I would like to return to college to study computer science, and
eventually do research in academia or business. My interim goal is to
be admitted to a top tier university at any point during my academic
career.
Please advise whether to apply at the bachelor?s or master?s level, or
perhaps if some other course may be preferrable. I have no concerns
regarding my academic ability or financial situation, but simply my
admissibility and academic career potential at either level.
I am 25 years old, have a bachelor?s degree in music composition, and
have been working for 2 years in government as a paralegal. My
undergraduate work is solid (3.4 GPA), undistinguished, and does not
include computers, engineering, math, or logic. |
Request for Question Clarification by
answerguru-ga
on
09 Nov 2003 07:48 PST
Hi there,
First of all, congratulations on deciding to further you academic
standing! In order to best answer your question, it would be helpful
to know where you reside and/or what 'top tier' schools your had in
mind. Often admission requirements vary by institution so it would be
nice to narrow it down :)
answerguru-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
atkruse-ga
on
09 Nov 2003 09:37 PST
I currently reside in Philadelphia, but am willing to relocate
anywhere in the US if the schools I find are a good fit.
My plan is to enter a "top tier" school in the future, and choose a
school right now (at the bachelor's or master's level) that will
prepare me to enter that "top" school. The entry level school must be
rigorous and reputable enough that I can be viewed as an admissible
candidate at a "top" school.
My question though is not what specific school should I apply to now,
but what the outlook is for returning to school at either the
bachelor's or master's level. I am aiming for the highest level and
want to know which degree path is going to get me there.
I'll define "top tier" as a school that is establishing the academic
curriculum that others follow or is doing substantial groundbreaking
research. I want to be where the action is. At this point I have a
pretty vague idea of where this is, so I'm hesitant to name any
schools. I'm sure schools like MIT and UC-Berkeley fit this definition
in many subject areas, but I am not partial to any specific school.
Thanks,
atkruse
|
Request for Question Clarification by
answerguru-ga
on
09 Nov 2003 12:32 PST
Perhaps the best way to approach this then is to take a set of 'top
tier' schools, find their requirements, and then determine the best
way to meet those requirements.
I was able to pull a short list of the top Computer Science
institutions for Masters programs (for 2002 - all tied for first
place):
Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Stanford University (CA)
University of California?Berkeley
Would you like me to look into the requirements for any of these
schools in particular and then use the strategy I mentioned above to
find your answer?
answerguru-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
atkruse-ga
on
09 Nov 2003 14:03 PST
Sure, let's give it a try. Please examine doctoral admissions requirements as well.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
answerguru-ga
on
09 Nov 2003 20:23 PST
I started to gather information for your question and realized how
much information you're going to need. Not only does each institution
have numerous masters/doctorate programs within Computer Science, but
each of those have a complex set of requirements. I would estimate
that compiling that amount of information would take between 3-4
hours. I understand you may have not known this, so you are welcome to
leave this question for another researcher or re-evaluate your list
price accordingly.
Thanks,
answerguru-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
atkruse-ga
on
10 Nov 2003 05:45 PST
Answerguru--I think I'll just leave the question for now and look into
it on my own. Thanks for your work.
atkruse
|
