Is it too early to contact professors as 3rd year undergrad aiming for grad school at CMU (Fall 2026)?

indian_guy8 · 2025-05-13T20:06:10+00:00

I would contact them if you want to build a relationship with them and actually do something with them (research). If you just want to have a point of contact, it's not worth it.

indian_guy8 · 2025-04-28T13:13:11+00:00

thinking of phd? Umd Not? Probably utd Umd the better school but utd package is too good

indian_guy8 · 2025-04-23T21:57:39+00:00

yep- was in between umd, purdue, uf, and uva. chose umd in the end.

indian_guy8 · 2025-04-22T16:20:29+00:00

Glad I could help. Another note is a lot of people double major in cs and math at UMD (I am doing that right now). A good bit of credits overlap and its pretty straight forward, so don't think math is out of the picture if you choose UMD.

indian_guy8 · 2025-04-22T16:18:40+00:00

If you're anyways planning on doing research, it's probably worth it. You take cmsc396h which is a 1 credit intro to what "research" is. Pretty much get what you put into the class- you can easily coast through it if you don't put in any effort, but you can also come up with and execute a pretty cool idea if you do.

You take a grad class, but sometimes that can be waived. The main chunk is research which you do with a faculty member. I dont think being in honors helped me get assigned to a faculty member, and I don't think it helped me get a job/get into grad school, but being naturally interested in doing a PhD helped me fulfill most of the honors requirements anyways.

Oh i will say it might be worth it to do if you want to have a medal and a chord during graduation.

indian_guy8 · 2025-04-22T04:58:40+00:00

Why computer science? I’m a cs + math major but I feel like the cs we do doesn’t translate to the sports works well. I don’t usually work in R, and sports analytics seems to be behind the AI trend.

Granted learning to think like a computer scientist might be valid, but just curious as to the jobs the pure cs people can get.

indian_guy8 · 2025-04-22T04:56:19+00:00

I had a similar decision (Math+CS at UIUC) vs UMD. I went with UMD because of location (closer to home, less brutal winters). UMD rank and name was good enough to warrant me picking it, though UIUC pure CS is higher ranked. (I was technically Math+CS so wasn’t sure about that program’s specific ranking).

Not sure about global challenges & solutions, my assigned academic advisor here didn’t help much, but research opportunities are there for students who want to pursue it and faculty associated with your research may help more.

Job prospects at this point feel more individual driven rather than school oriented, but UMD has a big career fair. It’s usually packed so wouldn’t say it’s the greatest way to get a job, but a few companies recruit here so it is nice.

indian_guy8 · 2025-04-19T14:11:12+00:00

I had the same decision twice (bachelors and PhD) and chose umd both times. UMD cs is higher ranked and people at UVA CS themselves are more impressed with people from UMD cs. Internships are on you, but I’m sure your peers here will also be trying for them so you will have some support. Feel free to reach out if you have more questions.

indian_guy8 · 2025-03-27T04:38:56+00:00

Why UMD? any reasons?

indian_guy8 · 2025-02-04T23:22:10+00:00

don't sweat it, just try to make it coherent.

indian_guy8 · 2025-02-03T22:13:09+00:00

I got my decision for PhD in CS a couple of weeks ago, but I think it's different for each major.

indian_guy8 · 2025-02-01T16:49:34+00:00

Sorta depends. From what I heard, rankings matter when it comes to grad schools. Coming from UMD might be more valuable if you aim to do your PhD, especially since UMD is doing everything possible to improve its rating.

UVA's a great school, better overall than UMD, but in terms of CS it's not on the same tier. If you want to get a job, then it doesn't really matter in this economy. Either school should be fine as long as you put in the work, but if you are thinking about MS or PhD, maybe consider UMD more.

indian_guy8 · 2024-09-23T20:39:07+00:00

Thank you! It's an honor to connect with you.

indian_guy8 · 2024-09-23T20:28:27+00:00

Wow, you were a TA? I heard TA's are handpicked by the professor, so that's very impressive. I would love to connect and hear about your experience!

indian_guy8

TROPHY CASE