<p>Hey. Can anyone give me a rundown of how difficult it is to get into a prestigious graduate school for computer science? I go to UCLA, and expect to graduate with a 3.85 GPA. I'm trying to get some research/internships, but I'm not sure how to go about this. Can someone help outline what I need to do over the next few years? Any advice is appreciated. Also, what are the usual expectations/admitted percentages for top schools?</p>
<p>For graduate CS programs, PhD admissions are far more selective than MS admissions. You should look for as much research opportunity as possible, starting with professors that you know from classes. Internships are pretty useless because they aren't research oriented.</p>
<p>jshifton,</p>
<p>If you're looking for research, have you asked your professors if you could help with their research?</p>
<p>If you're looking for internships, have you at least visited the Career Center? They do a good job and are quite helpful with advice (for a public school).</p>
<p>Kfc4u, could you tell me where the career center is? Is it in Covel? Asking my professors for research is a bit foolish, as most of my classes have 100-250 people, and I was never one to attend office hours. </p>
<p>im_blue, I've been reading a few of your posts about MS engineering programs at Stanford. Although it's too early to really tell, a MS seems ideal for my career plans. What steps should I be taking between now and when I apply (to ensure I get in)? Should I be focusing my efforts exclusively on finding research, and if so, is it essential the research is in Computer Science? Also, are internships really worthless? Even if they were from a leading business such as Microsoft? Also, when do I apply? Is it the beginning of my senior year like high school? How difficult is it to get in, especially compared to other institutions like Cornell/Columbia etc. Any other advice about the process would be greatly appreciated. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>John</p>
<p>
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Asking my professors for research is a bit foolish, as most of my classes have 100-250 people, and I was never one to attend office hours.
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But how many of those people are planning to go to grad school? Professors rarely turn down the offer of free labor, unless they already have enough students to supervise. I did research under professors that I didn't even take classes from or know beforehand. I simply e-mailed them about my interest in their work and they allowed me to help out.
[quote]
What steps should I be taking between now and when I apply (to ensure I get in)? Should I be focusing my efforts exclusively on finding research, and if so, is it essential the research is in Computer Science? Also, are internships really worthless? Even if they were from a leading business such as Microsoft?
[/quote]
MS programs focus a bit more on academics, e.g. GPA and coursework and a bit less on research experience and recommendations, but they're still important. The research experience should be in CS to the extent possible, and you should choose research over an internship. Internships from Microsoft may be impressive but they don't show your ability to conduct research. Grad schools want to know that you know what research is all about and are willing to commit to it. Like I said, this is less important for MS admissions but still considered.
[quote]
Also, when do I apply? Is it the beginning of my senior year like high school?
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You apply in December or January of your senior year.
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How difficult is it to get in, especially compared to other institutions like Cornell/Columbia etc
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With a 3.85 GPA from UCLA, you're in great shape academically. Now you need to work on research and recommendations.</p>
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Kfc4u, could you tell me where the career center is? Is it in Covel?
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</p>
<p>it is on the 2nd floor of the strathmore building. the strathmore building is located near ackerman and parking structure 6 (i believe)... heading towards south campus</p>
<p>
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Asking my professors for research is a bit foolish, as most of my classes have 100-250 people, and I was never one to attend office hours.
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</p>
<p>haha. that's exactly what the other 200+ people in the class think! so really, there's only a handful of students that attend office hours. it won't hurt to even drop by your former professors' offices and tell them that youre a former student and that youre interested in research. </p>
<p>as for choosing internships vs. research opportunities... well, what are you career goals? if you plan to work for companies (like microsoft), it's highly preferable that you have at least one internship (from any company really) just to show that you have work experience and that you're not a lab rat. this can be done during the summer. during the school year, you should focus on getting some research, as you're probably in school and have easier contact with profs. also, good research might boost your resume when u apply for the internships. so if youre thinking of working for companies, don't do pure research, have an internship too. if youre thinking about academia, solid research is the way to go</p>