<p>I'm a rising sophomore at MIT double majoring in math and computer science, and I was wondering when a good time to start thinking about graduate school was. I'd like to maybe get my masters here at MIT (MIT has a 5-year masters program for computer science) and then go get a Ph.D. (in computer science, math, or somewhere in between) somewhere out west (Stanford? A UC?). Is there anything I should be doing soon to prepare for the application process? When should I start thinking about it?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I think for you it’s a bit early to think about it now, but props to you for getting a head start. Go to the MIT Career Office and they can give you tons of info about grad school, applying, programs specific to MIT, etc.</p>
<p>Take a look at some programs you might be interested, get a feel for the requirements, and make sure you stay on track (but stay open-minded!). You don’t want to be panicking senior year to cram in a last-minute class or trying to cultivate that extra relationship for a LOR. At this point, just getting acquainted with expectations and requirements is all you need to do.</p>
<p>If you’re feeling ambitious, make a time-line for the rest of your undergrad so you know what needs doing and when (for any grad program, not just what you think you might want to do right now), and get it double-checked by a trusted adviser.</p>
<p>Also try talking to professors in whichever field you’re interested in doing your PhD in.</p>
<p>If you’re paying tuition for your fifth year you might not find it worth the time to get a MS since most schools will require you to redo your MS in their PhD program.</p>
<p>yeah, PhDs will be fully funded (and while they do give acceptances without funding, people shouldn’t take those unless they’re independently wealthy) and the masters will almost certainly require you to pay for everything yourself. look into combined masters/PhD programs so that you don’t have to pay out of pocket.</p>
<p>and if you do look into these programs, it might be wise to look to schools other than MIT. within academia, it’s frowned upon to receive a BS/MS/PhD all from the same school. 2 out of 3 is fine, though.</p>
<p>also, try to get some research under your belt. see if a professor is taking on any research assistants in CS.</p>
<p>I was also wondering the same thing. I’m an incoming sophomore at Swarthmore College. I want to go to graduate school in mathematics. My dream career for now is to become a math professor, and I pretty much need a PhD for that. How do you find out about research opportunities? Is it necessary to get into graduate school? I know pretty much nothing about grad school.</p>
<p>I’m taking Real Analysis next year and I really want to do well. I’ve thought about going to my professor’s website and looking at some of the research she’s done. Would that be a good idea?</p>
<p>In general, yes, but I doubt it will help you much with acing real analysis. I would recommend getting a sort of intermediate calculus/analysis book like Courant and doing exercises.</p>
<p>No, I mean for getting involved in research.</p>
<p>So, does anyone know if I want to go to grad school for math, how to go about finding research opportunities? Do I just read about some of the research my professors are doing and ask them?</p>
<p>You can talk to your undergraduate advisor, they often know about open research opportunities. Otherwise, glancing through your professors’ recent publications can give you some leads on whom to ask.</p>
<p>I would also not recommend doing an immediate masters at MIT, as the value of that degree will vary considerably between PhD programs - some will credit you a little, some a lot, so the best choice is just to go straight from undergrad if possible. I would also not rule out MIT for grad school, however, as the stigma of staying at the same school diminishes considerably when you were at that caliber of school.</p>
<p>You can also try applying to REU programs for next summer.</p>
<p>[US</a> NSF - REU - List Result](<a href=“Search Results for REU Sites | NSF - National Science Foundation”>REU Sites | NSF - National Science Foundation)</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all the replies, everyone. I’m already doing research here at MIT over the summer (mostly coding and being a slave to a grad student, but I’m really enjoying it) and I intend to continue during term, if I can. =]</p>