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Is there an MBA. graduate, doctorate crowd here on GAF?

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H

Hypron

Member
I'm about to start the honours year of my bachelor of engineering but I'd like to continue studying after that towards a PhD if I can get a scholarship to pay for all my fees plus a living allowance (I can't afford to fund myself and I don't want to take a loan). My university offers quite a few of those that apparently aren't too hard to get (an decent proposal plus and A average GPA are enough from what I'm told).

I've also starting looking at overseas universities in the UK/US/Canda/Australia and there are so many options it's kinda hard to know where to start. So far it seems that it's pretty rare for universities in the US to offer the kind of scholarships I'm looking for. I've only looked at the big universities though so I'll look at smaller ones later on...
 
R

RumblingRosco

Member
Hypron said:
I've also starting looking at overseas universities in the UK/US/Canda/Australia and there are so many options it's kinda hard to know where to start. So far it seems that it's pretty rare for universities in the US to offer the kind of scholarships I'm looking for. I've only looked at the big universities though so I'll look at smaller ones later on...
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Apply to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. One of the top engineering schools in the world. I can show you around! I think "scholarships" are uncommon, but I don't know a single PhD student in engineering that isn't making at least $USD20,000 or more a year plus full tuition waivers as a teaching or research assistant.
 
H

Hypron

Member
Soka said:
Apply to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. One of the top engineering schools in the world. I can show you around!
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll definitely look into it :)

Soka said:
I think "scholarships" are uncommon, but I don't know a single PhD student in engineering that isn't making at least $USD20,000 or more a year plus dull tuition waivers as a teaching or research assistant.
Click to expand...

Okay, I'm a bit unfamiliar about how doctorates work in the US as far as funding goes. I'll do a bit of reading on it this weekend.
 
P

PK Strawstorm

Member
Soka said:
Just curious, what was your plan upon obtaining your degree? Did you have specific places to apply in mind?
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I was applying to NGOs and other international organizations (GreenPeace, WWF... hippie stuff), but honestly I needed to go to more job fairs and just apply to way more jobs. One big problem is that I got my graduate degree in England, and being a foreigner (non-EU) makes it way tougher to get hired over there. Another big problem is that I had already done an internship in undergrad and refused to do another non-paying one, yet that seems to have become the norm for everything now in DC, regardless of your academic history.

I did have a "normal" job in a different field before sandwiches that I hated and quit after a year. I have also tried for the Foreign Service, but tried for the tract that is most wanted and have friends more qualified than me that didn't make it. I have a decent job at a medical college now, but still working on my other skills to get something I actually want.
 
H

hermit7

Member
I graduate in may with my masters in curriculum and instruction. Will be eligible to become a board certified behavior analyst afterwards.
 
R

rjinaz

Member
I just recently received a MS in Psychology. Haven't figured out what I'm going to do with it yet but I'm looking into opportunities.
 
R

RumblingRosco

Member
Darb said:
PhD in molecular and cellular biology here. I've been in the biotech industry for a few years now.
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I am considering work in biotech when I finish my PhD in a year or two. Most likely going the academia route though, but I'm wondering if you could give some insights. Do you like your career choice? Can you describe what you do? I think, if any company could away me away from academia, it would be Genentech or a company similar to them. A friend of mine works at a small startup in Boston and she seems to be enjoying herself.
 
B

Blanquito

Member
Finishing year one of master's in information systems. The classes haven't been as good as I thought they would be, but it was cheap, good on the resume, and from a top ten school in the nation, so hopefully it does something for me.
 
T

Totakeke

Member
Blanquito said:
Finishing year one of master's in information systems. The classes haven't been as good as I thought they would be, but it was cheap, good on the resume, and from a top ten school in the nation, so hopefully it does something for me.
Click to expand...

Which school are you attending if you don't mind revealing?
 
D

Darb

Neo Member
Soka said:
I am considering work in biotech when I finish my PhD in a year or two. Most likely going the academia route though, but I'm wondering if you could give some insights. Do you like your career choice? Can you describe what you do? I think, if any company could away me away from academia, it would be Genentech or a company similar to them. A friend of mine works at a small startup in Boston and she seems to be enjoying herself.
Click to expand...

I love my career choice. It's actually been really refreshing after being in academia (grad school and postdoc) for so long. Projects are very collaborative and you would be expected to provide expertise in your particular area of focus (i.e. protein chemistry, antibody engineering, neurology, etc.) or a mix of these areas, depending on your skills. I love working on and contributing to multiple projects rather than chugging along on one major project for many years. When you get in a rut on one particular project, there are always others that are progressing along.
Compared to my previous experience, I find industry to be much more focused on the science and less so on the politics inherent to research. Obviously, the compensation is much much better than you'd find in academia, which is a big plus as well.
 
M

Mii

Banned
Had my Yale SOM interview yesterday. It was an interview super day. I was expecting maybe 20 to 30 people to be there but it was probably closer to 120. The interview was wonky. I had one with AdCom instead of with a student like everyone else. They said it was because of the sheer number of applicants being interviewed. On top of that, she was blind to my application so I didn't have the benefit of her already being familiar with my application. The questions all had a negative slant as well (tell me a weakness, a moment you were a team member and not a team leader, etc). The interviewer didn't seem ready to offer the interview either and seemed a bit uncomfortable at first. I had to really work it in the 2nd half where I got to ask the questions to get her in a better mood. Every question in the second half I made was to point out that I had a particular interest in what the school offered. By the end she was looser, smiling and enjoying the conversation more. I'm not very optimistic about my chances as a result, but we'll see. When I leave interviews feeling I had to fight and struggle, I typically am not optimistic of my prospects. I can only hope everyone who had student interviewers had the same question set and struggles.

My Stern interview went significantly better, almost perfect actually.
 
appaws

appaws

Banned
MA/PhD in History here, specializing in African-American...also a law degree.

I love collecting diplomas, but never seem to collect any paychecks!
 
F

FelixOrion

Poet Centuriate
Just got back from visiting the last two of the three schools that accepted me for graduate school in chemistry. Time to start really weighing the pros and cons of each of them.

Choices, choices.
 
R

RumblingRosco

Member
FelixOrion said:
Just got back from visiting the last two of the three schools that accepted me for graduate school in chemistry. Time to start really weighing the pros and cons of each of them.

Choices, choices.
Click to expand...

Good luck! I had a few schools accept me for my PhD studies and it was kind of fun to compare each. Do you know what lab you'll end up in at each or will you being doing a rotation to start? Are you going for an MS or PhD?
 
F

FelixOrion

Poet Centuriate
Soka said:
Good luck! I had a few schools accept me for my PhD studies and it was kind of fun to compare each. Do you know what lab you'll end up in at each or will you being doing a rotation to start? Are you going for an MS or PhD?
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Aiming for a PhD.

One school has a sort of rotation but I can stay in my first choice if I really want to. The others don't but of course I'm not locked in right way and from what I hear I'd have like a 99% chance of me getting my first pick.

Definitely not a bad issue in my lap for sure.
 
R

RumblingRosco

Member
FelixOrion said:
Aiming for a PhD.

One school has a sort of rotation but I can stay in my first choice if I really want to. The others don't but of course I'm not locked in right way and from what I hear I'd have like a 99% chance of me getting my first pick.

Definitely not a bad issue in my lap for sure.
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Ah great stuff. I ended up at the University of Illinois, in part because the fellowship they offered me allowed me to try out a few labs and pick my favorite. I went in expecting to join one lab in particular, but ended up enjoying the research area of a different lab so much that I changed my mind. ~2.5 years later and I'm really very happy with my decision. The other lab was great and I'm sure I'd have enjoyed it, but my final choice was the best for me overall.
 
B

Borman

Member
About 2 months away from having my MS in Information Science, for school librarian/media specialist (hopefully anyway, these certification tests are crazy for NY).
 
M

Mii

Banned
Dr. Feel Good said:
Is there where you decided to go?
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Still waiting to hear back from a few places, but realistically it's probably the best school I'll get into for finance. My chances for Wharton and Booth aren't great. NYC location helps a lot too for recruiting and networking. It's also one of the places the BB ibanks focus recruiting alongside Wharton, Booth, Columbia, and Sloan.

It won't get me PE sure, but I never had the pre-MBA background for that anyhow.
 
S

shadowsdarknes

Member
I'm getting my MBA right now with a finance concentration.

I've got a job interview for a financial advisor client service position at a small financial firm.
They will sponsor me to get my Series 7. So I'm pretty excited for this opportunity.
 
R

Raist

Banned
PhD in Immunology. Gonna have to start looking for an independent position soon. Job hunting/grant writing is always fun.
Not really :/
.
 
R

RumblingRosco

Member
phil-x said:
Got a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and currently doing a Masters in Management.
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It is hard for me to imagine going back to school after I finish my Ph.D. What is your motivation, if you don't mind me asking?

Seeing all these grad school Gaffers in one thread makes me wonder what publications we all have. I suspect it is a very broad range of disciplines judging by what referees we have/ate in the process of acquiring.
 
dream

dream

Member
Soka said:
Seeing all these grad school Gaffers in one thread makes me wonder what publications we all have. I suspect it is a very broad range of disciplines judging by what referees we have/ate in the process of acquiring.
Click to expand...

Right? Sometimes I find myself wondering if I've ever unknowingly watched a gaffer present a paper at conferences.
 
N

Necrovex

Member
I'll be able to join this little community in a few years! I plan to serve my time in Peace Corps and attend graduate school to obtain a masters in Public Health. Exciting times are ahead! I hope to see this community grow.
 
T

Thorakai

Member
I'm earning a Masters in Public Health right now. Probably going to be working as a health policy analyst, hopefully get myself working for the government. I love the field so far, I wish I could take more classes than required for graduation without paying extra.
 
N

NyMartin

Banned
I have 1 year left for my MA in History, I also have my NYS Teachers License I'll probably teach high school for a few years and then go for the PhD
 
T

Tom_Cody

Member
Quick GMAT questions:

-How long does it take to get the results?

-If I take it more than once, how will that affect my application? Will they know/care if I take it more than once?

-How is the test actually administered? On a computer or on paper? My handwriting/spelling are horrific so this is an important question for me.

-How many test sections require writing versus multiple-choice or number entry?

-As it relates to the math section, can you bring in a simple calculator? If not, how is scrap paper dealt with?


Thanks.
 
N

Nato

Banned
Biomedical PhD candidate. I want to work in industry, but my long term goal is not to stay in research but to transition into a licensing/business development type position.
 
D

Damaniel

Banned
irishcow said:
I graduate from medical school May 19th. Is doctor of medicine allowed in this thread? :)
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No.
Of course, and congrats. :)

I just finished the coursework for my MS in Computer Science last week (for reference, I got my BS in 2000 and started working on the MS in 2011). Since it was a non-thesis degree, it almost feels a little bit like I cheated, but I was working full time and taking two classes per term on top of that, so I doubt I would have been able to add a pile of research work on top of that and still have something resembling a life.
 
M

mclem

Member
I have an MA of sorts. Oxford does things weirdly.

(You are awarded a BA on graduation, but after four more years you can get it upgraded to an MA. As I understand it, the BA course is meant to be comparable to an MA, but they can't actually award you one after only three years of work.)

And because Oxford does things weirdly, I'm a Master of Arts in a science subject.

(There is what'd be regarded as a 'real' Master's degree, too; an MSc in the case of the sciences)
 
S

snacknuts

we all knew her
Tom_Cody said:
Quick GMAT questions:
Click to expand...

It's been three years since I took it, but I've answered to the best of my ability:

-How long does it take to get the results?
You'll get a "preliminary" score as soon as you finish the test. How it figures a grade for the written portion is beyond me, but there was no difference between my preliminary and official results. The official results will be available about a week later.

-If I take it more than once, how will that affect my application? Will they know/care if I take it more than once?
I don't think it matters, but don't quote me on that.

-How is the test actually administered? On a computer or on paper? My handwriting/spelling are horrific so this is an important question for me.
It's in a very tightly controlled computer lab. You have to empty your pockets and put all of your belongings in a locker before you are admitted into the testing area. You will be on video camera for the entirety of the test.

-How many test sections require writing versus multiple-choice or number entry?
The huge majority of the questions are multiple choice, but there are a couple of essays that you type into the system.

-As it relates to the math section, can you bring in a simple calculator? If not, how is scrap paper dealt with?
You are not allowed to have a calculator. You will be given paper and pencil at the testing facility.[/QUOTE]
 
W

Wilsongt

Member
Soka said:
Mind if I ask, why'd it take 7.5 years?
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Started as a Ph.D student in 2008, after starting off strong and doing pretty well, things just... fell apart. Didn't have a committee meeting for 3 years after I defended my proposal in 2010. I finished off one project and then was given another, and when I was given that other project I just... floundered. I never recovered and was told if I didn't meet certain deadlines after a committee meeting in September I would be asked to step down to a Master's. I preempted then when my experiments kept failing and decided to save myself the embarrassment of facing my committee again with barely anything done.
 
S

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
snacknuts said:
-How long does it take to get the results?
You'll get a "preliminary" score as soon as you finish the test. How it figures a grade for the written portion is beyond me, but there was no difference between my preliminary and official results. The official results will be available about a week later.
Click to expand...

I can't speak to the GMAT but on the GRE they no longer give a preliminary score for writing sections. However, ETS (the operator of the GRE) does offer a pay practice testing service where they will give you a grade on your writing section. As I understand it, the algorithm used to issue preliminary writing scores is based on the length of your answer, sentence complexity, errors detected through machine spelling/grammar checks, a measure of readability (I'm not sure if it's Flesch-Kincaid or something else), and other similar metrics. Apparently these have a rather significant correlation to your human-graded results, which is kind of shocking given that you would expect that the substance of someone's argument would not be tightly correlated to the presentation.

For the GRE for final scores, they give you one human grader and one machine grader. If the two agree to within 0.5 points on a 6 point scale, you get the human's score as your final score. If the two disagree substantially, they get a second human reader and give you the average of the two scores.

So the GMAT is likely a little different, but I suspect substantially similar underneath. A brief googling seems to show this as well.
 
B

Bjern Fita

Member
snacknuts said:
-How long does it take to get the results?
You'll get a "preliminary" score as soon as you finish the test. How it figures a grade for the written portion is beyond me, but there was no difference between my preliminary and official results. The official results will be available about a week later.

[
Click to expand...

Same for my wife and I. The immediate preliminary score is pretty spot on, so don't get yourself all worked up about huge fluctuations.

Good luck! (Do the prep, little bits over a longer period of time worked for me).
 
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