<p>Hi, I am a Math major at Univ of Delaware, and want to end up getting a PhD in Comp Sci (hopefully from a school in England) and was wondering what the best route would be,</p>
<p>Should I get a dual BS in Comp Sci, or just load up on Comp Sci & Math Graduate classes?</p>
<p>Are EC's important for PHD programs, I speak fluent Spanish and was considering volunteering at orphanges in Colombia near Rebel controlled territory. I have very little research experience but I'm learning SAS at the moment for when i do have some data to crunch.</p>
<p>I would like to go straight from undergrad to PHD, I really don't see the need to do an Masters as I am 100% sure I will get PHD. ( I eventually want to be master of all things C. (C++, C#, Cobol...) and end up as a senior software engineer in banking.</p>
<p>Depending on how much CS exposure you’ve had, you may want to take some programming classes. Given that you want to be a software engineer, I’m quite certain you will eventually also need a lot of knowledge on the ‘engineering’ side of CS, including stuff like project management and requirements analysis, software specs, etc. </p>
<p>The theoretical side I think would be more accessible. A lot of CS is discrete math, eg. set theory and combinatorics. There are applications of linear algebra, and if you are dealing with things like physics engines or financial modeling, calc and diff.eq. It will probably take time getting used to thinking in “computational” ways but if you want to be a SE, I suggest getting a leg up on the programming…</p>
<p>I’d take classes on hardware. That’s what a math major will be most lacking. Hardware and things like programming language theory, operating systems, compilers, assembly language, etc.</p>
<p>And if you want to be a SE someday, the more SE classes you can get in, the better.</p>
<p>I’m in a similar situation - maths and I want to go into Computational Science - I’m taking classes on physics and cs (though I have years of programming experience), and I’m studying for the GRE physics and cs (though both aren’t required) - with a good score I can proof that I have the knowledge they require.
I’m also focusing on applied math (numerics, discrete maths,…) instead of pure math.</p>
<p>Skip ECs (unless they are related to cs- I think programming robots or such clubs could be useful), generally grad schools do not even look at them. They don’t want someone interesting - they want a perfect FIT.</p>
<p>Btw - start with C. Learn C as an undergraduate and maybe do some website daddling with C#.net - it’s funny, interesting, and you get some experience. But start with C. It’s the best place to start, even if it is a bit boring in the beginning.</p>
<p>Do research. Really, do a lot of research. Try to get things published. Do some kind of senior project if possible. And get relevant work experience. Maybe at a company that does RESEARCH. Did I mention research?</p>
<p>LOL, thanks. I get the research bit.
I started using Ubuntu linux a few months ago and I’ve been using MonoDevelop for a few starter C & C# programs. (If I do one more “Hello World” program I’m switching majors. (J/K)</p>
<p>As far as research goes, um how does one go about getting started?</p>
<p>It’s a bit easier in the US, there is UROP (google!), but if it doesn’t work out that way:
I joined a student research group last year. Did a project. Did another project with a professor as a supervisor. Eventually got myself a job as research assistant next semester…</p>