ak48
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Posts posted by ak48
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Hi all,
I'm trying to decide between 2 programs and obviously the PI is going to be a huge part of the decision. Aside from visiting them and 'getting a vibe,' how do you determine how respected a given professor is in his/her field?
I'm not too familiar with the prestige level of science journals, and have really little to go by other than size of lab (indicative of funding prowess) and tenure status.
How would one get a relatively objective evaluation of a professors standing within his/her field? I believe their own graduate students would be biased.
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If working another year would be fine with you, i would probably reapply. i know i'd be a much smarter applicant the 2nd time around with a better chance of getting into programs i like.
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You will make friends simply by virtue of you being in the same boat as everyone else coming into your program.
You shouldn't rely on this alone. Go out and be active about meeting people, via social meetings and activity groups.
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Yes of course, like with anything in life there is a great deal of variability.
That admitted, I would wager more often than not, what I had said comes into play.
i don't know, a lot of EE professors i've looked at at the top schools tended to have a phd from the intstitution where they teach. of course, there is an obvious bias here: phd students at the top universities tend to be highly skilled, which leads to them getting positions at high universities, of which there are only a few.
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Staying up late never really worked for me, as I'm so destroyed the next 2-3 days that it's not worth the extra 4-5 hours of productive work i'd get from not sleeping.
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I'm sure it varies hugely from person to person, depending on:
-Individual project (some projects are more time consuming than others, skill and luck is a factor here too)
-Motivation (stay in lab all day to finish in 4 years or less? or decide for more balanced life)
-Advisor/lab environment (some places are more intense than others)
You should ask the specific graduate students in the programs and labs you are looking at. It can vary significantly from person to person, and definitely from lab to lab even within the same school.
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i'm curious about furniture and my car (although the car decision will be easier once i visit the campuses)
i'll be moving across country and not sure what to do with my desk and bed. i guess it depends on the furnishings of possible houses
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My field is relatively small, so departments also tend to be small. From what I've seen, dating within the department... does not work. Ever.
I have tried online dating (HAHA WHAT) and it was okay. I met a few guys who were pretty cool for the most part... except for the guy who gave a 20 minute rant on why global warming is a hoax on the first date (nota bene: I am a climate scientist). I hope that by mentioning this, the thread will devolve into an "internet dating nightmare" story hive. Um. please?
Internet dating has become much less stigmatized today. if you think about it, facebook is pretty much an online outlet for people to post attractive pictures of themselves and present themselves publically in the most favorable light possible (and the posted relationship status makes this even more online-datey)
i know a bunch of friends who have met serious partners through okcupid. it's just another resource to meet people. there really shouldn't be any pride in meeting your gf/bf through a shared class in my opinion.
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People who are the same [gender/skin color/nationality/religion/sexual orientation/height/eye color/other] as me always do stereotypical (or otherwise unwelcome) things that don't represent who I am. I don't worry about it.
[but there are MUCH easier ways to look for husbands than attend a top school for a 5-year PhD. Just sayin']
Anybody who thinks people sign up for a grueling 5 year Phd program in order to maybe meet some potential spouses are probably crazy. And the ones who actually do implement the plan are nuts
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i applied to 7 schools in EE (PhD)
2 schools interviewed me:
1 accept, 1 waitlist (now likely rejection)
5 schools did not interview me:
1 accept, 4 rejections
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One of my friends was choosing between Princeton and Stanford EE a few years ago (he was fully funded at Stanford), and he decided on Princeton. He finished up his Ph.D. a few years ago.
Here are a couple of things to consider:
1. Princeton focuses on more theoretical work in the EE dept.; moreso than most universities. If that's what you're interested, great! But if not, you're gonna have a harder time finding a good research fit. I've also heard it isn't that easy to switch departments, but it is easy to collaborate. Princeton's endowment is strong enough that many advisers are very flexible with what you do research on, and it is easy to strike up collaborations with other professors in other departments (and often encouraged).
2. You'll have to reapply at Stanford to get in to the Ph.D. program, and you aren't guaranteed admission. Don't underestimate the amount of work that will need to go into this.
3. Even if you do get in, you don't know what kind of funding you'll have. Palo Alto is one of the most expensive places in the country, and it'd be very easy to go into debt there.
4. This may just be hearsay, but I've heard that your performance on the quals at Stanford determine who you get to work with i.e. if you perform in the top 5%, you can work with the more well-known professors. At Princeton, you're almost guaranteed to work with the professor of your choice. My friend cited about 85%-90% success rate in getting your first pick.
5. Don't let other people tell you that you don't have a chance of getting into academia. If you work hard enough, you can accomplish anything. Coming from Princeton or Stanford greatly improves your chances of scoring a faculty position. If that's what you truly want, don't give up so easily.
6. Most of the opportunities and advantages in the Bay area come from start-ups. If you're looking to join a company to do research, both schools offer great opportunities (along with many others). I don't foresee you having significantly "greater chances" by living in Silicon Valley. Princeton has many connections with companies like Qualcomm, IBM, Microsoft Research, etc, and you could easily score multiple summer internships during your time there.
You're choosing between two great schools, neither of which is substantially stronger than the other. Of course Stanford is more well-known and carries a better reputation, but not enough to justify declining a fully-funded offer from Princeton (and they pay EXTREMELY well). The only way I could justify going to Stanford is if the research fit was much much better than at Princeton. I suggest talking to some professors at Princeton about their research and also about your interest in CS.
you've sold me quite well on princeton, tarrman!
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So I work for a large tech company. I really like everyone I work with and feel a little guilty for leaving because I will be leaving my small team with even more work (we already lost one member recently). They are about to start a huge new project and are determining the teams. I want to tell them that I will be going to grad school and not to plan on me being a large contributor to this new project (which is likely what they'll end up doing) and maybe they'll need to hire someone new to replace me, doing so now would give me enough time to bring them up to speed on what I've worked on. However, I don't want to risk being let go early as I do not get to keep my signing bonus / relocation if I do not work for a full year and I would sill like to be paid up through July. I'm 95% confident they would not let me go because I told them, but there is still that 5% I cannot shake. So any thoughts or opinions?
I think the rule of thumb is a month's notice, which should be enough time for them to prepare replacing you while also not creating too much "lame duck" time for yourself.
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Seems like the real decision here is between a Masters and a Phd, not really between the two schools (although the subject matter for the phd is kinda important)
what do you want to do in 10 years?
from an initial standpoint, circuit design is always going to be in demand for jobs
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This thread may be of interest to you
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It's a bit later in the season, so hopefully by now we have more people who know they're heading to Princeton! I just decided two days ago myself. I'm planning on living in the GC, which is apparently guaranteed to first-years who want it. Anyone else know what they're doing for housing?
I can't commit to a PhD program without visiting the campus or meeting the professors!!
I know nothing about the housing situation lol
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Oh, You've been waiting since March 15 and you think you know our pain? I've had an app due since Dec 1 -- I was born into waiting for grad school acceptances... molded by it. I didn't get my decision until I was already a man!
but really, welcome to the club
Did the experience scar you so badly that you now wear a hideous mask on your face that distorts everything you say so that nobody in the theater can understand anything you're saying?
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Direct copy-pasting large chunks of internet material should be punished on grounds of stupidity and inability to think creatively.
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Join an activity group! be it a casual sports (we play soccer every tuesday afternoon, etc) or some craft/hobby.
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Took the words right out of my mouth, budgie. I'd love to have that written on my CV.
I am Tesla (scholar)
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I spend so much time in lab because I want publishable data, and 90% of the time, the first time you do something, it doesn't work.
A 10 percent first-success rate? What is the secret, master?
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I would probably ask this school if an extension to the reply date were possible, while at the same time asking the 2nd school about your status (with a quick explanation of your situation)
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I'm going for electrical engineering, and so I'm not sure how it works in sociology.
I have a feeling that many graduate students look to a "star" professor because s/he will have the proper connections/credentials to get you a good job.
How to measure a Professor's standing/respect in field?
in Decisions, Decisions
Posted
thanks for the information. i was sort of curious about if there is a metric to "quality of journal" other than asking somebody how the feel about it. is there such a metric as "times cited" that's easily available (for a given journal, as well as professor)? is such a number an accurate count of status?
i'm wary because at least with tv/movie/music ratings, most popular/sold certainly does not mean best quality.