computer science graduate school

computer science graduate school survival guide

How would u react if u come across an article with title SO LONG, AND

THANKS FOR THE PH.D.!.

Here is a partial text from the so called "So long, and thanks for the

Ph.D.!" a.k.a. "Everything I wanted toknow about C.S. graduate school

at the beginning but didn't learn until later."

The author touches many a thing in this article.

He first talks abt the necessity of a ph.D.

He says that

"Being a graduate student is like becoming all of the Seven Dwarves.

In the beginning you're Dopey and Bashful. In the middle, you are

usually sick (Sneezy), tired (Sleepy), and irritable (Grumpy). But at

the end, they call you Doc, and then you're Happy."

and calls Academia as a business and Graduate school as a different

ballgame.

He discusses the traits of successful Ph.D. students which include

* Initiative

* Tenacity

* Flexibility

* Interpersonal skills

* Organizational skills

* Communications skills

* Choosing an adviser and a committee

* Balance and Perspective

* job hunt

Here are some anecdotes from the article

"Technical skills, intelligence and creativity are certainly strong

factors for success in graduate school. For example, I doubt there

is a C.S. graduate student who didn't at one point wish he or she

had a stronger mathematical background. However, it's beyond the

scope of this guide to tell you how to be technically brilliant, as

the following joke implies:

You don't have to be a genius to do well in graduate school. You

must be reasonably intelligent, but after a certain point, I think

other traits become more important in determining success."

"Academia is a business, and "graduate student" is a job title.

This is especially true at private universities. Academia is very

peculiar type of business. It is certainly not the Real World and

does not work in the same way that the ordinary corporate world

does. However, it is a business nonetheless and as a graduate

student, you must treat it that way. Graduate school made a lot

more sense and became much easier for me after I realized this. If

you think of graduate school as an "Ivory Tower" free of politics,

money problems, and real-world concerns, you are going to be

severely disappointed. If you don't believe me, read The Idea

Factory by Pepper White (listed in the references) for one account

of graduate life at MIT."

"At UNC, there is a famous anecdote about a former UNC graduate

student named Joe Capowski. Many years ago, UNC got a

force-feedback mechanical arm to use with molecular visualization

and docking experiments. The problem was how to move it to UNC.

This mechanical arm is a large, heavy beast, and it was in Argonne

National Labs in Chicago, IL. Unfortunately, there was a trucker's

strike going on at the time. Joe Capowski, on his own initiative

(and without telling anyone), flew out to Argonne, rented a car,

drove the mechanical arm all the way back to North Carolina, and

then handed the computer science department the bill! Many years

later, Joe Capowski ran for the Chapel Hill city council and won a

seat. Prof. Fred Brooks gave him an endorsement. I still remember

the words Dr. Brooks said: "I may not agree with his politics, but