PREPARING FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL IN COMPUTER SCIENCE Department of Computer Science Grove City College The faculty have put together this brief introduction to graduate school in computer science or computer information systems. Graduate school is an important and exciting opportunity, and it should be considered by every student in CS and CIS. While many students think that achieving a BS is the end of formal education, it is really just a point in a lifelong journey: professional education never ends, it just changes form. Graduate school is one of those forms, and it has many important benefits. What follows is a FAQ of sorts, where we attempt to answer some common questions about graduate school. This is document, however, is intended as a conversation starter: we want to discuss graduate school with you, as well as your career plans in general. Everyone s graduate experience is different, so we ll represent different perspectives here. Professors Gribble and Adams have recent experience with graduate school and how it shaped their lives. Professor Birmingham, while he attended graduate schools awhile back, will speak from the perspective of a faculty member who ran a research group and graduated over a dozen Ph.D. students (who are in both industry and academia) and was the admissions person for The University of Michigan s Computer Science Department (AI program) for many years. What exactly is graduate school, anyway? Many of you will have some preconceived notions about grad school, but there s a good chance they re wrong. So perhaps it s better to mention a few things that graduate school is not: Just more classes in computer science. While graduate programs will require additional course work, graduate school is not just about taking more classes. Grad school is about practical experience, and while classes are often an important component, they re no longer the main component. Just for students who want to become professors. While many PhDs do seek academic positions, you re not doomed to a life in higher education if that s not what you want. Graduate work is necessary for a number of careers in industry and government as well. (Think about industrial R&D groups, or an upper level position with the CIA, for example.) Earning an advanced degree will often open doors that will otherwise remain closed and allow you to get to know important and influential leaders in industry that would be difficult if not impossible to meet in the normal course of work. Just a way to kill time while you decide what you want to do with your life. Thinking about an advanced degree as something to do until the perfect job comes your way is very, very tempting. However, treating grad school as a layover between graduation from Grove City and the start of a fulfilling career is a dangerous mindset and not likely to work out as well as you might hope.
There s one last, very important point: graduate school is not easy. It is, however, manageable. How do I know if grad school is for me? Maybe you are really enjoying the CS or CIS curriculum at GCC. Maybe you ve even sailed through your years here. Unfortunately, this does not mean that grad school will automatically be a worthwhile endeavor for you. Interestingly, the converse is also true: If you ve struggled a bit, if making the grade doesn t come easily for you, or if you feel like you ve had to work harder than your peers just to maintain, this is no indication that grad school is beyond your reach. (In fact, it may mean you re the ideal candidate for graduate school!) Why is that the case? Technical abilities and natural intelligence, while important and at times helpful, are not the only things success in a graduate program requires. Initiative, tenacity, and flexibility; interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills; creativity and drive these factors will do more to make or break a graduate career than technical ability or intelligence alone. What s the difference between a Master s and a PhD? Peter Shirley, one of Professor Gribble s professors at the University of Utah, puts it this way: A Master s degree lies on the path to financial success, while a PhD leads to expert knowledge in some (very) narrow band of human experience. To understand his point, ask yourself this: Do you enjoy working with computers? Do you love working on a team to solve hard problems or build large software systems? Do you dream of becoming a partner at a top consulting firm, for example? If so, you might want to consider a Master s degree. Typical MS programs last from one to three years, and often require that you write a thesis. As a result, Master s degrees are great for obtaining a deeper knowledge of core topics in computer science. Now, what about a PhD? Try these on for size: Are you the sort of person who loves to dive deeply into a problem, to learn every detail, and to figure it out on your own? Do you have trouble sleeping at night knowing that problem remains unsolved? If so, then maybe a PhD is for you. Typical PhD programs last from three to six years (or more), and require that you write a dissertation on the topic of your research. PhDs are difficult to earn in part because you ll be focused on that topic, you ll work on it for a very long time, and at the end of it all, you ll know more than anybody else about it. And, along the way, you ll learn how to ask and to answer tough questions related to the field. But graduate school costs big, big money, doesn t it? Simply put: No! It is a commonly held misconception that graduate school cost thousands of dollars. This is just not the case. Many Master s students and nearly all PhD students are actually paid to be research or teaching assistants. On top of that, most grad students get a tuition benefit waiver that is, someone besides you is billed for the tuition each semester. 2 of 6
A closely related option is to get a job and have the company pay for the degree. This is a viable option, and it works well for some students. Bear in mind, however, it is not a panacea: some companies will require students to work on certain projects that are of interest to the company and not necessarily the student, and some companies still require some time from their employees while they are in graduate school for workrelated tasks that can lead to taking more time to get a degree. In addition, some companies will require that a student work for the company for some amount of time after finishing a degree, or will require students reimburse them for the money they put out for tuition, stipend, and so forth. These things can limit your opportunities both in and after graduate school. Don t graduate schools favor foreign students and make it harder for US students to gain admission? Nothing can be further from the truth: U.S. graduate schools are open to U.S. students, of course, and welcome U.S. students. In fact, the problem is that not enough U.S. students apply to graduate schools to fill their ranks. While at The University of Michigan, Professor Birmingham and his colleagues actively encouraged domestic students to apply (and this is typical of all U.S. schools). Bear in mind, however, that good graduate schools draw from excellent students around the world. This makes graduate schools a remarkably international experience, giving students the chance to become friends with students from around the world. Isn t it true that graduate degrees lead to students who are overqualified and have trouble finding jobs? There is no employer who wants under qualified employees: it is simply not possible to be overqualified for a job. Imagine this: would Walmart refuse to hire you as a cashier simply because you are a CS or CIS student at GCC? Well, Micrsosoft won t turn you away because you have a Ph.D., neither will Google, Intel, TrueFit Solutions, PPG, EA, nvidia, Get the point? Does being a professor require a Ph.D.? This is pretty much true. If you want to be a faculty member at a college or university, then a Ph.D. is a prerequisite. It doesn t hurt if you want to teach high school, either. Is it better to work first and then go to graduate school? None of the CS faculty pursued this option (although Professor Birmingham did take two years off during his Ph.D. to work). For some persons, it makes sense to take a few years off and work; for most students, however, it usually makes the best sense to go directly to graduate school. This is the case because not only are you already in student mode, but you can also get through while you re younger. However, Professor Bright observes: I actually worked between each of my degrees and found it a very positive experience. My industrial experience (at IBM) made me a better student because I had practical experience to balance the theory presented in class, I was mature enough to participate more fully in classroom experiences, and I had a better sense of responsibility to maximize my graduate experience. The downside is that you need to stay focused on the education while you are working. Also, when I taught graduate school I appreciated having a mix of pure students (those who went straight through) and students with work experience. I found class discussions to be richer when both groups were represented. 3 of 6
Can you have a family while you re in graduate school? Well, why not? Plenty of graduate students have a spouse and children. Although, at times it can be financial strain because graduate students pay is not tremendously large. If a spouse is working fulltime, then balancing work, graduate work, and family can be a delicate act. On the other hand, it does prepare you well for the post graduate school world! Are there other benefits to being a graduate student? Absolutely. First, autonomy: graduate students are typically granted the freedom to study what they want. If you re like us faculty, then the prospect of being your own boss is very attractive. Second, you may get to travel a lot. Grad students are required to publish and present their work at conferences and symposia sponsored by organizations within their field. As a grad student, Professor Gribble had the opportunity to present work all around the US and Europe; each of his trips were paid for by the university. Professor Birmingham had the same experience during his graduate studies. Third, you get to meet and work with really smart people who love what you love. The daily routine of graduate school will stretch your mind in new and unexpected ways, and therein lies the greatest benefit of grad student life: you will learn more about computer science than you ever thought you were capable of, and in the process, you ll learn a whole lot about the kind of person you are. The lifestyle is pretty darn good, no doubt. But remember: grad school is not easy. To survive, you really have to know why you re there. The hours are long. The pay is low, and the benefits packages aren t spectacular. So, you must have a rock solid reason as to why you re there. That reason might change along the way, but at the end of the day, you must have something that keeps you going when the going gets tough. (Because it will.) What can I do to prepare for graduate work in CS or CIS? An excellent question! The following paragraphs highlight some things you can do throughout your college career to have a better chance of gaining acceptance to the program of your choice. Freshman. Learn! Everything, everything, follows from learning (including grades). Learn to study, learn all the material you re asked to learn, and most importantly, learn to be disciplined. For athletes and musicians, the need for discipline (e.g., the ability to study when you d rather play Halo) is without question: the same is true for CS and CIS students! Sophomores. Continue to develop the habits you ve established: learn, be disciplined, and explore all you can in CS or CIS. In addition, begin thinking about what areas of computer science excite you: Do you love playing with a new programming language, pushing the limits of what it allows you to express? Perhaps the idea of an artificial intelligence makes your skin crawl, but in a good way. Maybe you love video games, and want to advance the realism in the graphics and the interaction. Once you ve narrowed 4 of 6
down your interests, come and talk to us, the CS faculty. We ll do our best to introduce you to the literature related to your interests, and help guide you to the important or interesting results. It s probably not too early to think about getting involved in a research project either. Juniors. Continue to learn. Continue to read. Continue to write. And definitely get involved in a research project. If you re serious about graduate school, you need to begin thinking about what you will want out of the experience the type of degree and the reasons why. You also should begin thinking about where you d like to apply. Things to consider include: reputation of the faculty in your area(s) of interest; breadth and depth of the course offerings; required examinations (see below); average time to degree; job placement rates and potential employers; selectivity of the program; and computing facilities, laboratory equipment, and student space. In addition, most programs will require GRE (general and subject) scores for your application. We have had a lot of success encouraging students to spend the summer on Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs funded by NSF. These opportuntiesgive you firsthand experience with graduate research and labs. Seniors. Beware of senioritis: continue to learn and definitely get involved in a research project. Although publishing is not typically a requirement for acceptance to most graduate programs, demonstrating your ability to conduct, write about, and present your work is an excellent predictor of success in graduate school. There are many forums for presenting undergraduate research, and we ll help you find them. Another important consideration is that grades and GRE scores alone will not get you into a great graduate school: you must have demonstrated ability in research projects and have letters from faculty to attest to it. Remember, most students applying to graduate school have great grades and GRE scores, so you need to separate yourself from the crowd. You also should decide on the number of programs to which you will apply, and narrow down your choices accordingly. Applications are typically due in late fall, so start early. There are a whole host of details during the application process that will require your attention. One of the most important is the statement of purpose. While it will vary from one application to the next, the statement of purpose is generally a short essay detailing why you re capable of graduate level work. Leave yourself time to draft, revise, 5 of 6
and re revise your statement of purpose. And be sure to leave us enough time to write thoughtful letters of recommendation, which will be required by all programs. Preparing for work on an advanced degree as an option after graduation should begin sooner rather than later. If you re interested in grad school, or think you might be, make an appointment to talk with us. We ll be happy to do what we can. 6 of 6