Degree weightage

[Wiki]

Hi Eveyone,

My academic qualification is as under:
MSc. in Computer Science (3 years/6 Semesters - 2 years to complete pre-reqs) CGPA 3.47/4.0
Post Graduate Diploma is Computer Science (1 year) CGPA 3.11/4.0
B.Sc. Mathematics & Physics (2 years) 53% marks

If I apply for MS/PHD CS is US universities, will they be looking at my MSc GPA or B.Sc GPA or both? What will be the impact of my very low B.Sc marks, which is in non-CS subjects?

Will AGRE CS improve the chances?

Thanks.

[Wiki]

Have 8+ years of experience of CS teaching and software development (current) as well .

No research paper, but relevent experience.

[CalmLogic]

If I apply for MS/PHD CS is US universities, will they be looking at my MSc GPA or B.Sc GPA or both? What will be the impact of my very low B.Sc marks, which is in non-CS subjects?

They look at everything but I would assume your MS in Computer Science will be what they will consider the most.

Regarding the GRECS (AGRE) exam, the next time it is being offered in India and some other countries isn't until November 2008 since the April exam is not available in India.

[Ancalagon The Black]

wiki: are you from India? which university?

[Wiki]

Thanks for the reply.
I am targetting MS/PHD CS Fall 2009.

[CalmLogic]

I am targetting MS/PHD CS Fall 2009.

The GRECS exam could help you significantly. It certainly can't hurt you because you don't have to report the score automatically. I would also recommend working on a paper based on your thesis and submitting that to an international conference or journal.

[Wiki]

Thanks for your suggestion. My thesis is quite old now and not innovative any more.

I have many projects in my prfessional life, where there are innovations, but real difficulty is to find no one else ever did it (lack of search experience and knowledge where to find).

[CalmLogic]

...but real difficulty is to find no one else ever did it (lack of search experience and knowledge where to find).

Of course, that's part of the reason that having submitted publications can help so much with PhD admissions. Applicants who have already successfully gone through the difficult process of journal/conference submission seem more research motivated, experienced, etc. I would also point out that even if a research submission isn't accepted, having written a research paper and attaching it to one's applications can still help. (In that case, it would be a good idea to have a recommender/professor review the paper and mention it in his/her recommendation letter.) Something else you may want to consider: Many conferences also allow for short 2-page papers. (The short papers are called poster papers since they are presented using a poster board (kindof like a science fair project) rather than a formal talk.)

If you have the time, you can go to a university library for research help, preferably a large one that has reference librarians focused on scientific and engineering research. At least at my US university, some of them can answer your questions online, and there is one librarian who covers computer science along with non-CS specialties. As you probably know, some basic tips are to use the following:

Computer and Information Science Papers CiteSeer Publications ResearchIndex
ACM Digital Library
Google Scholar
IEEE Computer Society
CoRR - Computing Research Repository

For more of such links:
Georgia Tech Library :: Computer Science :: Databases
University of Tennessee Libraries: Subject Guide for Computer Science
Computer Science Subject Guide - UF Smathers Libraries -

I also use Amazon.com and Google Book Search to do a search since some of the books are edited collections of recent recearch papers. I also visit graduate course websites that list some of the more recent, notable publications regarding an area of research, and this method has been very helpful.

Since most professors and researchers try to have a copy of their publications on their websites, a simple Google search can also be helpful. One trick is to limit a search to educational websites:

site:.edu - Google Search

or to specific conference organizations, e.g.:

site:siam.org - Google Search

[Ancalagon The Black]

wiki:

How come your B.Sc. was in 2 years? Or is your M.Sc. a MCA?

Do you have first class marks? When adcoms view grades from India, other than engineering schools, then look at whether you got first class, that is very important...

[Wiki]

@CalmLogic thanks for such a detailed reply.....I be seeking your guidance on research/search issues. By the way in which university are you, if you want to share it?

@Ancalagon The Black...dude I am not from India. I have first class in MSc. Computer Science (in top 5%) and not in B.Sc....comments are welcome on this aspect from you or CalmLogic. vbmenu_register("postmenu_527928", true);