Please evaluate my profile for top 20 Ph.D. programs

[ethanch]

Hi everyone,

It's really wonderful to find so many people active here:)

I'm applying for Ph.D. program in AI/machine learning/security in 11 fall, expecting to get my M.S. at the age of 19 (this summer).

Area of study

Information Retrieval(my undergrad focus, also did some work on my master's)

Machine Learning

Security & Privacy

GPA & GRE:

B.E. 82.9/100 (3.2/4.3, top-ranked university in China, I entered college at 14).

M.S. 4.0/4.0 (U Kansas)

GRE. Verbal: 660, Q: 800, AW: 3.5

Research and work:

I have one tier 1 conference full paper(1st author, ACM MM10, accept rate around 17%) (in information retrieval);

One tier 1 journal paper in submission (1st author, TKDE2011, in IR and machine learning).

One tier 2 conference full paper in submission (in security & privacy)

another two projects in progress.

I had summer internship in Chinese Academy of Science in 2007, doing research in computer vision;

Recommendations:

3 RLs: one from my M.S. advisor, also my current boss; one from my project co-advisor (also instructor of Machine Learning); one from my thesis committee member(instructor of CV).

Below are my choices for grad schools:

Berkeley, CMU, Caltech, Cornell, Brown, UT Austin, U Wisc, U Michigan

They're all top schools to me... Could you please evaluate my chances of getting admitted?

Best regards and good luck to all of you,

Ethan.

Edited January 6, 2011 by ethanch

[newms]

I think you've got a very good chance of being admitted. The most important thing that top schools consider is you research experience and research potential - and you have strong research experience. Your stats are also good, so I would expect that you should have a pretty good chance at top schools. Of course, they only accept 10% or less of applicants (U Mich accepts around 15%) so many qualified applicants will not be accepted. I think you should be able to get into at least a few of those schools. Best of luck!

[ethanch]

I think you've got a very good chance of being admitted. The most important thing that top schools consider is you research experience and research potential - and you have strong research experience. Your stats are also good, so I would expect that you should have a pretty good chance at top schools. Of course, they only accept 10% or less of applicants (U Mich accepts around 15%) so many qualified applicants will not be accepted. I think you should be able to get into at least a few of those schools. Best of luck!

Thanks newms:)

One of my concerns is that how important an in-submission paper counts for admission. Since the author notifications come out very late, they probably will keep being "in submission" till the decisions are made. Another con is the under grad GPA (82.9 is a limit). I'm just trying my luck for 11fall...

Best Wishes.

Ethan

Edited January 11, 2011 by ethanch

[Amogh]

Thanks newms:)

One of my concerns is that how important an in-submission paper counts for admission. Since the author notifications come out very late, they probably will keep being "in submission" till the decisions are made. Another con is the under grad GPA (82.9 is a limit). I'm just trying my luck for 11fall...

Best Wishes.

Ethan

Do notify the admission committee of the fact that you have papers in the submission pipeline. i am sure that must carry some weight in addition to the fact that you have already published one paper. Also the undergrad gpa really shouldn't penalise you cause well you'v proven yourself in research and in your ms gpa. so all the best. i'm sure you'll get in at least a couple of places.