Some tips for applying to grad schools in the US

[AnHai Doan <anhai@cs.washington.edu>]

Dear friends, I received several private e-mails asking about
graduate studies opportunities at some US universities. I
will answer these privately as soon as I can; but my impression
is that many people do not know about a common strategy
you can use to find out about study opportunities in the US.
This one is simple to do; it doesn't take much time; and it can be quite
effective. So let me briefly tell you about this one:

1) First, you need to decide what you want to study, in which field, for 
which degree, PhD, Ms? Try to be as concrete and specific as you can. 
Don't worry if you are not quite sure about your chosen field because you
don't know anything about it yet. You can always change it later.

2) Write a great CV and a cover letter telling people about yourself.
There is a certain CV format that the folks in the US are familiar with.
It is simple, it is informative, and it is easy to write. To see this CV 
format you need only to go to the homepage of some Department of CS in 
the US (for example, http://www.cs.washington.edu/people/grads/ ), 
and check out some of the CV written by the grad students in these 
departments. But for your convenience, I have included a CV template at 
the end of this message for you to fill out. I also explain in some
detail the importance and the content of each CV section.

3) Keep looking for opportunities. Whenever you hear or read somewhere
that there is an opportunity that might just be right for you, send your
cover letter (modified a little bit) and your CV to the contact person.
A good place to look for opportunities is VNSA. Also, do not be afraid to
post brief notes (example, your cover letter) to VNSA asking if there is
any opportunity around. Give all of us a Webpage address where we can find
out even more info about you.
I know for sure that many VNSA members know many 
good opportunities for grad studies in the US (and France, and Australia, 
etc). (For example, a Vietnamese math professor in the US, who
is also a VNSA member asked me once if I know of any good Vietnamese
students in math that he can bring over and work with.)
It might just be the case that they do not have time to write
postings asking around for grad students. So take the initiative
and ask around, contact them instead. 

We will try to organize a simple introductory page in the near future, so 
that you guys know who to send your study inquiries to.

4) At the same time you are doing Step 3, try to study and take some of 
the formal exams that you need in order to apply for grad schools. TOEFL 
is a must. A score above 600 is good because it boosts your chance of 
getting a teaching assistantship. General GRE is also very important,
the verbal section of the general GRE is *very* difficult, much more 
difficult than the TOEFL; and some schools do count this section
even from foreign students. So try to prepare for it early and try
to get a good score on that one. Subject GRE is also important, some 
schools will require it. If you have time, try to take Subject GRE also.

TSE will greatly boost your chance of getting a teaching assisstantship.
So take it if you have time.

Keep trying Step 3 and 4. I know quite a few people who did this, with 
success. So there is no reason why you can't. If I know of any good 
opportunity, I will let you know. And if any VNSA member knows of any, 
please share with us also.

Thanks, and the best of luck,
Hai.

CV Template
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CURRICULUM VITAE

Personal Data
 List here your name, nationality, birth date (some professors prefer young students),
 full address, e-mail adress, phone, fax number.

Reseach Interests
 You need to list some of your research interests here, what you like and are doing right 
 now or in the past, what you would like to pursue in the future. Don't worry if you haven't 
 done any research yet, or if you only know that you are interested in Computer Science, but
 do not yet know which area. Just try to list several fields that you think you can work in
 and say why. Try to be brief. Several line, or one or two short paragraphs will do.
 
 It may also help to say whether you are interested in pursuing a PhD or a MS degree.
 PhD may last anywhere from 4 to 7 years, while a MS lasts from 1.5 to 2.5 years. Many professors
 prefer PhD students because they can work with these students over long period of time.

Test Scores:
 List what kind of tests for grad school you have taken, the date, and the score here.
 If you plan to take some test, you can list that also.
 For example:

 TOEFL taken Nov 1992, score: 610.
 General GRE taken Dec 1995, score: verbal section 600 (80%), ...
 TSE plan to take this test in Apr 1997 or Aug 1997

Education
 List something like this:

   * Sep 1996 - present: Graduate student in Computer Science at the
     University of Washington, Seattle. Advisor: Professor Steve Hanks
   * Sep 1993 - Dec 1995: M.Sc. in Computer Science
     Decision Systems and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
     University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA
     Dissertation: An Abstraction-Based Approach to Decision-Theoretic
     Planning for Partially Observable Metric Domains
     Advisor: Professor Peter Haddawy
   * Sep 1988 - June 1993: B.Sc. in Computer Science, Red Diploma (i.e.,
     First Class Honors)
     Kossuth Lajos University of Arts and Sciences, Debrecen, Hungary
     Dissertation: Use of Computer in Medical Diagnosis
     Advisor: Professors Gabor Farkas and Peter Nyirkos

Research Experience and Employment History
 List something like below. Do not forget to list even the smallest research or employment
 experience that you have.

   * Jan 1997 - Jun 1997: Research Assistant, Department of Computer Science
     and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle.
   * Sep 1996 - Dec 1996: Teaching Assistant, Department of Computer Science
     and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle.
   * Jul 1996 - Aug 1996: Intern, Rockwell Science Laboratory, Palo Alto,
     California.
   * Sep 1993 - Dec 1995: Research Assistant, Department of Electrical
     Engineering and Computer Science, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
   * Jul 1991 - Aug 1991: Research Assistant, Institute of Nuclear Research,
     Debrecen, Hungary.
   * Nov 1990 - Jun 1991: Research Assistant, Kossuth Lajos University of
     Arts and Sciences and Medical University of Debrecen, Debrecen,
     Hungary.

Awards and Honors
 List something like below. It is a good idea to include some number concerning
 the award to show how prestigious it is. Don't forget to list all academic-related
 awards, even when it is not in your field (in order to show how diverse your talent is).

   * Graduate School Fellowship, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, from Sep
     1995 to Jun 1996. Total number of awards universitywide in 1995:
     approximately 17.
   * University Fellowship for the advanced program in Computer Science,
     1991, Kossuth Lajos University, Hungary.
   * B. Sc. in Computer Science, Red Diploma, 1991, Kossuth Lajos
     University, Hungary. Total number of Red Diplomas awarded for Computer
     Science students in 1991: 1.
   * America-Hungary Exchange Program Scholarship, 1993, Kossuth Lajos
     University, Hungary. Total number of awards universitywide in 1993: 5.
     (Unable to participate due to the U.S. embargo against Vietnam.)
   * Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement, awarded by the Vietnamese
     government for undergraduate studies in Hungary, 1987. Total number of
     awards nationwide in 1987: approximately 250.
   * First prize, Hungarian language competition, University of Foreign
     Languages, Hanoi, Vietnam, 1987.
   ....

Publications
 List all publications that you have.

Refereed Journal Papers
   ...
Refereed Conference Papers
   ...
Workshop Papers, Abstracts, and Technical Reports
   ...
Papers in Preparation
   ...


Miscellaneous
 List here any other thing that you feel important for others to know about you. For
 example, how many foreign languages you speak, at which level. Any athletic achievement?
 Any social activities you took part in (like organizing the Vietnamese Student Association
 in ...). The idea is to show that you are not only a book or computer nerd, but also a
 well-educated, responsible guy/gal with many other interests beside your research field.

References
   List here the name of three professors (or boss, supervisor) who can say good things 
   about you and swear to God that you are the best student they ever have. Remember to
   include their title and address, also a brief phrase explaining their relationship
   with you (example, my academic advisor from 1993 to 1995, ...).

Academic Records
  List your academic records here, year by year. In which year which subject you took,
  with which grade, at which schools, etc. This part is important because some professors
  are interested in knowing how good you are in certain fields, and your academic records
  will give them some clues concerning that. For example, to have an idea as to how good
  you are in mathematics, they will look at your grades in math-related subjects.
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