[OT] Graduate School

[Tuerny]

I have three degrees (BA, master's and doctorate) all from different universities. I did that on purpose. I got into the master's course where I did my BA and into the PhD course where I got my master's but chose to move on each time. The reason was that you get a broader exposure.

If you stay at UCF, you'll have the same professors with the same areas of interest. If you move, you'll meet new faculty and be exposed to areas of CS that you may not have considered otherwise. So if your academic and financial situations allow you to move, you should.

I am planning on, however, basically applying to all of the Florida public university's graduate programs in the chance that I find another program that interests me. The likelihood of that happening is relatively small though as I am fairly established in Orlando and my financial situation really does not really support moving.

But, yes I have considered that, I just don't think its really possible.

 

[Mistwell]

One of the main reasons I am considering going to graduate school (or law school, if I do well enough on the LSAT) is because of how crappy the economy is. I figure that with a master's degree I will be much more marketable in the work force then I would be if I just had a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science.

Do you have a passion for the Law? Because, unless you do, for gods sake don't go to law school because you think it will bring an easy job. Nothing could be further from the truth right now.

 

[Tuerny]

Do you have a passion for the Law? Because, unless you do, for gods sake don't go to law school because you think it will bring an easy job. Nothing could be further from the truth right now.

No, I am not going into it, or computer science for that matter, because I think it will bring me an easy job. I have had an interest in the law for a long time, and consider it a viable alternative career to comptuer science. I am specifically interests in copyright and patent law with a focus on technological issues, and I think that my background in computer science would be helpful for that.

 

[Silly Orc]

Any know if you need to take the GRE for all masters?
I'm a BFA Drawing and Painting Major right now.

 

[Mistwell]

No, I am not going into it, or computer science for that matter, because I think it will bring me an easy job. I have had an interest in the law for a long time, and consider it a viable alternative career to comptuer science. I am specifically interests in copyright and patent law with a focus on technological issues, and I think that my background in computer science would be helpful for that.

Well, then by all means go for it. Yes, CS (or any science really) will help with Patent law. That field continues to evolve, and can be very interesting. Good luck on your LSATs. Word of caution - studying really does help. The trick to the LSAT isn't that the questions are super difficult, it's just that they require more time than you have. So practice reduces the time it takes you to answer questions (as does an LSAT course, if you can find a good one).

 

[bolen]

The GRE is usually required by the grad school itself. Check with the department that your trying to enter for the subject. Is there an art subject test? I have no idea.

 

[Tuerny]

Well, then by all means go for it. Yes, CS (or any science really) will help with Patent law. That field continues to evolve, and can be very interesting. Good luck on your LSATs. Word of caution - studying really does help. The trick to the LSAT isn't that the questions are super difficult, it's just that they require more time than you have. So practice reduces the time it takes you to answer questions (as does an LSAT course, if you can find a good one).

Thanks for the tips. I am planning on spending about three hours every week, starting as soon as I get my next financial aid check, to sutdy for the GRE and LSAT, with the time going up as I get closer and closer to the actual test dates.

What kind of questions do they ask?

 

[JPL]

Well, then by all means go for it. Yes, CS (or any science really) will help with Patent law. That field continues to evolve, and can be very interesting. Good luck on your LSATs. Word of caution - studying really does help. The trick to the LSAT isn't that the questions are super difficult, it's just that they require more time than you have. So practice reduces the time it takes you to answer questions (as does an LSAT course, if you can find a good one).

Yep. You can really speed up those logic puzzle questions ["A will not sit next to B if C is sitting next to D..."] if you work at it.

And hey, I didn't have any trouble finding a law job. Of course, I'm getting paid $15 an hour...

 

[fuindordm]

Another physicist speaks...

Wow, a lot of physicists on these boards. I wonder why?

I got my PhD (Piled Higher and Deeper) from University of Michigan in 1999 in cosmology. I was lucky to have a great circle of gaming friends there, and had no problem making time for a weekly campaign--I ran one for a couple of years while I was getting through the coursework and then played in one until I finished.

I find it's much harder to game now that I and all my friends have full-time jobs--we're more tired in the evenings and weekends are doubly precious for spending time with the family--it's hard to schedule a few hours together. I still do board games from time to time though.

But having said that, it depends vastly, hugely, on the department. Every department, no matter what the subject, has its own culture and requires different things of its students. So make sure you talk to a lot of other graduate students when you're scouting schools, and find out how harassed they're feeling. Coursework+TA/RA makes a full-time job in theory, but there are a lot of schools out there that expect 60-80 hours a week, or more, out of there students. Find a school where the students are unionized, and you'll be sitting pretty. Find a school where they're treated like slaves, and you'll end up as one too.

Remember, you're spending 2-6 years there (depending on whether you decide to pursue the doctorate), so make sure it's a place you'll enjoy yourself at. Grad school is *not* worth it if you're not having fun, and for most people studying the subject matter is fun but not 100% fulfilling.

The thesis was not a problem for me, since I was already producing papers in the course of my research. Experimentalists who spend years designing and building an apparatus and making measurements have more trouble because they haven't had the practice. I imagine in CS you'll be putting out papers on the 6-mo to a year time scale rather than the 2-4 year time scale, so it shouldn't be an issue. More and more dissertations these days follow the anthology format.

Good luck, choose well, and have fun. Grad school was a very good experience for me, and it can be for you too.

--Ben

 

[Jay Lofstead]

I am currently a MS CS student at Ga Tech and applied for the PhD program for this coming fall. The time available probably varies widely by the program. At Ga Tech, there is an assumption of 3 hours of classroom time a week + 10-15 hours of homework per class! I took 3 classes last semester and really was slammed. This semester I have 2 classes and should be comfortable.

A good reason to look at a PhD program rather than the MS program is that it is generally a "free ride". In many cases, you will get a master's degree after a period of time (and can then drop out of the PhD program).

Your marketability with a MSCS will be much better. There is such a glut of people with a master's degree (even if it is from a really minor school) that it is used as a filter on resumes. This is one of the reasons I returned to school from industry (I was stuck in my job because prospetive employers didn't believe I could do/did what was on my resume without at least a MSCS).

The PhD in CS can actually hurt. Unless you are intending to teach or use it as a way to get into another field (such as intellectual property law as was mentioned), the MS degree is really your best bet.

Not that I want the competition for slots at Ga Tech, I know that for PhD students, the cost is about $420 per semester with a stipend of $1500/month (earn about $18000 a year while you go to school). It doesn't matter if you are in state or not (it is subsidized). With on campus housing, you can live a simple, but comfortable life on that money.