dijkstra.jr

As a currently enrolled PhD student at UT studying computer science I feel able to answer your questions, but first let me ask you a couple. What is it that you are interested in studying? If you're interested in HCI as your previous research indicted then I would suggest steering clear of UT. We do not have anyone for you to work with who is doing good work in HCI, and as anyone working on a PhD with half a brain will tell you, the most important aspect of pursuing a PhD is with whom you are working not where you are going. Do you have specific areas of research you're interested in beyond the usual systems/AI/theory triumvirate? If so, I can tell you a bit about who we have here working on problems in those areas and whether or not they are competent researchers/advisers. If you don't have a short list of people you would consider working with when you are applying to a school, don't even bother applying. A PhD program is not the place to figure that out. You will just end up wasting time and money (through years of missed wages) floundering in a program without any direction. I have several friends who are currently at UT because it was the highest ranked school they were accepted to and who didn't fully consider what kind of research they would enjoy working on, and they are consequently very unhappy. That being said, if you find someone to work with with similar interests and a compatible working style, UT isn't a bad place to get a PhD (if you're sure that's what you really want). As for your questions about your chances, let me say this. In the most recent incoming class we accepted many boneheads with much worse applications than yours on paper. We have routinely accepted students with no publications. These are often students coming directly from undergrad. I know for a fact that some committee members rate GRE scores as a weighty part of the admission decision making process, but they do not really care about verbal scores unless they are atrociously bad. Quantitative and CS GRE scores are pretty much the only scores they really pay attention to. Another thing to consider is that the program here doesn't really favor those with incoming MS degrees. We do not have quals, only course requirements. If we had quals you could probably immediately test out of those, but unfortunately you will be required to take quite a few courses to satisfy the course requirements. I came in with an MS from elsewhere and found that I was only able to get course requirements waived for 3 of the 8 total required courses to advance to candidacy (and getting a waiver isn't a given). This is the max that dept allows you to get waived. The course requirements are pretty complicated so I will not go into the specifics, but suffice it to say having an MS will not make your PhD get done much faster at UT. Also, I cannot stress my first point enough. If you do not have a list of serious adviser candidates in mind before applying here, beware. Additionally, if you get accepted be sure to talk to them and ask them pointed questions about their advising style, funding situation, openness to working on problems other than their own pet projects, and average graduation time for previous students. The point in time when you're having these discussions will be only time in the adviser/advisee relationship when you have an iota of power. I would suggest being frank about what you expect to get out of working with them. Honesty now will save you tons of pain down the road. The program (as most are) is structured such that you'll be totally reliant on your adviser for financial support, direction, and guidance towards graduation. The channels outside of your adviser for seeking such things are really just for show. The attitude by faculty members is really one of "that's not my problem" when it comes to the overall well-being and quality of the PhD program and its students (other than their own and for some faculty members, even for their own). If you have a good working relationship with your adviser, none of this will come up, but if you decide you want to change advisers after a year or two expect to be here for a very long time...