GeorgiaTechPhd

Hey Guys, 

I am from the CS background, and I just came here to tell you that I love looking at this thread. There are so many of you out there together, helping each others out -- well mostly sharing anxieties I guess?  
And it seems like this thread is one of the longest ones on the forum. Keep going guys, and I wish you all good luck, hope you all get in. 
 

Hey Guys, 

I am from the CS background, and I just came here to tell you that I love looking at this thread. There are so many of you out there together, helping each others out -- well mostly sharing anxieties I guess?  
And it seems like this thread is one of the longest ones on the forum. Keep going guys, and I wish you all good luck, hope you all get in. 
 

Hey Guys, 

I am from the CS background, and I just came here to tell you that I love looking at this thread. There are so many of you out there together, helping each others out -- well mostly sharing anxieties I guess?  
And it seems like this thread is one of the longest ones on the forum. Keep going guys, and I wish you all good luck, hope you all get in. 
 

I am assuming that the interview is in the context of admission to a program. 
Some of the questions that you should be prepared to answer -- 
- Tell me more about your background (make sure you cover the part that is relevant to the program and/or the faculty member, and not just cover everything in it)
- A project of your liking (again cover something related to the program)
- Why have you applied to this program (say something specific to the program/school/faculty, and not the usual generic response)
- What other schools you have applied to, and what is your priority (try to answer this as honestly as possible without blowing up your chances  )
- What do you expect out of the program

While there may or may not be a direct question around this, it is a good idea to read up the faculty's work, and try to relate some of your ideas/past experience with that, and just casually cite their work to let them know that you have read their work. 

Hey Guys, 

I am from the CS background, and I just came here to tell you that I love looking at this thread. There are so many of you out there together, helping each others out -- well mostly sharing anxieties I guess?  
And it seems like this thread is one of the longest ones on the forum. Keep going guys, and I wish you all good luck, hope you all get in. 
 

Hey Guys, 

I am from the CS background, and I just came here to tell you that I love looking at this thread. There are so many of you out there together, helping each others out -- well mostly sharing anxieties I guess?  
And it seems like this thread is one of the longest ones on the forum. Keep going guys, and I wish you all good luck, hope you all get in. 
 

sorry but why do you feel the need to be such an asshole about this? the poster didn't get into a program they really wanted to and are upset about the way the rejection was dealt with. sounds perfectly reasonable on their part. 
pretty mean of you to turn this into a broader thing about how "professional academic historians are not particularly fond of interacting with undergraduates"! 

Not really sure what you meant by this - I know all of this and never objected to the rejection being handled by an "outsider" because it wasn't; it came from the program with the name of the director. It just bothered me that we didn't have our privacy respected in a very basic way. The "take your time rejecting me" line was mostly tongue in cheek; I obviously know programs are understaffed. This program gets about 20-24 applicants a year and one or two people get in; I assumed that with a smaller pool/program, we wouldn't all have gotten the same rejection without being BCC'd. Ultimately it's not even that big of a deal, I'm just venting on a grad school forum.

Hey Guys, 

I am from the CS background, and I just came here to tell you that I love looking at this thread. There are so many of you out there together, helping each others out -- well mostly sharing anxieties I guess?  
And it seems like this thread is one of the longest ones on the forum. Keep going guys, and I wish you all good luck, hope you all get in. 
 

I know that some people were admitted last year without any interview. 

It really would make more sense imo if people asked questions and had admissions related correspondence in the forum instead of on the results page. there's a lot of non-results there right now haha

I don't know what program you have applied to at UoT, but for CS, UoT does it on a rolling basis. So one student receiving a letter doesn't necessarily mean good or bad. In fact, UoT has two proper admission cycles -- those who receive an early admit have to take a decision by some date in March, and then many people receive admits after that as well, with a later deadline for acceptance. 

To everyone who's going crazy during this time, first of all, it's okay to feel what you are feeling. 
I am sure you have put in a lot of effort into submitting your applications, have a strong commitment to the field in which you have applied, and therefore, eagerly want to get in to one of the programs. Not only that, at least the next few years of your life are completely dependent on the decision -- what you will be doing, where you will be, etc. etc. 

It would be unnatural for you to not freak out when so much is out on the line, and you no longer have any control of the process -- all you can do is wait. 

I know that's not a very rosy picture, but its important to not beat yourself for feeling like that or when you are not able to get any work done. However, once you accept that, I can tell you that this time also offers you an opportunity. Since you have little control over what's going to happen next, you are free to try out different things and explore yourself. 

When I was going through this phase, I travelled a lot, saw new places, met old friends. And whenever I was not traveling, I was planning for the next trip. Not only did I make a lot of memories, it also allowed me to intermittently take my mind off the whole admission process.  

Also, I'm not saying give up on your life completely and start traveling. I was also working full-time during this period, but the important thing was that I wasn't waiting to get free time on my hand and then figure out what to do, I was actively going out and finding new things to do and places to try out.  

I think, as a general rule for most official situations, it is always good to be communicative rather than not being responsive. The only catch is that you need to be polite and considerate, and not just end up saying whatever you are thinking. 

In the specific situation that you have mentioned, I would definitely reach out to the faculty member -- thank them for the offer, and even talk to them to understand more about their work, the environment, and the expectations. The more information you have the easier it will be for you to decide later on. Even if you think that you have all the answers, and there is nothing more you want to know, you should still reach out -- thank them, reiterate your interest, and politely let them know that its a big decision for you, so you don't want to hurry into it and consider all possible factors. And let them know that you will reach out to them in case you have any more questions to ask. 

Remember that this person might be your advisor one day, so you definitely want to maintain a good relation with them, and the first step to that is establishing a good communication channel. 

I don't believe that you'll receive an email if you don't get an interview, but I think you would get one if you are rejected.
Maybe you're in the second wave of students and they haven't sent you the interview email yet because they haven't finished scheduling the first round.Keep your hopes high, but expectations low. I hope that helps.

Applied to 12 schools (regretting this) and got accepted to my first one!! Wisconsin-Madison masters with scholarship and 50% TA (about ~22K per year)
Anxiously waiting for the rest.
I applied to the PhD at University of Washington as well. 

Great advice by @syn, I would do the same. Also, the brief conversation is mostly going to be about your plans and how likely you are to accept the offer. Many schools try to pressurize students to take an early decision (even if that's going to be a no, so that they can send out more offers).

However, if you have received the offer letter, there is no need to shy away. You should tell them that you would like to make an informed decision and not hurry into it, and therefore, you are waiting to hear from XYZ schools. 

Like syn said, this might even get you a better offer if you are lucky, but there is definitely no harm, as long as you have official offer in your hand. 

Okay, I've pondered this for a few days. I don't really have a magic answer for you, and I'm hoping someone with experience in the specific thing you want to study will weigh in.
So I think you will certainly need to spend a lot of time working on redeeming yourself, perhaps over more than the 3 years you mentioned. Personally, I think you'll need to have killer recommendation letters from three professors (assuming you need three rec letters) that can address what happened and/or attest to your character and honesty in their classes after the fact (so keep taking college courses and work with your professors to build strong relationships and trust). You need people who can say that they've worked with you and they think you've redeemed yourself. I also think you're doing the right thing in owning up to it instead of excusing it, so that's a good start as well (there is no excuse, obviously), but if I were on an admissions committee, I wouldn't just take your word that you've changed after doing it three times — I'd want to hear confirmation from your professors that you're trustworthy.
Work hard, work honestly, and also be honest with yourself about whether you think you'd do this again in a high-stress situation with lots of homework. If you think you might cheat if given the opportunity and you felt you could get away with it (seriously, think about this), don't go back to school yet. Best of luck!

To everyone who's going crazy during this time, first of all, it's okay to feel what you are feeling. 
I am sure you have put in a lot of effort into submitting your applications, have a strong commitment to the field in which you have applied, and therefore, eagerly want to get in to one of the programs. Not only that, at least the next few years of your life are completely dependent on the decision -- what you will be doing, where you will be, etc. etc. 

It would be unnatural for you to not freak out when so much is out on the line, and you no longer have any control of the process -- all you can do is wait. 

I know that's not a very rosy picture, but its important to not beat yourself for feeling like that or when you are not able to get any work done. However, once you accept that, I can tell you that this time also offers you an opportunity. Since you have little control over what's going to happen next, you are free to try out different things and explore yourself. 

When I was going through this phase, I travelled a lot, saw new places, met old friends. And whenever I was not traveling, I was planning for the next trip. Not only did I make a lot of memories, it also allowed me to intermittently take my mind off the whole admission process.  

Also, I'm not saying give up on your life completely and start traveling. I was also working full-time during this period, but the important thing was that I wasn't waiting to get free time on my hand and then figure out what to do, I was actively going out and finding new things to do and places to try out.  

To everyone who's going crazy during this time, first of all, it's okay to feel what you are feeling. 
I am sure you have put in a lot of effort into submitting your applications, have a strong commitment to the field in which you have applied, and therefore, eagerly want to get in to one of the programs. Not only that, at least the next few years of your life are completely dependent on the decision -- what you will be doing, where you will be, etc. etc. 

It would be unnatural for you to not freak out when so much is out on the line, and you no longer have any control of the process -- all you can do is wait. 

I know that's not a very rosy picture, but its important to not beat yourself for feeling like that or when you are not able to get any work done. However, once you accept that, I can tell you that this time also offers you an opportunity. Since you have little control over what's going to happen next, you are free to try out different things and explore yourself. 

When I was going through this phase, I travelled a lot, saw new places, met old friends. And whenever I was not traveling, I was planning for the next trip. Not only did I make a lot of memories, it also allowed me to intermittently take my mind off the whole admission process.  

Also, I'm not saying give up on your life completely and start traveling. I was also working full-time during this period, but the important thing was that I wasn't waiting to get free time on my hand and then figure out what to do, I was actively going out and finding new things to do and places to try out.  

To everyone who's going crazy during this time, first of all, it's okay to feel what you are feeling. 
I am sure you have put in a lot of effort into submitting your applications, have a strong commitment to the field in which you have applied, and therefore, eagerly want to get in to one of the programs. Not only that, at least the next few years of your life are completely dependent on the decision -- what you will be doing, where you will be, etc. etc. 

It would be unnatural for you to not freak out when so much is out on the line, and you no longer have any control of the process -- all you can do is wait. 

I know that's not a very rosy picture, but its important to not beat yourself for feeling like that or when you are not able to get any work done. However, once you accept that, I can tell you that this time also offers you an opportunity. Since you have little control over what's going to happen next, you are free to try out different things and explore yourself. 

When I was going through this phase, I travelled a lot, saw new places, met old friends. And whenever I was not traveling, I was planning for the next trip. Not only did I make a lot of memories, it also allowed me to intermittently take my mind off the whole admission process.  

Also, I'm not saying give up on your life completely and start traveling. I was also working full-time during this period, but the important thing was that I wasn't waiting to get free time on my hand and then figure out what to do, I was actively going out and finding new things to do and places to try out.  

To everyone who's going crazy during this time, first of all, it's okay to feel what you are feeling. 
I am sure you have put in a lot of effort into submitting your applications, have a strong commitment to the field in which you have applied, and therefore, eagerly want to get in to one of the programs. Not only that, at least the next few years of your life are completely dependent on the decision -- what you will be doing, where you will be, etc. etc. 

It would be unnatural for you to not freak out when so much is out on the line, and you no longer have any control of the process -- all you can do is wait. 

I know that's not a very rosy picture, but its important to not beat yourself for feeling like that or when you are not able to get any work done. However, once you accept that, I can tell you that this time also offers you an opportunity. Since you have little control over what's going to happen next, you are free to try out different things and explore yourself. 

When I was going through this phase, I travelled a lot, saw new places, met old friends. And whenever I was not traveling, I was planning for the next trip. Not only did I make a lot of memories, it also allowed me to intermittently take my mind off the whole admission process.  

Also, I'm not saying give up on your life completely and start traveling. I was also working full-time during this period, but the important thing was that I wasn't waiting to get free time on my hand and then figure out what to do, I was actively going out and finding new things to do and places to try out.  

I am in a fairly similar situation as you are, so I can tell you what i have heard from other people, and the course of action I have decided to take. However, from what I understood, it also depends on the academic/administrative system of your school/department, and how they handle the process. Some schools care a lot about their students and will try to support you in whatever decision you take, while others leave you to the mercy of your advisor, so if they oust you, the school will also not care. 

So the two important things to note here are -- 
1) Does your advisor or anyone around them have an idea that you are finding it hard to fit in? 
This can be both good and bad. Ideally, I would suggested (and this is what I did as well) that your advisor should know that all is not going well with you. You don't have to go and tell them they are toxic, but rather try to attribute everything to the situation or to a difference in personality. For e.g, in my case my advisor had gone away on a different appointment, and he didn't have any other lab student behind, so I put everything around how I feel alone, and need other people around me. If you want to focus on the match between you and your advisor, mention how you think your working style is different from theirs, instead of saying how they toxic they are. And you need to maintain this in front of everyone else. 

2) Do you have a potential backup option?
This is probably the most important thing. In an ideal situation you want to have enough rapport with another faculty member so that you are in a position to ask them to take you in, before you let go off your current advisor. One way to get there is to try and collaborate with other faculties on your work. You bring them on to your work, and then slowly transition over to their side. If you are taking a class with someone else, that can also turn out be a potential opportunity.

Finally, the important thing is to engage with the school administration. In my school, there is an ombudsperson who usually helps students in such situations. In some cases, they will talk to the department and arrange for additional funding opportunities for you (for e.g., TAship) so you can take that time to switch your advisors without worrying about funding for a short time. 
Even if you think that the school can't help you with it, it is important to let the admins know that you are facing issues -- once you are sure that you want to switch. This is important so that the school knows your side of story if your advisor decides to take any action against you. The only situation in which you may want to avoid doing that is if there is no way to ensure that the school will maintain the confidentiality of your matter. 

To everyone who's going crazy during this time, first of all, it's okay to feel what you are feeling. 
I am sure you have put in a lot of effort into submitting your applications, have a strong commitment to the field in which you have applied, and therefore, eagerly want to get in to one of the programs. Not only that, at least the next few years of your life are completely dependent on the decision -- what you will be doing, where you will be, etc. etc. 

It would be unnatural for you to not freak out when so much is out on the line, and you no longer have any control of the process -- all you can do is wait. 

I know that's not a very rosy picture, but its important to not beat yourself for feeling like that or when you are not able to get any work done. However, once you accept that, I can tell you that this time also offers you an opportunity. Since you have little control over what's going to happen next, you are free to try out different things and explore yourself. 

When I was going through this phase, I travelled a lot, saw new places, met old friends. And whenever I was not traveling, I was planning for the next trip. Not only did I make a lot of memories, it also allowed me to intermittently take my mind off the whole admission process.  

Also, I'm not saying give up on your life completely and start traveling. I was also working full-time during this period, but the important thing was that I wasn't waiting to get free time on my hand and then figure out what to do, I was actively going out and finding new things to do and places to try out.  

I don't think it makes a difference. You should put in your current GPA for your MS CS applications. 
Two things 
1) The admission process at GeorgiaTech is quite decentralized. In most cases, what happens inside the Industrial department doesn't reach the School of Computer Science and vice versa. So chances are that nobody is going to look at both your applications
2) In the scenario that it does happen, you still shouldn't worry about it because you haven't done anything wrong -- you have the right reason as well as the proof of it. If someone thought this was a problem, they will either look at your docs, or will reach out to you, and in both cases they will get a satisfactory answer.