JotCast | Prospective Graduate Student Chat, January 9, 2020

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Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:31

Akshay, I believe you are the person asking about the GRE-Quant and Verbal score with the 64% in CS? As I mentioned, that score would be fairly low, but we do review the entire application. I would definitely list the 52 specializations on your resume/cv. In addition, I would recommend directly addressing why you received the low % in your personal statement, as well as what you would plan to do so that you achieved higher scores if you are admitted. Ultimately, it is up to you if you'd like to apply or not. That's all I can really say.

Zane

10:28

Hi Will, I am currently applying to the Ph.D. program in chemical and biomolecular engineering. On the FAQ it says that the decisions are made on a rolling basis. Do you have an estimation for when the decision will be made, based on when the application is sent? e.g. If an application is submitted on Dec.15th, when is a reasonable time window that the applicant can expect to receive a letter of decision.

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:32

Hi Zane. Most decisions will start to be released 6-8 weeks after the Dec 15 deadline, but I don't really have any other information about the release dates. We do our best to make sure the decisions are released by the April 15 resolution.

Zane

10:28

Thank you!

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:32

And, you're welcome.

Seong Jae Park

10:31

Thanks for the reply, Will! Hope I can see you soon as a freshman of UPenn graduate school!

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:33

You're welcoe, Seong Jae. Best of luck to you (and to all the applicants).

Akshay kasera

10:33

Thank you sir, I will apply with your recommendations. I hope my reasons will be considered.

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:34

You're welcome, Akshay. Best of luck to you!

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:34

Have you received decisions from other schools?

Yes (0% | 0 votes)

No (75% | 3 votes)

I've received some decisions, but not all (25% | 1 vote)

I've been waitlisted (0% | 0 votes)

Total Votes: 4

Guest

10:36

Hi! Can you share the acceptance rate and number of applicants for the MSE in bioengineering? Thank you so much!

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:37

Hi guest, sure thing. We had 199 applicants for the BE MSE program last year and admitted approximately 45%.

Guest

10:42

Is the GRE a important part of the application? Is an applications resume/letters of rec more important than GRE/GPA for a professional master degree?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:44

Hi Guest, we use a holistic review approach, meaning we take all parts of the application into consideration for review. With that said, GPA in your undergraduate program, especially in courses related to the program to which you are applying is definitely an important part of the application.

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:44

Where would you plan to live?

On campus (33.3% | 1 vote)

Off campus, but near UPenn (66.7% | 2 votes)

Off campus in West Philadelphia/University City (0% | 0 votes)

Off campus in Center City/Downtown (0% | 0 votes)

I have no idea, help! (0% | 0 votes)

Total Votes: 3

Guest

10:47

Hi Will, Can you share the number of people acceptance of the Systems Engineering MSE program

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:47

Hi guest, sure thing. We had 264 applicants last year and admitted approximately 46%.

Guest

10:47

My undergraduate GPA was low but I have taken classes here at UPenn in the MBE program and received A's in multiple, would you recommend taking multiple classes to prove academic ability if undergraduate GPA is a concern

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:48

Hi Guest, I'm a bit confused, as we don't normally allow students that aren't in an engineering program to take courses in that program. But if you've been able to be successful, that's great news and would definitely assist you in your admission efforts.

Guest

10:51

Hello Will, I am considering applying in the MSE Robotics program of the GRASP Lab. They list their avery GRE Score as 167 in Verbal, however being a non-native I managed to get 152 only. Will it be advisable to apply even with a 15 point difference?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:53

Hi guest. We take a holistic approach to the application review, so the GRE scores are only one part of the overall review process. Ultimately it is your decisions as to whether you apply or not. We do not have minimum required GRE scores, so your application will be considered even if your score is below the average.

Guest

10:51

Apologies for the confusion, I enrolled in classes that would be considered advanced electives for the master of biotechnology program as well as calculus, my undergraduate was in molecular biology so I have no engineering classes in my background

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:54

Guest, that's fine. As I mentioned, if you've been successful in these courses that will definitely be a good thing on your application.

Linghao

10:54

Hi will, how many applications are received in early round for MCIT and data science this year? Can you share the acceptance rate in early round for last year?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:58

Hi Linghao, I can tell you we received 362 applications last year during the early acceptance round, and admitted approximately 11%. We also received more applications during this cycles early round, but we don't release numbers while the application cycle is still open.

Maya

10:56

Good morning Will! Is it possible to apply for both the Data Science master's and the master's in scientific computing?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:58

Hi Maya, yes it is. You would need to submit two separate applications.

Adam

10:58

Is there an average GRE score for the Biotechnology program available ?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:58

Adam, we don't have one available to share.

Sambhit

10:58

Hi Will, are you allowed to share the current admission rate trends? For those who applied in the early applications

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

11:00

Hi sambhit, I'm sorry, but we don't release the early application numbers while the application cycle is still open.

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

10:58

Have you been to UPENN or Philadelphia?

Yes, I live here (0% | 0 votes)

Yes, both (33.3% | 1 vote)

Philadelphia, but not UPenn (33.3% | 1 vote)

The US, but not Philadelphia (33.3% | 1 vote)

I've never been to the US (0% | 0 votes)

Total Votes: 3

Maya

11:00

Thank you Will. Is it possible to obtain the range in GRE scores for the Data Science/Scientific Computing programs?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

11:00

Hi Maya, I'm sorry, but those programs don't share that information.

PJpj

11:01

Hi, how are multiple toefl score evaluated? Is mybest score used (highest score of each part) or just the highest test score used?

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

11:02

Hi PJpj, we do use the MyBEST score when evaluating multiple TOEFL/GRE scores. Please make sure that all of the valid TOEFL scores are sent to Penn Engineering electronically, using code 2888. Thank you!

Will Fenton, Enrollment Specialist

11:03

Thank you for chatting with us today folks. We'll be back here next Thursday at 10AM EST. Have a great day and please submit those applications!

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