Pastafarian

Hey guys. Thanks for helping me out here. I have a few offers from universities and the main ones thus far are for the CIS program at the University of Pennsylvania and the CS program at UC San Diego. My interests mainly lie in AI and specifically, ML, Cognitive Science and some applications of statistical learning and analysis in systems neuroscience. I also currently intend to pursue a PhD once I'm done with my Master's. Considering this, which would be the better option?

Hey guys. Thanks for helping me out here. I have a few offers from universities and the main ones thus far are for the CIS program at the University of Pennsylvania and the CS program at UC San Diego. My interests mainly lie in AI and specifically, ML, Cognitive Science and some applications of statistical learning and analysis in systems neuroscience. I also currently intend to pursue a PhD once I'm done with my Master's. Considering this, which would be the better option?

I'm a fourth-year undergraduate in Computer Science from an Asian university. I posted here (check this for my full profile) earlier but I was asked to post here regarding this particular topic as I was told that people geared towards CS might be able to help me more. I intend to apply for an M.S. program in Computer Science in the US, with a strong focus in Artificial Intelligence and/or Cognitive Systems. The problem is, I'm worried about some of my grades from freshman year in some important classes (e.g. B's in Calculus I and II, a glaring C in Linear Algebra), especially after reading this http://www.reddit.com/r/gradadmissions/comments/25gmig/a_somewhat_notgentle_guide_to_getting_into_grad/. However, I believe I have improved since then and my grades in 'core' CS subjects are relatively better, especially in subjects which I like, e.g. Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, Computation, Data Mining etc. Most of my 'core' CS subjects begin from the 2nd year at my university. I'll post my grades in these core subjects from my 2nd & 3rd year (I can't post my 4th year grades yet, for obvious reasons) here and I'd really like to get an honest evaluation of them, and the kind of schools I should realistically be shooting for. Any advice is appreciated. Object-Oriented Programming - A- Logic in Computer Science - A- Digital Design - B Discrete Structures for Computer Science - A- Data Structures and Algorithms - A- Database Systems - B Microprocessors & Interfacing - B Principles of Programming Languages - A Computer Architecture - A- Theory of Computation - A- Operating Systems - A Artificial Intelligence - A Computer Networks - A- Compiler Construction - B Design & Analysis of Algorithms - A Data Mining - A- Software Engineering - B In addition to this, I have two graded research projects, both Computer Science-related, and I was awarded an A for both. All in all, my 'major' GPA over the last 3 years works out to just above 3.6. My cumulative GPA is just above 3.5.

I'm obviously not expecting a straight answer, exactly delineating the schools that would fit my profile. I'm just trying to gather a general opinion on what relatively poor freshman grades in Mathematics-related subjects means in the context of an overall M.S. application for Computer Science. That's a pretty specific question, I would think.

I'm currently a fourth-year Computer Science undergraduate and I intend to apply to an MS. Program in the US for Computer Science for admission in Fall 2015. I'm particularly looking at programs with a strong focus in Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Science or Computational Neuroscience. However, I've been reading some of the forums out there and it makes me feel that my chances are terrible. Here is my situation: GPA: 3.5/4 GRE: 334/340 TOEFL: 115/120 Work Experience: 3-month internships at a fairly large software development company and a small firm unrelated to the field. Research Experience: Projects in college related to Computer Vision and Machine Learning, a year with an independent UAV development team, currently working on some mobile applications using mining techniques etc. Pending university approval, I will spend my final semester working on my senior undergraduate thesis at a research lab in a major university in the US, which deals in Cognitive Science, Data Analysis, etc. and would certainly count as relevant research experience. Extracurriculars: A bit hazy but I've been a member of various student organizations like the university IEEE chapter, the college magazine editorial committee and so on. LORs: Pretty good LORs from my instructors and mentors at university. SOP: I'd like to think I'm a pretty good writer, so I think I'm capable of producing a fairly impactful and direct SOP. What I'm enormously worried about, especially after reading this http://www.reddit.com/r/gradadmissions/comments/25gmig/a_somewhat_notgentle_guide_to_getting_into_grad/, is that some of my grades during my first 2 years at university are fairly terrible, e.g. B's in Calculus I and II, and most glaringly, a C in Linear Algebra. I have improved quite a bit in the last two years though, and I have straight A's in several core CS subjects I'm interested in, like Artificial Intelligence, Data Mining, Theory of Computation, Analysis of Algorithms etc. Considering all this, what are my chances of getting in grad school in the US? Do I completely forget about trying for any university ranked in the top 30 schools?