Bukharan

Although I am anything but an expert:

1. First-class Honours (1st), Second-class Honours, upper division (2:1), as well as 2:2 and 3rd are degree classifications. You get one or another depending on your grades. As far as I am aware, those different classifications are mostly used for undergraduates.

For postgraduates (Master's only), it is either Distinction (which roughly corresponds with the undergraduate 1st) or ... well, a degree without a distinction.

For the sake of comparison, in my university, Distinction is awarded to postgraduates with the average coursework grade of 67% and a dissertation of minimum 70%. Undergraduates are awarded a 1st class degree if they have an average of 67%.

2. Yeah, I don't think it matters whether the subject of second Master's is different. I would think that a common assumption could be that if you already have a BA and a Master's degree, it would not be particularly fair to other funding-seeking students if you are awarded funding for your second Master's. I am not saying that I agree or disagree with this views, of course.

metric rate

(trying to bring recent inconsistencies together)

thanks for you response. I appreciate your feedback, however i think you have it mistaken. Just because someone wants to explore the business side, does not mean they lose all credentials on their engineering. As mentioned, I said I wanted to work in R&D with the hopes of eventually becoming a CTO years later. If your not clear what a Chief Technology Officer is or does, let me refresh your memory. They are the main ones who direct the future of the company in terms of research and engineering.

I also said I wouldn't mind creating a possible business venture with an idea i've created. In order to start a business, you need to understand a business, which is partly what education will do.

"I want to get a PhD from an IVY/top school to be a CTO of a company or start a successful company"....I also never said this either nor was this my main goal or reason.

One thing we all need to remember, is WHY are you doing what your doing. Myself? I have a goal or dream. Will i ever accomplish that? Probably not. So if I shoot high, and get above-average, then great.

My question was not placed as a way for you to evaluate what I'm doing. My question was HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO GET INTO HARVARD.

I was already accepted into Michigan and Brown, but like the dean of electrical from Michigan told me, All these top 30 schools are going to teach you the same thing. You go to these schools to get that powerful name.

On behalf of exhausted grad students everywhere, I present this seal to the Grad Cafe and its fabulous members.

Wanted to start by mentioning a huge THANK YOU to all the members of the forum for their sincere and timely advice that guided us along the hazardous path of applications and the equivocal journey of the selection process:

THANK YOU

MERCI BEAUCOUP

GRACIAS

GRAZIE

VIELEN DANK

ASANTE, etc!

Wishing you all the best in your postgraduate studies and all the plans and ambitions you foster!

Ad astra per aspera (A rough road leads to the stars)

I am not in your field. I don't know your specific circumstances. However, the answer seems kind of obvious to me.

You go with the funding.

You are deciding between the two premier European universities. King's reputation is barely lesser than that of Oxford. Why would you take 3 years of loans, if King's is giving you a 'prestigious scholarship'? Besides, you will put this full scholarship on your CV - and it will look waaaaay cooler for potential employers than an unfunded degree from Oxford.

Now, of course, if you are independently wealthy (you did mention taking out loans... but one never knows) - of course, it doesn't really matter what to choose. But even then... King's, a fantastic university, is offering you full funding!! This sounds like a dream situation to thousands of computer scientists all over the world, no?

Anyhow, congratulations on the luxury of choice you have and the very best deciding where to go!

I am not in your field. I don't know your specific circumstances. However, the answer seems kind of obvious to me.

You go with the funding.

You are deciding between the two premier European universities. King's reputation is barely lesser than that of Oxford. Why would you take 3 years of loans, if King's is giving you a 'prestigious scholarship'? Besides, you will put this full scholarship on your CV - and it will look waaaaay cooler for potential employers than an unfunded degree from Oxford.

Now, of course, if you are independently wealthy (you did mention taking out loans... but one never knows) - of course, it doesn't really matter what to choose. But even then... King's, a fantastic university, is offering you full funding!! This sounds like a dream situation to thousands of computer scientists all over the world, no?

Anyhow, congratulations on the luxury of choice you have and the very best deciding where to go!

I think that what it comes down to is this... if a program is not willing to fully fund you + stipend it means they don't want you. My advisor, who is a well-known historian in his field and is involved in hiring for the department, tells me that you have to go to the best school possible. He's seen dozens of candidates come in for jobs from schools he's never heard of and he told me, "I can't see these people ever getting a job teaching anywhere." And I'm not talking about a tenure-track position, even adjuncting. He also tells me, like every professor should, that under no circumstances should anyone take on debt for a graduate degree... the earning potential for the average PhD is just not enough to cover 50k+ in loans.

I also agree with the previous poster about quality of schools... I go to a public university and most of my professors got either their undergraduate or, mostly, their graduate degrees from Ivy League schools. If you are coming out of a school not in the Top 20 you are at a serious handicap unless you have a relatively stellar record of publishing and the like. To take out loans simply to pay for tuition at a a school outside even the Top 20 is financial suicide. The nature of graduate school and the profession itself has changed so radically as well that alot of professors who have been at their posts for 10-20 years simply do not know enough about how the current system works to advise their students properly. No one should go to graduate school until they understand that there is the very real and highly likely probability that they could, literally, end up as an adjunct at a community college.

In the Humanities, your employability is primarily determined by the school you attended (and, therefore, the network you have developed) and your publishing record. Not to mention that you absolutely cannot have even the possibility of a real career in academe without being absolutely open to picking up and moving anywhere at anytime. This article may be sensationalist and distort some of the issues but, in all reality, the outlook for most people pursuing a PhD in the Humanities, especially outside Top 20 schools, is horrifyingly bleak, and even worse for those who are going into massive debt because of it.

My advisor tells me, and I hope, that I have every chance of getting into a Top 10 program and I know beyond a doubt that pursuing the PhD is what I want to do... However, should I not get full funding+stipend anywhere, I, simply, will not be going. It would absolutely crush me, but, being a bit older, I realize that you MUST take the long view. I've read too many horror stories over on the Chronicle forums to just blow these kinds of warnings off. If you think I might be exaggerating, go to chronicle.com and check out the forums or even post a question and see what they tell you. Sadly, the decision to pursue a PhD nowadays is no longer a choice which can be made idealistically and naively.

If you're responding to me, that's totally exaggerating my argument.

I have a tough time believing that people at the most well-renowned schools don't have an easier time getting jobs, especially when I peruse the faculty lists of major departments.

Whether it is because they are incredible in their own right (since such schools usually attract the top candidates) or because they sleaze their way into the networking system these schools tend to have access to, I think that saying they lack jobs neglects the fact that they lack these jobs to a lesser extent than most other programs.

Finally, it's much harder to be at the head of your field at a subpar school.

You're forcing me to come off as more elitist than really I am, but honestly, my point is that the articles in the OP shouldn't make applicants give up their dreams, it should make them more selective about the schools that they apply to. Getting a job now means you gotta be good. You can be good at any school, it's just easier to be good at the ones which lead your field and have peers who will push you.

I can only really comment on the UK application system, I have never had anything to do with US universities.

Warwick has a pretty good reputation for maths. Only you know if it's a good research match for you, however. If you're fully funded and interested in the research being done there, I say go for it! I considered applying to Warwick too, but didn't find a good research match for me there. Also, don't hold your breath for Cambridge, they very rarely admit anybody to the PhD in maths directly, they usually make you do Part III (the last year of their four-year masters' course) first and then admit PhD students according to their Part III results. That's why I didn't even bother to apply there. (Got a fully funded offer for Oxford now though, so no regrets. )

About waiting for another year - well, you'll be a year older, but will anything change to your application by then? It does seem weird to me though that only so few of your applications were successful, considering your excellent background. (I don't know what GRE scores mean though, not familiar with the system, but that 26% in there doesn't look great?) Anyway, if there is room for improvement in your application, it might be worth waiting a year, but really, Warwick is pretty good already and I'm not sure if the chance of going to a slightly more prestigious university is really worth wasting an entire year.

You seem to have applied to a lot of schools - did you really put any thought into your specific applications, or just applied to any school with a prestigious name? Because that might be part of the reason why you didn't get in / didn't get funding. For example, in one of your other posts (I think it was over at TSR, not at grad café) it became clear you didn't know how the college system in Oxford works, how you will be assigned a college, and you didn't find out about possible college funding opportunities before submitting your application, therefore potentially losing out on some important funding opportunities.
Familiarize yourself with the application process and system at every university you apply to. Only apply to universities you're genuinely interested in attending, not just any university with a big name. Your application materials, background, statement of purpose, research proposal etc should match the programme you apply to, and at your interviews you should be able to make clear why you chose to apply to this particular university / research group. That might be something to focus on some more if you decide to wait another year and apply again.

I think Paura's record is impressive beyond impressive this year! Huge congratulations!

free milk

OK! So. Today I accepted an offer at a school I'm very excited about. They seem to be excited about me, too, because they offered me a pretty prestigious fellowship. It was icing on the cake.

This school let me know their decision FOUR DAYS after I interviewed. I thought, "whoa. These guys are on top of things."

I only applied to two schools, and to tell you the truth, this one I accepted wasn't my first choice in the beginning. Then came the visit. The school that I THOUGHT was my first choice didn't turn out to be the well-oiled machine like the other. They kept lying to me, telling me I would hear my decision in a "few days" or "by the end of the week." It was always a different answer, and it was a two-month saga that exhausted me. This morning I emailed and asked one final time. Then I thought to myself (after consideration of much of the advice floating on GradCafe), if this school accepted me, would I go there? And when I realized that the true answer was NO, I just went ahead and accepted the offer to the school that wants me. I gave both schools a lot of thought, made pro/con lists, slept on it for months, and arrived at my decision. Hooray!

Fast forward to tonight. I'm sitting here doodling online and celebrating life when my inbox flares. (of course, right? it always happens that way). The adcomm apologized for taking so long to get back to me, and then asked me a bunch of questions about their concerns with my application. "what are you going to do when things get tough?" "Are you sure you have the passion for this?"

I mean, seriously? If these were the issues that prevented you from giving me a decision, why didn't you ask me sooner? Why keep lying and saying you are making a decision, and only respond to me after ignoring me for so long? It's... practically April. I predict they were waiting to hear back from other students before deciding if they should investigate me more, but I wish they would have been more upfront about it. I spent two months going through whiplash and not knowing what was going on.

I guess the point is that it doesn't matter. I responded with a kind email saying that, while I certainly have the passion necessary for their program, I accepted another offer earlier today. It felt good. I finally have closure. Now I can move on with my life! I just needed to tell this story because, well, I needed to share with people I knew would understand!

You guys on the GradCafe have been an invaluable resource for me. I so appreciate the laughs, support, and geeky cyber-friendships that we share. I wish all the best to ALL of you in this process. It's finally over for me!

As a current PhD student of Comparative Literature at UC-Irvine, I find it my duty to warn you NOT to enroll in a University of California campus in the HUMANITIES. Our French program was cut, and the other supporting programs in literature are on their way out as well. This is, as you may well know, due to the horrible situation of the California budgetary economy. Even though UCI Comparative Literature will be ever so happy if you enroll in our program, they will not tell you what a bad idea that would be -- the program has gone through a serious, serious decline in quality and a near fallout in funding.

Thank you, and I hope you choose wisely.
-Blop

Oh dear. I think I have e-mailed about 30-35 professors for admissions purposes.

Looking at this now and evaluating all my correspondence critically, I would have probably not got into ANY of my schools, if I haven't e-mailed.

If I may grant a piece of advice for next year applicants: Thou shalt disturb the faculty!

Oh dear. I think I have e-mailed about 30-35 professors for admissions purposes.

Looking at this now and evaluating all my correspondence critically, I would have probably not got into ANY of my schools, if I haven't e-mailed.

If I may grant a piece of advice for next year applicants: Thou shalt disturb the faculty!

Oh dear. I think I have e-mailed about 30-35 professors for admissions purposes.

Looking at this now and evaluating all my correspondence critically, I would have probably not got into ANY of my schools, if I haven't e-mailed.

If I may grant a piece of advice for next year applicants: Thou shalt disturb the faculty!

Hi everyone, as I am making my decision I realized that the numbers of days off in PhD really matter to me. I am an international student, in addition I cannot go on for a year without backpacking somewhere. So basically I need at least three to four weeks of holidays (incl. bank holidays) per year.

I know that PTon officially only gives out 19 days (incl. bank holidays) per year (One of the Engin departments), and I really cannot deal with this fact. So I will really appreciate any answers on the numbers of holidays you get as a PhD student, for the following schools:

Princeton, Berkeley, CMU, Cornell, GaTech, Columbia, UC Davis

I will especially appreciate answers from Engin people, since that's what I am going into.

Thanks!

My uncle is a professor at a well-known college. When he was applying for PhD programs, he was considered to be a topnotch candidate. He was offered admission plus all the grants and stipends to get him through 5 years comfortably in some of the most prestigious colleges in the country. A million years ago. As a professor now, he recognizes that the competition has changed many of the rules for acceptance and there is a good possibility even he would have difficulty getting into his preferred grad schools in this academic/economic climate. His advice to his students that seek to go on to grad school:
1. If you have talent and the inclination, start getting your references and potential LOR's lined up asap. You can never start too early in reaching out to make those connections.
2. If your prof's are encouraging you to go on to grad school, they must have a good reason. While their advice is not a guarantee for admission, do NOT limit yourself to just a couple of choices. Shop around and give yourself a good range of grad schools to apply to, ones that you would be happy to go to.
3. If you don't make it into grad school the first year you apply, look at your academic resume and spend the next year volunteering in labs, helping profs with research, taking extra classes, and try to get a job in some area related to your field. If it's a dream to go on to grad school, try again.

It's okay to feel angry, hurt, betrayed, disgusted, anxious...but use that energy to get where you want to be.
Best of luck to all of you. You've worked hard to get this far...
The End!

Hi!
Wanted to find out if anyone is doing or has done the International MBA at University of Bologna.
I'm considering it and would like to hear from people with the experience.

Thanks!

Forgot to ask about accommodation options! What are they and how are they priced.
I have the option to come and check out the school and surroundings for a week with accommodation at my own expense. Any ideas where is affordable and close to the school?
The only person I spoke to here suggested the Mua B and B. Is that anywhere near the school?

I am in no way an expert in funded offers, but I did find in this cycle that if a school really wants you, they will give you money. The only school that did not give me money-UCLA's PhD program in history-was one in which faculty explicitly told me that they do not fund their own undergraduates (me, in this case.) otherwise, I received four fully funded offers, 1 into a PhD program and 3 MA programs-(harvard, georgetown, uchicago) one school even gave me a stipend, which is why I decided on it.

I am an admissions counselor for undergraduates, and I have been playing the 'admissions game for years. I think that in order to get into any top program, obviously you have to have great grades and test scores, and good recs. But you have to also be very strategic. I found that alot of students (at least on the MA level, I'm sure this is different for PhD applicants) did not go into this process with a project that gives them an "edge." MA admissions is not THAT different from high school admissions-for a funded MA, you need that 'edge' that really makes you stand out from the pack. You could be an interfaith leader, a trail-blazing student researcher, an activist, class president, editor of your school's journal of Islamic law. The only way that MA admissions really differ from undergrad admissions is that you need to tailor your 'edge' to your field. Also, and when I was interviewing at Harvard I was shocked to see how few people did this (!) READ THE MOST RECENT ARTICLES/BOOK INTROS of the professors with whom you would wish to work. BRING THEIR ARTICLES to the interview with you, and when deep in discussion about x topic, whip out the (heavily highlighted and annotated) copy of the professor's book/article and say, "oh but professor, in X article that you wrote (which I deeply enjoyed!) you present an opinion which differs from y...) You have no idea how much professors LOVE to hear that you have read their work, and can discuss it intelligently.

Also, and this is for MA students who want funded offers, treat MA admissions exactly the way you would PhD admissions. This is to say, send out letters of interest to 2-3 professors at each school to which you are applying. If you get a response that is particularly kind, set up an interview on your own! A little known secret is that although MA programs (at least those that I applied to) "don't interview," if you make a connection with a professor, set up an interview on your own! Yes, this can be expensive, up to $600 per trip. But think about the thousands (or tens of thousands) that this can save you down the road if you get a funded offer. And the reason that I think this can garner you a funded offer is because 1. you show extraordinary motivation, 2. you are clearly interested in attending the program if you reach out to professors and 3. when they are reading your application, they will put your name to your face and say, wow, "I remember that kid! He/she was so mature and intelligent, and I loved what they had to say (read: flattery) about my latest book. Let's take this kid, and because I really want him/her, lets fund him and hell, give him/her a stipend." You laugh, but I know for a fact (from people inside the Gtown and Harvard adcoms) that this is how it works!

I wish all of the 2012 applicants luck in the next cycle. I am blessed to have received the offers that I did, and I am more than happy to give you any advice you might like on the rest of the process. PM me!

Alex

No, we don't have a waitlist. It's not impossible that we might delay an acceptance, but don't plan for it.

Jonathan Shewchuk
Associate Professor
CS Division
UC Berkeley

Re: UMass CS....

Things were incredibly tough this year, we got 20% more apps than last year and the quality of students applying was up quite a lot. All of our initial admits are done at this point. We will wait list a few students, but the response for our visiting Friday was really great so I can't say how likely the wait list is going to be. We are getting the rest of the notifications sent out as quickly as we can.

As for reading into admit dates from previous years, that is like reading tea-leaves The chair changes every year and does things a bit differently every time.

I appreciate all the stress that goes into applying to various programs, I went through all of the same stressful moments myself not long ago.

Let me know if you think there are things we did well or poorly---we are always looking to improve. Some things are unfortunately in the hands of the graduate school and out of the control of the department.

Also, it may not help you now, but this is how I look at applications:
http://prisms.cs.umass.edu/mcorner/cs-admissions

I hope that you all find great homes in CS grad school!

-Mark Corner

I am very informal with my former professors/supervisors. but, living with any of them would probably freak me out.
With that being said, I have a friend, a PhD student, who rented a room in a professor's house. They didnt work for the same department at the time, but definitely for the same university. He lived there during the **whole** duration of his PhD program . The professor is divorced, if that even matters.

Weird

I cant image how their dinner conversations would go:
Prof: "Are you defending yet?"
Student: "No, got any hints? or better can you proofread my thesis?"
Prof: "Sure, I'll come over your bedroom to look over your manuscript"