Admission to the PhD - 1. Choosing a university
On Habré there have already been articles describing the experience of entering or studying in foreign universities. Since the last year and a half have been devoted to entering the PhD program at Western universities, I would like to share my experience in the hope that this information may be useful to someone.
Since the topic is extensive, I decided to break it into several articles. I want to discuss topics such as:
In addition, since at the moment I am awaiting responses to my applications, by the last article I hope to announce the results of my nearly two-year experiment (if this evokes some interest).
It does not raise or discuss the need for or lack of an academic degree in the IT industry, does not discuss the issue of admission to the magistracy. Since I applied for postgraduate studies in Computer Science, and only to US universities, I will mainly talk about this area and this country, sometimes comparing it with other countries if I have the relevant information.
This step is very important. This step, I would even say, makes up at least 50% of the entire case. Do not underestimate this process, because the selected range of potential places to continue your studies largely determines what results you need to focus on, as well as your chances of being accepted.
')
The procedure for the initial collection of information, analysis and screening of unsuccessful options and the selection of desirable ones can be organized in different ways. I once did not find any specialized sources that would satisfy my requirements (I think that many applicants all over the world would be grateful to the person who created such a resource). Of course, the most complete and reliable information is always on the official websites of universities. To systematize the search, I chose one of the world rankings of higher education institutions and simply studied the top 150 universities from it.
Later I looked at various special forums and ratings, for example, “Top-10 PhD programs in artificial intelligence,” but in general this did not add universities to the existing list, except that it changed the ordering a little (for example, Carnegie Mellon University in general rankings did not so high, and in the field of artificial intelligence surpasses some of the top universities, at least according to the rating found). It should be understood that in spite of the fact that all sorts of official and amateur ratings set the initial ranking, it is not rational to be guided by them in their preferences.
The sites of the universities themselves are mostly simply and intuitively organized (at least from the second or third time, the necessary information is searched for once). Slightly more problems with European universities, a little less with Canadian ones, not everything is obvious with Australian ones. Almost always right away on the main page there is an Admission or Prospective Students section, which one way or another leads to the Graduate Admission section, which describes the general rules for admission to postgraduate and master's programs. In the future, as a rule, it is proposed to go to the site of the faculty or program for details and subtleties. Usually, all information is collected on one page, though sometimes for unknown reasons, it is divided into a set of pages, even if some of the pages contain one paragraph. In addition to the main part, it is useful, and sometimes interesting to overlook the FAQ, where you can find answers to your questions. However, even this is not enough - then you have to write letters to the selection committee.
What information to collect and how to store it - it depends entirely on your interests and imagination. At first I tried to make a comparison table in Excel, then I threw it and limited it to a notepad. You can do without it, but I wanted to have a squeeze in a simple and convenient way, so as not to re-read sites on an urgent basis.
What exactly to fix? For each university, I had four sections besides the name, the rating, and the city where it is located (just in case): requirements, necessary documents, deadlines, and financing.
Requirements on average are not very different from university to university within a single country. For example, in the US, requirements typically include:
It is important to understand two points. The first is that the requirements for the university as a whole and the requirements for each program may differ. For example, if at the university level, a minimum of TOEFL 87 is required, then the faculty may require 100. At the Computer Science, the GRE GRE subject test is not required, but for mathematical areas like pure math or applied math is required. Although General GRE is required almost without exception, it may not be required for a particular program (for example, at MIT at the CS department it is not necessary to take it, except for one program). The policy regarding not enough high scores of language examinations is also different. In some universities, in the event of undershooting of the required score, you can still be accepted and forced to undergo language training, take somewhere, but will not be allowed to teach (and this is one of the sources of funding), but somewhere they immediately write that if the minimum the threshold is not passed, then no one will even consider the documents.
The second important point is that the minimum requirements are not sufficient conditions. Despite the fact that they write that the minimum passing average grade point diploma is 3.0, they also write there that the average passing grade of successful candidates is above 3.5. The same goes for GRE - the higher the better.
In Europe, Canada and Australia, the main difference is that GRE is less often required to take, a master's degree is often required (but in a significant proportion of universities a master's degree is not required).
A set of documents almost everywhere includes:
Despite the fact that at the moment almost all serious universities have switched to electronic filing of applications, when transcripts need to be attached in scanned form and send the original only if you are accepted, some universities require you to send them a paper copy at the time of application. copies). It is necessary to pay attention to this, since it is associated with postal services, which require more time for delivery, as well as additional problems of obtaining the required number of copies. I will write more about the preparation and sending of documents.
The introductory essay in different universities is called in different ways: personal statement, statement of purpose, statement of objectives, admission essay. Depending on the name of the candidate, it is necessary to focus on one or the other side of the question, but in general it can be considered that this is almost the same. Some universities ask for a few smaller essays - for example, Berkeley requires a separate personal statement (more about themselves as individuals) and a statement of purpose (more about their scientific interests and preparation). Optionally or necessarily CV may be required.
Application fee is an important component of the overall picture - on average, prices are in the range of $ 75- $ 100, which significantly limits the quantitative possibilities for most candidates. But here it is also important to study the site carefully - sometimes individual departments reduce this amount to a small amount ($ 5, $ 30), sometimes they accept documents for free. In some cases, if you submit documents earlier, you can either save money or not pay at all for the application. There is also the so-called fee waivers, when the candidate is exempt from the fee, but this can only be counted on by US citizens or residents. Canadian prices are almost the same, but in Europe almost everywhere there is no fee for an application.
Deadlines again differ little in the same country, but differ between countries. In the US, the vast majority of CS programs stop accepting documents on December 15 (some programs set a deadline at the beginning of January), in Canada it is usually February, or even the beginning of March, and in Europe there are usually spring months. Much depends on which semester is being taken. As a rule, in the United States only postgraduate studies are accepted starting from the fall semester; in Canada and Europe you can often start studying from spring or even winter semester, which affects the deadlines for applications.
Financing for me was almost the most important issue. While masters receive financial aid from the university extremely rarely, graduate students rarely receive it. Most often, even a separate application for funding is not necessary, at best, put a tick in the main application. But in each case it is important to understand the source of funding and the scheme for obtaining it. In the USA, this scheme turned out to be the easiest - if you are taken to graduate school, it almost absolutely guarantees you funding in the form of exemption from tuition fees, scholarships for living and medical insurance. Instead, the graduate student must perform the duties of research (research assistant) or teaching assistant (teaching assistant). If the main source of funding is teaching, then a weak language level can be an obstacle to receiving financial assistance.
In Canada, part of the funding can also be obtained from the totality of assistantship and fellowship (scholarship for services, usually issued on a competitive basis), but it is not always obvious whether it will cover the cost of tuition and accommodation. You can also apply for additional scholarships, but this is done separately from the general admission process. In Europe, funding is often provided through grants that the professor receives, so before you apply, you must first find a scientist who is willing to sponsor tuition with a grant, and only in this case can the candidate be credited to the university.
Of course, it would be ideal if the candidate already immediately imagined exactly what he wants to do in graduate school, then the primary point in collecting and analyzing information is the presence or absence of teachers and researchers with the desired area of interest and competence at the university.
One of the popular questions on various forums, sites devoted to admission to graduate school - "how many universities to choose?" It is obvious that there is a certain upper limit in the form of a sum of money for sending documents and application fee. But limited to one option is also a bit dangerous. The most common proposed range is from 5 to 9. As a rule, it is recommended to choose 2-3 top choice universities, which I would very much like to get, 2-3 spare options, the chances to get into which are maximum, and 2-3 between them. As for me personally, I sent documents to 9 US universities: 2 top (at random, or maybe lucky), 4 medium (I liked the programs or the average cost) and three more mainly due to the low or zero cost of the application. I first waited to apply to European universities, and then changed my mind completely (there were my own reasons for that).
On this I want to round out. I ask to express an opinion whether to write a sequel or a topic has already become boring to Habr's readers.
References
Since the topic is extensive, I decided to break it into several articles. I want to discuss topics such as:
- University Choice
- Language Exams
- GRE Exam
- Essay
- Letters of recommendation
- Additional requirements, submission of documents
- After the documents are sent ...
In addition, since at the moment I am awaiting responses to my applications, by the last article I hope to announce the results of my nearly two-year experiment (if this evokes some interest).
It does not raise or discuss the need for or lack of an academic degree in the IT industry, does not discuss the issue of admission to the magistracy. Since I applied for postgraduate studies in Computer Science, and only to US universities, I will mainly talk about this area and this country, sometimes comparing it with other countries if I have the relevant information.
1. Choosing a university
This step is very important. This step, I would even say, makes up at least 50% of the entire case. Do not underestimate this process, because the selected range of potential places to continue your studies largely determines what results you need to focus on, as well as your chances of being accepted.
')
Where?
The procedure for the initial collection of information, analysis and screening of unsuccessful options and the selection of desirable ones can be organized in different ways. I once did not find any specialized sources that would satisfy my requirements (I think that many applicants all over the world would be grateful to the person who created such a resource). Of course, the most complete and reliable information is always on the official websites of universities. To systematize the search, I chose one of the world rankings of higher education institutions and simply studied the top 150 universities from it.
Later I looked at various special forums and ratings, for example, “Top-10 PhD programs in artificial intelligence,” but in general this did not add universities to the existing list, except that it changed the ordering a little (for example, Carnegie Mellon University in general rankings did not so high, and in the field of artificial intelligence surpasses some of the top universities, at least according to the rating found). It should be understood that in spite of the fact that all sorts of official and amateur ratings set the initial ranking, it is not rational to be guided by them in their preferences.
The sites of the universities themselves are mostly simply and intuitively organized (at least from the second or third time, the necessary information is searched for once). Slightly more problems with European universities, a little less with Canadian ones, not everything is obvious with Australian ones. Almost always right away on the main page there is an Admission or Prospective Students section, which one way or another leads to the Graduate Admission section, which describes the general rules for admission to postgraduate and master's programs. In the future, as a rule, it is proposed to go to the site of the faculty or program for details and subtleties. Usually, all information is collected on one page, though sometimes for unknown reasons, it is divided into a set of pages, even if some of the pages contain one paragraph. In addition to the main part, it is useful, and sometimes interesting to overlook the FAQ, where you can find answers to your questions. However, even this is not enough - then you have to write letters to the selection committee.
What and how?
What information to collect and how to store it - it depends entirely on your interests and imagination. At first I tried to make a comparison table in Excel, then I threw it and limited it to a notepad. You can do without it, but I wanted to have a squeeze in a simple and convenient way, so as not to re-read sites on an urgent basis.
What exactly to fix? For each university, I had four sections besides the name, the rating, and the city where it is located (just in case): requirements, necessary documents, deadlines, and financing.
Requirements on average are not very different from university to university within a single country. For example, in the US, requirements typically include:
- availability of TOEFL (85-100) or IELTS (6.5-7) results; in some cases, set a separate threshold for different competencies (for example, speaking at least 23 in TOEFL or 7 in IELTS);
- General GRE (the minimum score is most often not voiced, but publish the average values of successful candidates);
- Subject GRE (if for a mathematical specialty);
- the average mark of the diploma is not lower than 3.0 (in terms of our grades 4.0);
- undergraduate degree;
It is important to understand two points. The first is that the requirements for the university as a whole and the requirements for each program may differ. For example, if at the university level, a minimum of TOEFL 87 is required, then the faculty may require 100. At the Computer Science, the GRE GRE subject test is not required, but for mathematical areas like pure math or applied math is required. Although General GRE is required almost without exception, it may not be required for a particular program (for example, at MIT at the CS department it is not necessary to take it, except for one program). The policy regarding not enough high scores of language examinations is also different. In some universities, in the event of undershooting of the required score, you can still be accepted and forced to undergo language training, take somewhere, but will not be allowed to teach (and this is one of the sources of funding), but somewhere they immediately write that if the minimum the threshold is not passed, then no one will even consider the documents.
The second important point is that the minimum requirements are not sufficient conditions. Despite the fact that they write that the minimum passing average grade point diploma is 3.0, they also write there that the average passing grade of successful candidates is above 3.5. The same goes for GRE - the higher the better.
In Europe, Canada and Australia, the main difference is that GRE is less often required to take, a master's degree is often required (but in a significant proportion of universities a master's degree is not required).
A set of documents almost everywhere includes:
- official transcripts with English translation
- three (very rarely two) letters of recommendation
- official test results
- Introductory Essay
- CV / CV
- Application fee
Despite the fact that at the moment almost all serious universities have switched to electronic filing of applications, when transcripts need to be attached in scanned form and send the original only if you are accepted, some universities require you to send them a paper copy at the time of application. copies). It is necessary to pay attention to this, since it is associated with postal services, which require more time for delivery, as well as additional problems of obtaining the required number of copies. I will write more about the preparation and sending of documents.
The introductory essay in different universities is called in different ways: personal statement, statement of purpose, statement of objectives, admission essay. Depending on the name of the candidate, it is necessary to focus on one or the other side of the question, but in general it can be considered that this is almost the same. Some universities ask for a few smaller essays - for example, Berkeley requires a separate personal statement (more about themselves as individuals) and a statement of purpose (more about their scientific interests and preparation). Optionally or necessarily CV may be required.
Application fee is an important component of the overall picture - on average, prices are in the range of $ 75- $ 100, which significantly limits the quantitative possibilities for most candidates. But here it is also important to study the site carefully - sometimes individual departments reduce this amount to a small amount ($ 5, $ 30), sometimes they accept documents for free. In some cases, if you submit documents earlier, you can either save money or not pay at all for the application. There is also the so-called fee waivers, when the candidate is exempt from the fee, but this can only be counted on by US citizens or residents. Canadian prices are almost the same, but in Europe almost everywhere there is no fee for an application.
Deadlines again differ little in the same country, but differ between countries. In the US, the vast majority of CS programs stop accepting documents on December 15 (some programs set a deadline at the beginning of January), in Canada it is usually February, or even the beginning of March, and in Europe there are usually spring months. Much depends on which semester is being taken. As a rule, in the United States only postgraduate studies are accepted starting from the fall semester; in Canada and Europe you can often start studying from spring or even winter semester, which affects the deadlines for applications.
Financing for me was almost the most important issue. While masters receive financial aid from the university extremely rarely, graduate students rarely receive it. Most often, even a separate application for funding is not necessary, at best, put a tick in the main application. But in each case it is important to understand the source of funding and the scheme for obtaining it. In the USA, this scheme turned out to be the easiest - if you are taken to graduate school, it almost absolutely guarantees you funding in the form of exemption from tuition fees, scholarships for living and medical insurance. Instead, the graduate student must perform the duties of research (research assistant) or teaching assistant (teaching assistant). If the main source of funding is teaching, then a weak language level can be an obstacle to receiving financial assistance.
In Canada, part of the funding can also be obtained from the totality of assistantship and fellowship (scholarship for services, usually issued on a competitive basis), but it is not always obvious whether it will cover the cost of tuition and accommodation. You can also apply for additional scholarships, but this is done separately from the general admission process. In Europe, funding is often provided through grants that the professor receives, so before you apply, you must first find a scientist who is willing to sponsor tuition with a grant, and only in this case can the candidate be credited to the university.
Of course, it would be ideal if the candidate already immediately imagined exactly what he wants to do in graduate school, then the primary point in collecting and analyzing information is the presence or absence of teachers and researchers with the desired area of interest and competence at the university.
How many?
One of the popular questions on various forums, sites devoted to admission to graduate school - "how many universities to choose?" It is obvious that there is a certain upper limit in the form of a sum of money for sending documents and application fee. But limited to one option is also a bit dangerous. The most common proposed range is from 5 to 9. As a rule, it is recommended to choose 2-3 top choice universities, which I would very much like to get, 2-3 spare options, the chances to get into which are maximum, and 2-3 between them. As for me personally, I sent documents to 9 US universities: 2 top (at random, or maybe lucky), 4 medium (I liked the programs or the average cost) and three more mainly due to the low or zero cost of the application. I first waited to apply to European universities, and then changed my mind completely (there were my own reasons for that).
On this I want to round out. I ask to express an opinion whether to write a sequel or a topic has already become boring to Habr's readers.
Comics in the subject
References
- The Center for World University Rankings http://cwur.org/2014/
- Shanghai University Ranking, CS Schools http://www.shanghairanking.com/SubjectCS2014.html
- QS World University Rankings http://www.topuniversities.com/subject-rankings
- The 20 Best Graduate Programs in Computer Science http://www.thebestschools.org/rankings/20-top-graduate-programs-computer-science-application-process/
- Http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/artificial-intelligence-rankings
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/285892/
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