<p>lol, so i just got my official gre score in the mail. i was right in that i bombed the verbal, but the funny thing is my writing score. do cs grad schools care how well you write? i would imagine it's important since students will be writing research papers.</p>
<p>470V, 730M, 5.5W</p>
<p>A EE/CS professor I talked to ranks the three: Math, Writing, Verbal with verbal an almost ignore. Math/Analytical needs to be very high though.</p>
<p>do you think it is harder to get into mit's phd program than into their master's program? my ultimate goal might be a phd, but for now, i just want to get into any of their (or my other dream schools') graduate cs programs...</p>
<p>MIT's CS program doesn't admit separately for the SM and PhD degrees.</p>
<p>
[quote=<a href="http://www.eecs.mit.edu/grad/faqs.html#7">http://www.eecs.mit.edu/grad/faqs.html#7</a>]
Are there separate admission procedures for Master's and PhD programs?</p>
<p>No. There is only one admission process. When we admit an applicant, it is into the PhD program. If you do not have a Master's degree when you apply, you will get that degree first before proceeding on to the PhD. If you already hold a Master's degree from another school, you can begin by working directly toward the PhD qualifiers.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Wow, mollie keeps on beating me to these posts :0 Yeah, there is ONLY a Ph.D. program at MIT for CS. You can't just apply for a Master's program.</p>
<p>On a more general note, for schools like Stanford that do have separate Master's and Ph.D. programs, the admissions work independently, and the requirements are different (because you have to pay your way thru a Master's degree whereas the school pays your way thru a Ph.D.).</p>
<p>If you get into the Master's program, it is still very difficult to get into the Ph.D. program later; there's no easy 'backdoor' way into the Ph.D. program via the Master's program. You will need to do really good research during your 2 years there (and compete with new Ph.D. program applicants), but that's hard because Master's programs are usually intensive on classes so you won't be able to find as much time for research.</p>
<p>Stanford does allow you to be considered for a Master's if you are not admitted to the PhD. Perfect choice for me!</p>
<p>Would anyone know of any CS/CE summer research programs for undergraduates?</p>
<p>Your best bet would be to ask professors in your university about what kinds of projects they would be willing to have undergrads work on. Volunteer to work for free if you must, but your own university should be the first place you look. Best of luck.</p>
<p>REUs are pretty popular for summer internships</p>
<p>Well...you COULD go the boring route and stay at your home institution all summer...OR you could apply for some REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) programs sponsored by the NSF. This program sets you up with a project under the guidance of a graduate student and professor at another university. I participated in two of these programs, and they were extremely beneficial, enlightening, interesting, and entertaining. </p>
<p>I'd provide a link, but the NSF website seems to be down. Just Google "NSF REU" and it'll be there.</p>
<p>Everytime I think of computer science or IT, I think of UC Berkeley.</p>
<p>pgbovine,</p>
<p>Is applying for a MS much different than applying for a Ph.D? To elaborate, do graduate schools in a MS value research as much as a Ph.D school, or is it spread on a criteria of GPA, transcript, research, and other activities for CE/CS?</p>
<p>RHSstudent07, I don't know much about MS programs in CS, but I would assume that they don't care as much about research experience and weigh other factors like GPA, transcripts, activities, etc. more heavily.</p>
<p>In my field, most who have significant research experience go straight into a PhD program (most make you get the MS along the way), though there are some that will not accept students directly to a PhD program (where I am now) or will not accept MS students (such as MIT). Those who need more direction in where their research interests lie or are looking primarily for professional advancement tend to go for the MS.</p>
<p>Personally, I went for my MS originally because I thought I wanted to go directly into industry and forgoe a PhD. However, with more research experience in a field I didn't get strong exposure to as an undergrad (as it was not a specialty of my undergrad department), I decided I really wanted to pursue a career in academia. This experience enabled me to apply to PhD programs with more concise research direction and got into some of the best programs for my specialty. </p>
<p>I think what got me into my MS program was my GPA and lmy strong etters of recommendation. I was unable to complete my undergraduate research due to a nasty car accident my senior year. I don't think they even cared I had started research (though they later did ask about that nasty car accident), many students in my incoming class didn't have significant undergraduate research. I don't think they even cared about my GRE scores (I know of a few students in that department who got very low GRE scores).</p>
<p>where did you go for your MS ophiolite?</p>