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[Pau]

Anyone come across the hurdle of getting letters of recommendations when very few of your professors would remember you? I was in classes of 100-200 people often, I didn't know graduate school would require me to have personal relationships with multiple professors.

Its stressing me out. I received great grades in my undergrad and I have a distinct interest in pursing a more advanced degree, and yet this hurdle feels like the one thing preventing me from going to graduate school.

This is my problem in my mathematics and statistics classes. :/ I want to apply to Statistics programs but all my best relationships are with sociologists.

 

[~automatic]

I got into my uni's MA in English lit program but chose to not go because my heart wasn't really into it and because of the poor job prospects. I also need time away from school. I'll figure out what I'll do a Master's on sometime soon.

 

[dream]

Anyone come across the hurdle of getting letters of recommendations when very few of your professors would remember you? I was in classes of 100-200 people often, I didn't know graduate school would require me to have personal relationships with multiple professors.

Its stressing me out. I received great grades in my undergrad and I have a distinct interest in pursing a more advanced degree, and yet this hurdle feels like the one thing preventing me from going to graduate school.

You could tell them this. I was having a conversation with a friend recently, when one of his former students, whom he barely remembered, came in to ask for a letter. I suggested that she bring in her old papers from his course, her statement of program, and explain her research to him, and he ended up writing a letter based on that.

 

[Dreamgazer]

I currently have job offers from two of the Big4 firms in SALT services, and a multinational pharma for global level internal audit work. Pay is about the same for all of them, but the pharma will most likely provide broader experiences.

At 30, I'm concerned that I'm too "old" for the entry Big4 culture+ I don't want to get pigeon holed in SALT. However, some part of me still feel I'll regret forever if I don't take the Big4 offer for that almighty resume buff.
(Yes, I'm aware I won't be making partner starting out the Big4 at this age, and I'll live with that.)

 

[Dreamgazer]

I think you're still young enough, but if you don't take it now, you might not get another chance. Though, if you go into salt as an experienced hire... what's the chances of getting out? Seems like most of the senior/managers don't really change THAT much, but I could be wrong.

& yeah, that resume polish is important, especially if you're trying to land a nice cushy job after

Congrats btw! I only have second rounds right now .

Thanks for the congrats and good luck to you too!

I know quite a few PWC seniors who transition out of SPA/IT into financial during as seniors. However, they all pretty much had to relocate to other locations (ex: NY->LA) where the partner was desperate for experienced talents.

 

[Lonely1]

Anyone come across the hurdle of getting letters of recommendations when very few of your professors would remember you? I was in classes of 100-200 people often, I didn't know graduate school would require me to have personal relationships with multiple professors.

I personally didn't had that hurdle as my program required a thesis project and the upper level classes were very small (10>). But if you got a good grade on an specific course contact the professor. What the worse that could happen?

This is my problem in my mathematics and statistics classes. :/ I want to apply to Statistics programs but all my best relationships are with sociologists.

While you should indeed try contacting your maths professors for letters, do present the ones you can get from sociologists! Specially if they are willing to write you a good one. The committees mostly want to evaluate your work ethic, plus statistics is very important for modern sociology. And what about the professor that you worked with at your summer project?

If it helps, I got into my MsCS with letters from two (pure) mathematicians and a biologist.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Be honest in statement of purpose if you're doing a disciplinary switch. Put yourself as interdisciplinary. "I studied in sociology but I am increasingly convinced that social problems are best explained by causal inference and formal modeling. I wish to train myself not only in the quantitative methods I need to do good social scientific work, but also in the mathematical or statistical theory underpinning those methods. I do not merely wish to be a consumer of methods of inference, rather I want to be a producer." etc etc.

If your letters of rec don't reflect that transformation, and you can't get letters from quanty profs, then:
1) Try to find quanty profs in department--not everyone in a Sociology department is doing ethnography. Look at political sociologists. Try to get help from them.
2) Acknowledge the disparity in your statement of purpose; say that while you believe your application is competitive, you acknowledge that you are coming as an outsider, and one of your first tasks as being part of the department will be to assess how you're going to catch up. In the meantime, you've taken undergrad math or stats classes, and you think your grades and transcript and quant GRE result speak for themselves.

Note if you're switching from Folklore of American Poets to Properties of Manifolds, then your bridge narrative I was just writing won't work so well. But if you're going from, say, Group Consciousness and Latino Identity in America to Social Network Analysis or Geo-statistics... then they'll believe it. Trust me.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Anyone come across the hurdle of getting letters of recommendations when very few of your professors would remember you? I was in classes of 100-200 people often, I didn't know graduate school would require me to have personal relationships with multiple professors.

Its stressing me out. I received great grades in my undergrad and I have a distinct interest in pursing a more advanced degree, and yet this hurdle feels like the one thing preventing me from going to graduate school.

Did you have any courses taught by the same professor? I used one recommendation from one I had been in with three statistics courses in, one of my advisors who I had been in contact with for all four years of undergraduate, and a professor I had done research with for three years in her lab, and lastly one professor I did a summer research experience with.

 

[boiled goose]

Did you have any courses taught by the same professor? I used one recommendation from one I had been in with three statistics courses in, one of my advisors who I had been in contact with for all four years of undergraduate, and a professor I had done research with for three years in her lab, and lastly one professor I did a summer research experience with.

It is important to start cultivating relationships with professors as early as possible. Easiest way is to simply ask to meet them for career advice

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

Next year, I'm planning on going back to school to get a bachelor's in accounting to supplement my MBA in healthcare management. I need enough courses so that I can sit for the CPA exam. I'm already a controller so I'm trying to get to that plush CFO job.

 

[Pau]

While you should indeed try contacting your maths professors for letters, do present the ones you can get from sociologists! Specially if they are willing to write you a good one. The committees mostly want to evaluate your work ethic, plus statistics is very important for modern sociology. And what about the professor that you worked with at your summer project?

If it helps, I got into my MsCS with letters from two (pure) mathematicians and a biologist.

Definitely getting a letter from the professor I worked with over the summer, but he's not very quant. heavy as a sociologist. However, he is probably the most "famous" researcher I've worked and from an ivy league, so there's that. Ideally end up being a recommendation from a sociologist (him), a recommendation from a statistics professor, and either a recommendation from one of the sociologists who helped me with my fellowship project or from a computer science professor.

Be honest in statement of purpose if you're doing a disciplinary switch. Put yourself as interdisciplinary. "I studied in sociology but I am increasingly convinced that social problems are best explained by causal inference and formal modeling. I wish to train myself not only in the quantitative methods I need to do good social scientific work, but also in the mathematical or statistical theory underpinning those methods. I do not merely wish to be a consumer of methods of inference, rather I want to be a producer." etc etc.

If your letters of rec don't reflect that transformation, and you can't get letters from quanty profs, then:
1) Try to find quanty profs in department--not everyone in a Sociology department is doing ethnography. Look at political sociologists. Try to get help from them.
2) Acknowledge the disparity in your statement of purpose; say that while you believe your application is competitive, you acknowledge that you are coming as an outsider, and one of your first tasks as being part of the department will be to assess how you're going to catch up. In the meantime, you've taken undergrad math or stats classes, and you think your grades and transcript and quant GRE result speak for themselves.

Note if you're switching from Folklore of American Poets to Properties of Manifolds, then your bridge narrative I was just writing won't work so well. But if you're going from, say, Group Consciousness and Latino Identity in America to Social Network Analysis or Geo-statistics... then they'll believe it. Trust me.

I don't fee like I'm doing a disciplinary switch. My first major is Statistics, so is it inaccurate to say I studied in Statistics? It's just been so much easier for me to find opportunities to work with Sociology professors, start independent projects in that department, or make an impression on them for whatever reason. :/

Rant time:
Most of the Mathematics and Statistic professors are graduate student adjuncts, which doesn't help matters. Only one of my classes in the department was taught by an actual professor (who has written me a letter of recommendation before, but it was based on my class performance). Maybe I should go back and ask if he needs any assistants again, but I don't even know if he's still in the department since he's not listed anymore on the website. :/ The undergrad Stat. advisor is also on the look out for anyone who needs assistants in the department, but she says since the department is very small opportunities are rare. So I'm just kind of frustrated by it. I'm assuming having a math/stat professor pretty much say "Yeah, she got an A+ in the class and is interested in x,y, and z" isn't going to be ideal. I want to know what statistics research looks like and how I manage it, but the department just doesn't seem to have the resources.

Anyways, thanks for the advice. I gotta work on bringing up that Quant GRE and actually getting the score I get when I do the practice exams....

 

[hateradio]

I think letters are the most problematic for me since I never communicated with many of my professors. Such sucks.

 

[EatinOlives]

Two days before my final attempt at the qualifying exam on Monday. I've had so many conflicting emotions I don't really know how to feel. The whole thing is basically the entirety of the knowledge of undergrad in CS (many fields in classes I never took), so at no point do I feel like I could ever be truly "ready". You just can't know everything from every field and subfield (they even throw hardware stuff in there).

I honestly don't know what to think. If I don't do good enough to pass my advisor said he'd go to bat for me to try to get me some arrangement, i.e., take an undergrad class in something I need work with and take the test yet again. But I really don't want that. I'm through with the stress of this exam that's been hanging over me for 2 years. Two years of "hey you may not belong in this program, among people who passed this their first or second try". Studying for this means weeks upon weeks of worry, trying to eke out some plan in the sea of information I have to know, not doing any of my research, basically eating/breathing/sleeping this material for the test and your life just stops for those weeks. It's too much to do this over and over again. My advisor's been so supportive in trying to get me through the program that I'd feel like an asshole for not wanting him to keep me on it, like I'd be actively rejecting staying in the program. And that may be, but I'm really done with the stress and uncertainty. I need a definitive yes/no answer after this exam.

I'd love to use that as an opportunity to move away, probably to get an MS here and try the PhD again somewhere far, maybe in the northeast area. I've always loved it there. I've been in here for just too long (did my undergrad here too). That'd be a really silver lining, but damn if I'm not feeling like shit. Some people I know are getting offers for internships next summer this week and it's making me more depressed.

I feel I'm psyching myself out before I even take the exam. I told myself I wouldn't do this, even made a two-week plan of what I needed to study each and every day for the past two weeks to prevent any "omg could I have done more" feeling, and have been at it for ~4/5 hours a day on this, with no days off. That probably doesn't sound like too much for some of you but the concentration of information I've had to cram in during that time is tremendous and I feel like it's leaking out already.

Maybe I'll feel better after the test. I'll be in trouble if I don't.

 

[opticalmace]

Two days before my final attempt at the qualifying exam on Monday. I've had so many conflicting emotions I don't really know how to feel. The whole thing is basically the entirety of the knowledge of undergrad in CS (many fields in classes I never took), so at no point do I feel like I could ever be truly "ready". You just can't know everything from every field and subfield (they even throw hardware stuff in there).

I honestly don't know what to think. If I don't do good enough to pass my advisor said he'd go to bat for me to try to get me some arrangement, i.e., take an undergrad class in something I need work with and take the test yet again. But I really don't want that. I'm through with the stress of this exam that's been hanging over me for 2 years. Two years of "hey you may not belong in this program, among people who passed this their first or second try". Studying for this means weeks upon weeks of worry, trying to eke out some plan in the sea of information I have to know, not doing any of my research, basically eating/breathing/sleeping this material for the test. It's too much. My advisor's been so supportive in trying to get me through the program that I'd feel like an asshole for not wanting him to keep me on it, like I'd be actively rejecting staying in the program. And that may be, but I'm really done with the stress and uncertainty. I need a definitive yes/no answer after this exam.

I'd love to use that as an opportunity to move away, probably to get an MS here and try the PhD again somewhere far, maybe in the northeast area. I've always loved it there. I've been in here for just too long (did my undergrad here too). That'd be a really silver lining, but damn if I'm not feeling like shit. Some people I know are getting offers for internships next summer this week and it's making me more depressed.

I feel I'm psyching myself out before I even take the exam. I told myself I wouldn't do this, even made a two-week plan of what I needed to study each and every day for the past two weeks to prevent any "omg could I have done more" feeling, and have been at it for ~4/5 hours a day on this, with no days off. That probably doesn't sound like too much for some of you but the concentration of information I've had to cram in during that time is tremendous and I feel like it's leaking out already.

Maybe I'll feel better after the test. I'll be in trouble if I don't.

Everyone's nervous before qualifying exams. Just do what you can and deal with things if you need to after the fact. Someone else can give you better advice, I'm sure.

My qualifying exam had 3 parts. It basically meant I did almost no research for ~6 months. ~_~

 

[Stumpokapow]

That's a lot of words that are about plan B. You should spent most of your time thinking about plan A.

 

[EatinOlives]

Everyone's nervous before qualifying exams. Just do what you can and deal with things if you need to after the fact. Someone else can give you better advice, I'm sure.

My qualifying exam had 3 parts. It basically meant I did almost no research for ~6 months. ~_~

Damn. I should get my stuff into perspective then. The whole thing is over in two hours for me.

That's a lot of words that are about plan B. You should spent most of your time thinking about plan A.

Yeah....

I mean yes. I agree. See, I was studying quite a bit in a considerably less structured manner (I wasn't writing every single thing down like I did the past two weeks), and I ended up super stressed and overwhelmed. Then I just kind of sat myself down and reinvented everything. I pinpointed what was causing me the most stress, which for me was the feeling that I wasn't doing what I was supposed to, and that I was going to squander this last chance by not doing everything possible that I could in that time. So I wrote down as much as I could, planned my days out to the letter, and basically shut off that part of my brain that gets nervous / analyzes everything too much / daydreams about plans B, C, D, and E, and focused entirely on the task at hand.

The last two weeks have been much more calm in that way despite me working far harder. I've ended the days just completely spent, and thankfully I've been able to fight off being nervous and daydreaming about plan Bs. But today I wrapped up studying (I'm spending tomorrow just clearing my head...and catching up on classwork I've fallen behind in by studying for this), and those nasty feelings came back. I think my daydreaming about Plan B is a way to cope with the stress, I don't know.

But yeah, sorry if that comes off as unfocused and not worrying about the important stuff. I've been doing nothing but Plan A the past couple of weeks, I think I've just left my mind drift to the non-important stuff and it ended up showing too much in my venting post above. Which is dumb because I did my plan precisely to prevent that from happening. Funny how the mind works.

 

[Window]

Ask (email) her to email you the contract (or just information but a contract would have a salary listed if any for sure) detailing the duration of internship and 'other' details so that you can have a firm idea of what commitment you'll be making before jumping aboard. Just an idea.

 

[Totakeke]

So I was just offered the chance to intern at local accounting firm for a few months this spring, but I sort of have a dilemma... how do I ask if it's paid or not? There was no mention of salary at all. I asked the recruiter for a few days to think it over... and it seems like a really great way to get a glimpse of what it's like at a public firm, but I'm not sure I want to do it for free.

Would it be in poor taste to email her tomorrow and ask whether or not it's a paid internship?

I don't know how to approach it. It's actually something I'm terrible at. Should I just ask - "I forgot to ask you when we spoke, but would this internship be paid?" or should I just let her know i can only take the internship if it's paid?

She already gave me a verbal offer, so I don't think I'm being presumptuous. At the same time, I have no idea how to approach this in a professional manner. I don't want to be aggressive, and I do care about the experience, but I also don't want to give free tax associate-like work.

Just be direct and don't overthink it. It's your right to know. Send her the email with what you said in quotes and just be done with it. Recruiters deal with a ton of people and you won't offend her.

 

[I'm an expert]

If it's any public firm worth interning for, it's paid. Do not waste your time if not.

 

[Window]

Do you have to go through an assessment centre/day for the big 4?

 

[iRAWRasaurus]

Alright, this is a question regarding to any graduate programs that require an mandatory science laboratory requirement. I need to find a professor within my department to accept me as a research assistant for a year, in addition I will have to present a thesis and defense to finish my master's program. What is the best way to appoarch the facility memenbers? Would an email explaining my interest in thier laboratory and asking for a meeting to further discussion it work?

I have looked up the facility staff that works on areas that interest me. And I have read thier publications as well.

 

[I'm an expert]

Yeah this is my thought as well.

I mean, I already think it's kinda ehhh that they're taking "interns" for the busy season instead of the summer like the B4... and so my thinking is that if they wanna use interns to help them with crunch time, that's fine, but I want to be paid for it. I already asked if this was an intern-experience or if it's more like intern-with-potential-to-full-time and they said it was the former not the latter.

Still, I'd like to do this is a nice manner, especially since the recruiter did work for a B4 as a recruiter for 15 or so years. I don't want accidentally come off like a huge asshole and burn some bridges, especially since I'm right in the middle of my 2nd rounds for B4.

Our interns are during busy season too. Remember, you're tax. May->October is our main compliance busy season. The winter interns are also during year end/provision busy season Jan->April. The only time we're not in busy season is Oct/Nov and maybe a bit of April.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Alright, this is a question regarding to any graduate programs that require an mandatory science laboratory requirement. I need to find a professor within my department to accept me as a research assistant for a year, in addition I will have to present a thesis and defense to finish my master's program. What is the best way to appoarch the facility memenbers? Would an email explaining my interest in thier laboratory and asking for a meeting to further discussion it work?

I have looked up the facility staff that works on areas that interest me. And I have read thier publications as well.

Are you already in the Master's program, but now you just need to find a lab to conduct research? If so, then yeah, I think you've got the right idea. Send them a very brief (emphasis on brief) email with what you mentioned above. Do you know anyone else in the program that already has a lab? It might be worth talking to them too to see how they found a match. Honestly, I'm sort of surprised a Master's program would accept someone without placing them into a lab first. Seems really weird to me, I guess.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Alright, this is a question regarding to any graduate programs that require an mandatory science laboratory requirement. I need to find a professor within my department to accept me as a research assistant for a year, in addition I will have to present a thesis and defense to finish my master's program. What is the best way to approach the facility members? Would an email explaining my interest in their laboratory and asking for a meeting to further discussion it work?

I have looked up the facility staff that works on areas that interest me. And I have read thier publications as well.

Yes an email is the best way, or asking an advisor if they have any suggestions as well.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Alright, this is a question regarding to any graduate programs that require an mandatory science laboratory requirement. I need to find a professor within my department to accept me as a research assistant for a year, in addition I will have to present a thesis and defense to finish my master's program. What is the best way to appoarch the facility memenbers? Would an email explaining my interest in thier laboratory and asking for a meeting to further discussion it work?

I have looked up the facility staff that works on areas that interest me. And I have read thier publications as well.

It's not clear from your post whether you've already been accepted or not, but if you haven't:

Dear Prof. <X>,

My name is <Your Name here> and I am a student applying to be in your MSc department. I believe my application is competitive and that I have a good chance of being admitted. <School X teaches at> is my first choice. I've attached a copy of my CV. My interests are in <thing prof X does>, <other thing to show you're slightly more well rounded>, and broadly <major subfield of field you're applying to be in>. I would love to set up a Skype call or talk via email to see if I would be a good fit for your lab.

Sincerely,
Your Name

--

If you have already been admitted:

Dear Prof. <X>,

My name is <Your Name here> and I am an MSc student here at <School>. I am trying to find a research supervisor to complete my degree here. I have an interest in <thing prof X does> and wanted to know if you had an ongoing project I could take part in. Can I drop by your office hours this week so we might discuss this? I've attached a copy of my CV, or you can also talk to <Profs. Y and Z> if you'd like some references.

Sincerely,
Your Name

 

[Dedication Through Light]

A skype call is normal practice?

 

[RumblingRosco]

A skype call is normal practice?

Seems weird as hell to me, personally. Most professors I know wouldn't know what Skype is, let alone how to use it. I'd stick to email/phone calls in that introductory email anyway, in my opinion. It's a small detail though either way and wouldn't make-or-break the professor's consideration.

 

[Stumpokapow]

A skype call is normal practice?

Was when I did my Master's degree (four or five schools across Canada), was when I was applying for PhD programs (five or six schools mostly in America, all R1). I'm a grad rep on my department's grad admissions committee and it's our default option for talking to people who are on the fence about accepting their offer or who we really want to recruit. Hahaha

Seems weird as hell to me, personally. Most professors I know wouldn't know what Skype is, let alone how to use it.

Let's not exaggerate; Skype has half a billion users. Wikipedia tells me that in 2014 it was 40% of the entire international phone market. One of the most common use cases is old tech-phobic people seeing their grandkids who live far away.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Let's not exaggerate; Skype has half a billion users. Wikipedia tells me that in 2014 it was 40% of the entire international phone market. One of the most common use cases is old tech-phobic people seeing their grandkids who live far away.

My basic point is that you should always stick to what is well-known and let the person doing the hiring recommend more abstract means of communication. The number of people that use Skype is about 20% of the number of people that use email and a fraction of those that use phones. Why complicate things?

 

[shadowfall]

I have MS on Management Information Systems (MIS). Looking back not sure if my masters was worth it since salaries eventually even out.

 

[opticalmace]

A skype call is normal practice?

Not unusual, I've done it a couple times.

 

[EatinOlives]

Brief update: I passed my qualifying exam! Holy shit it's a gigantic burden off my shoulders.

 

[hateradio]

Why is the GRE $200?

Honestly.

What is this bullshit.

 

[Megalosaro]

Bought some gre test prep books. I think I can do okay on the verbal and shit.

But christ. That scares me.

 

[opticalmace]

Brief update: I passed my qualifying exam! Holy shit it's a gigantic burden off my shoulders.

Congrats.

Bought some gre test prep books. I think I can do okay on the verbal and shit.

But christ. That scares me.

The general seemed pretty easy. The physics gre was pretty rough.

 

[Cocaloch]

Why is the GRE $200?

Honestly.

What is this bullshit.

It's a racket between most major university administrations, and the college board.

No professor cares about it at all in any school worth its salt in History, but it's still required pretty much everywhere but Northwestern because of the aforementioned racket.

 

[Big Chief Crazy Cone]

Finishing up all my MBA interviews this week; such a long wait till December, but nothing compared to the long and painful process of the past 6 months.

Kellogg's MMM is my first choice; really nervous because they interview everyone, so you have no idea how far you are down the funnel. Plus only 60 people are accepted a year...felt really good about my interview though, so fingers crossed!

 

[Damerman]

Just gonna leave my mark in this thread to come back to it when I'm actually ready. I'm a finance major and I went to a good public university in NJ and graduated with a 2.9. I'm not ashamed of my degree or regret my area of study, but I do wish that I had better undergrad Academic standing.

So my problem begins with the fact that I don't see the value of an MBA(especially since I would never get into a really prestigious program and it's expensive as fuck) and the only way i can pad my lackluster undergrad performance is through the CFA. As soon as i graduated and and I learned what the CFA can do for me, I dismissed the MBA. Essentially I'm trying to make the CFA supplant an MBA. So for the past year and 3 months I have studied for, sat for and failed two CFA level 1 exams. I'm not doubting that i can achieve it. I learned that i need more discipline and i need to focus more. That doesn't mean that failing the two tests hasn't made me sit down and reevaluate my situation.

The second half, and more important part of the problem is the fact that i want a masters in Engineering. *sigh* i have done extremely passive research into it and i practice my math here and there on Khan Academy. Thats the extent of my research in going for an engineering masters(something in electrical or energy engineering). despite how little prepared I am for it, it feels like thinking about switching to engineering is keeping me from focusing on the CFA.

And so now I have put an MBA back on the drawing board and have distanced myself a little from the idea of being an engineer. I feel like a lost cause at times, until i remind myself that DO want to achieve the CFA designation and DO want to work in engineering and i also DO want to have a masters degree, whether its in finance or engineering.

so my short term goal is to work the job i have now and gather some experience and pass the first level of the CFA, while I think over what I'm going to do for the master's degree. I really need advice/to do research on how I can go from a business undergrad degree to a engineering masters.

 

[Big Chief Crazy Cone]

Just gonna leave my mark in this thread to come back to it when I'm actually ready. I'm a finance major and I went to a good public university in NJ and graduated with a 2.9. I'm not ashamed of my degree or regret my area of study, but I do wish that I had better undergrad Academic standing.

So my problem begins with the fact that I don't see the value of an MBA(especially since I would never get into a really prestigious program and it's expensive as fuck) and the only way i can pad my lackluster undergrad performance is through the CFA. As soon as i graduated and and I learned what the CFA can do for me, I dismissed the MBA. Essentially I'm trying to make the CFA supplant an MBA. So for the past year and 3 months I have studied for, sat for and failed two CFA level 1 exams. I'm not doubting that i can achieve it. I learned that i need more discipline and i need to focus more. That doesn't mean that failing the two tests hasn't made me sit down and reevaluate my situation.

The second half, and more important part of the problem is the fact that i want a masters in Engineering. *sigh* i have done extremely passive research into it and i practice my math here and there on Khan Academy. Thats the extent of my research in going for an engineering masters(something in electrical or energy engineering). despite how little prepared I am for it, it feels like thinking about switching to engineering is keeping me from focusing on the CFA.

And so now I have put an MBA back on the drawing board and have distanced myself a little from the idea of being an engineer. I feel like a lost cause at times, until i remind myself that DO want to achieve the CFA designation and DO want to work in engineering and i also DO want to have a masters degree, whether its in finance or engineering.

so my short term goal is to work the job i have now and gather some experience and pass the first level of the CFA, while I think over what I'm going to do for the master's degree. I really need advice/to do research on how I can go from a business undergrad degree to a engineering masters.

I did some research into this (I studied finance in undergrad and wanted to get into industrial design) and to go for a full masters (rather than a certificate) can be very difficult without a Bachelors in engineering.

What you've outlined above as a career path though is just what degree you want; the key question is what do you want to do? Which path would give you the skills and network you need? Those 3 degrees/certifications lead you in different directions

 

[Rapscallion]

Why is the GRE $200?

Honestly.

What is this bullshit.

It's also 27 dollars to send your GRE scores to a school, so take advantage of the 4 free ones they give you the day of. It's insane.


Thanks for all of the advice guys. I ended up getting 3 professors to write me awesome letter of reccomendations. I turned out to be a little more memorable than I thought I was.

I'm currently applying to 7 different programs across the country, and more if I need to. Boy, applying to schools may as well be a full time job. There's so many different requirements.

 

[Big Chief Crazy Cone]

It's also 27 dollars to send your GRE scores to a school, so take advantage of the 4 free ones they give you the day of. It's insane.


Thanks for all of the advice guys. I ended up getting 3 professors to write me awesome letter of reccomendations. I turned out to be a little more memorable than I thought I was.

I'm currently applying to 7 different programs across the country, and more if I need to. Boy, applying to schools may as well be a full time job. There's so many different requirements.

Seriously. I did 8 apps so I feel your pain. Would help if there was a common app like for US undergraduate programs. Between tests, apps, and interview flights, I almost needed a loan just to apply...

 

[Damerman]

I did some research into this (I studied finance in undergrad and wanted to get into industrial design) and to go for a full masters (rather than a certificate) can be very difficult without a Bachelors in engineering.

What you've outlined above as a career path though is just what degree you want; the key question is what do you want to do? Which path would give you the skills and network you need? Those 3 degrees/certifications lead you in different directions

what i want to do ultimately is own an energy company. Both an MBA and an engineering degree play very nice with that dream, i think. The main reason I want to switch over to engineering though is because of the quantitative technical skill set... that kind of specialization is really valuable to me. I don't hold an MBA in the same esteem. I definitely would much rather network and learn in a engineering environment for the moment. But if i have to settle for an MBA because of how unrealistic an engineering masters is, so be it.

How did transitioning to industrial design(very interesting line of work from what i've read) work out for you, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[thelastcrusader]

Finished my MBA in July. Did a corporate one that was an accelerated online program. It was a bitch but I did it.

 

[Big Chief Crazy Cone]

what i want to do ultimately is own an energy company. Both an MBA and an engineering degree play very nice with that dream, i think. The main reason I want to switch over to engineering though is because of the quantitative technical skill set... that kind of specialization is really valuable to me. I don't hold an MBA in the same esteem. I definitely would much rather network and learn in a engineering environment for the moment. But if i have to settle for an MBA because of how unrealistic an engineering masters is, so be it.

How did transitioning to industrial design(very interesting line of work from what i've read) work out for you, if you don't mind me asking?

I might recommend a quant heavy MBA that has great access to engineering talent, like Carnegie Mellon. If you want to build a company, you need a great team in that field, and an MBA is a very supportive place to vet a business plan and pursue funding.

As far as my transition, I tried it without an MBA (I have prior experience in product development) without much success. I'm hoping the MMM at Kellogg (MBA + Masters in Design from Engineering School) will enable me to be more intimately involved in that process

 

[Aurizen]

Wow looking at these guys so accomplished here makes me feel small with my associates in IT ._.

 

[Pau]

Been attending graduate application workshops and meeting with faculty and grad students. Even if it's not at a school I'm considering, it's been helpful. On the one hand, I feel like I have way too many options. On the other, it's made me far more confident in taking a year or two off before applying and also feel pretty confident in my application as far as Sociology Ph.D programs go.

My fellowship really tries to push us to apply straight into a Ph.D program, but I'm starting to considering doing a Masters in Statistics at least before making the plunge. Maybe things will change once I get some more work experience (hopefully in stats) but I just don't know enough or have enough experience to make a choice between Sociology and Statistics. I wish my school and fellowship offered as much help in learning about stats programs as they have for the social sciences but that hasn't been how things have ended up.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

Working on my PhD in geography (spatial stats).

I mean this completely jokingly, but I get a chuckle out of someone getting a PhD in Geography. That's like the thing someone gets ripped on for in a comedy show. Like...how many years of college do you have to go through to figure out where Florida or Madagascar are? OKay...I'm done being dumb.

 

[Necrovex]

Why is the GRE $200?

Honestly.

What is this bullshit.

That's 2/3rd of my paycheck. My bank account will weep when I eventually take the GRE.

 

[Stumpokapow]

I mean this completely jokingly, but I get a chuckle out of someone getting a PhD in Geography. That's like the thing someone gets ripped on for in a comedy show. Like...how many years of college do you have to go through to figure out where Florida or Madagascar are? OKay...I'm done being dumb.

probably a few more than the number of years of college you need to enter a thread and reply to someone's 18 month old post by calling their discipline dumb because you're too stupid to realize that geography isn't finding place names on a map

 

[Damerman]

I might recommend a quant heavy MBA that has great access to engineering talent, like Carnegie Mellon. If you want to build a company, you need a great team in that field, and an MBA is a very supportive place to vet a business plan and pursue funding.

As far as my transition, I tried it without an MBA (I have prior experience in product development) without much success. I'm hoping the MMM at Kellogg (MBA + Masters in Design from Engineering School) will enable me to be more intimately involved in that process

Lol carnegie mellon. Thats a loooooooong shot. Your first paragraph is definitely true and something i should consider.

Hope everything works out for you at kellogg... Heard only good things about that school.