newms

I'm guessing that that would only work if you were close enough to the board (or had a good lens on your camera to get a good shot) and even then taking photos regularly in class could be distracting for the class. I'm also guessing that this would probably be best done with a tablet device since taking a photo with a camera and then transferring to a laptop/netbook might be too time consuming to do during class (maybe it could be done after class). I've never tried it or seen it done in a class, so I'm not sure how distracting it would be though.

I think I'm going to try taking notes using my netbook when I start in the fall. I'm very averse to handwriting notes, since having a digital copy is a lot more convenient in terms of portability and durability (provided that you make sure you have back-ups). My only problem is quickly typing equations, which is why I'm thinking that a tablet might be even better than a netbook for note taking.

I would have thought that it is THAT unusual. Congrats on your eventual acceptance! Was there anything in particular with your application that would have caused them to take a second look?

designer clothes

money laundering

I would suggest you read up on this professor's research. Also, be prepared to talk about your own interests and your previous experience. It's a good idea to practice an 'elevator pitch' version of who you are, so that you're not fumbling for words during the Skype chat. You should also be prepared to ask a few specific questions about the prof's research. One of the goals of a pre-application chat like this is to see or demonstrate (if you're already convinced) how your interests and the prof's interests overlap. Another tip: if you were the one who initiated the meeting/chat , then come prepared to lead the discussion, don't expect the prof to take charge of the conversation. If however, it was the prof that requested the meeting/Skype chat, the they would probably start off the chat and lead the discussion (at least at first). Good luck!

house party

I think once you can show that you (or the person who's supporting you) have enough funds to cover the first year, then you'll be ok. So you'll just have to demonstrate this at the visa interview.

They do. A rolled up newspaper works well too.

OH YEAH is doing a PhD at Princeton, but you can check the websites of the different programs, usually they have a page about their funding availability. I've also heard that UIUC (which isn't on your list) funds it's Master's students as well, but I'm not sure if that's current information. People have discussed funding situations at different MS programs before, such as in by a Stanford MS student, so if you searched the CS forum here you'll find some info on which schools give funding for MS students.

Some people do it, but usually those people go intending to do a PhD program but change their minds while they're there. To intentionally apply for a PhD knowing you'll drop out after the MS would be bad form in my opinion. Firstly, when you're applying you're going to have to state that you're applying for the PhD while you know that you just want a MS, which is a bit shady. Secondly, chances are, your funding would come from a prof's research grant and they would be expecting that the sunk costs that they would be paying in your tuition would lead to an additional researcher for their lab as you pursue your PhD. So when you end up dropping out, you'd in effect be disadvantaging the person that would have been paying your tuition. This, needless to say, could lead to burnt bridges. So you should really only drop out of a PhD and take the MS if you honestly had a change of mind during the program. While most MS programs don't provide funding, some of the top ones do, so I would encourage you to investigate those (which I think you'd have a pretty good shot at), rather than applying to a PhD program with the intention of dropping out after the MS.

Cookie Monster

Definitely not a tragedy, but an inconvenience for sure. Will you be able to renew it next year from the US or will you have to return home to do so?

I think as long as you password protect it and don't share the password with anyone you don't trust, then you should be ok.

Another thing to consider if you plan on sharing wifi with a neighbor is to make sure they don't download any illegal stuff. Stories like this one make me want to get my own wifi service.

Looks like I'm going to be stuck with Comcast as well. Where I'm from (a developing country) I can get 100Mbs bandwidth for about what Comcast is charging for 50Mbs. Sigh.

Why does no school want you? I'd think you'd have a pretty good shot at those schools. Is the paper you submitted at a reputable conference (or possibly journal)? If your paper were to be accepted I'd think you'd have a pretty good chance to get into at least a few of the places you listed. Of course, a lot will depend on the quality of your statement of purpose and those of your letters of recommendation. I don't think all of those places you list provide funding for Master's students, so that is something you should take into consideration as well. Good luck.

rubber tree

Yeah, you have to set it so that you use your school's SMTP server to send emails rather than gmail's (which is the default). This link has a good description of how to set it up. Also see gmail's instructions here. You can search your school's webmail instructions or FAQs to find out what's their SMTP server.

Hey badstudent, people have got into grad school with a sub 3.0 GPA. See this thread that's been ongoing for 2 application seasons now: It's filled with lots of experiences of people who had sub 3.0 GPAs and got into grad school (through the back door and the front door). I think the graduate-level courses are a good idea, but more important is to pad your research experience. Have you had any papers published? BTW When are you planning to apply?

Yes you can sign a lease without being in the US - I've done so by scanning and emailing documents and I'm sure you could use fax too as well. I guess it depends on if the landlord will allow you to.

I think it's a good idea to at least ask - I've been in contact with mine and he has given me stuff to read. You never know how the adviser would respond unless you ask, so go for it.

food stamps

Typically in the STEM fields, you can apply straight from undergrad to a PhD program. In fact, usually programs encourage you to do so if you want to ultimately get a PhD. PhD admissions committees evaluate your research potential, and the best ways to prove your research potential is to (i) have research experience; having a paper (or more) published would be a bonus (ii) having strong letters of recommendation by professors (ideally well-known) how can vouch for your research experience/potential (iii) having a focused and strong statement of purpose that shows that you have a good idea of what you want to research in grad school. The ideal applicant would have all three, but most people don't so don't be intimidated if you feel like you would be lacking in some area. If you ultimately want a PhD, and your program says that you can apply to the PhD level and you feel like you can show that you have good research potential, then I would suggest you apply for the PhD. Check with the program for confirmation of their requirements for PhD admission as GardeningGrad suggests.

Hey Roccoriel, do you mean the annoying 'sent on behalf of' that gmail used to insert in the sender field when sending an email from a different account? They did away with that: http://lifehacker.co...-real-this-time I've been using my gmail to send emails from my school address as soon as I got it back in March, and to the recipient, there's no mention of my gmail account in any email I send. I use the same set up as Tall Chai Latte and lambspam and manage my school's email from my gmail. I have a filter and label set up so that I can easily identify school email, and I have it set up so that when I reply from my gmail to an email sent to my school account it automatically uses the school email to reply, so I don't unintentionally reply with the wrong address.