chances at top CS PhD programs

Graduate School
1

<p>Please evaluate my profile for top CS PhD programs:</p>

<ul>
<li>Masters and bachelors in ECE from the top Canadian engineering school in ECE</li>
<li>3 conference papers, 1 workshop paper/organization</li>
<li>grad course GPA: 95%</li>
<li>undergrad course GPA: 85%</li>
<li>GRE: 780q, 560v, 4.5 analytical.</li>
</ul>

<p>I'm thinking of applying to the following schools.</p>

<p>Ambitious: CMU, Cornell, Princeton, Harvard
Average: Washington, Illinois, Texas
Safety: GeorgiaTech, Columbia, UPenn, Brown, Toronto</p>

<p>What do you think? Please give me a percentage approximation! Thanks!</p>

2

<p>The fact that you have schools listed as "safeties" when applying for a PhD tells me everything I need to know about your application, namely that it isn't ready.</p>

3

<p>I doubt anyone here could give you a meaningful prediction of your chances. They will depend more than anything else on your recommendations. Specifically they will depend on how much of your research reflected your ideas and initiative, and how much was you doing what your professor told you. There is no way to know this without seeing the letters, but this is the main thing that the programs will care about.</p>

<p>On the other hand, your advisor from your master's degree should have a very good idea of where you stand. I hope you are getting help in planning your applications from some faculty member who knows you well.</p>

<p>Your ranking of admissions prospects seems strange. Many of your average and safety universities are usually considered to have stronger CS departments than does Harvard.</p>

4

<p>To the OP, read this: <a href="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/%7Eharchol/gradschooltalk.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~harchol/gradschooltalk.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>It's an essay by a CMU prof who has been on the grad admissions committees in several top CS departments, and it's about what they look for.</p>