Georgia Institute of Technology
Why grad school?
Navigating my early career after undergrad has been a relentless and confusing journey. The beginning of my professional career was met with uncertainty and anxious thoughts of whether my degree in Bioengineering was the right choice. I spent the time exploring various professions that I thought my degree prepared me for, only to realize I didn’t enjoy working in research (molecular biology) laboratories very much. I had to reevaluate my career trajectory and examine why it wasn’t aligned with the opportunities I had hoped my Bioengineering degree would provide. After learning and gaining working experience in web development, I have come to the conclusion that I enjoy using my creativity to program solutions with code. Though I took courses in computer science as part of my undergraduate program, I still have a lot to learn. I decided to pursue a master’s degree in computer science to satisfy my curiosity to learn more about this field and to pick up useful tools along the way. I matriculated at Georgia Tech in Spring 2022.
Why Georgia Tech?
Online Distributed Learning
Aside from being a renown university for Computer Science, I heavily considered Georgia Institute of Technology for being a leader in online distributed learning. One of the criteria I had when considering graduate schools was the possibility of online learning. I wanted an accredited program where I could pursue a degree without halting my industry growth. I also have bills to pay 🙃. In the past, online distributed learning has been met with jokes of being ‘less than’ when compared to on campus learning. This view is a misconception, but may have been propagated by the proliferation of for-profit, unaccredited institutions. With the pandemic and the widespread roll out of ‘Zoom’ school, I hope people could see the utility and legitimacy of online distributed learning. Since 2014, the online master's of computer science program at Georgia Tech has grown a positive reputation with excellent reviews. I appreciate that the online course selection is expansive, and is a direct equivalent of on-campus courses, taught by the same campus faculty.
Cost
Another big factor in my decision was cost. I had also considered Johns Hopkins University’s program, as well as University of Pennsylvania’s program, but in addition to poor reviews, the price for tuition was shocking. After being scarred from paying off my undergraduate tuition, I was in no hurry to put myself back in debt with student loans. Johns Hopkins and UPenn’s programs can run you $40,000 - $60,000, roughly $4,000 - $5,000 per course. This value is ridiculous compared to Georgia Tech’s tuition of $7,000 - $8,000 for the entire program!
Community
Finally, the last factor I heavily considered when choosing a graduate program was community and resources. Georgia Tech has a large and growing network of alumni who have completed the online master’s program, as well as an active reddit community and slack channel. Since this program is online, having a sense of community and camaraderie among my peers was important. After finishing my first semester, I am happy to have chosen Georgia Tech. The support from TA’s and my peers on Slack / reddit have been a large component of my success and motivation to continue.
Application Process
The application was a straight forward process. I gathered all required documents, letters, and statements to submit with my application by the deadline. No GRE was required. The decision was returned a few weeks after the deadline.
Requirements
Undergraduate degree in computer science or related field
Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
Transcripts
Three letters of recommendation
Statement of Purpose
Supplemental Objectives Statement
Closing Thoughts
The program requires completion of 10 courses of your choosing with specializations offered for Computational Perception & Robotics, Computing Systems, Interactive Intelligence, and Machine Learning. I have completed my first semester taking CS 7638 - Robotics: AI Techniques and have had a wonderful time. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first semester and am excited to continue through the Computing Systems specialization. Individual course reviews and summary posts will come.
