Do I have a shot at getting into a top tier Computer Science PhD program?

[ACampbe2]

I have 2.9 GPA from Binghamton University, participated in a research program in undergrad funded by HHMI, coauthored on 1 published paper, and was first author on another. Both papers were in the realm of machine learning. I then went to grad school at Bard for my MAT, got a 3.46 there, and have been teaching computer science for a year now. Would it be difficult for me to get into a top tier computer science PhD program like Stanford or UCLA?

 

I've attached the papers below - 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877050913010892

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187705091200693X

[DMX]

Hey, a few things.

 

- Unless you publish at a top ML conference by the time you apply, I am sorry to say that your chances don't look good. Excellent research records can certainly overcome low undergrad GPA but your two papers are at venues that mainstream ML people don't really care about (of course, this has nothing to do with the quality of your publication)

 

- Given your background in biomedical ML, try getting in touch with faculty doing biomedical ML and inquiring about your chances. Most top CS programs have at least one professor working in biomedical ML.

 

- You might have a slim shot at programs in the top 10~20 range (which are still excellent schools, btw!), if there is good research fit. But I would apply to a wide range of programs, focusing on those in the 25-50 range.

 

Best of luck!