Graduate school advice

[ala_alf]

I decided to apply to graduate school this year, after three years in industry. I could really use some help. Any advice would be very much appreciated!

About me:

Graduated from a top 50 US undergrad uni, with a small, probably weak Computer Science program. (just checked, it was unranked when I went there)

Double majored in CS and Math with a 3.2 GPA(mostly due to a terrible semester freshmen year), 3.6 Major GPA.

Just got my GRE scores back: 760Q/630V/3.5W (I know, I BOMBED the writing section. Will schools reject my application based on this? Should I bother to retake? I probably could have done better on the Q too, since I got 9/25 wrong, but it's seems acceptable enough to me)

I've been working for the same large US company for the 3 years I've been out of school. Received good performance reviews, could probably get decent recommendations.

Which range of schools should I be looking at? Do I have a shot at top 20-50 schools? I've wanted to work on a grad degree full time, but I don't want to go into debt going to school (again). I want to do research projects, but I doubt I can get into any decent PHD programs with no research experience, so are there any masters programs I should take note of (or aviod) if I want to TA/RA? In general is there a difference between private or public schools in terms of funding opportunities?

Thanks, and good luck to those of you still waiting for acceptances!

[angusBF]

Hey, ala_alf

Welcome to the grad school applicants club :-). We could all use some help here on one issue or another...

Double majored in CS and Math with a 3.2 GPA(mostly due to a terrible semester freshmen year), 3.6 Major GPA.

The 3.2 is a bit low in my opinion. But.....if it really is mostly due to one bad semester, like you mentioned, the admissions committees will definitely notice that. They look for patterns in your transcript. As in, are the bad grades concentrated in a particular academic area or during a specific time period? If your bad grades are mostly during your freshman year, they will want to see improvements in subsequent semesters. If you have noticeable improvements, the 3.6 Major GPA will serve you well. Because the admissions committees are also much more interested in your performance in Math, Science, and CS courses rather than say History or Sociology courses.

Just got my GRE scores back: 760Q/630V/3.5W (I know, I BOMBED the writing section. Will schools reject my application based on this? Should I bother to retake? I probably could have done better on the Q too, since I got 9/25 wrong, but it's seems acceptable enough to me)

As for your GRE scores.....If you are looking at 20-50 schools, I would say it's quite acceptable. I got accepted to a top 20 school with a lower quant and lower verbal score than you, but I did get a higher writing score. GRE scores are by far not the only factor in your admissions decision, I am almost leaning toward saying that it is one of the weaker factors. Admissions committees are more interested in academic performance, research, letters of recommendation, and statement of purpose. I would say the GRE score is just a "background check" type thing, to make sure you can speak English well enough and do simple math. So if you want to re-take it, sure it's your choice. But I think it's quite an acceptable score and no, I seriously doubt that your application would be rejected based on your writing score. You are not applying for English or History.

I've been working for the same large US company for the 3 years I've been out of school. Received good performance reviews, could probably get decent recommendations.

Recommendation letters weigh quite heavily in the admissions process. You should do your best to get letters focusing on your research abilities, i.e. your abilities to produce creative and original work. Letters focusing on your excellent abilities and dedication working in some lab, for example. But I have no idea what company you work at, so I can't say much else about this. Another thing they usually recommend to individuals who have been in industry for a few years is to attempt to get at least one recommendation letter from an undergraduate professor who has known you closely in either a classroom or a laboratory setting. So see if you could still re-connect with any of them.

Which range of schools should I be looking at? Do I have a shot at top 20-50 schools?

Yes, I think you do. Check out the websites of the schools to see what research projects they are doing and try to relate your experience and interests to those projects. If you can make a strong argument in your statement of purpose as to why your work experience makes you very well qualified for projects in a specific area, I believe you will have a good shot at being accepted.

I've wanted to work on a grad degree full time, but I don't want to go into debt going to school (again). I want to do research projects, but I doubt I can get into any decent PHD programs with no research experience, so are there any masters programs I should take note of (or aviod) if I want to TA/RA?

In general, it is much harder to find a fully funded Masters program. I was looking for that option and was only able to pinpoint two schools in the top 20 that offered it. So I think that whenever fully funded Masters programs do exist, they are actually harder to get into than the PhD programs at the same school. That being said.....yes, you could look into Masters programs offered by the 20-50 schools and read their websites *carefully* to see whether or not they offer funding specifically to Masters students. Some of them will not mention anything about Masters funding, in which case you may want to e-mail the graduate coordinator of the program and ask. Others will explicitly tell you whether or not they offer Masters funding. If they offer full funding, you will probably not know whether you will be doing RA or TA until you get accepted. But if you are just looking to get funded, that shouldn't be such a big difference to you. Furthermore, you need to consider if those Masters programs are course based only or research based. You may be able to find a funded Masters program that doesn't offer too many research opportunities, making it not what you are looking for. So read carefully. If you are not able to find too many Masters opportunities, I highly recommend looking into PhD programs in the 20-50 range. I do think you have a shot if you put together your application carefully, i.e. very well written statement and good letters. And for PhD programs you usually don't have to worry about finding funding, they just give it to you upon being accepted.

In general is there a difference between private or public schools in terms of funding opportunities?

I couldn't find a single private school in the top 20 that offered full funding for a Masters degree. I would think that private schools in the 20-50 are probably the same with their Masters funding. You will just have to read the websites to find out the specifics. But I did find two public schools that offered Masters funding and I am going to one of them to do my Masters. Both public and private schools give full funding to PhD students.

Alright, hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Best of luck!

angusBF

Edited May 4, 2010 by angusBF

[ala_alf]

Thank you very much my beefy friend . One more Q: I know the subject GRE is not required by a lot of schools, but of the ones where it is "recommended" or "strongly recommended," is an application hurt significantly by not having one? Is it hurt enough so that I shouldn't consider these schools unless I plan on taking it?

[angusBF]

Thank you very much my beefy friend .

Yes, thank you. I am beefy indeed . Though I don't actually have any friends right now. I am totally friendless , it's so embarrassing. Wana be my first gradcafe friend??

I know the subject GRE is not required by a lot of schools, but of the ones where it is "recommended" or "strongly recommended," is an application hurt significantly by not having one? Is it hurt enough so that I shouldn't consider these schools unless I plan on taking it?

That's a very good question. I thought quite a bit about this when I was applying. And I think the answer is: "it depends". I concluded that if you are applying to a top school, e.g. Berkeley who "recommends" it, you need to gauge your application against the ones that they will be receiving. Meaning, consider the fact that they accept less that 5% of the people all of which have excellent grades, research, letters of recommendation, and likely at least one publication. If your credentials measure up to that, then you will probably be fine without taking it even though it's "recommended." If your credentials are not quite there, the GRE subjects might put you in consideration and prove to the admissions committee that you know what you're talking about when it comes to CS. Because the CS GRE is known to be a pretty tough test. But considering the fact you will (likely) not be applying to a top 10 school, this is not such a big concern. It seems to me that you can craft your application well enough to be right on par with the applicants to the universities in the 20-50 range without a "recommended" CS GRE score. So I say, if you believe you are well suited for the program and can present a strong case for yourself given your experience, then go for it whether it's "recommended" or not.

However, the real thing to consider here is........that was the make it or break it for me........do you think you could score well on it? Go to the ETS GRE website and download a test booklet for the CS GRE and look at some of their sample questions. It's available for free. If you think you know the stuff well and will be able to get a good score with timely preparation, then by all means go for it. I don't think it will hurt you to present a good score and will likely solidify your position as an applicant to any university you choose. But, if you look at the questions and think....mmmmyeeeeaaah. Then seriously re-consider. I think it is much better to apply without a "recommended" GRE score than to supply a bad one. "It is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

Cheers,

angusBF

Edited May 5, 2010 by angusBF

[BKMD]

I think it is much better to apply without a "recommended" GRE score than to supply a bad one. "It is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

I agree with this. In fact, whether or not I submitted my (subpar) CS GRE scores to a school ended up being a perfect predictor of whether I was admitted. >_>

That being said, you can always take the test and not submit your scores unless you do well. You are able to choose up to 4 schools to send your scores to for free when you take the test... however, if you fill these out, you can't "unsend" them if you do poorly, which I found out the hard way. However, you can opt not to send your scores to any schools at all, and then once you receive your scores, you can choose to send them only if you did well (at $20 a pop). This route is more expensive but safer. Personally I would take the test, because if you do get an exceptional score, then this will be a great boost to your application, especially if you've been out of school for a while.

[ala_alf]

Yes, thank you. I am beefy indeed . Though I don't actually have any friends right now. I am totally friendless , it's so embarrassing. Wana be my first gradcafe friend??

Whhhhy I'm flattered! We're now officially gradcafe friends .

Thanks again for all the help!

[angusBF]

No probs, grad I could be of service. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks for being my friend . No more friendlessness lol.