Need advice about undergraduate courses - Heading for a PhD

[Snoq]

I am an undergraduate student at Electrical and Computer Engineering (international) and I am willing to apply for a PhD for Fall 2014 (related post at gradcafe ). I am facing a problem right now and I need your advice help.

I was transferred at my second year from another university and at not all my courses got successfully transferred so I need to retake them, but I got good grades on them and I am comfortable enough I can retake even better grades. I haven’t retaken them since now because I was able to take other courses and I was bored re-reading courses I have passed once.

I want to do research in Algorithms, Machine Learning or Computer Architecture but I don’t know yet in which field.

At this term I need to choose two of the above courses. The rest of them will be selected at fall ’13 and spring ’14 (thesis term) - during my theses so I want to re-take the courses I have passed so that I don’t spend much time on them and I will have taken all the advanced courses. My problem is that those courses will not be in my resume by the time that I will apply for a PhD because I will apply next fall before giving exams at any of those (neither my advance courses on databases, patter recognition and vlsi design).

List of courses (grades are on a 4 scale):

• Linear Algebra : I know linear algebra quite good and I have already passed my robotics course with 4 and I will be taking a course on computer graphics course next term but this is an essential course.
  
• Advanced Programming (using C++) : Very good at programming and have passed my data structure and algorithm design classes with 4’s and my basic programming class (using C) with 3.6. Advanced Programming is a prerequisite for them. Will be taking a Software Engineering course and an Operating Systems and a distributed systems course next term and planning to do well. Will be doing research next semester using C++, but at this time I know well enough C and Java.
  
• Introduction to Materials : Passed that course with 4. Didn’t liked it that much and planning to retake it at my last semester. Haven’t taken any other course at that field.
  
• Electromagnetic Fields: Haven’t taken that course in my former university but I was planning to take it next year. Essential course but not closely related to my interests. Will not having this course hurt my profile? (Maybe it will not be essential at good universities but I am planning to apply at top schools). Also I will be taking an Electromagnetic Waves course at spring ’14.
  
  • Introduction to Power Systems: Haven’t taken that course in my former university. Not related to my interests but essential for an ECE student. It not an easy but neither a hard course.
    
  • Introduction to Mechanics: Have taken that in my former university but is not related to my interest field but I must retake it though. The most easy course at my university. I have also taken a Physics class (mechanics, vibrations and relativity), but performed poorly.
    

  I will be also taking many other advanced courses this term (5-6) so I am planning to take Introduction to Power Systems and Introduction to Mechanics because are the most easy courses and I could handle the course load. Will that be a mistake by myself? Should I take two other courses from the above mentioned?

  My current GPA is 3.64 and I have taken very good grades (>= 3.6) at nearly all of my courses in mathematics, electronics (analog and digital), algorithms and programming. I am planning to apply at most top 10 universities (including top 3) and 3-4 universities that are (top 20), so I want to know if chooses one course or the other would make any difference. I want to have the best possible solution as my hopes are high.

[victor.s.andrei]

I am an undergraduate student at Electrical and Computer Engineering (international) and I am willing to apply for a PhD for Fall 2014 (related post at gradcafe ). I am facing a problem right now and I need your advice help.

I was transferred at my second year from another university and at not all my courses got successfully transferred so I need to retake them, but I got good grades on them and I am comfortable enough I can retake even better grades. I haven’t retaken them since now because I was able to take other courses and I was bored re-reading courses I have passed once.

I want to do research in Algorithms, Machine Learning or Computer Architecture but I don’t know yet in which field.

At this term I need to choose two of the above courses. The rest of them will be selected at fall ’13 and spring ’14 (thesis term) - during my theses so I want to re-take the courses I have passed so that I don’t spend much time on them and I will have taken all the advanced courses. My problem is that those courses will not be in my resume by the time that I will apply for a PhD because I will apply next fall before giving exams at any of those (neither my advance courses on databases, patter recognition and vlsi design).

List of courses (grades are on a 4 scale):

• Linear Algebra : I know linear algebra quite good and I have already passed my robotics course with 4 and I will be taking a course on computer graphics course next term but this is an essential course.
  
• Advanced Programming (using C++) : Very good at programming and have passed my data structure and algorithm design classes with 4’s and my basic programming class (using C) with 3.6. Advanced Programming is a prerequisite for them. Will be taking a Software Engineering course and an Operating Systems and a distributed systems course next term and planning to do well. Will be doing research next semester using C++, but at this time I know well enough C and Java.
  
• Introduction to Materials : Passed that course with 4. Didn’t liked it that much and planning to retake it at my last semester. Haven’t taken any other course at that field.
  
• Electromagnetic Fields: Haven’t taken that course in my former university but I was planning to take it next year. Essential course but not closely related to my interests. Will not having this course hurt my profile? (Maybe it will not be essential at good universities but I am planning to apply at top schools). Also I will be taking an Electromagnetic Waves course at spring ’14.
  
  • Introduction to Power Systems: Haven’t taken that course in my former university. Not related to my interests but essential for an ECE student. It not an easy but neither a hard course.
    
  • Introduction to Mechanics: Have taken that in my former university but is not related to my interest field but I must retake it though. The most easy course at my university. I have also taken a Physics class (mechanics, vibrations and relativity), but performed poorly.
    

  I will be also taking many other advanced courses this term (5-6) so I am planning to take Introduction to Power Systems and Introduction to Mechanics because are the most easy courses and I could handle the course load. Will that be a mistake by myself? Should I take two other courses from the above mentioned?

  My current GPA is 3.64 and I have taken very good grades (>= 3.6) at nearly all of my courses in mathematics, electronics (analog and digital), algorithms and programming. I am planning to apply at most top 10 universities (including top 3) and 3-4 universities that are (top 20), so I want to know if chooses one course or the other would make any difference. I want to have the best possible solution as my hopes are high.

  1. You will have to submit transcripts for all of the schools that you attended.

  2. Earning a high GPA in courses like the ones you described does not necessarily indicate that you will be a good researcher.

  3. Go take a seminar class in a topic of interest. Read the latest journals and magazines (CACM, IEEE Spectrum, USENIX ;login;). Volunteer for a project. Actually do the project, write up your results, and submit the paper to a conference. Even going to conferences (in our field, ACM or IEEE) will help you learn what's new and interesting in your field. That is how you get amazing LORs that indicate that you are a good researcher, not just a good student.