Fall 2018 Admission

[Arkhy]

12 minutes ago, eighty8keys said:

Dang... 

Also, dang. I don't know if I could even find 30 places that match my research interests, and even if I could, applying to 5 schools stressed me out enough. I can't imagine having to deal with that many applications. But I find it highly unlikely that you won't get in anywhere, which I suppose was the purpose!

I'm doing machine learning and NLP, which are pretty popular topics, so really it wasn't such a big problem. Of course some of them align better with my interests, but I don't think I can pinpoint exactly what would be my thesis topic right now, so I'm open for some exploration =) Yeah, I'm an international applicant with unusual background, so I have no idea what are my chances.

[GreenEyedTrombonist]

Hey all!

My last 4 rec letters came in today so all 7 of my apps are officially submitted. I've gotten the decision from one program already (super early compared to the rest of the programs in my field). I should hear about interviews from two schools in January and have all my decisions by end of February. I'll be over here, freaking out for the next two months.

[menalta17]

On 12/20/2017 at 12:55 PM, eighty8keys said:

Anyone else underrepresented in their field? I feel like it makes the application process even more confusing. Like, I know it *might" mean something,  but I have no idea how much it does. I think I have a decently strong dossier without that being considered. However, it'd be nice to have some clarity as to where I actually stand. And from what I've heard about academia and being underrepresented, there gets to be a point as you go higher up where the cons start to outweigh any possible benefits (i.e. discrimination in academia, yay!). Hoping this isn't that point... Actually, hoping I just never experience that, but I'm sure it's coming...

Yes, I'm definitely underrepresented and I know what you mean. My research focuses on Stereotype threat in academia, specifically stereotype threat in African Americans and Latino Americans in STEM fields and one of my studies had shown discrimination is actually, and sadly, more prominent than people care to discuss. Our study showed a significant amount of dropouts and major-changers because of stand-offish faculty, obvious discrimination (Ex: One student reported a friend of theirs(White) sought extra credit after failing a test, despite never coming to class. Friend received extra credit immediately w/o question. Latina student said she went to the same professor and was turned down after being forced to unexpectedly and orally answer 20 random questions in that moment w/the professor, DESPITE having a a higher grade than her friend and attending class regularly. She later asked other students what had happened when they went in for extra credit and people's responses were divided exactly by race. White students immediately received extra credit, ethnic minorities were put through a random assessment of their knowledge. Yea......he was a major d*ckwad and needed to be reported but unfortunately he still strikes every few years just to save his tenure.), faculty who are unwilling to work with a student or accept them into labs, etc. Sometimes being aware of discrimination in academia makes it hard to not equate rejection and discrimination, especially when you look at cohort website picture and out of 30 ppl, no one looks like you. I like to think it's still a numbers game with most academic institutions receiving so many apps and that it just comes down to the best candidates but you can never really know...and that's scary.

Edited December 30, 2017 by menalta17

[deleteaccount]

26 minutes ago, Arkhy said:

I'm doing machine learning and NLP, which are pretty popular topics, so really it wasn't such a big problem. Of course some of them align better with my interests, but I don't think I can pinpoint exactly what would be my thesis topic right now, so I'm open for some exploration =) Yeah, I'm an international applicant with unusual background, so I have no idea what are my chances.

Ahh, yeah. I'm interested in machine learning and and specific applications, which narrowed down where I applied.

 

2 hours ago, menalta17 said:

Yes, I'm definitely underrepresented and I know what you mean. My research focuses on Stereotype threat in academia, specifically stereotype threat in African Americans and Latino Americans in STEM fields and one of my studies had shown discrimination is actually, and sadly, more prominent than people care to discuss. Our study showed a significant amount of dropouts and major-changers because of stand-offish faculty, obvious discrimination (Ex: One student reported a friend of theirs(White) sought extra credit after failing a test, despite never coming to class. Friend received extra credit immediately w/o question. Latina student said she went to the same professor and was turned down after being forced to unexpectedly and orally answer 20 random questions in that moment w/the professor, DESPITE having a a higher grade than her friend and attending class regularly. She later asked other students what had happened when they went in for extra credit and people's responses were divided exactly by race. White students immediately received extra credit, ethnic minorities were put through a random assessment of their knowledge. Yea......he was a major d*ckwad and needed to be reported but unfortunately he still strikes every few years just to save his tenure.), faculty who are unwilling to work with a student or accept them into labs, etc. Sometimes being aware of discrimination in academia makes it hard to not equate rejection and discrimination, especially when you look at cohort website picture and out of 30 ppl, no one looks like you. I like to think it's still a numbers game with most academic institutions receiving so many apps and that it just comes down to the best candidates but you can never really know...and that's scary.

Damn, that one professor. Hope I never meet someone like him.

[spamhaus]

7 hours ago, Arkhy said:

Steven Scott, an AI researcher from Google was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women and is currently suspended.

Thanks for sharing. After speaking with some women who have been on the receiving end, I’m stricken by the fact that they have very little recourse in most cases... thus allowing such appalling behavior to be perpetuated. I hope this is changing quickly.

7 hours ago, Arkhy said:

Cool, is she in CS too?

She’s completing her psychology PhD. She should be finished by Summer 2018, just in time for us to move to wherever I end up.

[williamsamara]

I applied to Brandeis University for COEX,  Arcadia for ICPR, Nova Southeastern for Conflict Resolution, and Notre dame for their masters in Global affairs with a concentration in peace studies.

[dis13]

Hi everyone!

For those who applied to USC late December 2016, did you receive the USC 10 digit ID?

I submitted my application on the 29th, but still no email..........they said to wait up to 72 hours, but 6 days passed already!

I need to send my transcripts with the USC ID before I leave for family vacation and this is really freaking me out.  

[spamhaus]

8 hours ago, dis13 said:

Hi everyone!

For those who applied to USC late December 2016, did you receive the USC 10 digit ID?

Do you mean 2017? I applied for a PhD earlier in December and received my USC ID within three days. I’m guessing you are applying for a Master’s since the deadline for PhD applicants was Dec. 15th.

[deleteaccount]

@spamhaus, where are you applying?

[spamhaus]

17 minutes ago, eighty8keys said:

@spamhaus, where are you applying?

It's in my signature line, but I know that may not show up on the mobile version of the site, so here are the 15 places I'm applying for a CS PhD (though technically an ML PhD at CMU):

CMU, MIT, NYU, UNC, UW, USC, UMD, UofM, Stanford, Berkeley, Cornell, Harvard, GATech, UT Austin, UMass Amherst

On the one hand I feel I might be too ambitious. On the other hand, I feel like I should be a reasonably strong candidate that can make it into at least one of those programs. I actually looked at ALL the CS programs in the US and Canada that are listed on csrankings.org and researched each of the professors to see how closely they align with my interests. There were a handful more schools (UIUC, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Rutgers, McGill) that I could have applied to, but 15 is already breaking the bank a bit. Considering how competitive AI/ML is these days I really hope I don't get screwed like I did when I applied for undergrad in 2000 during the height of the dot com boom (in hindsight, admittedly very stupid and immature, I only applied to MIT, CMU, & UIUC then had to find reasonable schools with late/rolling admission when I was not admitted to those three).

[deleteaccount]

5 minutes ago, spamhaus said:

It's in my signature line, but I know that may not show up on the mobile version of the site, so here are the 15 places I'm applying for a CS PhD (though technically an ML PhD at CMU):

Oh, oops, haha!

6 minutes ago, spamhaus said:

CMU, MIT, NYU, UNC, UW, USC, UMD, UofM, Stanford, Berkeley, Cornell, Harvard, GATech, UT Austin, UMass Amherst

Wow, you applied to all of the schools I did (and more). I'm definitely feeling the wait. Do you have a top choice?

[khigh]

If either of you end up at the U of M, you will love Minneapolis. It’s a city that no one wants to move here and when they get here, no one wants to leave. We have the most theater seats per capita than any city except NYC.  All sports are represented here from football to broomball. Outdoor activities are more than possible- you can ski or fish IN the city. We have shops and coffee and bars and restaurants. We are more progressive than Portland and have more bike paths than them. The city is growing, but still relatively inexpensive. Unemployment is so low that newspapers are calling Minne a miracle city. We have tons of Fortune 500 companies and in the running for Amazon 2.0. If you’re in the sciences, the Mayo Clinic cannot be beat. 

I moved up here about six months ago because I fell in love with the city after spending two days here. I’ll be staying even if I go to grad school. I only applied to the U. Don’t worry about winter. You can drive or there is warm public transportation. Downtown has the skywalks and the U has a tunnel system. 

[spamhaus]

26 minutes ago, eighty8keys said:

Wow, you applied to all of the schools I did (and more). I'm definitely feeling the wait. Do you have a top choice?

I'm feeling the wait too... and it's barely even begun. I don't have a single top choice, rather, I have several that I would be ecstatic to get: Stanford, CMU, MIT, and GATech (has a specific PI that matches my interests exactly). That said, all the schools have PIs I want to work with, which is the only reason I applied to them.

How about you, do you have a top choice?

[spamhaus]

15 minutes ago, khigh said:

If either of you end up at the U of M, you will love Minneapolis.

Thanks for the highlights! Unfortunately when I stated U of M, I actually mean University of Michigan, rather than Minnesota. There are definitely too many U of Ms out there!

[cjb39]

Hi, applying to the HALE doctoral program at MSU. Eagerly awaiting. 

[Libraryschoolhereicome]

Hi there! I'm applying to University of Toronto and Western University for library and information science! Definitely feeling the stress right now haha!

[phyanth]

All I want in 2018 is a fully funded offer from any of my schools! I'm not even picky, just one!

[khigh]

3 hours ago, spamhaus said:

Thanks for the highlights! Unfortunately when I stated U of M, I actually mean University of Michigan, rather than Minnesota. There are definitely too many U of Ms out there!

There’s only one U of M!

[phyanth]

2 minutes ago, khigh said:

There’s only one U of M!

That's right, and it's University of Michigan  

[deleteaccount]

4 hours ago, spamhaus said:

I'm feeling the wait too... and it's barely even begun. I don't have a single top choice, rather, I have several that I would be ecstatic to get: Stanford, CMU, MIT, and GATech (has a specific PI that matches my interests exactly). That said, all the schools have PIs I want to work with, which is the only reason I applied to them.

How about you, do you have a top choice?

Right now, I'm like feeling Stanford and CMU are my favorites. But everything is SUCH a crapshoot. But I guess to elaborate on some of my feelings, I feel like GATech has the least fit for me. I like Cornell, but I'm worried about it being in such a small town, compared to the other schools I'm applying too. But then, I'm like, why am I worrying about which one I like better when I might not even get in anywhere??? Ugh... Part of me also wants to get accepted everywhere just so I can have fun free trips to schools, haha.

[deleteaccount]

Also, I think I'm going to try to stop looking at the results page as often as I have. I guess, I realized, I'm never going to find out good news from there. All it's going to do is make me stress out if I see that someone else has heard from a school that I've applied to, but give me no real closure. I'll check occasionally, as I would like to keep up to date on what's going on, but I want to stop being as obsessive as I've been. I feel like the advantage of applying to grad school is that I get to hear back earlier. However, the nice thing about undergrad admissions was that for most of the schools that I applied to, I had a good idea of when I was hearing back from schools, and when things happened, they typically happened for everybody at one time. It's just a bit unnerving that any day, a professor could potentially email to ask to interview (if I'm lucky ), which is why I think the results page is so addicting.

[spamhaus]

6 minutes ago, eighty8keys said:

Also, I think I'm going to try to stop looking at the results page as often as I have. I guess, I realized, I'm never going to find out good news from there. All it's going to do is make me stress out if I see that someone else has heard from a school that I've applied to, but give me no real closure. I'll check occasionally, as I would like to keep up to date on what's going on, but I want to stop being as obsessive as I've been. I feel like the advantage of applying to grad school is that I get to hear back earlier. However, the nice thing about undergrad admissions was that for most of the schools that I applied to, I had a good idea of when I was hearing back from schools, and when things happened, they typically happened for everybody at one time. It's just a bit unnerving that any day, a professor could potentially email to ask to interview (if I'm lucky ), which is why I think the results page is so addicting.

I want to feel brave enough to do this, but it's hard. I feel it's quite different for me, since I have been working for over a decade, and I've actually gone out on a limb to do a PhD as it's something I'm passionate about. I've even gone so far as to work part-time to give me time to focus on research. I'm sure it's stressful for everyone, but I feel extra stressed. I'm sure refreshing the results page doesn't help, but I'm just super eager to find out if my gamble has paid off.

[deleteaccount]

1 hour ago, spamhaus said:

I want to feel brave enough to do this, but it's hard. I feel it's quite different for me, since I have been working for over a decade, and I've actually gone out on a limb to do a PhD as it's something I'm passionate about. I've even gone so far as to work part-time to give me time to focus on research. I'm sure it's stressful for everyone, but I feel extra stressed. I'm sure refreshing the results page doesn't help, but I'm just super eager to find out if my gamble has paid off.

Haha, I've been gambling too. I turned down a job offer from one of the big 4 to apply (and hopefully, go) to grad school. I have a family friend who disagreed with my decision, and part of me just wants to get in so I don't get a big "I told you so." I would have taken it if they were able to offer me something more related to my research interests. It would be nice the have the backing of a job while waiting. That's one of my biggest fears. I'm sure as a CS major, I'd be able to find a job. But since I know I want to get a PhD, I feel like unless I'm doing something related to my research goals, it would be a waste of a year. And I'm worried that if I don't get in anywhere, I'll be stuck doing some random CS job that won't strengthen my profile. 

[loffire]

I know what you guys mean. I'm just crossing 30 and i've given up other opportunities to pursue this. I hope it pays of for all of us

[khigh]

It's hard.  I'm on the other side of 30 and I have a good paying job that I will hopefully be giving up for a lifetime of chasing adjunct work. It's scary to know my salary will be cut in half, but I still want to be accepted to grad school more than anything.