Academic Opinion of Singularity Institute

[DorkRawk]

So I'll be moving near San Fransisco next year and I'm looking to get some AI research experience (and maybe some more possible LoR writers) in order to apply for PhD programs next Fall. As I am no longer in school I need to be more creative with my options. I noticed that The Singularity Institute ( http://singinst.org ) takes volunteers, so that seems like a place where I could at least get in the door pretty easily. My question is, how would this organization look to admissions committees? It seems like fun stuff but is it too pop-science to be viewed as valuable experience by academia?

[Azazel]

I don't know how the singularity institute is viewed inside academia, but I would be hesitant to invest much time there, given to the lack of PhD researchers among their faculty:

http://singinst.org/research/residentfaculty

I'm sure the institute does good work (probably?), but graduate admissions committees typically want letters from people who hold a doctorate.

[csperson]

If you have enough money, then you can probably enroll at UC Berkeley as a non-degree seeking student and take some grad classes???

[DorkRawk]

If you have enough money, then you can probably enroll at UC Berkeley as a non-degree seeking student and take some grad classes???

Yea, I've thought about trying to do that, too. It all depends on the type of job I get and how well my schedule would work with classes. I can be kind of tough getting new research experience when you're out of school, so I'm just looking around for a bunch of options.

[csperson]

Yea, I've thought about trying to do that, too. It all depends on the type of job I get and how well my schedule would work with classes. I can be kind of tough getting new research experience when you're out of school, so I'm just looking around for a bunch of options.

Take a grad class at Berkeley (if allowed), and make sure that class has a research project or something?