Applying for Grad School

[jernst]

So I want to apply for my phd when im finishing my masters at Guelph. Ive spoke with a few phds in my program at guelph about when to start meeting / talking with potential supervisors, just wondering if anyone here has any experience with this. Im currently finishing up my coursework and starting on my thesis in the summer. I'm fairly open when it comes to schools, I'm most interested in Waterloo just so I can stay around the area but I'd also like other provinces, the U.S. or Europe. So if anyone has any suggestions on how soon I should start approaching people that would be great

[Prabhakar Ragde]

You should probably wait until your thesis work is well under way before approaching potential supervisors. The Master's thesis is like a dry run for the PhD and if you can speak with confidence about your research, it will be more convincing. Waterloo is close so it's convenient to visit, but also consider U of T and other places in Canada/US. The system is a bit different in Europe but there are possibilities there as well. Where exactly you apply will depend on your particular specialization and the level of intensity you wish to deal with. You should be getting advice from your current supervisor and other faculty members at Guelph, especially people who will be writing your reference letters. --PR

[jernst]

Great, thanks for the reply

[wtd]

University of British Columbia?

No crazy "get out of our country you foreigner" stuff, but far nicer weather than Ontario.

[jernst]

That would be fun I have a cousin thats going there now and it looks so nice there with all the mountains and ocean and such plus my advisor went there for his phd too

[Vermette]

What is your research interest?

[wtd]

Wireless networks.

[Vermette]

A little more specific? Security issues? Protocols? Topologies?

[jernst]

Protocols, Fair Scheduling and Cross Layered Design right now but I'm pretty open it terms of what I would want to do with my phd. I'm kind of interested in moving into something in AI but not sure if its possible to study a different for my next degree.

[ali_dada]

You might also be interested in the length of the program.
In Canada the length of PhD for computer science is 4-5 years.
In UK, I have heard it is 3 years.

[jernst]

ali_dada @ Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:53 pm wrote:

You might also be interested in the length of the program.
In Canada the length of PhD for computer science is 4-5 years.
In UK, I have heard it is 3 years.

Hrm thanks I didnt know that but its definately something to consider

[Vermette]

The length of time it takes to get your PhD is more dependent on yourself than anything

[jernst]

true, it also seems to be related to the advisor also. The advisor I have for my Msc is really laid back but I almost studied under another guy who was all about the one year masters degree, that seemed a bit too quick for me though lol

[ali_dada]

True the time taken depends on the person HOWEVER, in US/Canada, the requirements for completing PhD are extremely stringent. I believe you need to come up with 2 original contributions or something like that.

However, in UK, I have heard, that it is fairly do-able in 3 years.

[jernst]

ali_dada @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:50 pm wrote:

I believe you need to come up with 2 original contributions or something like that.

As far as I understand, you still only need one original idea for a phd. The main difference between a masters thesis and phd is the size and scope of the project and how thorough you have to be with a phd. One of the profs had some quote(which I don't quite remember) about having to prove things completely / mathematically with a phd (in comp sci) whereas masters you can get away with something slightly less, it was a subtle difference anyways.