ponylevel

Because we don't know of an online public forum where people talk about deep CS research topics? Why don't you just search for papers/conferences you're interested in, and then do additional searches on the topics you want to discuss to see if it's a broad enough question for a public forum to spring up? Or you could try connecting with researchers in the area you're interested in (the ones who will know it best), to see if they have any recommendations about where to look. People don't talk about their research in an online forum, they do it in Universities and then publish papers about it.

Don't bother finding a girlfriend in grad school. They all have mental problems.

This would be a no-brainer for me. Do the M.Eng at Cornell. It's a one year investment for a masters degree from a good university.

Easiest schools are Stanford, Berkeley, MIT and CMU for sure. As easy as community colleges last I heard.

Because you're going for a masters, it doesn't hurt much to go after the overall brand name. At the end of the day, industry and academia will recognize your school. Even if UIUC was in a nice location, I'd still pick Harvard for the brand (this is despite Harvard's CS rank being much much lower). If you were going for a PhD, then it's mainly about research fit.

- What should I tell him about how things ended in the old department? How much detail should I share and how do I not badmouth anybody but also not sound like I am just saying “what you would expect.” If I just say it was a bad fit he will no doubt wonder why it wasn’t and whether there is anything about me that might make me difficult to work with. Be honest. But be firm in your reasons why you think this time around you'll succeed, and what you bring to the table for the new department. - What kind of questions should I ask him? I want to ask him about how many classes I many need to take and how long it may take, but I’m not sure if I should ask about mentorship, the dissertation, and other topics. Sure, I don't see a problem with asking those questions upfront. I wouldn't start with questions though, I'd feel out what he thinks about switching first. - Should I ask if I may be able to get my Field Placement requirement for the Gerontology department waived because of my extensive client contact with geriatric patients in my Field Placement in the Counseling Psych program, or is it too early? Sounds early. - Should I say I have some dissertation ideas or leave it open for now? I am coming in rather late in the game and I do not know if it would make them feel more reassured to take a chance on me if I have some dissertation ideas or whether it will make them more apprehensive. On one hand they may fear I will never find a good topic and on the other they may fear I am going to stubbornly insist on a topic they are not interested in. I know I can just say these ideas are open to revision or even replacement but I have difficulty approaching this with confidence because this kind of negotiation has been a nightmare in the Counseling Psychology department. I am compromised and I cannot tell what’s reasonable. If your ideas are good then sure. Maybe pitch them to some other grad students first? And try to fold it in with what the professor's interests are. - Should I ask him about research assistantships? My scholarship has ended after four years here and as of next semester I would be charged full out-of-state tuition if I don’t have an RA position. Sure. - How much should I share about my medical issues that have made my previous years difficult? The situation has been resolved but it was a rather personal situation and I am not very comfortable talking about it, especially with a younger guy, even if he is a professor. On one hand it may help him understand my difficulties in the past (prior incompletes and the class I took over), on the other it may make him feel uncomfortable too, and on the third, it may not be as consistent with the whole "not a good fit" component which I may want to emphasize. I wouldn't talk about them. If absolutely necessary, I'd mention it in passing and say it made things difficult in the past few years but now I'm past it because of X. - I am currently the president of a Psychology of gender student organization, a position I will hold for another year possibly until another president is voted in. This organization has primarily been housed in the Counseling Psychology department but the faculty mentor for this organization said it should be no problem if I continued to be president while in the Gero department. In a recent meeting, I mentioned my interest in a topic related to gender and senior housing, and several members of the organization expressed interest in potentially doing some research related to the topic over the next year. Should I say anything about this in the meeting and how should I go about talking about it? This professor and I had discussed how we would both like to see the two departments come closer together and collaborate more given the need for mental health services in the aging field and especially given that the new Graduate Certificate program would provide a way for more Counseling Psychology students to specialize in Aging. Coming in while president of an organization primarily made up of students in the Counseling department can be a way through which the departments establish more solid ties. I'd keep the first meeting focused on the transition between departments rather than the new dissertation topics. - Finally, I could use any tips for departing well with the previous department. It is sad what happened but it has not all been bad. I appreciate the opportunity they gave me and would like to keep good ties with the department as a whole. Thank you cards with genuine feeling to your adviser and anyone else that helped you indirectly.

These assertions can only be made on a case by case basis (and even then with ambiguity). For example, would you pick UIUC over Harvard? I wouldn't. But would I pick CMU over Harvard? Probably.