Planning ahead... from high school?

juillet
Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:16:14 +0000

As long as you realize that your goals and wants will likely change between now and your senior year of college, I think it’s perfectly fine to start planning now. You do know what you want…it’s just that it may change, and that’s okay. You recognize that. And it’s good to have a goal to work to rather than wandering around aimlessly – knowing that I wanted to go to graduate school kept me motivated in college (I decided I wanted a Ph.D somewhere between my freshman and sophomore years of college, and I didn’t change my mind).

Cosmicfish gives good advice. Keep your GPA as high as possible, and pick your undergrad carefully. That may include going to a less expensive school for undergrad so that you will have the widest range of options for graduate school (Ph.Ds are usually fully funded, but there is a possibility you will have to earn a master’s first). I also agree with him about the double major and extra minor. So many college students do it nowadays unnecessarily. A double major in computer science and mathematics? May be awesome. A double major in computer science and literature? …not so much, and it may just take you extra time and require you to take classes in literature when you could be taking higher-level classes in computer science, including graduate level classes.

I cannot stress number 7 enough. Since you already know you want to do a Ph.D in computer science, if you can get a research opportunity during the second half of your freshman year or your sophomore year, do that. Write a senior thesis if your school allows it. Trust me, executing an independent research project will make graduate school that much easier. Also, getting closer to professors is good advice. Their experiences will be invaluable. Sit at their feet and listen to their stories. I had a particularly great mentor in undergrad to whom I give a large amount of the credit of getting me into graduate school.

Also, don’t let setbacks slow you down. Everyone messes up sometimes - I failed a class IN MY FIELD (I’m a social psychologist! I failed social psychology!) and I still got into a top program in my field. The rest of my application was very solid, and it was obvious from my transcript that was a terrible semester for me. Maybe you can’t get into a lab until your junior year or you get a C or lower in a class you really need. Keep on pressing and remind yourself that the rest of your record is impeccable. Don’t let shortcomings paralyze you, starting right in high school.