Adamah

This is a tough choice. If it helps at all, I was in a similar situation several years ago. I was admitted to PhD programs at UMass and Toronto (MS+PhD, though Toronto wasn't quite as good back in 2012). I was also admitted to MS programs at Stanford and CMU Robotics. You can read about part of my decision process here: The CMU MS Robotics was also a research-based Masters. I ultimately chose that over the PhD programs and it worked out very well for me -- I was later admitted to CMU for a PhD. That said, that's just one data point. My first instinct is that UMD is the better choice, but I could definitely understand going to UIUC if you think it's a very strong research MS program (I'm not familiar with it). UMD is a strong program and it sounds like there are people there you'd be excited to work with. UIUC is great but there's a big dropoff after the big 4, and you'd likely have to restart your research if you went to a different school afterward. For UIUC, you should look into how many of the students get RAships. You should also try to figure out if there is any chance any of the AI faculty would actually work with you. AI professors these days are swamped with students that want to work with them, and MS students might not get the highest priority.

I think CMU MS Robotics is the better choice. You should contact the administrators you're in touch with at each school and ask them what percentage of students landed an RAship. Doing an RAship is essential if you want to pursue a PhD at a top program. The CMU MS Robotics will be 100% because it is a program requirement, with probably ~90% of the students receiving funding. Stanford's rate will be lower. You could try talking to faculty at Stanford now and seeing if any of them would be interested in taking you as an RA if you go there, but you will probably not get any firm commitments. My statements about CMU treating their MS Robotics students the same as PhD students is still true. As an example, there are two different grad-level intro. to machine learning courses as CMU: 10-601 and 10-701. 10-601 is the more practical version, intended mostly for MS students. 10-701 is the PhD-level course for those interested in ML. The MS Robotics counts only 10-701 toward your course requirements (or you can take an AI course instead of the ML course). Regarding the cold weather, that's a personal preference, but I personally don't think you should base your career on which school has better weather.

Sorry for reviving an old thread, but I don't check this site very often anymore and every once in a while I get messages from people in a similar situation asking how my choice turned out. I thought I'd just post an update here. I'm very happy with having decided to go to CMU. I ended up getting a RAship after the first semester (full funding + stipend). The Robotics MS program is indeed fantastic -- most people get funding (it varies from year to year, but my year ~90% received funding) and the expectations and social interactions are essentially identical to the first 2 years of the PhD program. People quickly forget who is a Masters student and who is a PhD student. This is not the case at almost any other MS program in other universities or even at CMU (I think LTI at CMU is another excellent example of this though, from what I've heard). I eventually continued to a PhD program at CMU and am very happy there. Looking back, the decision to go to CMU should have been a no-brainer in my situation. When I visited Stanford it was clear to me that they don't really care about their MS students, and when I visited CMU it was clear that they did. At least on the CMU side, my impression proved accurate.

How do you know you want to do a CS PhD if you don't have any experience with CS? It probably makes sense to do more CS courses instead of graduating early. You could try applying to both PhD and MS programs and see what you get into. There are some MS programs that are research-focused and may offer funding, but they are rare. If you have a specific area you're interested in (hopefully one that is related to Econ like Algorithmic Game Theory) then there may be lower-ranked PhD programs that have great people in that sub-area. If you are interested in the intersection of Econ and CS, you should check out Vincent Conitzer at Duke.

With a 2.64 GPA, I don't think you'd get into any PhD programs. If you think you have since changed and the 2.64 GPA is not an accurate reflection of your abilities, then you'd probably be best off going for a MS first. This would allow you to show a better GPA to PhD programs (ideally a 4.0) and argue convincingly that the 2.64 GPA is not an accurate signal of your abilities. It would also potentially allow you to do research during your MS. However, keep in mind that the MS has a high cost, especially if you end up not going for a PhD. You have to decide if that's worthwhile.

It depends on what you would be doing at Microsoft or Google. If it's a regular software engineering internship (which I'm guessing is the case) then it won't really help you in your admissions chances. However, if there's a research component and you will be working with well-known researchers in your field at Google or Microsoft, then you might be able to get a letter of recommendation from that person and it would be extremely helpful. Basically, it comes down to which would give you the better letter of recommendation from a more influential person. If there's a shot at a publication, that would also be a big factor.

I would just apply everywhere you're interested in. The cost is pretty low.

Can't you just apply to both the Robotics and CS program at the same school? I know CMU allows that. If you don't want to do ECE then I wouldn't bother applying to those programs.

It might be nice to have more CS courses but I doubt it's a deal-breaker for any department. You'll probably have more success with CMU RI and GATech Robotics, but you should still apply to CS programs (you can also apply to CS programs at CMU and GATech in addition to Robotics). I don't think you're in a bad situation, and there's not much you can do to change it now anyway.

Stanford primarily chooses 5th year Stanford Masters students as TAs, because they've taken the courses they TA for. CMU Robotics Masters funds its students, but only for RAships. The amount varies from year to year, sometimes it's half the students and sometimes it's all of them.

Err, can't say I agree with that advice, Icy. First, there are very few reasons to turn down a PhD in CS at MIT for a MS in CS anywhere, especially if that MS doesn't come packaged with a RAship. Second, I disagree that it's "extremely easy" to get a RAship. Professors there tend to have little time for students, even grad students, and generally look down on MS students.

If you're seriously considering Stanford, then I'd suggest at least visiting before making up your mind. Find professors there that match your interests, explain your situation, and try to meet with them (mentioning that you have a funded TAship and have been accepted to Cornell for a PhD will make them more likely to take you seriously, but at the same time they'll probably just tell you to go to Cornell). If you can't go there in person, at least try to schedule a Skype meeting with them. If you have a couple potential advisors at Cornell that you think would be a good match and who expressed interest in you, then I think Cornell is probably the better choice. Then again, I turned down a top-10 PhD program to pursue a MS at a tier-1 school, and it worked out well for me. I don't think choosing Stanford would be a bad choice.

Do you have to commit to being a TA at Stanford for the whole Masters? I visited Stanford when I was accepted to the MS program and I wasn't that impressed. Both the students and professors seemed to treat it as a 5th year of undergrad designed to give students a higher starting salary when going into industry. The emphasis isn't on research, though I got the impression it wasn't impossible to go onto research if you wanted to. I also got the impression that professors there look down on MS students, so it might be hard to find an advisor for research there. I don't think you'd get much out of the Stanford MS. If you're a TA you wouldn't have much time for research, and I don't think you can count on finding an advisor anyway. That said, if you do get two upper-tier publications this semester, then that would work in your favor when applying a second time (did you mention that you had these publications underway when you applied the first time?) Cornell is probably your best bet. It's one of the best PhD programs out there anyway (assuming Information Science isn't that different from their CS program). At that level, your career in academia will be determined by your research, not which school you went to.

Well if you already know you're coming then actually visiting the school is less important. It's not going to help you find an RAship or anything like that. There will be a lot of time for that in the first semester.

Hi Minione, What are your other options? Were you admitted to any PhD programs? As far as MS programs go, I think the MS in Robotics at CMU is one of the best, if not the best. This is especially true if you are interested in computer vision. About 30-35 students start in the Robotics MS program each year (not counting the other Robotics Masters programs; they have a few others that are not research-focused). There are about 20-25 incoming PhD students each year. The MS students are treated essentially identically to the PhD students. They socialize together, they take the same classes, they go through the same orientation, they have almost the same requirements for the first 2 years. I don't know exactly how many continue to PhD programs at CMU or in general. I know of at least 5 off the top of my head that did, but it was definitely more than that. Of those that did, most went to top programs, and most of those continued at CMU (which is a good deal, because you save yourself 2 years by not starting over somewhere else). I would ask Suzanne and she might have data on that. I do know that not everyone in the MS program wanted to continue to a PhD program, so keep that in mind when looking at the statistics. I'd say about half started the MS wanting to continue to a PhD. Some decided during the program that research wasn't for them, and didn't apply to programs. It is easier to get into the PhD program at CMU if you did your MS here and did well in your research. This is true for any PhD program. The reason is that the faculty know you better, so you are a less risky option. Also, your advisor may want you to continue on their team, in which case the admissions committee doesn't have to worry about you not finding an advisor (though you are not required to stick with your MS advisor if you continue to the PhD). IMO, this is a win-win, because if you do your MS here and don't do well in your research, then you shouldn't continue to a PhD program anyway! The chances for getting funding change from year to year depending on the funding situation. In some years (like the year I applied) every MS student gets funding. In other years (like last year), only about half get funding. I would ask Suzanne if she has year-by-year details on this. No matter what, you will not get funding for your first semester, even if you find a faculty match. They are not allowed to give you funding until after the first semester (there is an exception to this if a professor offers you funding with your admission to the program, but this is very rare.) I would visit CMU if you are able to, and I would meet with faculty that you're interested in while you're here. In my experience the faculty were very happy (even eager) to meet with me when I said I was an admitted RI MS student interested in research with them. If you're not able to visit, then it would still be worthwhile to email them. Mention that you are an admitted MS student and interested in potentially working with them. They will almost certainly not commit to taking you on, especially if you haven't met with them in person, but they can at least tell you if they can't take you on for next year due to lack of funding, etc.

I was in a similar situation 3 years ago. I had been accepted to U Toronto and UMass for the PhD programs, and Stanford and CMU (Robotics) for the MS programs. I ultimately chose the CMU MS Robotics, and am now in the CS PhD program at CMU. However, my outcome is not necessarily typical and there are a lot of factors to consider. First of all, the CMU MS in Robotics is a very research-focused Masters. Most of the students get funded RAships (in my year, almost all did, though in some years it is as low as about half). All students spend a lot of time working on a Masters thesis, and the requirements for the first 2 years are identical for the PhD and MS students. This allowed me to spend a lot of time on research while in grad school and get a top-tier publication. Like you said, the MSCS and MSCV programs at CMU are not research based, so if your goal is a PhD then you should avoid them. I don't know much about the MSML program (I believe it's fairly new), but it might be a good option. I would ask them how many students get funded RAships each year, and where past students have gone afterwards. I would also contact professors you are interested in and see if there is any potential for an RAship with them. I think many will be open to taking on a MS student for research if they have funding. Do not expect any commitments, because the professors likely can't predict their funding situation that far out and they also will prioritize PhD students in the fall, but if you find a number of professors that are options then that's a good sign. Going for the MS is definitely the riskier option. You might end up wasting 1-2 years on coursework that you'll have to repeat at another university, not to mention the money you'll spend. It really depends on if you think you can land a funded RAship at CMU and do a fantastic enough job that your advisor will push for you to attend full-time. Unless you get a really good vibe from some professors at CMU, I would lean toward Wisconsin or Michigan, both of which are good schools and may have many good advisors that fit your interests.

I second what CSallday said. For undergrad you could argue that the overall prestige of the school is a bigger factor, but for grad school the department ranking is basically all that matters (unless you're trying to impress people outside the field). Recruiters know that grad schools have department-specific admissions and department-specific programs, and everyone in the field knows that UMass's CS program trumps U Chicago's. That said, there's also a lot of variance in the quality of MS programs. You should carefully consider each of them to make sure you're getting the best deal possible. A top-10 CS program doesn't necessarily have a top-10 MS in CS program.

I had the same choice last year when I applied to PhD programs. I chose CMU. A few things to consider: 1) CS rankings do matter, especially in academia (and obviously, it's the program ranking that matters). A professor at U Mich told me that when I asked him about their hiring process for new faculty. When it comes to reputation, there is a big gap between the "Top 4" and other universities. The Harvard name will help you pick up girls at a bar. The CMU name will gain you respect among your peers. (A couple caveats to this: First, I don't think it should be that way in either direction, but that is the reality we live in. Second, Harvard does still have a good name in CS, and CMU does still have a good general reputation in the US.) 2) Pittsburgh is a much better city than you seem to think. I also thought that Pittsburgh would not be a great place to live (and I was comparing this against Stanford), but I've really enjoyed it here. It has a great academic community, a lot of culture, the people are friendly, and the city is very safe. Plus, living expenses are about half price compared to Boston, so you can live like a king here on your stipend. I would complain about winter, but you'd get way more of that in Cambridge. 3) The people at CMU, both the students and the faculty, are simply great people. When I visited Stanford and asked students why I should go there, they said "because it's Stanford!" When I visited U Mich, nearly every presentation had a reference to the university being top-10 in X many subjects. When I visited CMU, the university's ranking was hardly mentioned. At one point I even asked a student if CMU Robotics is indeed the top program in the country, to which she replied "that's what I've heard." In short, there is no pretentiousness at CMU. 4) Advisors are a very important factor. You should make a list of faculty at CMU that you'd like to speak to and send it to the coordinator. I'm sure they'll schedule Skype talks with them.

I just received an email from Harvard SEAS saying I have been waitlisted (even though when I called them immediately after receiving the email, they said I had been accepted). My guess is, if you haven't heard from a faculty member yet but you received the email from StudentUniverse, it means you've been waitlisted too.

On a related note, did you receive an email from StudentUniverse on behalf of Harvard asking for travel information? They said they inadvertently emailed all applicants, but I'm not sure I believe them.

Harvard is March 7th I believe.

Yeah, it seems like not many people received that email, so it probably was the admitted students. Then again, I would expect a faculty member to contact us if that was the case, and I'm not sure why they wouldn't tell you that you were admitted when you called if that was indeed the case. They said the open house is March 7th, so I guess we'll know for sure before then.

I also received an email from Student Universe (I applied for CS to SEAS though). I called them very quickly after receiving the email and the person I spoke to said I had been admitted, though she seemed surprised I hadn't heard from any faculty. However, now I'm not so sure, and I'm wondering if she incorrectly thought I had been admitted just because I had received the email. But if not everyone received the email, then maybe it was only sent to accepted students? It's been driving me nuts trying to figure it out. I've tried to call them again today to get this straightened out, but they haven't been responding.

I still think it's worth trying for. What's your quant GRE?

3.5 isn't so bad. If the rest of your application is strong then you definitely have a chance.