DeleteMePlease

I visited TCD once. Its pretty beautiful and thus full of tourists. According to my professor, the research at Trinity College is very good. Though, he was only talking about the area of networks. Also note that Ireland is very expenisve. A beer in the supermarket is around 4 bucks. I would guess you need at least 1000 euros a month for rent and food. Out of curiosity: Do you get financial support in Ireland? If yes, how much?

I think the most important factor is wheter the person recommending you is known by the people who read you application. So if they person recommending you is known in the field you want to go, then I wouldn't worry.

Why not use a content management system? Wordpress is really easy to use and the default design looks really nice for a cv. It's what I use.

So here is my profile. Converted GPA 3.6-3.7. Though, its really difficult to convert it directly. I will take the GRE next friday. Hoping that I will end up somewhere around 60% verbal and 80%+ in quant. Have been working on a research project for nearly a year now. If I am luck I will have a (unpublished?) paper by the time I apply. Haven't taken the TOEFL yet. Had 8.0 two years ago in the IELTS, which is around 110 in the TOEFL scale. I expect to have at least 100 when I retake the TOEFL. Besides school I have been working in two different companies for over a year. Do you think that will excuse my bad grades a little? I think one would also give me a strong letter of recommendation. One research internship in the US this summer. Two or three strong recommendations. Hopefully, one from the the American professor. Several projects I have been working. Mostly opensource stuff. Additionally, I am student representative in my school. Not sure if such stuff helps my application? I also wonder if political activism is something you would put on an application? Would be happy to hear some comments on my application. I am interested in networking. Do you think I have a chance at schools like Cornell, UMass or UofT? There is a research project at MIT that would perfectly fit my interests and background, but I think my profile is not strong enough to apply... I also decided to only apply to good programs. I will stay in Germany if I won't get admitted.

I just found another page saying that a German B- (2.5) is an American A. http://www.wes.org/gradeconversionguide/index.asp

50$ seems enough to me too. In the end its about the gesture not the value of the gift anyways.

Thanks for the insight. So, you would end up with around 1600$ per month. Doesn't sound that much for a (probably?) expensive city like Toronto. Does UofT offer affordable housing for Grad students?

I have the same worries here. I don't think my English is that bad. I scored pretty high on the IELTS. I read that Cornell has recommends at verbal >500 (153 scaled). Do you guys think it makes sense to delay my GRE and study some more vocabulary? I would like to focus on my research, but I am scared that my application will not even be considered because of a low verbal score.

I definitly would recommend to apply again. Otherwise you may wonder all your life about how it would have been if you went to Grad School.If it doesnt work out as you expected one more time, it may not have been supposed to happen. But then you will know for sure.

Has anybody some insights on the funding at UofToronto? I somewhere read 26k but the person had to pay tuition. Also not sure if that included the summer months...

Another thing: I suppose I have to pay taxes on the tuition? How much should I expect? I suppose it differs from state to state...

Thanks for the infos. I think its pretty hard for a foreign applicant to get an external stipend. I know there is a Fulbright program especially for Germans that come to the US, but afaik getting into the program is really competitive. I don't have the urge to live in a big city anyways. Guess I will focus on schools at cheaper locations like Duke.

Hi, I just want to start a thread for all Fall 2014 CS applicants. How far are you with your applications? I will take my GRE at the end of June and am currently selecting the schools I want to apply to. My dream programme is Ph.D at Cornell with a focus on systems.

I would only list them if you received some form of certification. For example I have a certificate for project management from the PMI ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Management_Institute ) that I might put on my CV.

As far as I understand, most (all?) universities will award you a MS in the Ph.D. track.

Thanks for your help. I went to the international office of my (german) university and they suggested to apply for a visa via an external company. I will also get some financial support

Thanks for the tip. I think I will first read some (more) of the papers of the POIs and then maybe add some comments on their research in my mail to show that I know what they are doing and that I am interested in their work. Another question: When did you contact them? Is it too early? I am applying for Fall 2014 and plan to finish my applications in October or November.

If you are interested in research, why don't you apply for a Ph.D. directly? Is there a research area that interests you?

Hey All, does it make sense to contact the Person of Interest. I want to know in particular wheter they are looking for new grad students. However, I don't know how to approach the person. Is a short mail enough? Or should I send a CV? Thanks!

I just don't find that many schools that fit my research interest...

Another Fall 2014 applicant here. First question. How many school will you apply to? I am thinking about five. Two at my level ("safety") and three higher ranked ones...

Hi, as far as I've read, each university pays their Ph.D. students around 2000dollars. While I've looked for a school/researcher that fits my interests I've looked at schools like NYU, UCSD or UCLA. Both seem good schools but I wonder if I could afford living in such cities. I don't go out that much and don't expect to during my time as a Ph.D. student, but I want to afford visiting my family at least once a year. Also living in LA from what I've read, not having a car can be a problem. What do you guys think. I am especially interested in people going to these schools. How much do you pay for rent? Can you afford "luxury" like going out or eating out once in a while? Thanks!

Write exactly that in you SOP. I think its a good way to show that you like research and know what will await you in the Ph.D. programme.

Hey all! I will spend my summer as a research intern in the US. As the intership is less than 90days and I don't get paid, my professor told me to use the visa waiver. First they tried to apply for a J-1 Visa but that didn't work as I don't have a bachelors degree yet. F-1 is also out of the question as I don't study there but just do some research work... Now, I am a little worried. How strict is the US immigration system? The worst case I could imagine is that I do something wrong now and don't get a visa next year because of that when I want to return as a Ph.D student. However, I think that the internship will be a huge bonus for my Ph.D. application. Is an unpaid intern considered an employee? In Germany interns are not considered employees but there are countries in the EU where they are. What do you guys think? Thanks!

You can always take the Math Subject test to prove that you have some background knowledge. However, I think that your chances depend more on your research experience and your LORs