Looking for a good fit PhD computer science program

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi, I am considering applying for some computer science PhD programs, but I don't know which ones I would actually get into. I am not particularly interested in going to a school if it won't be fully funded (at least tuition). The problem is, I took the GRE with no prep and didn't do very well. Here are my stats: </p>

<p>GRE: verbal: 157, quantitative: 161, writing: 5.0
Undergrad GPA: 3.95, Major GPA: 3.98
I have ~6 months of undergraduate research experience
I worked at FedEx Services as an intern technical analyst (and have a job offer I will accept if I don't get into a good school)
School: University of Mississippi (Honors College)</p>

<p>What I'm interested in: Fully funded PhD programs, preferably with a stipend. Masters would be good too, but most don't have any form of financial aid as far as I'm aware. </p>

<p>What I'm not interested in: Anything that costs me lots of money. I've been poor my whole life, and since I have a reasonable job offer, I'd rather take it than to go into debt. Worst case, I come back to grad school after a few years of working. </p>

<p>So are there any schools that meet my strict criteria? I could potentially take the GRE again, but I will probably not have time to adequately prepare between now and the semester's end (which is around the time when applications are due). Looking at several top schools, it seems like my GRE score is nowhere close to where it needs to be. Help is much appreciated! </p>

2

<p>There are plenty of programs which will take you and provide funding. They are simply not the “top 20” CS schools. What you need to ask yourself is why do you want to go to graduate school. If you are perfectly content to take a good job and decide later then that is what you should do. Going for a Ph.D. is a long term commitment and even if you get a stipend and tuition, you won’t be making nearly as much as you would with your job offer. You really need to have a desire to do research and if you aren’t completely committed then it is a bad idea to even start.</p>

<p>An alternative path would be to take the job, see what you think of it for a couple of years and then decide what your career goals are. You will still be able to go for a graduate degree but by that time, you will know if a Masters or Ph.D. is a better choice for you. Having the work experience won’t hurt your application at all.</p>