abgoldberg

yep, gforce is correct! i am going to start in the CS PhD program at UW-Madison this fall. what's up brian_sky? are you also headed that way?

I finally got officially rejected today. I was pretty sure I would be based on comments from a prof, but now it's official. That makes life easier. Wisconsin here I come!

i'd also recommend calling up UCSD to find out more. of course you shouldn't demand a decision, but it really can't hurt just to ask about your place on the wait list. i called them a few times (see the UCSD threads) and they were nice on the phone (even if they lied about when i'd get a decision! :)) but they gave me as much info about the wait list situation as they could (which was basically just an approx number of people in a similar situation for my research area). they can't just reject you simply b/c you are calling to ask. just explain that you have other offers for which you need to decide soon, but stress that UCSD's your top choice, and i'm sure they'll be glad to tell you whatever they can. good luck! (i still have not gotten an official decision from them either, but the prof i talked to seemed to say i wasn't getting in. weird that i haven't found out yet...)

PhD, CS, University of Wisconsin-Madison Research interests: AI, optimization, software engineering, databases

Well I called up the prof that said he didn't think I'd be admitted, to discuss the chances of getting in off the waitlist, and he made it sound very doubtful. He actually didn't realize there was a waitlist, but did know that all their offers had been made to people in the AI area. He said more people than expected took their offers last year, so they were limited in the number of offers they could make this year and that he didn't think they'd be making any more offers. Good to know! So unless something crazy happens, I'll be going to the University of Wisconsin-Madison next year. :)

I've been calling 858-822-5978, but this is for CSE. I think it's the number of the CSE graduate coordinator specifically, so chances are the number for you to call ECE would be different. :(

As mentioned below, I applied to the CSE department for a PhD. Since I didn't get a response by Wednesday as promised, I emailed the two professors (X and Y) who I wrote about on my app, asking if they could give me an update on my status. One prof X who does AI stuff (which I'm most interested in) wrote back saying that things were pretty constrained this year and that "I don't think you will be admitted. I'm sorry about that." He then went on to ask about the fellowship offers I got from other schools, which I had mentioned in my email. He said "This data will help me make the case that our admissions process needs overhaul." So prof X sounded genuinely nice and concerned, but did make it sound like I wouldn't be getting in. But since I hadn't received an official rejection yet, I called up the department today. The secretary told me that she had been forwarded the e-mail I sent to prof Y, and she was just about to send me an email saying I've been waitlisted! She said they didn't have a ranked wait list, but that there are less than 20 people on the waitlist who are interested in the AI area. (I don't know how big this is relative to the total number of admits.) She also said they would notify me before April 15 and that all PhD students receive financial support, which is pretty good compared to my other current offers. There's also a chance some of their fellowships get turned down, so people on the waitlist could potentially still get a fellowship. But prof X seemed to think I wouldn't be getting in, so I wonder if I should take that to mean I am not high on the wait list. SO...given all this, I'm wondering if people think it's worth holding out for UCSD, or should I just go with U of Wisconsin - Madison, where I have been admitted with a fellowship, and just forget about UCSD. What are people's thoughts on the reputation of both schools for CS? Anyone with firsthand knowledge of what it's like being a PhD student at UCSD? I know I like the dept atmosphere and profs at Wisconsin, but since I haven't visited UCSD, I am sort of lackind a certain perspective on UCSD, which I would like to have before I make a decision. Sorry for the long post, but if people could post their thoughts on my situation and more importantly on CSE at UCSD, that would be awesome! Thanks in advance.

I'm still waiting on UCSD CSE. I got them on the phone Monday morning (their time), and the woman told me that they still had a bunch of applications for which decisions have not been made and that they would send decisions by today (Wednesday). I haven't gotten anything yet, though. I guess they still have another 6 hours or so until it's 5pm in CA.

Did they give any indication that there are still PhD offers to be made? Or did it sound like they're just doing some sort of internal wait list thing?

I'm now waiting mainly on UC San Diego. My two admits so far are Michigan and Wisconsin, but sunny southern CA is calling my name. :) I also still haven't heard anything from Brandeis or Washington U. in St. Louis, but I'm less concerned with those at this point.

Well it's official. I didn't get admitted to Berkeley's EECS PhD program. I just got an email a few minutes ago. Oh well, I didn't have high hopes at this point but it still sucks.

So whogotin.com is reporting that a couple people heard from UCSD about the CSE MS program yesterday (one acceptance, one rejection). Anyone on this board get a decision? I'm still waiting for a PhD verdict, so I'm not sure what to think of the fact that they're already starting to send out MS acceptances. I believe they keep the MS and PhD applicants separate, though, so perhaps there's no need to panic yet... Also, ChoBoka, thanks for that info about the supposed new ranking. Even if it's not true, I've gotten the impression that they're doing quite well in CS based on lots of awards and the new building they're adding.

have you guys been e-mailing a lot of current students? like asking lots of different information from several people, or did you just email to find out some simple answers. i'm not sure what's normal, and i don't want to overstep my bounds or be annoying. i find that the people i've contacted probably have a lot of answers or opinions on the specific issues i'm concerned with. and they can say a lot more about what you'll face next year, probably more so than what a prof could say. so far, everyone's been very helpful, so i recommend it as well. are you guys asking about what it's like to work with X professor, or do you think that's maybe getting a little too personal? perhaps I'm just overthinking this. just curious what other people think.

Does anyone else have anything to add on this? Umich vs. Uwisc: In terms of AI research/profs? In terms of CS in general? Ann Arbor vs. Madison? Anyone know people at either place who love it/hate it? Thanks!

Thanks, I'll try to take a look at which seems to publish more. I am actually interested primarily in AI, so I am leaning toward Michigan based on the amount of cool research. I think that's probably the most important factor, since at some point I'll be out of courses and everything and just doing research... You guys agree? Then again, research interests change, and there are some other areas like optimization at Wisc that sound interesting. I was contacted by a prof in that group, even though I think it was clear that my primary interest was in AI. I wonder if this is indicative of anything. What about comparisons of the cities? Anyone want to compare Ann Arbor and Madison? (I know there are online city comparison tools. I'm looking for personal opinions.)

So I've been admitted to the following two PhD programs: University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) Comp Sci & Engineering University of Wisconsin (Madison) Computer Sciences I'm trying to balance out department strength overall, reputation, program requirements, location, campus life, stress level of students, and of course--the research and professors. I'm getting good financial support from both places (guaranteed 5 years at Mich, 4 years at Wisc (first as fellowship)). The stipend amount is a bit higher at Mich, but so is the cost of living in Ann Arbor. I'm considering how hard it really is to get RAs and funding support without brutal amounts of TAing at each place. I was just wondering what people had to say about these two programs on any of these (or other) factors. I'm curious to hear people's honest opinions of these programs based on what you either personally know or have heard from friends. Thanks in advance.

yeah i guess you're right. it'd be just plain awful. better stick the gray dreariness of the midwest. ;)

Nope, I had just asked if they knew when all the decisions would be out. They said by the end of the month. I didn't have the guts to just tell them my name and ask if they had any specific information on my status. They said the committee was still reviewing apps, so it didn't seem appropriate to ask. But I'm getting desperate now, too. I have strong offers from UMich and UWisc, but UCSD is right up there in my mind.

Was this for MS or PhD? I know some PhD applicants at UCSD have already been admitted according to whogotin.com, but I called last week and was told that only about half the offers have gone out. Does anyone have any other info to report? I'm getting really anxious to find out, and I might try calling again to ask for more specific information. If anyone's tried this, please let me know, so I don't accidentally just piss the coordinator person off. Thanks! Also, any recent news from Berkeley? Still waiting there too...

Hmm...interesting. I just called them up this afternoon and was told the same thing I was told last week--that they'd have decisions out by the end of the month. The guy I spoke to seemed to say that pretty much all the offers are out already, but that people who haven't heard are still being considered. (Yes, this seems strange to me, too.) I asked if they're waiting for people to accept or turn down offers, but he said they do not share the details of their process. It certainly sounds like they must have some sort of internal waitlist or something. Well, I'll hold on to a glimmer of hope, but the chances do not seem high at this point (as if they ever did. lol). Oh, I asked only about the PhD program, so I'm not sure if it's different for MS-only people.

AHH!!! Still waiting on Berkeley... (sorry to anyone who thought this post was going to report a recent decision) Anyone hear anything lately? Anyone call up the dept? Have any info to report? Perhaps each round takes 2 weeks, which would mean some more news (3rd round) might come out this week...but who knows...just speculation.

Hi and welcome! You'll be happy to know that you almost certainly are in at UW-Madison. I discovered the same online status about 2 weeks ago, and I called up the graduate coordinator who confirmed that that means they want you, and while the graduate school has the final say, that's almost never a problem! it took them about a week after that for a professor to contact me (to tell me i'm getting a fellowship and to see if i had any questions), so this relatively early status change could be a very good thing for you, too. since i haven't gotten any official mailings or anything really formally admitting me yet either, i figure they're still pretty early in the process and an acceptance this early could only mean they really want you! good job! i'd recommend calling up on Monday to check on your status. I'm also curious to hear people's opinions of UW-Madison. From my interaction with this prof and some students (current CS and former undergrads), everyone loves Madison--both the city itself and the university. It's supposed to be a really nice place to go to school. The department does seem to have some very top areas (such as optimization and the ones you mentioned), and they seem fairly flexible about choosing research to do as well. they're also a pure CS department, and not too too big (~200 grad students), which makes them more attractive to me than some larger programs (~600 grad students) in an EECS or Comp Sci & Engineering dept. I'm coming from a liberal arts college (BA in CS), so for me a pure CS department seems more appealing, but I'd be interested in hearing other perspectives on this issue (CS vs. EECS/CSE)...

I'm going to Michigan's EECS visit day next weekend, but more for the CS side of the department. I was notified by e-mail on February 15. All they said was that I was recommended for admission to the PhD program with financial aid and that I'd get a more official notice from the graduate school. I got something in the mail about 2 weeks later from the graduate school--just like a welcome brochure and academic calendar. Apparently they probably won't decide what type of funding each funded student gets until after the visit (the secretary said they'd send a letter with those details). What are people's thoughts on UMich (CSE department) compared to UWisc-Madison (CS department)? What have you heard positive and negative about each?

Thanks gforce. I think I had seen that post a while ago but forgot about it. Yeah, I already have CS PhD admits at U Wisconsin (Madison) and U Michigan (Ann Arbor), so I'm not too heartbroken, though Brown seems like it would be a great place to study. Wisconsin's sweetening the deal with a fellowship, which seems to mean 4 years of funding without TAing or RAing according to the prof that contacted me, but I haven't gotten the official letter about it yet. I am still waiting to hear from Berkeley, UC San Diego, Wash U in St. Louis and Brandeis. The latter two are lesser contenders at this point, but who knows what they might offer.

Well I called up Brown yesterday to inquire about when decisions would go out. I had to leave a message with a secretary since the admissions coordinator was in a meeting. She wrote me an e-mail today saying that I was not selected for admission. :( She said the graduate school would be sending out official letters "soon," but she told me in the email b/c she realized I might have to make a decision. So I guess if you're still waiting on Brown and eager to know the decision, it might not hurt to give the dept. a call.