So I am currently a junior at UCSB. I am studying Linguistics and have a 3.56GPA as of this quarter (I’m also a part of the honors program). This winter quarter I will be able to assist one of my professors in research (which I am very exited about). I have yet to take the GRE, but I was hoping that maybe someone could give me an idea of where I stand in regards to my chances of getting into a program. I’m hoping to get either into UW’s or Stanford’s computational linguistics program. I know it’s a long shot so please give me an honest opinion on what I should do in order to better my chances. I don’t know very much about this because I am the first person in my family to go to college. I don’t know what is required to get in other than good grades, experience, and letters of rec.
That’s basically what you need and you probably need to have a strong GRE too. Will your GPA/GRE combination be good enough to get your application a full review if there are a lot of applications? I can’t say for sure but you certainly have a shot.
I appreciate the feedback. I’m a little curious as to how I get letters of rec. I know I should ask the professor I am doing research for, but who else can I ask? I haven’t really built a rapport with any other professor in my major.
You will need 3 letters so it would be wise to ask some professors whose course you did particularly well in. You might also be able to get a letter from your academic advisor if it is a professor.