[Timberwolf21]

Hey Everyone,
 
I go to school at the University of Minnesota for Chemical Engineering and will be finishing up my Undergrad in the Spring of 2014 (23 credits to finish this year).
 
GPA:
3.35
 
GRE:
Quant: 157
Verb: 144 (yup I suck at English  )
 
Internships:
summer 2010 at LMS Technologies, Air Filtration
summer 2012 at 3M, Air & Water Filtration
summer 2013 at 3M, Film Manufacturing
 
Teaching Assistant:
Introduction to Chemical Engineering for 1 year now
 
Research:
Will be working as undergrad research assistant for one of the ChE prof's this school year
 
Extra Curricular:
President of AICHE (american inst of chemical eng)
Treasurer of Omega Chi Epsilon (honors ChE club)
 
I understand my GRE and GPA are low but is there any chance I can get into any PhD schools for Chemical Engineering?
 
I was thinking of applying to:
-University of Pennsylvania
-University of CA Davis
-University of CA Irvine
-University of CA San Diego
-University of Houston
-Case Western Reserve University
-IL Institute of Technology
-University of IL (Chicago)
-Drexel University
-Northeastern University
 
Can I get into better schools? I don't know if it's worth applying to any schools ranked in the top 30?

Thoughts? Advice? Anything would be very appreciated!!!
 

[curiouscat]

Not bad chances. I think you'd get in. Minnesota's a top school anyways.

Hope you will get good recommendation letters.

[eazye1334]

Just out of curiosity, what is your end-goal for your career?

When it comes to engineering, you pretty much are doing a PhD for the want of getting into a particular section of research or teaching. The increases as far as earnings go are really not very large over a Masters. My experience has shown me that I enjoy the "field" work a lot more than the lab/heavy research, so a PhD is essentially useless for my career.

Of course, everyone's goal is different, which is why I ask about yours.

[Timberwolf21]

I am fully aware of that there is not a huge pay *Ignore me, I am impatient* for going for the Doc in this program and I am fine with that.

I ultimately want to work in product development. I really enjoy working with water and air filtration but I am still checking out other area's of work as well. I am not interested in teaching at all haha

I am more of a lab guy, and less of a field/process engineer.

[eazye1334]

A Masters may actually be enough for you there, but that's more likely a case-by-case basis so it's really hard to say. To want to fight through a PhD program, you really have to want to, and it sounds like you do.

[Timberwolf21]

Do you think I can crack any of the top 40 or 30 ChE PhD schools?

[curiouscat]

A Masters may actually be enough for you there, but that's more likely a case-by-case basis so it's really hard to say. To want to fight through a PhD program, you really have to want to, and it sounds like you do.

As a Chem. Eng. I think (and I may be prejudiced) a masters adds very little value over  a bachelors. Even at career fairs I've seen recruiters club masters together with the BSs.

In some firms there is indeed a pay scale difference but it isn't huge.

[curiouscat]

Do you think I can crack any of the top 40 or 30 ChE PhD schools?

If you ask me, yes. 

[eazye1334]

A Masters may actually be enough for you there, but that's more likely a case-by-case basis so it's really hard to say. To want to fight through a PhD program, you really have to want to, and it sounds like you do.

As a Chem. Eng. I think (and I may be prejudiced) a masters adds very little value over  a bachelors. Even at career fairs I've seen recruiters club masters together with the BSs.

In some firms there is indeed a pay scale difference but it isn't huge.

Not going to argue that too much. Most of the time, I'm seeing Chem E's get a Masters in something else, usually an MBA or something that adds to their skills rather than just focus in more on a ChE topic. I'm personally going for an Engineering Management Masters rather than ChE for that exact reason.

[curiouscat]

A Masters may actually be enough for you there, but that's more likely a case-by-case basis so it's really hard to say. To want to fight through a PhD program, you really have to want to, and it sounds like you do.

As a Chem. Eng. I think (and I may be prejudiced) a masters adds very little value over  a bachelors. Even at career fairs I've seen recruiters club masters together with the BSs.

In some firms there is indeed a pay scale difference but it isn't huge.

Not going to argue that too much. Most of the time, I'm seeing Chem E's get a Masters in something else, usually an MBA or something that adds to their skills rather than just focus in more on a ChE topic. I'm personally going for an Engineering Management Masters rather than ChE for that exact reason.

Makes sense.