Frequently asked questions about applying to Computer Science PhD programs

Since writing an article on applying to Computer Science PhD programs in ACM's Crossroad's magazine, I've gotten a number of questions from folks, both in person and from random folks on the Internet. To save you the trouble of asking me yourself, I've created this FAQ. I hope you find it helpful.

Questions

  1. I go to school in country W. My grades are X, and my GRE scores are Y. What school with constraints Z should I go to?
  2. Can I put off going for a year after I've been admitted?
  3. What about online PhD programs
  4. Do I have to take the general GREs?
  5. It says that the subject GRE is optional; should I take it anyway?
  6. What do I need to do to get into school X (e.g., the University of Washington)?
  7. What schools are good in area X?
  8. Can I see an example statement of purpose?

Answers

  1. I go to school in country W. My grades are X, and my GRE scores are Y. What school with constraints Z should I go to?
    I'm not the right person to help you with this one. You should ask people at your school who know more about you than just the numbers this question. Similarly, if you want to know all of the schools in a specific area (e.g., Washington state), you're going to be best off looking on a list of departments such as the CRA list of PhD granting departments
  2. Can I put off going for a year after I've been admitted?
    Yes, in general most schools will be happy to hold your position for one year. Usually if you want to wait longer than a year you'll have to reapply. But check with the school to be sure.
  3. What about online PhD programs
    I think an online program is a bad idea. There are many things that you get from a PhD program, and personal interaction is much more important for learning about research than it is simply for taking classes.
  4. Do I have to take the general GREs?
    Pretty much. If the school says it requires it, there's not a lot you can do. And no, the subject test won't work just as well.
  5. It says that the subject GRE is optional; should I take it anyway?
    That's an excellent question. And, in the best computer science spirit, the answer is: It depends. If you do really, really well, then it's clearly a plus. If your background is from a school that's either (1) not in the same country as the one you're applying to, (2) not well known or (3) doesn't have a great reputation, the subject test is going to matter more. Basically it's a way of callibrating what you know. However, unless you do really poorly, it probably won't hurt. When in doubt, take a practice test. If you do well, take it for real. If it's optional, and you do poorly on the practice test, don't take it for real.
  6. What do I need to do to get into school x (e.g., the University of Washington)?
    There is no magic answer. My suggestion is to check out the admission requirements page for the school you're interested in. The admissions requirements page for the University of Washington's CS department is here. Some folks at UT El Paso have put together a CS Graduate Acceptance Estimator that you may find helpful. It has a good listing of requirements/expectations for various CS PhD programs. I would, however, take the "optional" information section with a grain of salt.
  7. What schools are good in area X?
    If you're asking about general areas (e.g, AI), your best bet is to check out the rankings such as those in US News and World Reports. Another good idea is to check out proceedings in conferences of the area that you're interested in and see which places are publishing interesting papers.
  8. Can I see an example statement of purpose?
    You can see mine, but don't make me read it over, please. Far too painful. ;)

E-mail: rap@cs.washington.edu
Sieg Hall, room 224
Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering
University of Washington
Box 352350
Seattle, WA 98195-2350
Phone: (206) 616-3997
Fax: (206) 543-2969