Graduate School Suggestions Needed; Specifics Inside

[arddi2007]

Hey everyone,

 

I'm an international student who plans to apply for the Fulbright Foreign Student Scholarship to enroll in a Master's program in Computer Science in a grad school in the US. I'm here to ask for suggestions as to which grad schools to consider for my studies, as I have too many options in mind and am in dire need for suggestions in this aspect. I'll try to be as specific so please bear with me.

 

Academics: I'd like to get a Master's degree in Computer Science and as of the moment, I have no specific specialization fields in mind. I currently am a second-year student of a three-year B.Sc. program in CS, which has exposed me to most subfields. I'd like to attend a school starting in Fall 2016 which would provide me a solid foundation at first and flexibility course-wise. I'd also like to take a few additional courses in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, (Project) Management or the like -- if at all possible.

University preferences: As portion of my application for the Fulbright program, I'm entitled to propose up to three school choices; I'd suggest an Ivy League university (I am an optimist, I know) and two good schools with (much) higher admission chances.

Location: Flexible on this one, but I would strongly prefer California due to several reasons: the Silicon Valley, i.e. career opportunities; the lifestyle and hey -- the weather! But once again, flexible.

Other preferences: I would strongly prefer small classes with approachable faculty; I'd love to do an internship, either as part of the curriculum or not; I prefer two-year programs; and I kinda pay attention to university rankings, but this will most definitely not be the ultimate decision factor.

 

Here's some key facts about me: I'm currently attending a university in Europe which is not that established, but which has prepared me well in the academic sense. I have a really good GPA so far (9.80 out of 10.0), have little to moderate professional experience and a strong extracurricular/leadership background. I am fluent enough in English to undertake rigorous academic work (I scored 110/120 in the iBT TOEFL a few years ago). As it is the Fulbright program I'm considering, the tuition fees of the school are not that important at the moment, but I've been told that the selection panel does pay attention to finances as well.

 

I cannot thank you enough for your support and thoughtfulness. Any suggestion whatsoever will be greatly appreciated. I am more than willing to answer any questions I have not addressed thus far. I am going through a very tough period which will eventually shape my entire future, therefore I am extremely grateful for your time!

[Marst]

A couple of questions:

- Why the US?

- Are you from a country where a 9.8 GPA is exceptionally high?

- Why a masters? Few people in the US go for terminal masters. Are you interested in a PhD? Usually, a PhD gives you a masters along the way, unlike in Europe where you need a masters to apply for a PhD (which are then full-time research, unlike in the US). Therefore, it would be quite possible to apply for a PhD out of undergrad, and you might not need Fulbright if you can secure funding.