

Why Go to Graduate School and Getting into the Program of your Dreams - dedalus
http://idleprocess.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/why-go-to-graduate-school-and-how-to-get-into-the-program-of-your-dreams/

======
m0th87
This article contains some very useful advice, and I wish it were posted
earlier (Stanford's application is due tomorrow, and many shortly thereafter).

I'm interested in graduate school because I'm considering a Ph.D. but I want
to make sure research is actually rewarding. A Master's program seems like an
excellent stepping stone, because a Master's degree looks great even if it
turns out research is not for me.

~~~
gyardley
Many American Ph.D. programs will let you pick up a Master's along the way
just by completing the required coursework and submitting a form at the
appropriate time - generally right before your comprehensive exams / selection
of a thesis topic.

It's therefore possible to apply to Ph.D. programs, get accepted, spend the
first couple of years figuring out if a Ph.D.'s for you, and then, if you
decide negatively, leave with the "consolation Master's" - a degree completely
indistinguishable from a terminal Master's, except:

\- you were in a Ph.D. program, so you likely got a full fellowship instead of
paying tuition yourself;

\- you were in a Ph.D. program, so you had an easier time getting grants;

\- you were in a Ph.D. program, so you got more access to and were treated
more seriously by top-quality professors.

I got my consolation Master's in 2003 from a program I'd probably still be
paying for today if I had applied for the Master's directly.

~~~
m0th87
I realized that, but I feel somewhat like a long shot to get into the programs
I want in the first place (Stanford/MIT/Berkeley etc.), so going for a Ph.D.
would only decrease my chances of getting in, as the author notes.

Also, my understanding is most schools provide some sort of TA or RA
opportunity even for those in the Master's program. Is this not true?

~~~
mawhidby
Support for Master's students really depends on the school. UCSD, where the
author works, provides good support for Master's students. I have a friend who
is attending UCSD for a Master's (albeit in Civil Engineering) who has
received a TA position that covers his in-state tuition (but has to pay out-
of-state fees), and pays a stipend.

Almost all the graduate schools I have researched have explicitly stated
whether or not they offer any support to Master's students.

~~~
awa
Afaik, finding support for CS students is not hard in many schools. Many other
departments recruit RAs from the CS dept to help with their research. e.g. I
had a RA with Arid lands research program 3 out of 4 semesters during my
Master's. Though this will probably vary from uni to uni and this info can be
found by getting in touch with some Master students in the dept. Also, I had a
TA in my last semester. So, its a YMMV for RAs/TAs depending on the
university.

------
quizbiz
How necessary is grad school for beginning a career within small
business/startups? I'm an undergrad freshman and I can't escape the
overwhelming consensus among my peers, that if I want to be successful, I need
to go to grad school.

~~~
chrischen
Unnecessary.

~~~
yters
I agree. I met a guy who dropped out of his undergrad, worked on wall street a
couple years, and now is quite wealthy helping run an advertising startup.

School is a horrible route to getting wealthy. On the other hand, grad school
used to be a good idea if you want to solely focus on specialized research in
a community of likeminded individuals. But, I don't think it's even good for
that anymore.

~~~
luchak
Hm ... I'm puzzled by your last sentence. Why do you say that?

~~~
yters
Too bound by the status quo and churning out pointless papers.

~~~
luchak
Hm. So what's the alternative? I've tried to do research in a corporate
environment, and am now in grad school: in my experience, it seems like
getting a Ph.D. has a lot to offer in terms of teaching you how to do good
research. I've learned a lot more about both my area and about the practice of
research in general in graduate school than I did when I was working in a
corporate research group.

I'm not convinced that working at a smaller company (or, since this is HN,
starting one) would have helped, either. In fact, I'd guess would have been
even worse. It would have been harder for me to gain access to advice and
mentorship, there would have been more distractions, and the pressure to stay
relevant to the goals of the business would have been even more intense.

~~~
yters
Independent research? Though I agree, if you have to do it within an
institution, something like academia is probably best, or maybe a blue sky
research facility, if those still exist.

~~~
luchak
Graduate school has a number of extremely important advantages over
independent research, at least when you're getting started: 1\. Mentorship.
2\. Easy access to the rest of the research community. 3\. Access to
resources: libraries, journal subscriptions, and, most importantly, funding.

------
mx12
Great timing, I'm working on my Statement of Purpose right now.

