.letmeinplz//

Need help with your homework huh?

Yeah but only 1.5 years of tuition loans isn't too bad (I don't have any debt from undergrad, do have a car payment though) if you can get a leg up in PhD admissions and support then. There is also the possibility of getting RA while you are there if you find a professor who needs one, or even interning to get some money while doing your MS.

You applied because you though SJSU was a good fit for you I hope? The fact a college is in a location does not give you free rein of the market there. People who go to Georgia Tech in Atlanta can work at Google in California and people who go to UCLA in LA can work at E*TRADE in New York. You aren't tied to the city or state you went to school in. You simply call up some movers to move your stuff and you head west (or east). Same goes for interning/co-oping while in school. I know people who went to D.C. for the summer and their rent was paid for by the company they interned at. The fact he wasn't located in D.C. didn't matter to the company. I'm not knowledgeable of an international student's potential to work while in school in the US though so even if you are at SJSU and wanted to intern, could you? What I'm saying is, just because a school is in a location that lots of companies are in doesn't mean you get a free job at the end of your schooling. Someone at MIT or CMU probably has a leg up in the interview despite not existing in Silicon Valley. That said, job fairs usually attract lots of local companies since it is cheaper than flying someone down (so if they have an HQ or branch there they are more likely to be there) so I would expect SJSU to have some of the companies located in Silicon Valley. The other 2 schools are probably better for CS. I would rather get a better education so that when I interviewed in Silicon Valley (hypothetically, I wouldn't live in California if you doubled my salary) they would say "you have great knowledge of CS" rather than "hey that university is nearby isn't it?". Not saying SJSU won't give you a good education, but it won't give you a better one just because it is located in California. SO, pick the school you feel is best for you and your education. The jobs will come.

It does seem like most schools have a petition from MS to PhD (which is why I applied for MS, figured it would be easier to petition into the PhD programs once professors at the school knew me). Not sure about the success rate, but most schools seemed to look at it as the common way for MS students to continue on.

Shame that schools assume the Ivy League is more rigorous when grade inflation is a well known thing in them. Prestige != rigor. Hopefully schools focus more on LORs / experience & projects / SOPs where you can actually compare a LOR vs another LOR, a SOP vs another SOP. My A in Computer Networks might mean less than another student's A in Computer Networks at a different school, or it might mean more. Who is to know?

Hey Harvard just called me and asked me to tell you that you were rejected from Harvard. Sorry :-(.

You can still get an 81.4, but if you don't fix the problem that led to a 38 on your midterm it would be difficult to get a 100 on the remaining 2 grades.

ETS powerprep tests, Magoosh online, different apps on android for vocab/math flashcards.

If only, that would actually be a good thing to add to the April 15th agreement.

One school I contacted gave me a canned response that ended up being a rejection. The other I've sent out hasn't been replied to yet (so no idea). I have 2 other schools to ask too... Though I understand why UMN-TC hasn't made a decision since their MSCS deadline was yesterday even though I applied last winter.

Your thesis is reviewed too by your committee.

So he crashed into the place and then got out and physically beat her? Was she the only one there? If not, Castle Doctrine applies to defense of others. I just ignore the whole "if you have a pending accept, please reject" spam. Do what is best for you, and if what is best is to take your time on your decision then so be it. This is a decision that can and will change your entire life, it isn't easy to do.

Is this person saying they only let average people in? I'm sure universities go "No way, this guy is way too good for us! He should be in the Ivy League!"...

$100,000 in debt is a lot when it isn't backed by a physical object (like getting a loan for a house where the house can be sold to pay off the debt [hopefully ]). What is your projected salary once you are finally in a career? A MA will probably help your PhD prospects and since people here say ranking matters when getting jobs in academia, a better PhD program seems like the only way to reach your goal. Unless you are fine with teaching (professing?) at a similarly ranked school as your 105 admit. Try finding out where PhDs from your admit end up teaching at and see if those universities are good enough for you to end up in (that way you avoid a mountain of debt before even starting your PhD). So I guess it depends on where you want to land. If you have to land in a higher ranked university, is 6-figure debt worth it?

I'm starting to try hard to avoid national chains and only eat at small/independent eateries. It is really hard though since chains seem to have an advantage (I guess they are financially propped up?) and are everywhere. There is a thai place nearby that remembers my name and gives me free thai tea while I wait and I don't get that kind of service at chains. I like that small businesses seem to be appearing more and more though. Hopefully it continues. But all this hatred of my beard... It keeps me warm in the winter (Don't Starve / Wilson is pretty realistic) so if I don't choose Arizona it will help me survive. :-(

Ok, you first.

Texas calling Florida crazy is like North Dakota calling Minnesota cold.

I don't know about that... "Totes magotes" - Darth Vader / Mufasa

Utah has a lot of good places to hike like The Narrows in Zion National Park. But since landing a job is number 1, I think the research triangle probably gives a little more opportunity than SLC does.

Sounds like a super villain in the making. - "I'll show them... I'LL SHOW THEM ALL!".

NCSU is nice because the research triangle + Duke / UNC are close by. Because of this Raleigh has some good industry around it. Salt Lake City is no slouch either though (and as you said, beautiful) and has some good industry there. I visited SLC once and had a pretty good time (if you like winter sports, they definitely have it there). I know you aren't looking to be a professor, but if it is a possible path for you I don't see TAing as a negative as it will give you good teaching experience. I'm sure you could TA at Utah too if you wanted. I'm still waiting on some results for a few schools, but if these are my only accepts I think I am in the same boat as you for MSCS (Utah vs NCSU). I think what gives NCSU the edge for me is the fact that when I want to continue on to a PhD, if I can't continue on at NCSU (for whatever reason) there are 2 other great schools right there that wouldn't require another big move. I guess you need to look at your pros and weigh which ones are more important. Is "staggering industry connections" number 1 on your list of pros? Is a "beautiful location" really all that important when you spend your time in a lab staring at a computer screen? I think all pros aren't created equal, so you should analyze which pros are going to give you the best experience.

How did you go about contacting them? I sent an email and one replied with "they should be finished by the end of March" and the other is just radio silence.

Self control not to check status? I don't even know what that means... BRB checking status again...