PhDerp

Just for reference, someone pointed out to me that a "degree title" really is just the BA, MSc, PhD, etc. What we're looking at here is the longest name of a "major". Or, as people are adding, long lists of majors + minors + special honors. Those are fun to talk about, too!

Just curious: why NYU over CMU? Funding? Certain professor? Location?

Participate in on-campus research. Check psychology and linguistics departments for these opportunities. Sometimes they're pretty fun! The best one I ever did was with my kinesiology experiment. Made $100 and a year-long gym membership to do certain weight-lifting exercises under supervision. So awesome!

Posting now to "bookmark" this thread. I'm not sure how long mine is yet, but I have a feeling it's going to be a little crazy if I'm allowed to append all the things. If you mean just a single degree name, I think mine are just "Mathematics with..." and "Computer Science with...".

^Seconded. Also, make sure you start with a size that fits, then layer on larger socks. Don't wear anything too tight (which restricts circulation)!

Not sure about the likelihood. Undergrad housing can be hard to get late. People camp out by the housing office to be first in line for applications when they don't get in. But it's really easy to live off-campus in the area. There's an extensive bus system (http://www.pvta.com/schedules.php has UMass/Amherst routes specifically) and there are apartment complexes as well as houses renting out rooms all around Amherst, and in neighboring towns. Check out the western Mass craigslist (http://westernmass.craigslist.org/) and the UMass off-campus housing website (http://www.umocss.org/). EDIT: And, of course, good luck! Enjoy your time at UMass. Feel free to hit me up if you have any questions!

Aww, I hope you find a way to make it work for you. Ruined pixie cuts are the worst. Try new things while it's short enough to adjust easily! You might find a style that works with the cut.

Haha nice segue! I actually mean to implicitly include that under the section where I mention cat. You just made me realize I forgot to add "etc." - whoops! Here is a cool little guide about UNIX commands for computational linguistics (that I found on accident): http://www.isi.edu/natural-language/mt/unix.txt Go USC!

Wh00, just found this topic and that was my vote! Enjoy Austin!!

I heard an ad in Northampton, MA about how the Pioneer Valley is to beer what Napa Valley is to wine. I thought it was pretty cocky.

I know I sent this to you already, but for reference on the forum: I think it helps to keep in mind that UNIX commands are text-centric; that's kind of the philosophy (at least, to my knowledge). Many commands will be based around creating, editing, and searching through text files. You can look more into this independently. I'm sure a better explanation of the reasons behind, and consequences of, this property are discussed in any major reading on Linux! I think you'll demonstrate basic proficiency if you learn some basic filesystem manipulation (cd, pwd, ls, mkdir, cp, rm), remote access (ssh, scp), output-chaining ( >, >>, | ), and text editing / searching (echo, cat, grep). Also, know man [COMMAND], which gets you whatever documentation is available for a given command. There are a bunch of other helpful commands that you will learn as you use UNIX-based systems more... But you only really learn them because you need them! I've been using Linux for 7 years, and I don't know much more than my friends who've been using it for less time. We all just use what's necessary! To practice, I'd spend some time navigating the file system using command-line. Then try to create, edit, and search through some text files. IMO, it doesn't take too long to get the basics down. I think you can do it in a day if you're vigilant. Like most things, repetition helps, so don't just do it once and say "got it", even when the commands are simple. Oh, and learning the acronyms can help a lot; the names can be pretty self-explanatory! For example, pwd = "print working directory". Guess what that does? Good luck! EDIT: Whoawhoawhoa, sorry! I missed another big ticket topic in Linux: privileges. Understand what drwx-rw-rw- means, or -rwx-wx-wx, or any of those variants. Also learn about chmod (which you use to set privileges), su, and sudo. Know what root is. These are also incredibly important to understanding Linux commands. Also useful are those universal directory calls: ~ is home directory, . is current directory, and .. is parent directory. It's also nice to know about variables and path (great examples of the text-centric nature of Linux). Try echo $SHELL. Finally, if you want to just know about Linux, learn about the basic file structure (what's usually in /bin or /dev or /usr or /home, etc.) Phew. Now I'm at least missing less.

Gotcha! Good luck, and I hope you enjoy OSU!

Fwee, thanks, and I hope you have a great time at NEU!! ^___^ I hope you love Boston!

If I were you, I'd go to CMU-SV. The internship opportunities sound important to you. Yes, you can get internships from other schools and there will be recruiting events from all over. But it's easier to hire someone already in-state, and to invite them in to interview. This also makes you more accessible to the startups that aren't ready to invest hundreds in flying you across country for an interview! You're automatically casting a wider net just by being in Silicon Valley. Also, SV has a really good culture for CS; you'll be able to find techies and collaborators at bars, not just in the classroom! IMO that's the coolest thing about the Bay Area. Still, it's hard to tell what other people's priorities are. Maybe you just wouldn't like SV. Who knows? You might end up working in Boulder or Cambridge instead! But I think it's easier to start at the heart of the tech industry if your goal is to get involved. Congratulations, by the way!! And good luck! Keep us posted.

There have been responses for MSCS and PhD in CS. Not sure if it helps.

Machine Learning is definitely the buzzword in AI right now. The department I'm heading to mentioned a ridiculous increase of applicants interested in that subfield alone (~3/4 of my visit-day cohort were there for ML). Also, it's wicked fun. Definitely look into basic AI and ML courses! If you're background in probability isn't strong, take MIT's probability course. I think it's taught through their CS department. I looked at the material before, and it's good stuff; exactly what you need to get started down the AI path. EDIT: I found a course for you, if you're interested: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-041sc-probabilistic-systems-analysis-and-applied-probability-fall-2013/ It's exactly what I was describing above. Check it out! And don't be intimidated by the big words; it's pretty simple, you just gotta get used to it. And definitely get the basics down pat. It makes the rest way easier if you're not second-guessing yourself every time you run into a conditional probability!

It didn't work out that way for me (at least, not that I noticed)... But there may be? Do you have any other offers? Is this the last school you're waiting on?

Whenever I get nervous about going in and I start to feel inadequate, I tell myself "they've had worse deadbeats than you" and I feel a lot better.

Spam. Just kidding. XD

OMG orange, you're everywhere! Lol EDIT: Someday in Los Angeles, we will meet at a bar, and we will each realize who the other one is... And the duel will be epic. ;D