Information for Applicants
0. Why should I apply
to your group in the ECE Dept. at CU Boulder?
We have a great combination of practical and
theoretical expertise in the group. We aim for high quality research, not high quantity research.
Plus, there are
300+ days of sun shine a year here. Yet, you don't have to have Air
Conditioning. Inside Rocky Mountain, there are beautiful forest and
lakes...(see the photo). This is a dream place of many Americans.
1. How can I get financial aid?
If you have not yet applied for admission, please do so. In addition,
without application fee, the school will not process the application
(unfortunately :-( ). Financial aid is considered after the admission.
2. How do I enhance my chance of
getting admitted and financial aid?
Admission and Financial aid is based on your past achievement. All you
can do is to prepare a good application when you apply. Specifically, include a
resume in the application. Clearly state your class and school ranking in the
education part of the resume FOR ALL universities that you have attended using
the following format. For example,
Ranked No. 3 in a class of 37. My university is ranked
No. 3 and my department is ranked No. 2(est) in the nation.
If you are not sure the rankings, give an honest estimate and mark them
as "(est)".
In addition to your official transcripts, prepare a categorized list of
major courses such as Math, DSP, ... In addition to your original scores, also
translate your scores to A, B, C, D in the scale of 4 and explain the
translation standard.
Make your Statement of Purpose short. Highlight your past achievement
and your future interests. You want to communicate to the reader the
information during a quick review of your statement.
3. What kinds of financial aid are
available?
In the area of Communication and Signal Processing, we award some TA's
each year. After the first year, most of the TA's get Research Assistantship
based on mutual selections between the students and the professors. So, do a
good job and show your talent when you start here.
In the some cases, if the student is exceptionally good and if we have
sufficient funding, a RA position will be awarded directly to an (admitted)
Ph.D. applicant beginning with the first year. If you want to be considered for
that, send me an email with the following subject about your ranking and with
your resume (see question #2) and transcripts attached. For example,
"Ph.D. applicant: No. 2/37, Univ. No. 1, Dept. No.
1(est)"
If you are not sure of the rankings, give an honest estimate and mark
them as "(est)". I am doing research
mainly in the area of Communications. I will put your resume in a file for future reference. Due to
the large number of emails, I cannot reply to it. If you need to ask questions,
please see the last question in this page. Hopefully, this
information page answers most of your questions. I will consider
your qualification after you have been admitted.
4. I have been admitted. What should
I do to get a financial aid?
Congratulations and welcome to CU! Please wait patiently. TA awards are
announced around early to mid-March. Again, it is based on a fair comparison of
your past achievements compared with those of all other applicants. You don't
need to do anything at this stage.
5. I have been awarded a TA position.
What should I do to get an RA position from you after one year?
Perform well in courses and show your talent from the first day in
class. Talk to me in the middle of the first semester and do some small
research projects. I normally make the decisions around the middle of the
second semester. According to my current funding level, I can only award RA to
Ph.D. students or top Master students who intend to continue Ph.D. study in my
group.
6. My question is not answered in the
above. It is very important to know the answer. What should I do?
You can send me an email with the following subject.
"I have read the FAQ. More questions..."
Please number your questions and write only one question for each paragraph.
This is to ensure that I will not miss any question in the answers.
But due to the large amount of emails that I receive, I am sorry that I can
not promise you a quick response. I am busy working to raise funds to support
as many students as possible. Please be patient.
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