erspert@athena.mit.edu (Ellen R. Spertus) (04/07/90)
1. Preparing for the GREs will be one of the most worthwhile things you can do (in terms of getting into graduate schools), in that one afternoon of study will make a big improvement. You will want a book of actual practice CS tests (usually must be ordered from ETS) and a book on preparing for it. I hadn't taken algorithms at the time, so knowing that I needed to know which sorts were O(n^2), etc., and having a table to memorize, was a big help. Start looking for a subject test book early, because most bookstores don't carry them, and you may have to order it by mail. Also, prepare for the general GRE. If you have any brains at all, math will be no problem. You should practice at the analytic section because it's entirely unlike the SAT. An hour or so at old analytic problems will greatly improve your actual score. If you want to review for math and English, I'd recommend the Princeton Review guide. You should take the GRE by October. This is preferred over December. If you don't sign up early, you may not get your first choice location. 2. I don't think it hurts to have worked. I just visited grad schools, and several of the other prospectives had been in industry. (We had all been accepted at this point.) 3. Apply for fellowships. Schools ask which you've applied for. Apply for NSF, ONR, Hertz, and any others you qualify for (i.e. I don't know if you're a minority). If your company will pay, let them know that. If the application form doesn't have a slot for that, write it where it asks what fellowships you applied for. 4. Have people read over your statement of purpose, etc. If at all possible, get a faculty member somewhere to do so. I was told that most applicants shoot themselves in the foot in their statement of purpose, although I was not told in what sense. If you can't consult a faculty member, ask people who have been admitted to the appropriate schools to show you their statements. You can solicit these on the net. People have been extremely willing to show me their statements, and I found it helpful. 5. Be careful about recommendations. References from professors in nontechnical subjects aren't taken very seriously (at least at MIT). Professors are preferred over supervisors. You should have at least one professor or possibly two. (Because I'm straight out of college, I only had one non-professor.) Most places require three recommendations, but some (like the NSF) require four. You have several months to cultivate some references. If your old professors remember you, and if it's possible, go and talk with them in person to refresh their memory of you. Ask them far in advance for references. I know several people who have gotten burned on references, because the professor left town or blew them off. Give your referees stamped addressed envelopes, etc. It's considered okay to ask a potential referee, "I'd like to get a recommendation from you. Do you feel that you can write me one or that I should get one from someone else?" Recommendations from TAs are taken less seriously than those from professors. If you aced a class and only the TA knows you, see if it's possible for him/her to speak to the professor and have the professor write the recommendation. 6. Yes, publish some papers if at all possible. The whole point of the GRE, GPA, etc., is to serve as an indicator of how good of research someone could do. Having the real thing to show them is even better. Ellen Spertus
swsh@carom.uchicago.edu (Janet M. Swisher) (04/10/90)
About recommendation letters: An acquaintance of mine who has been Director of Graduate Admissions of the CS dept. of a mid-sized midwestern university once told me that he considered glowing recommendations from professors he had never heard of to be better than average recommendations from big shots in the field. If you are the best student that Joe Faculty has ever had, it says a lot more about you than if you did OK in Mr. Famous' class of 300 students. Of course, if you are the best student Mr. Famous ever had, that's best of all. Keep in mind though, that this is one person's experience, and other admissions people may be more easily impressed by flash. (Please excuse sexist references; most CS faculty, especially big-shots, are currently men.) Janet Swisher