[vox] Graduate degree at UCD...?

[Jeff Newmiller]

Shwaine wrote:
> On Tue, 15 Apr 2008, Kevin Schultz wrote:
> 
>> Hi Justin, Don,
>>
>> I'm curious too--if you are able would you please let me know the difficulty
>> of getting accepted? Does one need top grades to get in? How much do they
>> weigh the GRE score?
>>
>> Thanks in advance.
>>
>> Peace
>>
> 
> Well, I don't meet your criteria for a current graduate student (I 
> finished my CS PhD at Davis back in 2006), but I can answer this question 
> by referring you to the person who would know the answers. ...

[...]

> I'd also recommend looking now into the research that is being done to be 
> sure the area you are interested in is really being covered by the campus. 
> More importantly, make sure the faculty member who focuses on that area 
> has a reputation for graduating students in a timely fashion. My degree 
> took a bit longer to complete because my interests fell slightly out of 
> the realm of knowledge of most of the faculty except one who is not known 
> for graduating students quickly. You can try perusing the CS research 
> website (http://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/research/index.html), but really you'll 
> better learn about the research interests by talking to the faculty and 
> current students.

I want to chime in on the subject of talking to faculty... it is hard to
understate the value of doing this.  Graduate school is not usually like
undergrad... it is an implementation of a personal plan of study that
happens to coincide with the interests of a faculty member. (If it doesn't, 
you may find it difficult to complete your degree.) Coursework is
usually a kept to a much lower fraction of your effort (3-6 credits per
term) than research credits are. If any tangible resources (proprietary
software, materials, time in facilities, etc.) are needed, you may need
access to a research grant that your advisor will have usually already
lined up but you may need to write proposals to bring in more money, too.
If you can discuss these issues with your advisor before you apply, s/he
may be able to grease the skids or at the very least provide advice on
getting you through the application process.  Failing to have such
discussions before you enroll may leave you with unsatisfactory options
once you do get accepted.

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