tek123

@valeedm92 Congrats on your admit, what are you focusing on in CS?

Hey, I am doing MSCS too @UCLA! Haha, looks like you are in the same boat as I am, trying to look for a place that doesn't kill our wallet. Westwood...

Prestige is useless. It will only get you into interview for the job you want, but getting the job will depend on what you learn from the school. But in terms of preparing you for the industry, yes, CMU is a better choice and you should go there UNLESS: 1. You have a POI in UCSD that you are absolutely want to work with 2. Being in Pittsburg and away from SO would affect your academic performance. Most UCSD master students I know was able to secure a TA position. But honestly, don't worry about financials. Maybe it's just me, but I believe financial shouldn't be a factor that keeps you from going to a better program. If I was choosing between paying for Berkeley or Stanford? Maybe. But in your case, a dedicated program in CMU should be much better than a generalized UCSD program.

Need more details. Like, what you want to do after you graduate and why you want to go to a grad school. Are you deadset on doing mobility?

I agree that you should retake the GRE. From what I read, GRE is generally used for two things: 1. If you have no or little experience, then you can use the GRE to make up for it. If you can score a 170Q on the exam, it tells the university that you have enough raw skills to make up for the inexperience. 2. It's used as a cut-off. If you have decent experience, but if you score poorly on the GRE Q, it might break your overall application. Get a book and study the problems. Try to aim for 86%+. If you are aiming for the top 5, you probably need 92%+, but in general 86% in top 10-20 would be enough to make you a strong candidate. (For Verbal, try to get higher than 50%, you don't need anything ridiculously high) Look at UCLA's average domestic stat: (http://www.cs.ucla.edu/academics/graduate-program/graduate-admission-frequently-asked-questions) Domestic M.S. applicants/admittees: V: 73.3/78.2th; Q: 84.9/87.8th; AW: 57.9/62.2th. Most importantly though, remember that the quality of SOP/experience/publications/recommendations will be a stronger indicator. Raise or lower your application range depending on it.

Thanks Red!

Hello! I am applying for master in CS for UCLA and UIUC, but I am getting really anxious because the application status still says 'submitted'. It's my first time applying so I am unsure, but isn't the status supposed to be updated as 'under review' by now? Should I call them? Wondering if there is anyone else in the same boat.