FAQs for Prospective Grad students

People have different motivations to pursue higher studies. These can generally be grouped into two very broad categories (which are not mutually exclusive)

1. Primarily want to learn more about a field of interest, leading to something later. Want technical + investigative skills. (PhD, research job)
2. Primarily want a better job, don't care so much about a field of interest or research. Just want a technical skill set.

Broadly, MS programs of 1 year duration (or Professional Masters programs) are intended to give you a skill set to go to industry. If you think you want to maybe pursue research (in a job or PhD), try to look for longer Masters programs.

You need to start thinking about applying to grad schools at least 1.5 years before you intend to join. There are exams to give, and essays to write, transcripts to post. These requirements depend on individual schools. So it is a good idea to check beforehand. Mainly these are the important things

• GRE: An exam that tests your English (vocabulary, reading, writing) along with basic (high school level) math.
• TOEFL: An exam required if your mother tongue is not English. Most international students (from India, China) need this. It tests your speaking, writing, listening and reading.
• Letters of Recommendation: Generally at least 3 letters (preferably from professors) are needed.
• Statement of Purpose: A statement (two pages generally) which you write. In this you describe your background, experience and future intent. A good statement takes at least one month (generally more) to write. There are many revisions, and it is always a great idea to get it reviewed by multiple people.
• Mailing transcripts: Many schools require you to mail official documents (degrees, transcripts). Physical mail, especially international mail, can take time.

Start Early. Schools have application deadlines generally in Nov-Jan, for students who wish to start in August-Sept.

The application process is expensive. GRE and TOEFL exams cost about 150 USD each (as of this Oct, 2014). The application fees for each grad school is about 100 USD. Then you will need to post materials (transcripts etc.) to schools. Depending on where in the globe you are, international mail can be expensive ¹.

Your resume/experience should show an interest for learning. It should show that the student has undertaken problems that he/she finds interesting and has completed them. Apart from good grades, thinking beyond course work should be reflected. Additionally, research experience helps a lot. It shows that the student wishes to think beyond course work. Internships, extra projects matter a lot. Research publications of good quality help.

For professional Masters programs, research experience does not matter as much as work experience does.

You generally need at least 3 letters of recommendation. It is preferable to have most coming from your professors. In some cases you can take letters from non-academic people (like mentors from industry), but check this.

The recommenders need to champion your cause to grad school. These letters need to be strong. At least 1 of your recommenders must write highly of you. With this in mind, try to get a letter from a professor who knows you well and will vouch for you. Someone you have interacted with regularly (not inside a classroom), had a project under etc. You do not want a Did well in class letter.

Most people underestimate the time it takes to produce a good statement of purpose. It takes a few months (1.5-2) to write something good.

The statement is intended to describe your academic/research experience in the past. It should discuss why a particular field of study excites you, and conclude by saying why the grad school/program are a good fit for you. While talking about good fit it's important to talk about how the program will help you in larger goals in life. For instance, I want to take up a PhD in order to pursue research in academia or industry. Or I want to learn about foo because it can compliment my current skill set which will help me get better job etc

It should be succinct (1-2 pages depending on the school), split into paragraphs and well written. All the "rules" for writing essays in GRE are actually useful here (e.g., one paragraph conveys one idea and is coherent).

Again, this is a very subjective question. A few rules of thumb

• Diversify your applications. This is needed to maximize your chances of getting accepted.
  • Apply to very few "dream schools" - schools that are competitive to get into.
  • Apply to a few "safe schools" - schools that you think you stand a good chance of getting into
  • Apply to some "moderate schools" - schools that are good and you have some hope of getting into.
• Look at the cost of education vs. reputation of the program. Reputation of your program is connected to the particular school, but there are good schools with bad programs too, so keep that in mind.
• Make sure to apply to some schools that are affordable (state universities generally tend to be less expensive).
• Look at which of your peers (who are getting recommendations from the same people as you) are applying to your program. If you know for a fact that a peer will get a better recommendation (because they have worked longer with a professor etc.),then it is likely to diminish your chances of getting into the same program. If you don't mind paying the application fees, you should still apply :)

1. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~harchol/gradschooltalk.pdf : An excellent PDF describing a professor's view of the application process. Also great for aspiring PhDs.
2. http://da-data.blogspot.sg/2015/03/reflecting-on-cs-graduate-admissions.html: Reflections from the chair of CMU's CS PhD Admissions.
3. http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~gleicher/Web/Advice/GradSchoolFAQ
4. http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/grad-school.html
5. http://jxyzabc.blogspot.com/2012/10/faq-applying-to-graduate-school-for.html

All the people who I bugged with any question related to grad school applications. You know who you are :)