A kindly request for profile evaluation~

[faye2002]

I am a senior undergraduate majored in CS in HKUST and I'm planning to pursue an advanced degree in CS field, specifically, in Machine learning or Computer Vision areas

GPA: 4.0 if converted to the 4.0 scale

GRE: V550, Q800, AW4.0

TOEFL: R29 + L29 + S24 + W28 = 110

A few research experience

1. An undergraduate research program, with the topic of searching, barely a research experience and no concrete results produced...

2. I'm currently working on my Final Year Thesis, with the topic of classification of cancers based on microarray data, basically about applying machine learning methods to process biological data. According to the progress, it is very unlikely to get any effective results before application deadlines...

For LORs, I will probably get one from the professor who supervises my final year thesis, one from the assistant professor who taught me computer graphics course which I scored the highest, and one from the vice dean of our department who is my advisor.

I would like to work for applying machine learning techniques to other fields, especially in computer vision field. I want to apply for research-oriented MS program or phD program if it fits. Here are some universities that I've picked out, please comment on my selections:

CMU, MS of Human Computer Interaction

UC Berkeley, MS/PHD

Columbia, PHD or MS

UPenn, PHD

UCLA, MS

UCSD, MS

Princeton, MS

UNC-Chapel Hill, PHD

Rice, PHD

And any suggestion of programs other than those listed above is so welcomed. Thanks all~

[timuralp]

The only thing I'd say is that you should apply for a PhD, since it's easier to get funding this way. Also, a lot of programs may let you transfer after obtaining your MS in the MS/PhD track. Have you looked at WashU and UMass at all? Those could be some other schools to consider, albeit the climate will be colder than every other school you listed (maybe barring Columbia)

[faye2002]

timuralp said:

The only thing I'd say is that you should apply for a PhD, since it's easier to get funding this way. Also, a lot of programs may let you transfer after obtaining your MS in the MS/PhD track. Have you looked at WashU and UMass at all? Those could be some other schools to consider, albeit the climate will be colder than every other school you listed (maybe barring Columbia)

Thanks timuralp~~~ One reason that I choose some MS programs is that I don't think my profile is good enough to get me into some extremely competitive programs...The other reason, maybe the more important one, is that I think I'm more interested in applications than theories. So it doesn't seem to be appropriate for me to make a phD commitment now...or is it? :?:

[timuralp]

Well, so here's the real deal and most places kinda frown up on it. If you get into an MS/PhD program (i.e. combined), you can check if your MS is awarded after 2 years and if you have the option to leave the program. So, as you can see, often times it's not actually the kind of commitment you think it is and you're more likely to be funded, whether it's through TA or a fellowship.

On the point about applications vs theories, I'll just give you an example project at UMass (I graduated from there, hence the reference). Professor there, David Jensen, applied Machine Learning techniques to help SEC identify stock brokers who were breaking the regulations. Here's the paper: http://kdl.cs.umass.edu/people/jensen/p ... dd05b.html. This seems fairly practical The point is that you can often find research work that is more applied than other work. I'll just say pick your advisor wisely and that'll help you also figure out the school you're more fit to attend.

Finally, as far as picking schools, advice I got was apply in 3s: three that'll probably be a stretch, three that you have a good shot of getting into, and three safety schools. When I applied, I applied to only 1 safety school because I knew I would get in and it was a good school. So, adapt the advice to your circumstance. Also, as I found out grad admissions is a lottery: I got into WashU (ranked 5th in what I'm interested in), but didn't get into UCLA or UCSD (13 and 15 respectively I think), so you always have a shot