<p>I am considering applying for a place within MIT's Computer Science PhD program. I hold a BSc (Honors) in the same discipline and I am in the process of completing my Masters Degree. I reside in the UK, hence all my degrees are from reputable British Universities. I did some research on the web and I came across some articles which indicate the US grade equivalence to my BSc degree is 3.5 GPA [Class 2: Division: 1 under UK System], maybe someone can confirm this?. I have secured few places within various UK Universities, however I am looking for a change and would love the opportunity to spend some time in the USA. </p>
<p>I will appreciate if someone can shed some light on whether my application meets the standard required for admissions in terms qualification? bearing in mind I am only interested in the PhD program and not Masters </p>
<p>I've heard a wide variety of claims as to what various UK degree classes equal in US GPA. I'm not sure that I trust any of them. Based on what I do know, a 2:1 should be fine. But you should realize that there are many factors in the admissions decision besides grades, and that grades will not be the primary factor in your admissions decision. This is even more true (of your BSc grades) since you have a master's.</p>
<p>A PhD is a research-based degree (as you probably know). Programs want to see that you can do research. The point of looking at your grades is to establish that you have a sufficient body of knowledge and can pass qualifiers.</p>
<p>There's a great article by a CS prof from Carnegie Mellon, who has participated in CS PhD admissions decisions at three of the top 10 US CS programs, including MIT, about the PhD admissions process at top CS programs. She goes into what they consider in a fair amount of depth. I've included the link, and I suggest that you read it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply, I have read this article before and it is an informative article for those who are looking for guidance on what to put on their application form. The purpose of my question was to get individuals to give their opinions about my chances of success from an academic perspective. I am keen to find out whether I meet MITs academic requirements [not the minimum requirement] for admission into their PhD CS program. I am aware there are other factors that go into the decision making process.. </p>
<p>Finally, I am also considering CMU (second choice) for their PhD program and unlike MIT, CMU insists on submission of GRE Test. As you may already know, taking the GRE test in the UK for graduate admission is very rare (in most cases decisions are made based on the undergraduate performance), as result I am not familiar with such tests, hence I will need to invest some time on revision. Can I take the test say on the beginning of November and expect the university to get these results before selection gets under way for the September 2009 entry? My concern is with the delay in Test Centres sending the results to the Universities.</p>
<p>PhD admissions are made by individual departments. In your case, you should contact the MIT EECS Graduate Office and discuss your concerns with them.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, it's possible to take the GRE quite late and have the scores reach the programs to which you are applying -- ETS delivers the scores electronically to the departments, so there's no mail delay.</p>
<p>For the MIT CS PhD program specifically, it's difficult to pinpoint an exact "admissions requirement" among those admitted -- only about 5% of applicants are admitted each year, so no doubt many students who are not admitted have the same numerical profile as students who are admitted.</p>
<p>I am planning to apply to MIT EECS, and therefore preparing the SOP. My current SOP lengths 1300 words with 7 paragraphs. Is it too long for graduate application? It includes:
my interest, undergraduate degree and thesis (very short), research areas and corresponding publications, current research and lab visits etc…, extracurricular, awards, leadership…, why mit, and conclusion</p>
<p>1,300 words is much too long, in my experience. You need to distill it down. You don’t want to be the application that a professor puts down because they get tired of reading it halfway through.</p>
<p>My SOP for masters’ study was 750 words on the dot.</p>
<p>A lot of the publications, etc. stuff should be in your c.v. and awards/leadership/extracurriculars don’t belong in your SOP at all because they’re meaningless for graduate admissions.</p>
<p>Unless you have done exceptional research that has led to publication(s) in top CS conference(s), you will have NO chance with MIT or CMU because of your 2.1 BSc classification.</p>