The Graduate School Experience A.J. Brush, Microsoft Lori Pollock, University of Delaware 2012

A Short Quiz With a partner, answer the following: 1.What is the expected time to finish an MS in CS? 2.What is the expected time to finish a PhD in CS? 3.List the main activities in pursuing an MS. 4.List the main activities in pursuing a PhD.

A Typical Grad School Timeline Take Grad-level Courses Take More Grad-level Courses Identify a Research Advisor Join research group Take PhD Exams Complete First Mentored Research & Paper Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Identify Specific PhD Topic Complete Preliminary PhD Research & Paper Draft PhD Proposal Defend Proposal Complete More Research Write Research Papers Year 4 Years 5/6 Complete More Research Write Research Papers Write & Defend Dissertation Complete MS Degree Complete PhD Degree

How is this different from college? With a partner, list some differences you can foresee. Activities? Deliverables? Daily Schedule? Modes of working? Evaluation of success?

How is this different from college? Activities? – Variety of classes vs. all CS classes – + Individual/collaborative research training Deliverables? – Exams/class projects vs. Research contributions, papers, posters, presentations, proposal, dissertation Daily Schedule? – Course schedules vs. Flexible hours & open-ended deadlines Modes of working? – Studying, absorbing, solving known problems vs. Innovating, experimenting, presenting, writing Evaluation of success? – Exam scores, project grades vs. research contributions, PhD exams, publications

Getting Started in Research Identify a Research Area: A subfield of computing Exciting and interesting Important problems area Activities in area suitable for you Take courses, attend seminars Talk to profs, visitors, students Learn about yourself, what you like Don’t be afraid to change This can change.

Become an Expert Read papers – Annotated bibliography – Follow reference trail to original papers Talk to experts – When they visit – At conferences and workshops Attend talks, etc. – Carry a notebook to record thoughts Question previous works’ assumptions

Select a Research Advisor Advisor who will advise, mentor YOU – Complete dissertation – Gain required skills for career Advisor who will promote your career – Write strong letters – Advocate on your behalf

Ways to find a Research Advisor Talk to potential advisors: – Projects? – How much time do you spend with new students? – How much time do you spend with current students? – Do you feel comfortable with advisor? – Do you have group meetings? – What are your expectations for a PhD student? – Do you have research assistantships? List a set of questions to ask a potential research advisor.

Ways to find a Research Advisor Talk to potential advisees: – Advising style? Does it work for you? – Does advisor mentor students in all areas for career? – Will advisor advocate on behalf of students? Try out a few advisors: – Take one of their courses – Work with them on an independent study List a set of questions to ask advisees of potential advisors.

Choose Among Research Topics Potential Impact – Hot topics considered with care – Topic/problems are important Scale – More than one problem; results/finding Scope – Not too narrow – Not too broad, open-ended Big problem and will have impact

How to Find a Good Topic Flash of brilliance Term project Redo, revinvent, refine Apprentice Five (or n) papers = dissertation

PhD Exams Written Oral Courses with minimum grades Research projects Combinations Format, timing, retakes,…

Publishing Critical Phase of Research Sharing your results Vetting your ideas For others to corroborate, Refine, extend, build on Your findings Writing, Revising, Telling your Story…

Presenting at Conferences ``Ideas do not sell themselves. They will lie and gather dust unless you sell them.’’

Internships Internships at companies allow you to: – Experience life in industry – Find other mentors/reference letter writers – Think about where/what type of research you will do during internship – Have fun! You can start now! Last session was on Undergraduate Research Opportunities.

The Research Proposal a succinct write-up of your proposed research goals, strategies, justification, contributions a brainstorming and planning process a good time to get feedback and direction from experts

Networking and Advertising Making professional connections and using them wisely. WHY? Makes your work known! Makes you known! Source of new research ideas Feedback on your research ! New collaborations! Professional opportunities! Letters of recommendation

Networking and Advertising Conferences and Workshops Visiting speakers Faculty Students Industry researchers

The Final Dissertation Chapter 1: Introduction – What is the problem? Why is it important? What has been done? What is/are central idea(s) of my approach? How is thesis organized? Chapter 2: Preliminaries – Define the problem. Introduce terminology and definitions. Discuss basic properties, related research, etc. Chapter 3: Big idea 1... Chapter K+2: Big idea K Chapter K+3: Conclusion – Summarize accomplishments. Discuss future work.

Proposal defense Starting to writeAnother result, another chapter! Too much to do stressJob interview invitations Summary: Develop yourself Manage time Manage mechanics Communicate with advisor & committee Don ’ t hesitate to seek help Expect & Manage Ups & Downs Thesis is complete & You are on your way!

Questions? Concerns?