GRADUATE SCHOOL:
WHY ATTEND,
HOW/WHEN TO APPLY

Evangelos Milios
(partly adapted from slides by M. Shepherd)

APPLYING TO GRADUATE SCHOOL

1. Where did they go?

2. Why grad school?

3. Entrance requirements

4. When to apply

5. Funding

6. Questions to ponder

WHERE DID THEY GO?

Waterloo
Alberta

UBC
Simon Fraser
Toronto
Western
Queen's
UNB
Ottawa/Carleton
UC Berkeley
Princeton
Carnegie Mellon University
Dalhousie


WHY GRAD SCHOOL?


Career paths:

Do a Master's and/or a PhD and get a job in industry
- better starting salary than a Bachelor's
- more challenging and interesting assignments
- better promotion opportunities
- possibility of industrial research

Do a PhD and become a Professor
- enjoy teaching and student interaction
- enjoy research in a university setting

Intellectual reasons
- intellectual growth, lifelong learning
- participation in research (creation of new knowledge)
- easier to keep up with the cutting edge of technology


ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

- a four year degree
- minimum of B+ average
- strong letters of reference
- publications a plus

(See www.cs.dal.ca -> graduate)


WHEN TO APPLY

- Most universities admit the majority of their students in September
- Visit university web sites now
- Download application forms
- Complete the application process by mid December
- Funding decisions are made as early as February or March

Useful Resources about graduate school