<p>Hi everyone. I am a junior at Duke University double majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics (and maybe minoring in Economics), and I am looking into Operations Research and Computer Science (leaning towards Operations Research) Masters and PhD programs.</p>
<p>I have a 3.81 overall GPA, a 4.0 in Computer Science which is my primary major and a 3.6-3.7 in Math. I have a conference paper published in CS Education, have been working on math research and will probably have a paper published in that this year, and I am writing my senior thesis in the Computer Science department in the field of Computational Microeconomics (game theory and algorithms), which will likely also lead to publication. I have other shorter research experiences in statistics and the business school which did not lead to publications. I interned at Microsoft last summer and am interning again next summer as a Software Development Engineer in Test. I got a 35 on the ACT in high school but have not yet taken the GRE. I am a white female from Georgia.</p>
<p>I am interested in applying to Stanford, Harvard and other top schools. Can someone tell me if this is realistic for me? What would be good reaches, targets and safeties? What can I do to improve my chances? I have not yet taken a graduate class but plan to take my first during the Spring of my junior year. I am not sure if I will apply for Masters or PhD. Also, any advice about specific programs would also be helpful! Thank you!</p>
<p>Cannot say anything about Harvard bc I don’t know. </p>
<p>Stanford CS PhD seems like a possibility though; I believe you are a strong candidate. I wouldn’t worry about classes anymore (your GPA is very good). Just focus on research, and internships. Talk about those on the PhD app, and you should be a good candidate. GRE pretty much doesn’t matter all that much, and based on your ACT, you should be good to go. Focus on research and getting (a) publications and (b) strong letters of rec from internship supervisors and college professors. </p>
<p>vander- Thank you for your response. Do you think I could be a good candidate at Stanford’s Operations Research or Management Science and Engineering too?</p>
<p>Yes, my opinion extends to those programs as well. However, keep in mind those programs will not have funding (PhD CS will have full funding + stipend and IMHO give you an impressive resume for working at MS or Google in research, mgmt, etc). But please do what you think is best for you and your career. I think you are a strong applicant (in my experience). Keep up your GPA, and work on the publications and letters of rec and you should be very competitive. </p>
<p>Yes, generally speaking, all PhD programs are harder to get into than MS programs. However, I think you will be competitive (it is hard though, much more so than MS). </p>
<p>Sorry for bringing this thread back, but I have been thinking a lot about the Masters vs. PhD decision for CS and was wondering if other people have opinions on this? Would I be more likely to get into top 5-10 schools if I just apply for Masters? Thank you!</p>
<p>Definitely. But then, you’d have to pay for it, too. </p>
<p>Really, you need to think about what your future goals are. Are you interested in academia long-term? Industry research groups? Then you’ll need a PhD. If not, and you’re not personally interested in research, then you should be looking at MS programs. What are your long term interests?</p>
<p>I am interested in industry research groups (Google, Microsoft, etc.) and also a tiny bit interested in doing quant work at a hedge fund, but the industry research track is more likely. I think I would need a PhD for either, so even if I did my Masters I would then need to apply for PhD.</p>