Admission Status: 5 for 10 (MS CS)

[tolerant]

Hello all,

 

I've lurked here for quite some time, first in the GRE Computer Science forum, and now in here to make guesses at when I would hear back from schools. You all have been helpful, I've just not been able to thank you until now.

 

I applied to 10 schools, heard responses from first week of February up until 14 April, and since all schools got back to me by the 15th, I was able to respond and go where I wanted.

 

Accepting me: University of Illinois - Urbana / Champaign, Brown University, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Columbia University, University of Colorado - Boulder.

Rejecting me: Stanford University, University of California - Berkeley, University of Washington - Seattle, University of Texas - Austin, University of Maryland - College Park.

 

No school offered me assistantships or fellowships, so my decision was based on my opinion of the school more or less. My undergrad was at UIUC, and I knew the program well, it was a good program. I visited at Brown and I'd seen Colorado in the past a few times. I chose to stay at UIUC, and being such a high ranked school, I know it can't have been the wrong decision.

 

My stats: 780/87% quantitative, 440/42% verbal, 810/80% CS subject, 3.33/4 cumulative, 3.5/4 technical, 3.75/4 CS only.

 

My decision was quasi-complicated, and if anybody is still trying to make a decision and just doesn't know where to turn (like I was a week ago), check out my "essay" I wrote about my decision, it might give you some things to think about you hadn't before.

http://www.notjewish.com/gradschool.html

 

Thanks again everyone. And from what I've seen, I'll be seeing some of you in the fall here at Illinois!

 

Ande

[charlieboy]

A guy named "tolerant" has a website called "notjewish.com"????

 

Care to explain?

[tolerant]

The simple explanation is that the website is not meant to be offensive. The domain name only demonstrates that I myself am not jewish, and that I was very uncreative at the time I chose it, 3 years ago. And perhaps moreso that 'tolerant' was chosen another 4 or 5 years before the decision of domain name was made. In either circumstance, you'd have to know me a little more personally to understand the reasoning behind the choice.

 

Ande

[luve]

Congratulation, guy[goodjob]

Did you got any work eperiences beside you GRE?

And, in order to get in to CS program, do school always require the CS test ?

 

 

[tolerant]

The only research or work experience I had was in a security class I took Spring 2003, where our group (the summer after) went on to submit a paper to ACSAC, however I was not part of that group as I didn't stay for the summer; I am only mentioned in the aknowledgements.

 

This most likely kept me out of some of the better schools (Stanford, Berkeley, UTA, UWash), but my recommendations from UIUC were strong and the review committee most likely knew the three professors intimately.

 

As for the GRE CS, no school directly required it as I remember. I took it because my grades (3.33/4) were subpar most places, and I wanted to show that I did know a few things, so I took the test hoping for 800+, and that's what I got. Most PhD programs require GRE CS, at least high ranking ones; another reason I took the test, in case I changed my mind and wanted to apply to some phd schools. Similarly, I believe Colorado doesn't require the GRE General for MS, only for PhD, I find that odd.

 

Ande

[luve]

Thanks for a useful and interesting reply.

Good luck for your future Grad. School. Cheer

[thaiva]

Hey tolerant,

 

 

Congradt'z on your admits! Best Wishes with grad school....