LastGradStanding

It was for May.

Waterloo

I just got another rejection. This one was from the program that I thought was the most open to my learning disability. I'm only good at a very narrow range of things which is something that's supposed to be ok for PhD programs. I'm beginning to think that I have Asberger's as well so I'm giving up PhD applications and saving my pennies to get tested. It's not like that would help me get admitted, I just need to know.

Just checked my status and saw that I was denied. The least they could have done was send me an email telling me to check my status or an outright rejection email.

I'm trying to keep hope alive but the odds are diminishing by the day. Anybody ever done research while not enrolled? As in getting a friendly prof to show you the ropes and attempt to publish the results?

Has anyone heard anything about UW CS admissions yet? The deadline was a month ago but they're still taking applications according to their website. Nobody has updated the tracker for this recruitment session.

I forgot to mention that everyone thought I was an ECE student. Apparently that's all that black men study in engineering school.

I was the only black guy in my whole program for my first semester. Another guy came the next semester but he was from overseas. Being the only AA sucked. I always got stuck with the dirtbags for group projects because everyone from the majority would pair up so quickly that it would just be me and a few deadbeats left within a couple of minutes. This affected my grades twice. I had friends in other fields who had similar experiences. The dirtbags will do nothing and leave you to carry all of the weight, and if you get a B instead of an A they'll explain it away as the result of being paired with a black person.

How did everything end for the OP?

Everything is done with my app. I applied directly for the PhD (which this school allows) but noted that I was willing to do the MS if they thought that I should do one first. I'm gonna wait a few days before hitting the send button though. History has shown that there is always one little improvement that could've been done when immediately send my SOP. If it still looks perfect after 2-3 days then it's good to go.

I have a professional masters but I took extra classes in hard stats and CS rather than fluff classes like most of my classmates. My MS program was much harder where I earned it than the equivalent program is at my target school. I think I'd make a great TA since I did it at my old school. Since graduation I've been building my skills in my spare time. I have lots of practical knowledge but I don't have anything on a transcript that says I know a CS theory. It was also a non-thesis program and I think most Canadian schools want applicants who've done a thesis for PhD programs. I haven't done research, just teaching. At the time I didn't think I'd want a PhD.

No, they just don't accept non-traditional applicants directly to the PhD program.

I have a Masters in a specific application of the field I'm interested in. I just haven't taken the core set of coursework for the field in general. They want me to know the core before being allowed to pursue a research oriented degree.

How common is it to apply to a PhD program and have them admit you as a Masters student? I talked to a POI who just took on a bunch of students and won't be taking on any more soon. She said that I had a decent shot at being taken on as a student with a non-traditional background but I'd have to take some remedial courses (which is fine). As I was writing my SOP I rechecked their website to be sure of the wording and it looks like wording about remedial courses refers to Masters students. I emailed a program administrator and she confirmed that the non-traditional applicants are only accepted for Masters studies. This is a Canadian school. In the US you earn a Masters on the way to getting a PhD. I'm not sure that this is the case in Canada. They do accept people into the PhD program from the Masters without reapplying though. I already paid all of my fees and my app is complete except for the SOP. Should I change my status to Masters applicant or should I leave it as-is with the expectation of a Masters admission?

If they accept new students more than once a year it would behoove you to apply during the off-peak semester(s).