Everything you wanted to know about US grad schools (but were afraid to ask)

Tahir Azim

Why we are here

• Applying to grad schools is daunting, especially in the US

• Lots of components, lots of chances to trip up

• Lots of misconceptions– does GPA matter?– is GPA the only thing that matters?

• FAQ: how do I make it to a top-ranked program?

Introduction

• The application process is not an exact science: everyone has a different story

• But most stories have some common components

• So why does my opinion matter?

I’ve got some degrees!

• Education– BE Software Engineering (NUST), 2004–MS Computer Science (Stanford), 2007– PhD Computer Science (Stanford), 2013

4

I’ve got some work experience!

• Experience– Worked in “CERN Lab” in “NIIT” (now SEECS),

2003-2005– Visiting S/W Developer at CERN, Jun-Sep 04– Visiting S/W Developer at Caltech, Feb-Jul 05– Lecturer in SEECS 2007-8– Research and Teaching Assistantships at Stanford

5

I’ve got admissions experience!

• Where did I apply after BE?– Stanford (CS #1)– CMU (CS #1)– UC Berkeley (CS # 1)–MIT (CS # 1) – Cornell (CS # 6)– UT Austin (CS # 9)– Caltech (CS # 11)

I’ve got admissions experience!

• Where did I apply after BE?– Stanford (#1) (rejected from PhD,

accepted to MS)– CMU (# 1)– UC Berkeley (# 1)–MIT (#1)– Cornell (# 6)– UT Austin (#9)– Caltech (#11)

I’ve got admissions experience!

• Where did I apply after MS?– Stanford (CS #1)– CMU (CS #1)– UC Berkeley (CS # 1)– UIUC (CS # 5)– Georgia Tech (CS # 9)– UCLA (CS # 13)– Harvard (CS # 18)– UPenn (CS # 19)

I’ve got admissions experience!

• Where did I apply after MS?– Stanford (CS #1)– CMU (CS #1)– UC Berkeley (CS # 1)…– UIUC (CS # 5)– Georgia Tech (CS # 9)– UCLA (CS # 13)– Harvard (CS # 18)– UPenn (CS # 19)

Graduate Admissions

• How to Apply• Where to Apply• Components– GPA– GRE– TOEFL– Research/Industry Experience– Recommendation Letters– Statement of Purpose

How to Apply• Most US universities have a single

application submission date. – All applications have to be submitted before

this time. – Admission committee then sits down and

selects students– Very few schools allow professors to admit

students directly

How to Apply

• Timelines– For post graduate admissions in the US the

deadlines are generally in the November – December timeframe. This is when applying for the Fall Semester.

– Some universities take international applications for Spring Semester. Expect to hear back between mid-February and mid-April. Semester starts Fall of that year

How to Apply

• What you will need– Transcripts– GRE Scores– TOEFL Scores– Resume– Recommendation Letters– Statement of Purpose– Application Fee

How to Apply (Approximate Timeline)

Application

Deadline!GRE Test Date (Last Ditch)

Start working on SOP

Mark progress regularly

with sample tests

(Powerprep)

GRE Prep Start

DecNovOctSept

AugJuly

Ask Recommenders for LOR

Finish SOP Work

TOEFL Test Date

Register for GRE

Test

Request Transcripts

Register for TOEFL

GRE Test Date (Ideal Time)

Where to Apply

• Rankings– US Universities: US News & World Report– World Ranking: Times Higher Education

• Rankings are based on Area:– Engineering vs. Law vs. Medical etc so make sure you

are looking at the right ranking– Example: Harvard is good for MBA, Medicine or Social

Sciences, but not so good for Engineering

• Expenditure per annum– Tuition + Boarding + extra

Where to Apply

• Apply widely• Don’t apply to just one or two dream schools• Apply to at least 7-8 schools, including your

dream schools plus a couple of “safety” schools– One recommended safety school: San Jose State (in

the heart of Silicon Valley)– Another: per a close friend, Arizona State University

•But don’t apply to a disreputable school – not worth it and even if you get in, may not get a visa

Where to Apply

• Many universities are skeptical of Pakistani students’ credentials• At Stanford, no Pakistani student has ever been

accepted directly into PhD Computer Science– Do apply to universities where NUST has a

reputation– Examples: Georgia Tech, Michigan State, USC

Components of a Grad School Application

Transcripts and GPA

• Does GPA matter?

Transcripts and GPA

• Does GPA matter?

GPA

DOES

MATTER

Transcripts and GPA

• Does GPA matter?– Actually, the correct answer is, it

depends…– If going to industry, doesn’t matter– If going for higher education, it does

matter• Indicates how suited you are for academics

– For a top-ranked program, GPA must be > 3.5• Else, RED FLAG!

Transcripts and GPA

• So what can I do to overcome a low GPA?– Only one way: research output – For example: publication in a highly

reputed conference/journal (e.g. SIGCOMM) or awesome research-oriented project(s)

Research Experience

• Must for PhD admissions• Big plus for MS admissions• If you want to go for PhD or MS from

a top program, choose a research-oriented FYP

• Preferably, have a publication at a reasonably reputed venue– Publications at very low-quality venues

don’t count!

Industry Experience

• Industry experience counts if it’s in a “hard” area– Hard to define “hard”!– One example: one Stanford admit from NUST

worked on a real-time OS for embedded systems

– If you build large systems or design new algorithms or make 3D games, you are probably in a good area

– If you create “simple” websites or apps, maybe not…

Resume vs CV

• Resume: short (preferably 1 page), not more than 2 pages

• CV: detailed, contains everything big or small that you ever did

• If asked for a resume, submit a resume, not a CV!

Letters of Recommendation

• Normally 3 required– At least 2 should be from academic

sources– For example, your FYP advisor, co-

advisor or professor with whom you did a project

– One letter could be from your work supervisor or senior colleague

• Perhaps, the most important part of your application

Letters of Recommendation

• A winning letter of recommendation:– is written by someone who knows you

well– contains one or more personal stories

about your capabilities– contains content that’s unique about you,

not generalizable to everyone– should support the research/work

experience in your resume– does not sound fake or cliched

Letters of Recommendation

• Content of the letter matters more than who wrote it

• But a good letter from a more accomplished person carries much more weight than an equivalent letter from an ordinary Joe

• If someone says, “Write the letter yourself, I will sign it”, beware!

Letters of Recommendation

Letters of Recommendation

• A bad example:– Student X was an excellent student in my class, earning

an A grade due to his hard work and intelligence. I found him to be an honest and dedicated student, who completed all the tasks that were asked of him… His intellect is supported by the excellent grades in his transcript. I wish him the best in his future endeavors.

• A good example:– Student X impressed me with his intelligence and

curiosity. He routinely surprised me with the high quality of code in his programming assignments. Several times, he was able to jump ahead to advanced technical details during the course of a lecture… I strongly recommend him for higher education in computer science.

Letters of Recommendation

• One important point– Online applications give you the right to

view your recommender’s letters–Waive off that right!– Shows that you the recommender is not

writing under any pressure from you

Statement of Purpose

• May be the only place where you can demonstrate your writing skills

Statement of Purpose

• Write a quick draft first, then re-write, re-write, re-write!

• Don’t start writing two days before the deadline… give yourself at least 2 weeks

Statement of Purpose

• Try to fit within 1.5 pages• Be direct and to-the-point • Admissions committee members have

3-5 minutes to read it–Write clearly and avoid long sentences and

passive voice as much as possible

• Do not speak in platitudes and cliches– e.g. do not make a fuss about your

patriotism or childhood interests, unless you have some evidence to back it up

Statement of Purpose

• A good statement of purpose contains:– Your motivation for higher education– Your background in your field• What sets you apart• Brief story about your academic & research

experiences in undergrad• Accomplishments (research, other

academic)

– Reasons for choosing a particular program• Customize this part for every program you

apply to

GRE• Don’t be scared of it!

• GRE General– Computer Based/Adaptive– Organization of Test:

• Quantitative• Verbal• Analytical Writing

• Ok to take the test more than once– Can report the best score in each section

• GRE Subject: optional but a good score in relevant area might help

GRE

• Your percentile score is what matters• Bad percentile => RED FLAG!

• GRE General score for top-ranked universities– 85-90+ percentile in Quant and Analytical– For Sci/Engg, 65-70+ percentile ok for Verbal

• For lower-ranked schools, acceptable GRE score– 75+ percentile in Quant/Analytical may be enough

The key to the GRE

TIME MANAGEMENT

The key to the GRE

• Time is your biggest enemy!–Must practice to manage time– About 1.5-2 minutes per question

• Always practice in time-constrained settings– If an exercise contains 10 questions, stop solving

after exactly 20 minutes

• Not timing yourself will lead to over-confidence and failure

GRE Verbal

• Do you often read books outside the syllabus?– If yes, you are more likely to do well– If not, start reading now!

• High-frequency word lists really helpful– Need to memorize at least 1000 words

GRE Quantitative

• A test of high-school math– but remember, time is the enemy!

• No partial credit• Practice fast problem-solving– Using mathematical shortcuts– Remembering and applying geometry

theorems– Thinking intuitively

GRE Quantitative

• Be prepared to make an intelligent guess and move on

• Don’t get bogged down on one question

• Don’t make it an ego problem!

• Most importantly: practice within time constraints– Apply the above methods even while

practicing

GRE Analytical Writing

• Critique an argument– Point out flawed assumptions or logical flaws in

the given argument– Provide alternative explanations for an issue– Explain what evidence may be needed to

evaluate an argument

• Express a logical opinion on a topic– Write a reasoned essay on some issue– Provide an argument for why you

agree/disagree with a statement

GRE Analytical Writing

• A few minor grammar/spelling mistakes are ok

• But do NOT use logical fallacies, e.g.– Ad hominem attacks– Arguments based only on

religion/ideology– Strawman argument– Anecdotal argument (generalization)– https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/

GRE Resources

• Barron’s GRE book– Excellent tips, tricks and shortcuts. Must

have!

• ETS Powerprep GRE software (free)– Helps you practice in a realistic setting– Like doing the GRE at home!

• Magoosh GRE (nice word list app)

TOEFL

• Mandatory, but piece of cake for most people– Students from rural areas might want to

take this more seriously

• Basically tests if you understand everyday English

• For Internet Based TOEFL, marks are generally out of 120.

• Decent score: even 80-90 is probably sufficient

Finances

• So how much cash does this cost you?• If accepted into PhD: FREE!–Most universities guarantee funding for

PhD

• If accepted into MS: $20,000-$60,000 for tuition– You may get a scholarship/fellowship...

done!– Otherwise, need to show bank balance

Finances

• If accepted into MS: $20,000-$60,000 for tuition– You may get a scholarship/fellowship...

done!– Otherwise, need to show bank balance or

support letter• Support letter needs to be from a reputed

organization• Bank balance could be of a relative or a friend• For CS people, may be easier to get TAships

nowadays– CS departments in the US are exploding in size =>

Need Tas– A TAship pays for both tuition and living expenses

• Start applying for RA/TAships as soon as you get there

Finances

• If you get into a top-ranked school but don’t have the cash...– After graduating from a top-ranked school,

CS/EE grads are ~100% guaranteed to find a job that pays $70K-100K per year

– Enough to pay back any loans in 1-2 years– If you’re willing to return for 3 years, NUST

is willing to fund you

Resources on the Web

• http://nlp.stanford.edu/~rkarthik/DAGAP.pdf

• http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~natalia/studyinus/guide.htm

• And of course, http://phdcomics.com