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Prospective Graduate Student Chat, Nov 7, 2019
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AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:00
Good day, all. My name is Will Fenton and I'm the Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions at Penn Engineering. I'm here to answer questions you may have about our Graduate Programs, life as a graduate student at Penn and living in Philadelphia.
10:01
Where do you live?
United States (42.4% | 14 votes)
 
China (15.2% | 5 votes)
 
India (36.4% | 12 votes)
 
Europe (3% | 1 vote)
 
Middle East (0% | 0 votes)
 
Another Region (3% | 1 vote)
 
Total Votes: 33
Shrihan
10:01
I'm planning for MSCS at UPenn which closes on 15 Nov early deadline.
1. Will I be considered for regular deadline if I'm not admitted in early deadline?. Will I be deferred for consideration during Regular deadline?
2. What is meant by "attendance is not compulsory for those admitted at early deadline."
3. Can I put expected scores and send the application for early deadline as I don't have my GRE and TOEFL yet. Planning to give both by the end of nov.
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:02
Hi Shrihan. Thanks for the questions!
1) No, you are only considered once.
2) It means if admitted you don't have to attend - it is not like the undergraduate early admission system.
3) You cannot put "expected scores." If you have not yet taken the exams, you would need to indicate that on the application. Your application cannot be reviewed until we've received at least your unofficial scores from you or the official scores from the testing companies.
Zhengtong Liu
10:01
Hi Will
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:02
Hi Zhengtong!
Maggie R.
10:02
Are applications for the PhD program evaluated on a rolling basis, or are they all looked at after the deadline? I am asking because I am wondering if I should wait to apply until winter break if I think my GPA will raise
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:03
Primarily, they are not evaluated until after the application deadline. But ultimately it is up to the programs as to when they want to start evaluating applications.
Liang Li
10:02
Hi, Will. I am interested in the Robotics Master program. I know the application deadline is February, 1st, 2020. Does early application indicate an early review? Will an application submitted very early for the ROBO MS be reviewed by admission committee prior to February, 1st?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:04
No, there is no "early review," for the Robotics program. That is only for the 6 programs that indicate "early review," on our website, here: https://gradadm.seas.upenn.edu/how-to-apply/. The earliest you would receive a decision is March 15.
Darren
10:02
Hi Mr. Fenton! I'm interested in Machine Learning, and I was hoping you could talk a bit about the difference between the data science master, and the CIS MSE!
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:05
Well, the Data Science program is specifically focused on all aspects of data science, so the CIS program will be broader by definition. Do you have any specific questions?
Chinmay
10:04
Hello, I am Chinmay. I had some queries
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:05
Hi Chinmay
Zhengtong Liu
10:04
I have submitted the application and got a confirmation email saying decision will be released on Jan 15th or Feb 15th. However, according to a MCIT student I spoke with, last year she got the admission on Jan 11th. I am wondering if it is still possible this year to receive decision before 15th
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:06
No, this year Jan 15th will be the first date that decisions will go out.
Shikhar
10:04
Hi, Will. Is there a possibility of conversion of Masters in Electrical Engg to PhD after the first year of Masters? What are the reaearch opportunities present in the field of Quantum computing?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:07
Hi Shikhar, no, you still have to apply like everyone else. If you are admitted by the program, they may allow you to start early, in January, but this is a program and, very likely, a faculty member, decision. As for Quantum computing, we do not yet have any official research opportunities, but we do have multiple faculty working in this area.
Maggie R.
10:04
Thank you for your response, Will! I probably should have clarified that I am interested in the Chemical Engineering program. Are you aware of the timeline for that department's evaluations?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:08
Maggie, they usually wait until after the deadline to begin evaluations.
kennen
10:04
Good day, will!  I'm now preparing for the early deadline of data science program. I've prepared all other materials but unfortunately my professor tells me he is happy to give me reference letters but he has a meeting this and next week. It would be too tight for him to hand in letter before 11.15. Could i still finished all my application before 11.15 but just leaves several more days for my prof to finish the letter?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:08
Kennen, we need to have all materials, including at least 2 letters of recommendation, by the end of the day on Nov 15 for you to qualify for the early deadline.
KT
10:06
Hello, how long does the joint MCIT/MBA program typically last?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:09
KT, from what I understand it's usually 2.5 to 3 years at the shortest.
Zhengtong Liu
10:07
Got it. Thank you!
cool 2
Zhiqi Fu
10:07
Hi, Will. How are you? I'm planning to apply for the data science program. However, I sent my GRE score to the statistics department when I took my GRE test in Sep. Do I need to resend the score to the engineering department? Also, how could we check if our score has been received? Thanks!
cool 1
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:10
Zhiqi, that should be fine. It may take a little bit longer for us to match it to your application, but it shouldn't be a problem. As for checking, once you submit your application, you can check it by logging into your application account and going to your checklist. We can't check if we have it until you've submitted your application.
cool 1
Shaurya
10:07
Hello Will, good morning. I will be applying to the MSE Data Science program. In this regard, I had the following doubts:
1. My original transcripts are from a non-US based institution and they are in English. In this case, do I need to use CertiFile?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:11
Shaurya, no, you don't need to use certifile. That is primarily for final, official transcripts.
Rohit
10:07
Hello there, I have applied for master program in Environmental Engineering. The University has asked for my transcript evaluation from WES or CollegeNET, but this is costing me again $190-205. Is there any other cost effective way for transcript evaluation that university accepts?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:12
Rohit, I'm sorry, but we don't offer Environmental Engineering in the Engineering school. We also don't require a WES transcript. Did you apply to a program in the College of Arts and Sciences?
Chinmay
10:07
Hello, I am interested in the data science program. I wanted to know about campus jobs and scholarship if admitted. Can you just give a brief
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:12
Chinmay, we don't offer any scholarships or financial aid for master's programs. As for campus jobs, all students are eligible for all campus jobs.
Seren
10:07
Hello Will, if I want to waive TOEFL score, do I have to submit a form or what should I do?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:13
Seren, you do not. We waive the English Proficiency score requirement based on your submitted application materials. You can read more about that on our website, here: https://gradadm.seas.upenn.edu/how-to-apply/
mounica
10:09
hello
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:13
Hi Mournica
Darren
10:09
If I'm interested in ML/AI which program should I apply to between the data science and CIS MSE?
AvatarWill Fenton, Asst Dir
10:13
Darren, you'd want to apply to the CIS program.
Brandon
10:09
Hi Will, I am planning on applying to the Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, MSE and have seen on the website that it is possible to complete this in one year. I was curious as to how I would get approval to do this? Do I first need to apply to the traditional MEAM program and then if admitted get approval from my advisor?
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