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PhD advice

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 02:39:35 2020 No.12154703 View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>12154704

Hey /sci/,

Computer Eng. Junior here. Uni has so far been easy as hell. 4.0 GPA, two internships and now working remote (since gay virus) for a company doing IoT hardware design/firmware development. Have a good amount of free time in addition to that. I feel like pursuing grad school after I'm done here - I know I can probably make good money just getting into the industry with a good job straight away since my resume will be pretty damn impressive once I graduate, but I would want to do something more than just being a garden-variety engineer since I feel like I am capable of doing so. Never done anything research related but it seems like it would be interesting compared to my experience thus far.

So, PhD's/PhD students of /sci/, I have some questions for you:

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 02:39:52 No.12154704 Report

Quoted By: >>12154758 >>12154812 >>12154997

>>12154703
1. Should get a Masters before getting a PhD? I'm in the US so I know it's not a strict requirement, but would you recommend doing so anyway? Will it matter later on, or will the PhD on my resume make it pretty much irrelivant? Does a masters actually prepare you for a PhD or give you knowledge that is worth the time? (a masters in C.E. takes 1-2 years, if I can get it done in a year I am open to it)

2. What should I consider when applying for a Masters/PhD program? Currently I'm in a mid-tier university which doesn't even offer M.S./PhD programs in my area of interest, so I will be going elsewhere for grad school. Should I apply for all the good schools automatically, or are their other factors to consider? What are they?

3. How soon should I apply? What do I need to do? I know the GRE is a thing, what else?

4. Is it possible and/or worth going for a M.S./PhD in an area other than by Bachelors? As I mentioned, my Bachelors is in C.E. I rather like the subject, but I am open to Math/Physics/other computer-related fields. Any suggestions as to what is most relevant/intersting in this day and age? (obviously it may have been wiser to do an undergrad in math/physics and then grad school in a computer-related field, but for me there's no changing that now).

5. (kind of similar to q.4) Are PhD's in Engineering a meme? They sound like a meme, but I've heard this is not the case. Would it be beneficial to perhaps go for physics/math instead? Would my computer engineering knowledge even apply? Would it be useful?

Sorry this was kind of a long/unorganized post - if I have more specific questions I will clarify, but at this point I don't know anything about grad school and would like to get your thoughts on the aforementioned.

tl,dr As a C.E. student, what should I consider when applying for grad school? Should I go for a masters or directly for a PhD? What are the pros and cons of each? Share your experiences.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 03:00:13 No.12154758 Report

Quoted By: >>12154799

>>12154704
1. No. Take grad courses now.
2. You should have an idea of what field you would like to do as you will be doing it for 4-6 years.
3. Senior year.
4. Yes of course. You can absolutely transition into an adjacent field although it may be difficult.
5. yes.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 03:09:18 No.12154799 Report

Quoted By: >>12154817 >>12154949

>>12154758
Thanks for the reply, anon. Could you, however, clarify a few things?

1. How? Can you point me to a uni that allows this, as an example? And what is the reason I should avoid a masters in your opinion?
3. Neat. I'm assuming by then I will need to have taken the GRE, so I guess I'll be looking into doing that this year.
5. So they are a meme? How so? Would you recommend someone with an engineering background to go into physics/math instead? If so, is there any specialization in those fields where I would most benefit from my pre-existing knowledge?

What school did you go to, if you don't mind me asking? Was it a good place?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 03:13:02 No.12154812 Report

Quoted By: >>12154865 >>12154949

>>12154704
1. No. Don't ever get a masters in the US, it's a waste of time and money and should only be the terminal degree if you drop out of a PhD. As other anon said, take grad classes during undergrad instead as most people who go for PhDs do.
if you're a junior and you aren't currently enrolling in at least some grad-level courses then you're behind. Just enroll in them like a regular class or email the prof for permission if you're unsure.

going out to eat will reply to the rest when I'm back lol
t. physics phd candidate

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 03:15:04 No.12154817 Report

Quoted By: >>12154865

>>12154799
you take your GRE senior year before you submit your graduate school apps. you just need to do it in time for it to get to the school before your application has been submited, timed around their deadline. Most people would be taking the GRE around this or next month but a lot of kids are waiting because the subject tests are being delayed till spring. It's actually fucking everything up for me since Apps are due by December.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 03:36:09 No.12154865 Report

Quoted By: >>12154869 >>12154949

>>12154812
>if you're a junior and you aren't currently enrolling in at least some grad-level courses then you're behind
fugg :D

As I mentioned in my original post, I will not be going to grad school in my current uni,so I really don't have the option do take grad courses now. Around how much of a PhD is just courses? I've heard it's around a year.
>physics
Nice, mate. What specifically are you working on? Did you do your undergrad in physics as well?

>>12154817
Where are you applying? Open to suggestions.
I will likely be taking it sometime this year - the earlier I can get it out of the way the better in my opinion. Are subject test similar to those in the SAT? Is the need to take them dependent on your program/uni?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 03:37:46 No.12154869 Report

Quoted By: >>12154895 >>12154967

>>12154865
R1 schools on the west coast, University of Michigan, Northwestern, Florida, UNC-Chapel Hill and maybe UT-Austin. I'm not sure. Everything is fucked up right now, and I might end up having to wait 6 months to a year before I get in to grad school. I'm really pissed off desu.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 03:52:35 No.12154895 Report

Quoted By: >>12154967

>>12154869
>everything is fucked up right now
Yeah, no shit lol. Kinda glad I have a year for everything to clear up before I apply - I can't imagine having to go to grad school with this shitfest going on.
I'm from Cali (fuck me) so I'd prefer a school in the state so I can be near family. The two options that seem most applealing (based on location) are UC Santa Cruz and Stanford. Kinda gay, I know, but still. Thoughts on those schools, or schools in Cali in general? Do I have a shot at Stanford or is it even worth applying with all the over hype with that fucking place? Is UCSC good for computer-related research? Any particular schools in Cali you would recommend me taking a look at?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 04:14:49 No.12154949 Report

Quoted By: >>12154967 >>12155014

>>12154865
>>12154812
cont.

2. Your main consideration, in my opinion, should be getting into the best possible group that's doing the stuff you want to do. This will require research on your part, including asking profs at your current uni for their advice.
This is highly field dependent. Also, you should never go to the same school for postgrad education (when I was applying, my PI told me not to even both applying to my undergrad for a phd because it is so uncommon).
Don't apply to the good schools automatically. Just like for undergrad, they can tell when you're doing this. Harvard deletes 90% of applications without even considering them because they can tell the student didn't put any effort into figuring out they were a good fit for the uni, and to be honest, they aren't. The best programs in your field are generally not going to be the "top 10 US news and world report" unis.

3. Look up a timeline for apps, generally it opens up fall term of your senior year. Now, you should be making connections for letter writers. The GRE is piss easy and you can take it whenever you want.

4. You should know what you want to do. You can do your PhD in any field you want, but you'll need to give a reason if it's different than your bachelors and if it's wildly different you'll need to maybe take classes or prove your competency in another way.
>what's most relevant/interesting
not the way to think about it, you need to think about what you want to be doing. Picking a phd based on "interests/job prospects" is a surefire way for you to find something you hate.
5. Not really, if you want to be an engineering professor or researcher then they're not. EE's often get PhDs, for example.
>>12154799
take your GRE summer before senior year
>>12154865
you should enroll in some grad classes this year, even introductory grad-level courses. coming from a mid-tier uni, it's important to be able to show competency because you want to prove that if they accept you, (cont.)

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 04:21:11 No.12154967 Report

Quoted By: >>12154973 >>12155031

>>12154949
(cont.) again

they want to be sure you're not going to flunk out. Obviously, if your uni doesn't offer grad courses then you'll want to show competency in any way that you can. I'm not sure what this would look like, desu.
I did my undergrad in physics, I'm currently working on fundamental physics experiment (lasers and atoms).
For physics (and for most PhDs), you take like one to two years of courses. They're not the focus of your program, the research is. Your grades don't matter (at my school every phd class is pass-fail), and in general you take a much lighter courseload than undergrad.
>>12154869
I went to northwestern desu who are you thinking of working with
>>12154895
I'm currently in cali for phd actually. California has some of the best schools so you're in luck. I would look into programs at all the UC schools and see if there are people doing work that really interests you.
>chance me at stanford
dude idk lmao. If you can connect with a professor beforehand and he likes you, and your background is what they're looking for, then sure. But it's kind of a crapshoot.
It seems like you need to do your own research a bit on what fields you want and what schools have good groups in this field.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 04:23:36 No.12154973 Report

Quoted By: >>12155031

>>12154967
The biggest parts of grad school applications are (in this order):
1. research experience
2. letters of recommendation
3. connections with faculty at the uni you're applying to
4. GPA/classes
5. test scores

do not forget to reach out to professors at the places you're applying to, most likely in the summer before applications. you'll get a lot of no-responses but some people will be interested in conversing and you absolutely should include this on your application (a one-off line saying "I am interested in X's group, and even talked with them about their work over the phone..." This shows interest and commitment to the university. I credit doing this to landing me my current position at a top uni.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 04:32:22 No.12154988 Report

Quoted By: >>12155031

Drop out and build something you pussy you already wasted four years and haven’t even learned why it was so easy to get 4.0 pendejo

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 04:36:12 No.12154997 Report

Quoted By: >>12155037

>>12154704
One year into a Mechanical Engineering PhD straight from BS

1.If you want the PhD go straight for it but if not sure start with MS. There's also a financial motivation to skip the MS (usually paid more and you get out faster)

2.Consider where you want to live and what you are interested in as top priority. Aim high.

3.Start early. I'm a spring entry so idk how the timing works otherwise.

4.Your degree is broad enough to find something you really like. I don't think you'll find a lack of theoretical math/physics within your department unless you're more serious about those.

5.I don't PhD engineers are memes but that's subjective. You could do very well in industry but academia is hard to get into. I don't think math/physics degrees do much better but if you like those subjects, you would probably catch up quickly.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 04:42:04 No.12155014 Report

Quoted By: >>12155029

>>12154949
To your point #2 - this seems like what I should be focusing on most to be honest. I feel like research would be more for me than just being a silicon valley bugman, but that about sums it up. You're right, I need to actually dedicate more time to looking into what specifically I want to do. To be quite honest I have been researching this PhD thing for about a week now - the more I look into it the more I feel like it's the right thing for me, but I'm just getting started here :)
>the GRE is piss easy
I figured this much - if it's anything like the SAT it should be a breeze

4. I guess what I'm asking is might I get fucked up the ass if I do something like raw math without the undergrad math experience?

>what's most relevant/interesting
I apologize if this question sounded like "lol what's this year's buzzbord-ebin-meme-t3chnology :DD?" - I did not mean it like this. I am well aware that my interests are what matter most and I should base the direction I go off of that. The fact of the matter is up until now I've been a bit of a boomer with what I study and am interested in, so I am a bit clueless here. My question was more along the lines of "in your experience, what research have you found to be interesting/what areas would you recommend I look into, purely based on what you have found interesting, as this will be a starting point for me".
5. No, I don't particularly want to be a professor. Hell, I might even be fine with working at FAGMAN, but I would like to participate in R&D more than typical meme shit. That being said, I feel like any PhD in a STEM field is going to be more theoretical than practical - I want to be in the middle of raw science and engineering and get the best of both worlds. Do you think a PhD in engineering is fitting for that?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 04:49:41 No.12155029 Report

Quoted By: >>12155043

>>12155014
4. you won't be accepted into a raw math phd, sorry. at least not at a reasonably good program. you at least need a baseline level of experience with the topic, and you currently don't seem to have that.

>what's interesting
sorry man I can only talk about the physics relevant to my field. I would ask someone else, maybe a prof or something.
or, you can go to the nature webpage and search articles by subfields that seem interesting to you, and see what kinds of groups seem to be putting out research for those things.
or, peruse the arxiv for just a broad scope of what kind of research is being pushed out lately.

5. I unfortunately can't answer this to a level that might be helpful to you. However, I do know my experimental physics phd qualifies me for R&D at quantum computing initiatives, as well as finance at wall street if I decide I hate physics. in addition to teaching.
I don't know what an engineering PhD entails is the punchline. But to get an idea, look at the group websites for different example programs and see where they list their alumni. If a certain field seems to only send people to industry, or professorships, that will give you a better idea than anything I can.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 04:50:40 No.12155031 Report

Quoted By: >>12155048

>>12154967
yeah my uni doesn't offer grad courses :(
I have my work/internship experience, good GPA, and some personal projects I work on constantly.
>cali
Do you mind telling me where? Just curious. Yeah all UCs are pretty much good, I will look into them of course. Again, the "look for people, not unis" thesis you put forward seems like the right way to go, so I will change my mindset here a little.
>stanford
again, didn't wanna sound like one of those retards "mUH sDANFRD :DDDD" - for me it's really close to home and if I want to apply to a big boy university it is my best bet, just geographically speaking. Again, I will look into who is doing what there before I make a decision to apply.

>>12154973
>research experience
'ah non o'that 'ere m8
However, my uni has a URI (undergrad research institute) which allows undergrads to work with the profs and do shit. Should I look into participating in that, have any of you had experience with this kind of stuff? (should probably talk to some of the profs first)

>>12154988
I considered it many times, believe me, however I feel like higher education is a de-facto requirement now unless you are a fucking super-genius. I'm not a retard and I could probably do what you are suggesting, my amigo, but I have found I am easily able to get the requisite degree(s) for appealing to the normies while having enough free time to do whatever the fuck I want - the uni. does not get in the way of learning shit on my own. And yes, I would agree, undergrad is piss-easy and you don't learn shit - I knew this going in.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 04:53:21 No.12155037 Report

Quoted By:

>>12154997
>If you want the PhD go straight for it
Yes, this is what I hope to do. I had always thought it was Bachelors->MS->PhD but recently I realized this wasnt the case, so i was just confused as to why. I have come to the conclusion that an MS is a cope degree, and thus will be skipping it if at all possible.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 04:56:20 No.12155043 Report

Quoted By: >>12155048

>>12155029
To your point 4. - yeah, I figured. Always loved math/physics and was good at it, but the 'engineer doing math' meme is real and I honestly, as you said, do not have a crazy good math background (up to vector calc. and diff eq, thats it lol).

>what's interesting
Thank you for the resources - this was mainly what I was looking for.

OoOh, another question I just remembered - would you lads deem it reasonable to work in industry to some extent while doing a PhD? Like I said, I have had no problem balancing remote work and by bachelors' courses, and this is considering a pretty healthy course load. One of the big downsides of grad school is """"missing out"""" on work experience - if I can manage to do both that would be fukkin sick.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 04:59:16 No.12155048 Report

Quoted By: >>12155189

>>12155031
I see. I would ask profs for advice on how to show grad competency, or maybe see if something can be worked out (like a one-on-one reading course or something)
I'm at caltech. Definitely let the group dictate where you apply, you don't want to be accepted to Stanford and realize that nobody there is doing any interesting work
If they're legitimately close to you then it's a good angle on the app. You could also offer to meet a prof in person since it's probably just a drive away, assuming you establish contact.

>research
absolutely. you should get involved in that to see if you're even interested in doing the type of work that a Phd entails. I did research all 4 years in undergrad, but for physics that's way more common, and I got started really early. It would help you out a lot if you realized that you hate doing research, so that you could save yourself 6 years of a phd and go into something different lol.

>>12155043
I don't know if it's different for compsci fields, but in most science they will actually prohibit you from holding outside jobs. your focus during a phd is the research and work you're doing. it's essentially a hold on your career so that you can get advanced experience in a certain topic.
although definitely worth checking if this is the same for fields that are more "industry oriented."

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 24 Sep 2020 06:40:41 No.12155189 Report

Quoted By:

>>12155048
This is probably where I should start - my uni is very small, the EE/CE/SE dept. is tiny, and the profs. I've had know me as that kid who doesn't talk much but gets shit done. I will talk to a couple of them after class pretty soon and ask for some advice.

As for work, I didn't realize there could be such restrictions. Will definitely have to look into that - it's not a deal breaker either way.

Thanks for all the replies lads, this has been quite informative thus far, hope to have some more questions soon. Gonna get some sleep now, mods please don't delet.

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