Entangled Phantoms
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Posts posted by Entangled Phantoms
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13 minutes ago, Panthera Tigris said:
Hi everyone,
Just needed an opinion. I am considering applying for a PhD in Computer Engineering here in the US. So I just wanted to ask you if it would be even possible for me to get into a decent enough program with my current profile.
- Masters thesis in Biomedical Image Analysis (Image Processing and Computer Vision)
- Thesis research resulted in a first author publication at a decent conference
- Can probably get a good recommendation from thesis advisor
- Did a separate independent study project under co-advisor that also resulted in news media coverage
- Multiple other projects under various professors
- Thesis based masters in Computer Engineering at a mid tier US university (GPA 3.0)
- Bachelors in ECE from a foreign university (GPA 3.0)
- GRE 319 (159V, 160Q, 4.5 AWA)
- Currently work as a software engineer but do not enjoy my work and really want to get back into research before it is too late.
My current research interests are improving performance of imaging, computer vision and machine learning algorithms on high performance computer architecture, GPU computing. That is a fusion of my past research in image processing coupled with computer architecture or high performance / distributed computing / GPU / Grids.
Given my dismal profile, is there a chance that I could get to work with decent enough professors (I'm obviously not aiming for top tier programs with top professors). Or should I give up my PhD dreams ? I would love to hear you guys opinions.
You have an unusual enough profile that you should also directly contact programs/professors. I honestly have no clue how schools would view your profile and I doubt many others would either.
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9 hours ago, BrianCrafton said:
So I got into Georgia Tech with a TA and Virginia Tech with some crazy fellowship thing that seems like it guarantees me 2 years at 30k but is renewable and ill get all 6 years funded by it. Georgia Tech seems to have everything besides the funding... better advisor(s) and more closely aligned research goals. What do I do?
Graduate school is a job that is supposed to set you up for your next job. Which school gets you where you want to go? Where and what do you want to be working on for the next 4-5 years?
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5 hours ago, foton said:
I have been admitted to the following (along with conditions and offers) (International student). I had applied in the field of Optics/Photonics
1) Boston University ECE: PhD with fellowship
2) Institute of Optics, University of Rochester: MS with 40% fee waiver
3) UIUC ECE (MS/PhD): Tuition fee waiver with RA ship.
Although my current field is nonlinear optics, I have intentionally not finalized my sub-field within optics & photonics, for graduate studies, hence had applied to places having good diversity. All three of these have it, however, in UIUC, I have already received an RA ship with a prof, for 9 months. Confused, as to whether I would be able to choose a different guide at UIUC, if my interests change. I have heard that at UoR, it is very difficult to get into PhD after 1st sem of MS (which is largely coursework, not much enthu about doing only courses), (only about 2/~30 students getting PhD). At UIUC, if it is not that commonplace to switch guides, I may run the risk of having to stay in the field in which my RA ship is. Need some advice!!
Regarding UIUC: As long as your next advisor has money and is willing to take you on, you can switch if you don't like the field you start out with. The way current students have told me these switches commonly work is that you end up doing your MS with one advisor and PhD with the next. It is also a good idea to figure to learn a little more about the professor you are getting the RA from initially. Some professors can hold a grudge if they spend 9 months training you and then you leave (was an issue for a friend with an advisor at my current school) right away. Other professors might be hesitant to take you on to avoid pissing off your the initial advisor. I don't think this will be an issue, but doing some research about your professor at UIUC beforehand would be a good idea.
PM me if you have any other specific Qs. I am likely not going to attend UIUC, but my interest is photonics and I likely met your professor. Not sure how much my opinion would be worth, but it is a data point.
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1 hour ago, goldentoast said:
What field?
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12 hours ago, coolgod said:
I think you do have a point, perhaps if I knew more about how funding and the admission process worked better I would have pursued a different strategy. Perhaps the moral of the story is chase the money, not your interests. Although just out of my friend circles the ones which got good Ph.D. offers all had publications. Undoubtedly there is some correlation between the success of future Ph.D. students and publications in undergraduate, but I think the adcom is giving more credit to this factor than it deserves. Of course, they are also making decisions without perfect information so I can't blame them. I also haven't noticed many people with publications getting lots of rejections.
I don't think anyone said publications don't help. They certainly do. All else being equal, they are likely not necessary for someone with your credentials to gain admission to a top program. Plenty of UGs without publications get admitted to those schools.
Out of curiosity, what is the niche area of quantum computing/information that you are interested in? My AOI is quantum optics, although I am not wedded to a particular platform or construct.
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On 3/10/2017 at 2:04 AM, coolgod said:
Moral of the story, publish or get rejected from big name schools.
I don't think this is true.
This might have been the bigger issue:
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"I am interested in researching a very niche part of quantum computing which unfortunately not many professors do. I've seen many guides telling me to apply for schools where there are 2-3 Profs I want to work with in mind, but this is very difficult for me since most schools often only have 1 professor working on something close to my interest. These professors are even sometimes in odd departments where they are the only one working on quantum computing and while the majority researchers are in Physics or CS dept."
---If a school thinks that there's only one professor you'd be interested in working for, they will probably prioritize fellowship and TA support for students who have at least 2-3 professors they could conceivably work for. You've set yourself up where you need to thread the proverbial needle - get noticed by the one professor you are interested and hope they also just happen to have RA funding available for you right away. If you don't already have a Masters, then your task is even harder.
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49 minutes ago, Lalbadshah said:
So I have applied to 13 Computer science schools, I am an international applicant and keep track of admits to these school using this site and another one called yocket. Every day I observe people with much "worse" (lower GRE, GPA, No or much lesser research or other experience) getting accepted to my program. Looking at these results day in day out I find myself thinking, "Should I even go to these schools?". The sort of mental philosophy I have is that I want to go to a graduate school which is equal to or greater than my calibre. Is it fair for me to judge schools this way? I am in the wrong here? Any advice/counselling would be appreciated!
In a previous post you say your stats are 158/162 and 3.36 (GRE and GPA) and that you applied for MS admission at some of the best schools in the U.S. and Canada. Honestly, you should be happy that your schools are looking beyond numbers instead getting all high and mighty.
- lovelife905, SLP1719, duran0 and 3 others
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17 hours ago, ThousandsHardships said:
Your preparative steps look good, and I'd focus on the research and on obtaining letters. For European schools, this may be all that's needed to gain admission. But yes, most U.S. schools (not just the top 20 but virtually all schools that have PhD programs) require a minimum GPA of 3.0. Many programs will automatically reject candidates with less than a 3.0, and even for programs that are willing to recommend a candidate for admission, there's always the chance that the decision will be overturned by the university.
That said, be sure to apply to grad schools with the right goals in mind. There is no reason for which you absolutely need a top 20 school. You can get a decent education from a lot of different schools. Think twice before applying blindly without regard to your program or research interests. Give it som
e time, work in a few fields/industries, and see where your interests take you before applying. And as far as reputation goes, you will be much more respected in the field and overall if you pick a school that's right for you than if you follow name and prestige. Good luck!
On 2/10/2017 at 10:42 PM, lowgpa said:Congrats on your offers! You are my idol now.
In many countries in the world, your school names will add a decisive weight into potential marriage proposals, succession preference, and job offers, while nobody is caring about your specific program rank.
My situation is related to those described.
Please understand that I cannot be more specific.
I am interested in your preparation efforts, portfolios, and the offers. Could you please share a link, if possible?
OP has reasons to prefer the name brand and is somewhat indifferent to the actual quality of the education for those stated reasons.
The thing about this thread I don't get is why someone who manged to get into a "Finance Master in a top 10 program" with a 2.0 from a "world top 20" thinks anyone here can offer BETTER advice on how to get into a top program with a low GPA. Seems like OP nailed the impossible - 2.0 GPA --> Top 10! Is anyone on this board going to be able to beat that?
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12 hours ago, boilermakers said:
Hi,
I have been accepted to Purdue and recommended for the Purdue Doctoral Fellowship. I understand that it is a competitive award so I would like to increase my odds of getting it. Is there any advice on if it's advantageous to commit myself to Purdue early to increase my odds of getting this fellowship? Or are they more likely to award me the fellowship to try to get me to go there if I have not yet accepted the offer to attend Purdue?
Any suggestions and experience with this would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
My unofficial notification was similarly worded - "recommended" for fellowship. Just got the official offer letter. Might want to call ECE and ask what the process - it is possible the Graduate School signs off on all fellowship recommendations.
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23 minutes ago, meep95 said:
something like "We would like to know within the week whether or not you are planning to accept"
Yeesh.
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2 hours ago, CoyoteBlue said:
So I've been wait listed at two schools I was very interested in Attending and this other one that wasn't my top choice but has a very good program(Big department, lots of research I'm interested in and lots of funding). I am wondering if I should just bite it and forget about those other guys who clearly didn't see value in me. I am leaving to hike across the continent in a month anyway I want to forget about it all and enjoy my life.
Oh jeez. I know the process is frustrating, but don't take it personally. At this point in the process, none of us is much more than a piece of paper with numbers on it.
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On 2/17/2017 at 0:10 AM, meep95 said:
A school I applied to that is by no means my first choice is pressuring me to accept within the week. I still have two more interviews to go on before after they want to know by! I checked, and they did sign that declaration about April 15th. I'm not sure what to do. If I don't get into the two schools I still have to interview at (my first 2 choices), I might want to go to this school. But I don't want to commit and back out later. What is the best way to handle this? Have any of you been in this situation before?
How did they phrase it? I've seen people here interpret interest from a POI as pressuring to commit before 4/15.
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2 hours ago, krystasonrisa said:
About safety- You're going to see/hear people identify East Urbana and North Champaign as "dangerous," but they're not dangerous, just poor and mostly Black/Latinx. Statistically, the most dangerous place in CU is the Champaign side of campus. I don't have exact numbers, but every time there's an incident, it seems to be around W Green St.
That said, East Urbana and North Champaign are the least accessible areas by public transportation. (Who could have guessed.) So for that reason only, I would not recommend an apartment in those areas.
There is an abundance of apartments, so I wouldn't be worried. Subleasers are everywhere, too. I have a great 1BR on a bus line (15 min to campus) I'll be subleasing around that time.
Feel free to message me if you have any other questions!
Good ol' Midwestern code.
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4 hours ago, nixipixi said:
Many thanks to all those who participated in this discussion (except @CoyoteBlue, who simply dished out her own frustration...not cool)
Yeah .... I would probably think twice about calling people out over their reaction to your post.
First off, no one is judging you. I think everybody here in on board with the fact that people have human reactions to adverse events. The question is whether it is a little unseemly for someone to broadcast their frustration about the end of a one month relationship while within earshot of a widow/widower at their spouse's funeral. Are you really surprised that there are some grieving folks yelling at you?
Now if you want to starting a venting/moping thread for people having great application cycles, I will be the first to join. There are some interviewers at Princeton I'd love to give a piece of my mind ....
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1 hour ago, shayhenckel said:
Just because they don't have a big name doesn't mean they don't have a great program! I'm sure you selected schools for application that have great programs in your field.
Well, the question was not whether reputation correlates with program quality. It was whether one could get an academic job without a shiny name on the diploma.
1 hour ago, shayhenckel said:Maybe the ivy leagues look more impressive at first glance at a resume, but I wouldn't let that deter you if this is something you really want to do. A PhD is a PhD.
Sounds like what OP really wants to do is work in academia.
"A PhD is a PhD." This attitude is why there are so many unemployed PhD graduates out there. Nobody thinks a PhD is a PhD. Not applicants (who almost always pick the best program they get into), not academia (who hire almost exclusively from elite institutions), not even your average person on the street. -
8 minutes ago, redikulus said:
I wanted to say something like this but I wasn't sure how to do so politely. I'm not sure this was quite right either. I've noticed a lot of young people, especially the typical college-aged person these days, has very little experience of rejection, so I don't think they are as well equipped to deal with it. The changes to the K12 environment, helicopter parenting, "everyone gets a trophy" attitudes, class-level entitlement, the general privilege of the average poster on these forums, etc. I think it's a lot more complicated than "get some perspective." But I don't have the solution either. The title of this thread is correct "rejection hurts," but some of us have a lot of life experience which lends perspective and the ability to manage emotions and others don't. I try to remember that this is the type of person I'm chatting with here on these forums, and that the differences between us aren't going to be rectified by posts over the internet.
If OP fit this demographic, I would not have said anything. My generation is pretty hopeless and I try to avoid posts where people suffer from special snowflake syndrome.
OP described his/her situation, and from what limited information we have, I believe it is reasonable to conclude that his/her friends have a point. I am not trying to rectify anything.
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28 minutes ago, hlsny said:
I also feel this way. I got one acceptance and two rejections, still waiting on 4 more schools. As much as I told myself I wouldn't care about rejections as soon as I got accepted, it still REALLY HURTS to be rejected. It makes me question why I was accepted into the one school in the first place--was it just a fluke? It's a huge blow to your confidence. I think if I only get in to the one school my confidence will be a lot lower than it would be even with two acceptances. I don't think you're being ridiculous, and it's a tad unfair of others to say so.
Just because you and OP have the same emotional reaction to a similar situation (your situations don't appear all that similar) does not mean that OP's reaction is automatically warranted. It is possible both of you are being ridiculous.
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53 minutes ago, JK194 said:
Hey guys
i have got accepted for the M.Eng. Program in Cornell, I can't quite figure out whether it is worth the tuition fee also whether a single year of masters study is sufficient for future.
Any help or advise??
Impossible to help/advise without knowing what your professional aspirations are.
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I don't say this with any malice. But you are being ridiculous. In the future, you are going to face rejections that both have a tangible impact on your life/goals and hurt much, much more than not getting into one of many graduate programs.
Perspective. It does a psyche good.
- XYZ1234 and krystasonrisa
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22 hours ago, rheya19 said:
Some non-academic information about UIUC is that outside of the university, social scenes and almost anything to do are far and in between. If you come to UIUC, you're life will be school, because there's simply nothing else but corn fields and a couple of microbreweries. Also, if you have a significant other, that's definitely something to keep in mind. Job opportunities and chances at making friends are hard if you're not a student.
Appreciate the warning. SO and I went to UG in middle of nowhere schools and found a way to find enough things to keep us happy. Plus, I've gotten sick of big city life right now so I'm looking forward to leaving for the next few years.
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3 hours ago, racecar1 said:
Nick Holonyak at UIUC did invent the LED and I believe still does research in LEDs/Lasers/etc. Not sure if that exactly lines up with what you're looking for but might be something worth digging into.
I believe he is truly retired now. Dallesasse seems to be taking the handoff from him.
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3 hours ago, abcde12345 said:
Congrats on UIUC
I also applied to Purdue and cited Prof. Shalaev and Prof. Boltasseva's incredible research. Perhaps Purdue is stronger in your particular field of interest? (I'm not sure)
I believe that Purdue's visit days are coming up. Perhaps the most important thing is to meet advisors of interest AND their students. If you don't fit in well with your advisor and his students, then you're in for a rough time.
BTW, I'm assuming you're pursuing a PhD?Yep, PhD.
Don't count UIUC out yet. I still don't have the official letter. It sounded like MS applicants and UIUC undergrads get the official notification quickly.
I've already talked to a couple of Shalaev's and Boltasseva's recent graduates. Will be happy to PM you what I gleaned from the convoys. Also, they have some good YouTube videos for each topic of their research.
I see we had the same luck at Princeton. You too have a sub-5.0 writing score ? or was there not much of a fit with the department?
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Hello fellow EEs. I am new to the forum and will post my profile when I get my last decision (hopefully soon).
But before that, I have posted a question in the Decisions thread that I'd love to have y'all weigh in on -
Thanks and good luck!
Backing out of an accepted offer
in Decisions, Decisions
Posted
OP said he/she is waiting on an EXTERNAL scholarship.