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Is an interview a must for computer science at Berkeley?


hello2009

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I had an interview, but I still have not been accepted yet. So, my view about interview is that you get one because you are a borderline candidate (in which case committee aren't sure whether to admit you or not), or you don't get one because you are overqualified or just so unqualified for admissions.

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michiganTrumpet,

when did you hear from berkeley and cmu? have you posted your stats somewhere?

what is your specialty? it seems cmu has only sent acceptances for certain sects of their cs department.

if i haven't heard from berkeley or cmu yet, is this a bad sign?

also, is it bad form to call these schools to ask for results ? i've heard of people doing that , but their departments must get quite annoyed if too many applicants bombard them with calls.

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when did you hear from berkeley and cmu?

CMU CSD/ECE maybe 3 weeks ago; Berkeley last week

have you posted your stats somewhere?

Check out the "CS applicants where are you" thread

what is your specialty? it seems cmu has only sent acceptances for certain sects of their cs department.

This is true. I applied to the standard CS PhD program. A lot of the specialties have not notified to my knowledge.

if i haven't heard from berkeley or cmu yet, is this a bad sign?

Berkeley, possibly. CMU, depends on the program.

also, is it bad form to call these schools to ask for results ? i've heard of people doing that , but their departments must get quite annoyed if too many applicants bombard them with calls.

IMHO, calling is in bad form, yes. They're not going to tell you anything useful over the phone anyway. If you've had prior contact with a specific professor, you can inquire with them.

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well, michigan, i must say. you got like five accepts, which means four spots open :D

there are more like you out there! i don't mind being second choice as long as i get funding.

so as far as i am concerned, you can't go to all five... and other people like you cannot go to all the programs they are accepted to. that leaves at least four possible slots open and no rejects means i still have a chance!!!

thanks for responding!

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I think what csApplicant is trying to say, you should decide where you want to go as soon as you can so that you open spaces for him :P jk. Seriously though, out of the 7 schools I am applying to, I know my top three choices, so if I got into two out of my top three, I am definitely turning down the bottom four right away. There is no point of wasting everyone's time.

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Don't most programs factor in the attrition rate before e-mailing out accepts/rejects?

You know, not to rain on anyone's dreams, but I imagine most departments past a certain size get pretty good at this and the statistics don't vary that widely from year to year. (I know at my current institution they don't, the school keeps a public dataset. :))

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danggit, belowthree! give a candidate some hope!

Ooops, sorry. :)

i've realized i'm not up to the level of mit or probably berkeley, so i'm letting to at this point and ready to make an accept at my third choice.

How magnanimous of you. Stories shall be told far and wide of your humility and kindness. ;)

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I had no interview at Berkeley before I was accepted.

That being said, from what I know talking to current grad students at these places (the big schools at least), they don't really do multiple rounds of accepts. A place like CMU or Berkeley expects to get a large fraction of the people they admit, and the fraction is pretty consistent from year to year, so they just factor that into the initial acceptance rate. Its hard for schools to do anything else, since they can't make you get back to them before April 15th anyhow.

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was it you that was upset about not getting into mit? you got into berkeley? who CARES?! go to berkeley!

by the way, do you know if berkeley is done accepting candidates? they say not, but ... any news?

also, can you post your stats, pcp? want to know what berkeley was looking for?

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I asked by email the professor who interviewed me whether there is a decision made on my application, and he replied that a decision will soon be emailed from the department. Is this a good sign? Is he not willing to disclose decision or not willing to tell me directly that I have been rejected?

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If I know that I have an acceptance from Berkeley, I will definitely decline all other ones! It is not a question of top 10, but rather which one is your top school, and knowing that you have a good shot at it (in my case, because I have been interviewed by Berkeley)

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I think you guys need to back off a little. Most schools overaccept slightly, and rushing our decisions won't significantly increase your chances of being accepted. It's only mid-February. If we haven't decided in early April yet, then you can start pestering us :P

Picking the right school/advisor is a bigger deal than just arbitrarily choosing the one you had the highest preconceived notion about. You only get an overall picture after visiting and talking with current students and faculty. Sometimes the one professor you really wanted to work with at a school ends up being a real jerk. You really don't know until you visit. After the visits are over, I agree that delaying your decision is a little pointless.

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c'mon michigantrumpet. enjoy a little humour. don't be a sore winner :D

have a little mercy for those of us who haven't gotten into top 10 and have received rejection letters.

do you seriously think we're expecting you to turn down schools you are really considering without doing your research?

right.

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