PseudoRandomThoughts

From what I know, Vanderbilt is a very nice place and the CS dept is very good. The dept is small and therefore the ranking is low (since research output, funding etc will be lesser for a smaller dept), other than that the dept is excellent. So, if you really like working with the people you know at Vanderbilt, ranking should not deter you from doing your PhD there. Virginia is also a very strong dept. Congratulations on 2 very good admits!

Thanks a lot meneldur! Could you post the rankings in theory as well?

Actually, I dont agree that SUNYSB is 'that' good for masters. It is a good dept, no doubt. However, 1. Most masters students I have to talked there are discontented. For the following reasons: The class is too crowded The quality of research oppurtunities for masters students isnt that good. The job scene is good. But, the biggest recruiters are finance companies and consutancies. The PhD program, on the other hand is excellent. It is extremely selective and highly ranked (34 i think). Also, the PhD alumni from SUNYSB is top class.

Thanks for the inputs guys. It was Hennesey who graduated out of SUNYSB. SUNYSB is indeed excellent for PhD. It is also very very difficult to get into for PhD. But, right now I am applying for a masters degree. I have heard from masters students in SUNYSB CS dept that it isnt so great for research. So, their super alumni list is a little misleading. I couldnt see a single masters graduate in there. Nevertheless, it is a very good dept. You guys have made me a little more sure of my decision. Thanks again.

Hi folks, I am thinking of accepting the offer for Masters at Dartmouth college CS dept. I am accepting above SUNYSB (Overcrowded), above JHU (Too expensive) , above OSU and Vtech (I still havent heard from these 2 places. But I dont want to go to either of these places for variour reasons) However, the CS dept at Dartmouth doesnt seem to come up at all in the wishlist of applicants. Why is that? Is there any word of advice or caution that you people can provide me? Any views are welcome. The clock is ticking furiously towards April 15th. Let me make my case for dartmouth CS dept: Pros: 1. The intake is very small. Usually the number of MS & PhDs students in a class is 4-6 each. 2. Excellent faculty. However, not all areas of CS are given equal importance. Some areas are preferred and in these areas the dept is very strong. 3. Course is focused towards research. The requirements for an MS degree are: 9 courses (1 credit each) + 6 credits for MS thesis. The thesis is proposed and defended infront of a panel (just like Phd). The courses are merely graded as high pass/pass/fail. This implies that coursework is not important. Your research is everything! This theory seems augmented by the fact that the ratio of number of credits for thesis to number of credits for courses is very high. Infact, the highest I have come across anywhere. 4. Although the fees is very very high (10k for every term of 3 months), every admitted MS student gets a fee waiver which makes the overall fees around 20K for the entire degree. 5. Since the intake is small, EVERY MS student gets RA (confirmed from students studying there). I have been told that with an RA, your overall cost of education is 0 - 5k$ 6. It is IVY league. I am sure 15 years down the line, this makes a big difference on how you are perceived. (People dont remember that you studied in a tough-to-get school-in-2006.) 7. The dept is on the rise. Last time it was ranked 47, this time it is 40, just 0.1 difference in score from SUNYSB. Cons: 1. Frigid climate. 2. Rural setting with hardly any social life. (Although this suits me perfectly. The surroundings are wild with lot of scope for cross country biking, hiking and skiing) Guys, am I missing something? Am I making a blunder in choosing Dartmouth above the other admits(all for masters in CS) ?

Well, probably they are uploading the results. Equally probably, you guys brought down the server with your constant refreshes as today is March 31st. :)

I was refering to the CS dept. The point of contact is Mary Beth Kelley.

I think you better mail them. People who have been admitted have been notified through email. Only people who are rejected are notified by snail mail which reaches pretty late. I mailed them recently and found that I have been rejected as have been a couple of my friends. So if you havent heard, better mail them quick. Best of luck.

I think I can guess your major. :)

Why dont they use some of those grants and get themselves bigger rooms. Every univ I see, "not enough space"!!! Would be a day's work for a bunch of burly construction workers!

This thread really does work!! I got into Dartmouth within 1 day of posting here! I call for bestowing sainthood on this thread. It is clearly miraculous. :)

This is a 'counterfactual conditional', an 'unsolved' problem in philosophy. :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsolved_problems_in_philosophy

Worth a try. :) Applied to 10, rejects from 4 top choices, admits - none. Although, I have apped for MS in CS. :)

Congratulations. Interesting degree objectives! :)

Sorry about your stanford decision. At OSU my status is still under eval. Plenty of people have the same status. It might take a while. Distract yourself. :)