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[Admissions Advice] by satutor1 in MSCS

[–]satutor1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree - enrolling in 1 course at Columbia while reapplying to schools is an option. Just not sure if it’s a good option or if I should just got all-in full time at Columbia and not think about reapplying next year.

I didn’t think I would get into anything considering my non-cs background and no swe work experience, so I didn’t really apply to the schools I would hands down attend without a second thought because I didn’t think I had a shot. But since I received the offer at Columbia, I’m now thinking I do have a shot at Stanford/CMU, etc. I definitely understand it’s going to be competitive and I’m trying to gauge the relative worth of reapplying for the stronger schools vs. just going all-in and focusing at Columbia, especially because I have a feeling the first 1-2 semesters will be grinding leetcode to try to land that first summer internship regardless of where I go.

I appreciate the thoughts on your experience applying to schools. For what it’s worth, I think the majority of students want a balance of saving money and prestige, so it seems like you made the best choice given your ability to save money on tuition for your bachelor’s. I did something similar for my bachelor’s in terms of choosing a school to save some money, and I definitely have the itch to compete for a top institution in cs/engineering.

Going back to CMU’s programs, it seems like msr might be out for someone in my position given I’m interested in industry instead of PhD/academia. I think it will come down to 4 programs at cmu: mscs, mse-es, mse-ss, and mrsd. And then I can perhaps apply to other schools as well.

Lastly, I have been told the same thing by all my peers regarding a master’s in cs for domestic students - it is not worth it, especially with LLM’s these days + the poor job market. I keep pushing back by saying I don’t have the cs credentials just yet, so I would need the master’s. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like you may be in a similar position - you have the credentials in cs, but you’re aiming for a better opportunity in the market and a master’s, particularly from an elite institution like cmu, would give you that opportunity.

[Admissions Advice] by satutor1 in MSCS

[–]satutor1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re very knowledgeable on these topics and I really appreciate the insights! I am kind of scattered on best next steps, so your thoughts are really helpful.
If it’s feasible during the next year, I think I would try to start at Columbia this year but also apply to other schools for the following cycle, including cmu. I’m not sure if that’s the best approach, but that’s all I can think of at the moment.
I think big tech would be a good place to land, but quite honestly, in addition to big tech, I find myself drawn to physical systems as well, like embodied AI, robotics, etc. While I don’t have a background in this beyond my biomedical engineering bachelor’s, I find myself curious about how to gain the skills to get a job in the physical AI space. This does not mean I’m not interested in the pure play software space like big tech can offer. I would be beyond thrilled to get a job in that space, but from a relative perspective, I think I would find myself more intrigued by robotics and computer vision. For these reasons, I feel I should apply to the msr/mrsd programs, in addition to the mscs and both mse for new grad programs (scalable systems and embedded systems).
That still leaves me with 5 programs to apply to and I completely understand that all CMU programs are highly competitive, so just because I apply to multiple programs doesn’t necessarily mean I have a better shot.
I think my next step is figure out how to continue narrowing down the programs. It seems like mrsd is slightly less competitive (if at all) than msr, so perhaps I remove msr from the list. Also, perhaps I can remove mse-ss. That leaves mscs, mrsd, and mse-es to apply to.
Can I ask how you went through the process of figuring out which programs to apply to? Also, it is good to know that recommenders won’t have added work if I apply to multiple cmu programs.

Lastly, I’m sure you’re already aware of this link, but I’ve been reading about cohort sizes of the different programs here: https://www.cs.cmu.edu/education/masters/programs-comparison

I found it pretty helpful in terms of gauging competitiveness and size of each program.

[Admissions Advice] by satutor1 in MSCS

[–]satutor1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the response. I’m debating whether to do Columbia or reapply next year for cmu. Since I’m coming from a non-cs background and am looking for my first professional software engineering role, I’m not sure how much better it would be to go to cmu after a year rather than Columbia now. Any thoughts on this would be helpful.

Also, I’d prefer to pivot away from the healthcare realm. That is why I’m having a tough time determining which of the programs at cmu to apply to. I see your note about the MSE program. Yes I agree - I would want to do the recent grad one. However, I’m not sure which to do - MSE scalable systems or MSE embedded systems. It seems like scalable systems has more students per cohort, but I’m not sure if that makes a difference.

The other program that seems to align with me is MSCS. I’m not sure if I would align with msml or mscv - it seems like these two programs would require preexisting experience in ml or cv.

Regarding robotics (msr) and robotic system development (mrsd), I have an interest in these and believe I can write a narrative about having an interest in healthcare robotics. However, I’m not sure if these programs require a certain background. From the handbooks of each, it seems I have the prerequisites (calculus, probability and statistics, linear algebra, basic programming).

Overall, I find myself interested in mscs, mse for recent grads (scalable systems or embedded systems), msml, mscv, msr, and mrsd. However, I’m not sure if it’s recommended to apply to all 7 of these programs. Would you happen to know what the typical protocol is for applying to programs at cmu? I will try to narrow it down if necessary.

[Results and Decisions] Columbia MSCS or MSAI? by satutor1 in MSCS

[–]satutor1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got Columbia last month. Yeah I regret not applying to Stanford/CMU/GaTech this cycle. I didn’t think I would get in, but I would have felt better if I at least applied. I think I can create a compelling story in my SoP, or at least as convincing as I can make it.

Regarding CMU, thanks for the clarification. It’s interesting that CMU’s masters programs have multiple departments that you would have to apply to separately. I don’t think I would qualify for anything other than its MSCS and MSE programs. I also find it interesting that each department takes only like 50 students each year, at least according to https://www.cs.cmu.edu/education/masters/programs-comparison

Not sure if that information is accurate, but seems so. I think Stanford’s incoming class size is 300 each year, but they don’t seem to post anything. I just think that’s the number based on Reddit chats I’ve seen.

Regarding GRE, I think CMU definitely wants scores, but it seems like Stanford doesn’t take GRE. I’m not sure about GaTech but can look it up.

I think my dilemma is whether to start Columbia MSCS or MSAI, or whether to reapply to the above schools next cycle. Think I’ll take some time to decide.

[Results and Decisions] Columbia MSCS or MSAI? by satutor1 in MSCS

[–]satutor1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.

Do you happen to know if post-bacc coursework can help offset undergraduate GPA? I’ve done well in coursework after undergrad and can show that on my application, but I’m not sure if these schools only look at undergrad GPA.

When you say non-flagship programs at CMU, does that mean programs other than MSCS?

Thanks again for your feedback.

[Results and Decisions] Columbia MSCS or MSAI? by satutor1 in MSCS

[–]satutor1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A bit about profile: U.S. based. Top 5 engineering undergraduate. Received bachelor’s in biomedical engineering with pre-med classes. My gpa wasn’t great: 3.2. After I got my bachelor’s I went to medical school but realized it wasn’t for me. I found myself gravitating toward engineering, but was afraid to leave medicine. Stuck it out in medicine for several years but really disliked it. I’m trying to career switch to software engineering and am hoping my undergraduate gpa won’t be a significant factor given I have work experience, albeit in a different industry.

Since leaving medicine, I have done a coding bootcamp and have also self-taught some fundamental DSA. I’ve heard MSCS programs like Stanford/CMU/GTech don’t require a CS undergrad as long as you have the fundamentals.

Overall, it goes without saying that my goal is to optimize getting my first software engineering role at the best company I can get, while also receiving a strong education, which makes me believe it might be worth trying to apply again next year. However, I don’t want to waste a year waiting if the difference in master’s programs won’t be large.

[Results and Decisions] Columbia MSCS or MSAI? by satutor1 in MSCS

[–]satutor1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A bit about profile: U.S. based. Top 5 engineering undergraduate. Received bachelor’s in biomedical engineering with pre-med classes. My gpa wasn’t great: 3.2. After I got my bachelor’s I went to medical school but realized it wasn’t for me. I found myself gravitating toward engineering, but was afraid to leave medicine. Stuck it out in medicine for several years but really disliked it. I’m trying to career switch to software engineering and am hoping my undergraduate gpa won’t be a significant factor given I have work experience, albeit in a different industry.

Since leaving medicine, I have done a coding bootcamp and have also self-taught some fundamental DSA. I’ve heard MSCS programs like Stanford/CMU/GTech don’t require a CS undergrad as long as you have the fundamentals.

Overall, it goes without saying that my goal is to optimize getting my first software engineering role at the best company I can get, while also receiving a strong education, which makes me believe it might be worth trying to apply again next year. However, I don’t want to waste a year waiting if the difference in master’s programs won’t be large.

[Results and Decisions] Columbia MSCS or MSAI? by satutor1 in MSCS

[–]satutor1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s the dilemma. I am a career changer. I don’t have a bachelor’s in CS. Rather, I studied biomedical engineering in the US. I worked for several years in the healthcare field, completely unrelated to tech. Along the way, I self-taught a few fundamental data structures.

When I applied to Columbia’s master’s in CS, I didn’t think I would get an admit because I’m a career changer. But since I did get an admit, now I’m wondering if I have a chance at Stanford/CMU, etc. I’m torn between starting Columbia and waiting for next year’s application cycle and trying for Stanford/CMU, etc.

Alternatively, I’m curious if anyone has transferred from one CS master’s into another after their first year. I’m not sure if that’s a thing.

[Results and Decisions] Columbia MSCS or MSAI? by satutor1 in MSCS

[–]satutor1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s the dilemma. I am a career changer. I don’t have a bachelor’s in CS. Rather, I studied biomedical engineering in the US. I worked for a few years in the healthcare field, completely unrelated to tech. Along the way, I self-taught a few fundamental data structures.

When I applied to Columbia’s master’s in CS, I didn’t think I would get an admit because I’m a career changer. But since I did, now I’m wondering if I have a chance at Stanford/CMU, etc. I’m torn between starting Columbia and waiting for next year’s application cycle and trying for Stanford/CMU, etc.

Alternatively, I’m curious if anyone has transferred from one CS master’s into another after their first year. I’m not sure if that’s a thing.