My $0.02 on

Why you should join

The Graduate School?

Kartik Gopalan

kartik@cs.binghamton.edu

Grad School

Acknowledgements for Material: Tzi-cker Chiueh, Andy Wang

= Binghamton!!

Myth 1

I cannot afford graduate school…

Reality

Graduate school is FREE (pretty much) For both public and private schools

You get paid to learn!!

If you are good enough to get into a graduate school, there are… Scholarships/grants (get paid to study) Research assistantship (work for a lab) Teaching assistantship (work for a class) Graduate assistantship (work for the university) Internships (work for a local company) Some are even part-time grad students with a full-time job, though it

could be very demanding.

Myth 2

I won’t have a chance to get into a graduate school…

Reality

You are in luck If you are a US citizen or permanent resident… Also if you are a woman or underrepresented minority in CS. Uncle Sam wants you in Grad School !!

Not enough US students are pursuing graduate education That’s why schools go looking for International students.

Your BIG advantages Eligible for many more funding sources No language barriers Often, much lower cost to hire domestic students as a research

assistant or teaching assistant.

Myth 3

Graduate school is a waste of time and money…

…I can earn more money by working all those years in industry.

Reality

Graduate degree increases your market value several folds Googles, IBMs, and Microsofts of this world cannot find enough qualified

American M.S. and Ph.D graduates. (or so they say!)

Starting pay scales B.S. – $30K to $60K M.S. – $60K to $100K Ph.D. – $90K to $130K(more if you work for wall street, but that’s another story!)

And guess who is considered first for those promotions?

Work performed by M.S. or Ph.D. graduates is less likely to be outsourced. A graduate degree is a proof of your critical thinking skills. Proof that you are not just another replaceable coding machine.

You are in a better position to start your own company. Better able to reason about long-term trends

Myth 4

Graduate curriculum is more of the same undergraduate curriculum…

Reality: Masters is the new Bachelors

Everybody has a Bachelors degree

You are all smart.

So what distinguishes you from the crowd???

Many who understand this new reality are even willing to pay their way through grad school.

Master Do a thesis or project Emphasis on development of large software systems and even research.

Ph.D. Discover/build something new Complete emphasis on research and publications

Myth 5

All CS jobs are going to India, China, Brazil, Russia, Korea, Taiwan…you name it

Reality

Only partly true Globalization is a reality BUT so is the need to compete globally

Yes, mostly lower-end and many higher-end IT jobs too are being offshored People in Bangalore design jet engines for Boeing and CPU chips for Intel.

BUT, Computing is everywhere and all the time in our lives Finance, health care, transportation, defense, education, communication, bio-

engineering, retail…everywhere

We will ALWAYS need computer scientists RIGHT HERE on the ground There will always be CS jobs that can’t be out-sourced… And many that can actually be brought in.

A higher degree is your passport to success in a globalized marketplace

Metric of Success

Undergraduate GPA

Master Projects, thesis, skill set

Ph.D. Number of quality publications

Time management is the key to success as a graduate student

Velocity Matters! Kill with speed. Especially when others in the race have same or

better skills than you.

Application Process Requirements

GRE Scores GPA Personal statement 3 to 4 recommendation letters

Relevant upper-division courses Independent studies Internships

Apply to as many universities as you can Increases the probability of getting admitted This is one time you don’t want to hold back on spending Your career is on the line!

Contact professors whose research areas you like They are always looking for good students Ask if you can visit the school to get a feel

They may not mind even paying for your trip

Decide where to apply based on feedback. DO apply to Binghamton!!

GRE Exams

http://www.ets.org/gre/

General GRE English Math Analytics

Computer science GRE Theory Systems Architecture

Typically offered several times a year

Preparing for GRE Start preparing at least 6 to 8 months in advance Work through MANY sample tests Aim around 1400+ in (quant. + verbal) and 90+ percentile in Subject GRE

Recommendation LettersWhom/When/How to approach?

Whom If you receive an A in a class If you did a research project or independent study

When Ask the professor as quickly as possible after the course/project

How: Ask them candidly if they can give you a GREAT letter A bad/lukewarm letter is worse than no letter. If you got anything less than A or A-, their letter is unlikely to be

impressive. (Hint hint: PLAN AND WORK ON GETTING AN A!) Ask for their opinion about the schools where you are applying Give them reference material well in advance

With deadlines for different schoolsPhoto, personal statement, resume, transcript

Ask them if they need a draft letter to save timeBut DON’T insist on giving a draft letter. Its always better if they write it themselves.

DON’T ask for a copy of the letter Impolite and perhaps even unethical

Remember…

This is probably your ONLY CHANCE to get into Grad School.Many people try to come back after working for few years,

but very few succeed.Inertia will be too high. You will be older, your mind will be

slower, the new kids will be faster!Do it while you are on the roll and fresh and full of energy!!

You will be getting paid to learn……in a country that offers the world’s best higher education!!This happens at very few places in the world.It’s a unique opportunity.So make the best out of this opportunity.

My $0.02 on Succeeding in Graduate School

(….Once you are in grad school)

Slide Acknowledgements: Tzi-cker Chiueh (Stony Brook)

You must have fun with what you are doing.

Motivation Curiosity > Prove yourself > Impress your advisor > Get a degree You should be in this for yourself, not for anyone else.

URGENCY (Velocity kills) Speed of developing a system is as important as the speed of the system

itself !! Don’t passively wait to be pushed Display a sense of purpose and urgency Be Pro-active It's YOUR project/thesis, i.e., your degree & job counts on it!!

Ambition Try to do the impossible > Build a cool widget > Just get by

Succeeding as a Grad student

Succeeding as a Grad student Common sense

Think your way through problemsDevelop independent problem solving skillsBe humble, not arrogant. BUT trust your intelligence…don’t be intimidated.

Hard Work Intelligence alone is not enoughEinstein 99% perspiration for the rest of us its

99.99999%

Clear mind Try to quickly figure out what you want. Don’t waste time doing things you don’t want to be doing

ultimately.Distraction is deadly in grad school.

PreparationKnow the basicsIf you don’t, learn quickly on your own

Broaden your scope of learning and researchComputer science is too young a field to over-specialize.Boundaries melt all the time. Its changing too quickly to lock yourself up in one sub-area.

Excellence is expensive The 90-10 rule

The last 10% to perfection consumes 90% of the effort, It is also what distinguishes mediocrity from excellence. Stroustrup is still perfecting C++ after 20 years !!Knuth took 12 years to perfect LaTex !

(Don’t take that long to graduate though!)

Succeeding as a Grad student

You get to educate your Advisor : It’s a two-way street! Occasionally drop by your advisor’s office and say

``what if we do XYZ?'' Best students know more than their advisor.Advisor is like a basketball coach

Can teach you strategies to win, assuming you know how to dribble Driblling = Coding, debugging, problem solving, basic writing skills, work ethics

Strategy Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize!!!

Grad school is all about time management.Recognize what is important versus what is urgent.Plan ahead: next week/month rather than just next hour/day.

Good writing skill is CRITICAL Network whenever possible

References, job contacts, tech gurus, forums, conferences etc.CS Research is as much about people skills as it is about science

Succeeding as a Grad student

Must Read

“Mental ABC’s of pitching”, Book by H.A.Dorfman $14 on Amazon Go get it!

“The Common Denominator of Success” Essay by Albert E.N. Gray (try Google on the title again)

“The common denominator of success -- the secret of success of every man who has ever been successful -- lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that failures don't like to do … in order to accomplish the purpose they want to accomplish .“

“Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” Book by Stephen R. Covey

“Collected Advice on Research and Writing” At CMU website (try Google on the title)

Final thoughts

This is probably your last time in Grad School. Time runs out quickly.

Many of you are getting paid to learn… …in a country that offers best higher education!! It’s a unique opportunity.

So make the best out of your time here to get what you want! In other words, Don’t blow it!

(More) Final thoughts

Pooh Bear coming down bump, bump, bump

“….there must be a better way to come downstairs, if only I could stop bumping to think about it”

NOW is the time to think about “IT”

Later the ride only gets bumpier

Slides available athttp://www.cs.binghamton.edu/~kartik/grad_school.ppt

Good Luck!