EE graduate in need of CS classes?

[SDxx]

Hello!

 

I am an EE graduate of a big state school with 3.8+ GPA and 167Q/162V/4.5AWA GRE. I have 4+ years of experience in the software industry as well as 1 2nd authored publication and patent. Unfortunately, this was not enough for top Ph.D programs for CS - specialization AI/ML/Robotics.

 

I am wondering whether taking CS classes would help, and if so, how to go about signing up for them. If not, is the other option to do more research? I mean would the latter help a lot for M.S./Ph.D programs too? I appreciate your feedback.

 

SDxx

[ShadowFairy]

To answer your first question - community colleges and university in your local area should allow anyone to take courses that they offer for the right fees.

 

As to your second question - of course! Research experience is always a plus, and in more cases than not, a bigger plus than simply taking classes and getting a good grade in it. As long as the research pertains to the field you want to enter. You should know or learn how to conduct proper and good research, and gain the right recommendations for it.

[SDxx]

For universities, what about the admission process? Would I need to reapply as an undergraduate? Is this similar to NDO classes?

 

SDxx

[velua]

I'm currently taking classes at my local uni in CS. I was a math major (but took some CS classes too). One problem I've run into is the classes at my particular school fill up right away and I don't get the chance to take the ones I want. Last semester I tried to get into the Operating Systems class, but it was full, so I went with the graduate algorithms class instead. I ended up really liking that class, but OS was full again this semester, and I could only get into the graduate OS class. Turns out that one is way too advanced for me at this point, and I'm hoping someone drops the undergrad version soon. Might have to wait for the fall to take that class by moving somewhere with a bigger university.

 

Anyway, the state school I'm doing this at is very convenient because I can just register for classes as long as there's an open seat and I can afford the class. For pre-reqs, I just email my college transcript to show I've taken the pre-reqs at a different school. Some schools will be a pain and make you fill out applications to be a non-degree student. Some schools even make you get 3 letters of recommendation. It's almost like applying to grad school at these places just to take a deficiency course, pretty ridiculous.

 

To answer your other question, I think it depends what CS classes you have under your belt. You can look up admissions criteria at schools you're interested in. They'll typically mention they want data structures, algorithms, automata theory, computer architecture, operating systems, maybe a couple others too.

[velua]

And depending what you mean by top... for most people it's pretty impossible to get into the really elite schools (whether that means top 5, top 10, or whatever else).

[whosthat]

What can you get from a top school that you can't get from other schools? If you're pursuing a PhD, it should be because you want to do research, not because you want prestige. For a PhD, the mentors and labs that are specialized in your research interests should outweigh the school's ranking.

 

Even near-perfect applications only have a small probability of getting accepted to a top school. Just look at the CS search for Stanford, Berkeley or MIT and see all the applications just like yours or even better that got rejected. You should play the numbers and apply to some schools with higher probabilities of acceptance as well.

 

For a Master's, taking courses in your field of interest will be helpful. For PhD, publications and patents are the best way to boost your application. The admissions committee for a PhD want to know that you have aptitude for research. It is more important than any other aspect of your application. If you can get a publication as first author in a high-level conference or journal, this would be a very compelling demonstration of this.

[cicada2014]

I've found that general CS classes don't really matter--what really matters is classes in your domain of interest, and more importantly, research.

 

I had virtually no "traditional" CS classes but had lots of math courses and research experience, and I got into a bunch of decent CS PhD programs.

[SDxx]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

 

Two more Q:

 

1. What is the complete list of CS classes graduate schools are looking for?

2. For research, what is the best (or usual) method of getting into a professor's lab (of your interest), doing research, and perhaps even publishing. Is it an internship or visiting student, and if so, are they paid (something for housing and food bills)?

 

Thanks.

[velua]

Like I said, go to some programs' websites at schools you're interested in. They'll list what background you should have, as CS grad programs attract applicants from many different majors. They'll all say programming in the basics (Java/Python/C++, C, etc.), data structures, algorithms, automata theory. Most will probably also want computer systems/organization/architecture and operating systems. Some also would like a software engineering course or compilers or something else.