complexbongo

For a PhD program, research experience is the #1 thing admissions committees are looking for. With your GPA and GRE scores not being particularly stunning, and with no research experience, aiming for the top 20 may be a bit of a reach. That said, industry experience helps very much! Schools like students who can solve a myriad of problems, which is something you'll learn quickly in industry. I think you should set you sets on, say, top 50. Look around at schools in that range and see what fits your interest the best. Also, if you have not taken the GRE within the last 5 years, you will have to take it again.

Talk to someone in your field who has published papers in highly recognized journals (aka your advisor). There is no "guide" to publishing research.

If you want to be safe, I think 1 month in advance is a safe bet. Even you can prepare and feel ready by the first few weeks in November, I would take it then. Remember also that some schools have separate "Supplemental Materials" deadlines which may or may not include GRE scores. Each school varies.

I believe you posted this somewhere else, as well. My answer there was: High school courses and AP Exams will not help you. Calculus (and Probability) would be largely to your benefit. You will find that Calculus and Probability dominate a large portion of modern economic theory, and much of your competition will have this experience. To me, your quantitative background seems a little lacking. Take advanced Calculus and Probability courses, as I have recommended, and then I think you will be in a much better position. The GRE only tests a certain level of quantitative skills.

This is great! But I hope they still exhibit some selectivity in admissions, otherwise it may weaken the job-application power of those already with a MS in CS. Other than that, this will provide great flexibility to many people who would have otherwise not applied for a graduate degree. Great step forward!

The universities that YOU apply to should depend on what YOU are interested in. If you have no idea where to start, then take a look at the US News Rankings and take a look at the top 200 schools. See where you fit best, and do your research to see what your chances are personally. No single person will be able to tell you whether or not you're a good fit for a given university besides the admissions committee at that university -- they make the decisions. My advice to you: Gather ~30 schools that you would possibly like to attend and that are not entirely out of your reach. Read up on their programs and determine a smaller list of schools you really like Read around on The Grad Cafe, academia.stackexchange.com, The Grad Cafe's admissons results search, and Google! Determine a final list of schools you like and think you have a good shot at getting into. Apply! and Good Luck!

No; SAT Math Level II does not test as deep as the GRE, even. I agree with juilletmecredi, Calculus (and Probability) would be largely to your benefit. You will find that Calculus and Probability dominate a large portion of modern economic theory, and much of your competition will have this experience.

hvasilev, My SoP will talk about my research experiences, as well as the areas I wish to pursue, with a mention of possible projects and professors I may be interested in working with. I plan to tie them all together.

Applying for PhD programs. General Profile: Domestic White Male Major(s): Computer Science (BS), Mechanical Engineering (BME) Minor(s): Mathematics GPA: 3.4/4.0 (Cumulative), 3.7/4.0 (CS) GRE: 155V / 168Q / 4.5W Research Experience: 2+ Years Undergrad Research 1 Conference Publication in CS ( Best Paper Award ) 1 Journal Publication Other: 5 Graduate Courses Taken (and more scheduled) Area(s) of Interests: Artificial Intelligence Robotics Software Engineering Machine Learning Schools Considering (Large List! No Particular Order. Will Update): Stanford UC Berkeley North Carolina Duke Cal Tech Penn Washington Johns Hopkins Northeastern Boston U UC San Diego UCLA UC Santa Barbara MIT USC George Washington Maryland Yale Harvard Columbia NYU I have a lot of top schools, and some fallbacks. Location is a huge factor for me, thus why most of my schools are bundled on the West Coast or Northeast. I'm looking to narrow this down to ~10 schools (which is still a lot!).

My question is, do English courses (such as technical writing/editing) look good for applicants applying to STEM PhD programs? I'm under the impression that most STEM majors do not have adequate writing experience when entering a PhD program, so I assume the experience would be helpful and make my application stand out somewhat. I have the option of either taking the Technical Editing course, or another STEM class in my major. Which would a graduate committee likely prefer? Thanks!

Thank you both for your replies! I definitely agree with you, gwwg, I need to emphasize what benefits have come out of my, let's say "secondary", degree. I think if I make it clear that I've used that degree as leverage to push me forward in the field of computer science, then I can use that to my advantage. I plan on talking to an admissions advisor that I've been in contact with at UPenn about this, and I'll report back with what they have to say.

Hi, I'm a junior, double degree student in Computer Science (BS) and Mechanical Engineering (BME). I plan to pursue a PhD in Computer Science with a focus on Networking or Theory -- I haven't quite decided yet. My issue is that my Mechanical Engineering degree will not be related to my academic pursuits after graduation, and it almost seems like dead weight. Will this extra degree negatively affect my admission chances? Could it benefit me in any way? I've read previously that some feel that a double major/double degree student doesn't look as good to an admissions committee simply due to the fact that the applicant may appear to have conflicting interests. Do you agree with this? I have no intention of dropping the degree, as I have a profound love for mechanical engineering; I simply don't wish to pursue it in my graduate education as I do for computer science. Thanks!

What is the general consensus on the importance of a senior thesis? In my case, I either have the option to pursue a Senior Thesis, which will take up 1 course per semester for my last two semesters (i.e. 1 in each semester of my senior year), or I can take some graduate level courses alongside other, part-time research (~20 hrs/wk). This other research will be primarily my own project, but it won't necessarily be an individual project like the thesis would. This research is something I've already worked on and hope to get a (few) publications out of. In addition, I will have already taken a significant amount of graduate level courses (~10 by the time I graduate), in Math, Computer Science, and Engineering. I am currently pursuing a BS in Computer Science & a BEng in Mechanical Engineering and looking to apply to a top PhD program in Computer Science (Theory). I would've normally chose the Senior Thesis, but it will be much more time consuming than I would've liked (because of university requirements) for only one single outcome as opposed to taking rigorous courses and pursuing research simultaneously where I could learn at a high level and possibly publish research. What option would you go with?