frustrated_indian

@parasolsherry Thank you so much for the detailed reply. I was really down, and your comment helped life me up. My job at IBM is soft of research, but not full time research. I am in IBM smart planet group, where I'd be both developing software and analyzing smart grid data to find strategies for demand response, time series analysis for forecasting, and optimization methods for dynamic resource allocation. Some guys in this role have told me that it is possible to get a co-authorship in papers or patents, but they will not be in traditional machine learning venues. Popular venues are IEEE smart grids, IEEE CDC, SIAM (including SDM) and such. So, I am a bit worried if this will actually take me even further away from the type of AI problems I wish to study - vision, robotics, SLAM, and such. Would it be a good idea to contact Columbia now, and tell them that I am interested in pursuing an MS in CS, while also TAing in the EE department for funding? I have an admit with Columbia EE (with RA/TA), so not sure how it would fly. I am not in a position to afford an unfunded MS. I don't have an obligation to earn, but I am in no position to take out a loan or ask my parents for money.

My intention is not to demean the schools. They were backup for me because they were in EE (communications, info theory) whereas what I was really aiming for was CS/AI. If I had got into CS programs at these schools, or at least contacted by CS professors, I would be happy to go. UTA CS is actually a very good fit for me, but I am not sure if I can work with the professors I like.

Thank you for the reply. The other applicants I mentioned applied in core-EE areas. If I had applied in communications and info theory, I am sure I would have got into at least 3-4 top 10 schools (some will argue that UTA is top 10 too). I took classes in ML and vision simultaneously in my 7th semester (i.e. Aug-Dec 2015) and simply fell in love with them. My course project for vision course is essentially my undergrad thesis even though I did substantially more research work in communications for over 1 academic year and a summer intern. I admit that I don't have substantial research experience exactly in this area, but I really hoped that research in a closely related and highly mathematical field would have been helpful.

No, I mean the communication systems (wireless, sensor networks etc.) area in Electrical Engineering.

Re-posting here for better visibility. I'd appreciate any advice and comments I am an EE student at a top IIT with interest in AI/ML/vision. I have a high GPA (9.2+ can be considered equivalent to 4.0 at most US schools), good research experience, and a journal paper under review. I was initially interested in communication systems and information theory, and found my calling for AI very late. Though communication, info theory, and AI might sound quite different, there is a vast overlap in the underlying math - especially optimization and probability theory. I went ahead and applied for 6-7 CS PhD programs (mostly top 10) and haven't heard back from any of them. Nearly all of them have sent out their admission offers, and hence I am forced to assume a reject. I have heard positive news from Columbia and UT Austin EE programs, which I had chosen as backup options. But I was contacted by only communications professors, even though I had mentioned my intent in working with a few CS professors in my SOP. Should I take one of these offers and try to make something out of it? I no longer have a passion for communication, and would like to work on problems in vision, robotics, and such. Also, it would be very unfortunate to go the EE route to these universities, since many of my classmates with weaker profiles got offers from better places like UIUC, Caltech, and CMU. An alternate option seems to be to work for a year and then apply again in CS. I have a neat job lined up at IBM, but it is not full time research, so may not help with applications. Are CS programs averse to taking non-CS undergrads? What would be a good option given my circumstances? I feel so pathetic and miserable. If I had to go the EE route, I could have got much better programs. If only I had taken a few AI and ML classes sooner, I would have spent time there and got good papers, instead of wasting time with communications. I can say very proudly that I have worked much harder than many of my peers, and I am at least as smart as them. But ultimately, everything seems to boil down to dumb luck - being in the right classes at the right time, and dumb luck with choosing the right major at 19 y/o without any idea what it is about.

I am an EE student at a top IIT with interest in AI/ML/vision. I have a high GPA (9.2+ with 9.0 generally considered equivalent to 4.0 at most US schools), good research experience, and a journal paper under review. I was initially interested in communication systems and information theory, and found my calling for AI very late. Though communication, info theory, and AI might sound quite different, there is a vast overlap in the underlying math - especially optimization and probability theory. I went ahead and applied for 6-7 CS PhD programs (mostly top 10) and haven't heard back from any of them. Nearly all of them have sent out their admission offers, and hence I am forced to assume a reject. I have heard positive news from Columbia and UT Austin EE programs, which I had chosen as backup options. But I was contacted by only communications professors, even though I had mentioned my intent in working with a few CS professors in my SOP. Should I take one of these offers and try to make something out of it? I no longer have a passion for communication, and would like to work on problems in vision, robotics, and such. Also, it would be very unfortunate to go the EE route to these universities, since many of my classmates with weaker profiles got offers from better places like UIUC, Caltech, and CMU. An alternate option seems to be to work for a year and then apply again in CS. I have a neat job lined up at IBM, but it is not full time research, so may not help with applications. Are CS programs averse to taking non-CS undergrads? What would be a good option given my circumstances? Thank you for your time.