such quality that it would offset the GPA.

Pritish

2:09

Hi Will
I wish to apply for PhD in Mechanical Engineering. I had my IELTS score valid till 3rd March 2020. Will it be acceptable for the Fall 2020 application?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:16

Hi Pritish, yes, that will be valid. The scores need to be valid at the time you apply.

Pritish

2:12

Is the PhD deadline of 15th December 2019 a final one? or further application can still be considered for fall 2020?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:17

Pritish, that is the deadline to apply for all PhD programs for the Fall 2020 academic term.

Guest

2:13

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:17

Hi, Guest.

Nihar

2:13

I am applying for the Robotics MSE program and was wondering about my immigration status

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:17

Hi Nihar.

Melanie

2:14

Wonderful! My last question is do you have an average admitted GRE score for that program (MS in Sys Eng)?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:17

Melanie, we do not have that at this time, sorry!

Nihar

2:14

I am currently in the process of my green card and have filed the I-485. My I-765 EAD will be approved by the time the Fall Semester starts but the Green Card may not come in time.

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:18

Nihar, no, you would need to apply as a potential international student at this time.

Mike

2:15

Will, the deadline for my desired master's program application is Feb 1, 2020. is it possible to apply and have GRE scores sent in at a later date than Feb 1?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:18

Mike, you would need to have taken the GRE by Feb 1. We do ask that you submit the official scores so that we can compare them with the unofficial ones.

Nihar

2:15

So would I be considered international or domestic for the purposes of the application?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:19

Nihar, we recommend applying with the status you have at the time you submit the application.

Yanqi Liu

2:15

Will, thanks for your reply. You said the data science program is very competitive and has an admission rate of less than 10%. Do you know how many applicants are there for the program every year, and what the size of the cohort is like?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:21

Yanqi, this is the third application cycle that the program has been available, and we have increased the previous two years and are on pace to increase again this year. Last year we had 1107 applicants. The cohort that started was 32.

Gururaj

2:15

Will the chance of getting an admit reduce significantly if I apply after the priority deadline?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:22

Gururaj, this depends on the program to which you are applying as well as the overall number of applicants that apply to that program. I can say it probably won't decrease significantly, but it is usually more competitive to get in at the March 15 deadline.

Sai

2:18

like hi

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:22

Hi Sai!

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:20

Which program are you planning to apply to?

Master's (66.7% | 6 votes)

PhD (33.3% | 3 votes)

Both (0% | 0 votes)

Total Votes: 9

Melanie

2:20

Haha, I thought that might be the answer, but I had to ask anyway! Thank you so much Will!

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:23

Melanie, you're welcome. And not a problem - I know some programs do advertise that information. Unfortunately, we don't at this time. You can find scores for our CIS programs here: https://www.cis.upenn.edu/graduate/how-to-apply/admissions-statistics/. Those programs are a bit more selective than the Systems program.

Mike

2:22

Re:GRE dates, will I need to take the test early enough so that I know my score before I apply? Or is it possible to have the GRE send my scores in?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:24

Mike, you need to take it by the deadline. If you can't include your unofficial scores on your application, then there may be a slight delay on reviewing your application until we receive your official scores.

Nihar

2:22

If I get admitted and my green card comes after my acceptance, can I change my immigration status after I am enrolled? Is there a difference between international fees and domestic fees?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:25

Nihar, yes, you can change your visa status after you receive your green card. We do not have different fees or tuition costs for international vs domestic students because we're a private university.

Ruhit

2:25

Hi Will,

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:25

Hi Ruhit

Pritish

2:25

I am looking for PhD program, have 7+ years of university teaching experience, with several papers and patents. However my GRE score is 302, which I believe is on lower side. Is there is any minimum cutoff for GRE score for PhD in Mechanical Engineering? Or do I have some chance to be get admission in the program?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:26

Hi Pritish. That's very impressive. We don't have a cutoff for the GRE scores that we consider, as they're only one aspect of the application that we consider. And it definitely helps that you have teaching experience and several papers and patents.

Ruhit

2:26

I want to want to know how much emphasis is given on GRE for PhD admission selection. I have 163 quant score but 145 in verbal and 3 in AWA

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:27

Ruhit, the GRE is one of several parts of your application that is considered in the review. You can find some average scores here: https://www.cis.upenn.edu/graduate/how-to-apply/admissions-statistics/. The CIS program is our 2nd most competitive, behind Data Science. To which program are you planning to apply?

Ruhit

2:28

PhD in mechanical engineering

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

2:29

Ok, well, we don't have stats for the MEAM program, but we do for The Robotics program. You can find them here: https://www.grasp.upenn.edu/academics/masters/admission-stats.

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