dat_nerd

You're offering to do their homework for them?

You'll have to give us more information. MS or PhD? Preferred research area?

And on another note, the stress of your PhD is heavily dependent on your advisor and research lab, perhaps more so than the department. Advisor expectations on their students vary widely; within my department, my PI has casual lab meetings every week, whereas another PI in the same department expects to see his students in the lab every day by 9am sharp. The more your working style aligns with that of your advisor, the better.

Ironically, it seems to me that the happiest grad students are the ones who are hard working and graduate quickly (~5 years). It's the "relaxed" students who spend 7+ years in the PhD who seem the most jaded and unhappy. When you say you want to be in a relaxed program, what exactly appeals to you? As an example, I went to the visit weekend for UIUC's CS PhD, a top-ranked and well known program. Their students work hard, and almost all of them graduate within 5 years. They also happened to be the happiest PhD students I have ever met. My hypothesis is that by maintaining a fast pace, they stay more motivated and enjoy the program, rather than letting it drag on without a clear graduation timeline.

I "collaborate" in that I have two advisors, so I have lab mates in two separate labs. The first year or so was very difficult -- both advisors work in different sub-fields, and the vocabulary is different enough that we were having a lot of communication challenges. Over time, I've learned how to better manage the different perspectives, even use them to my advantage. It takes time though.

That really depends on your research area and lab. My lab uses a number of languages - C, C++, Python, and Java. The expectation is that we're at least familiar with all of these languages and can quickly transition into using one or another. I rarely use C++ nowadays, but when I do, I'm at least familiar and can quickly write code with the help of some online docs for syntax reference. It's also assumed (probably at most programs) that we are very comfortable using Unix-based systems.

Really? What makes you say that? Their PhD program is only 10 years old. I don't know how a program can get to be in the top 20 and have a strong presence in the academic community in just 10 years.

If you find a bag you like, sometimes you can get it used or on a 3rd party site for much less. I ended up finding my originally $120 Timbuk2 messenger for $55 on Newegg.

Have you looked into UIUC's program? They have a strong focus on ML + computer vision.

I didn't have a masters degree either when I applied. I think it's worth applying to a wide range of schools, but do make sure that your SOP is as specific about your research interests as possible. Try to stick to one program, and list a small number of professors who you'd be specifically interested in working with.

I haven't heard of it, and have never met anyone at an AI conference who was from TTIC. Do you have an offer from UCSD or USC? If so, I would definitely recommend taking it over a newer, lesser-known program.

Same here. I went into the exam expecting to get it overwith. I had a similar case where very few people fail, so it was hard to be the only one of my peers who has to retake the exam. What's hardest is that I went into the exam expecting it to be difficult, but also expecting that I would come out of it feeling like victory like my peers had. When that didn't happen… I just didn't know what to think.

I just got my first Timbuk2 bag, and it's been perfect. It's a great mix of ruggedness for biking with it every day, but is also nice enough that I actually bring it to conferences as my laptop briefcase. Here's the bag I got: http://www.timbuk2.com/alchemist-laptop-briefcase/164.html?dwvar_164_size=8&dwvar_164_color=2001

Thanks guys I really appreciate it. I will be taking some time off, so hopefully that'll help me with thinking all this through.