GRAD ECHO

How do you build your profile for Masters and PhD programs, especially during your sophomore and junior years while you are preparing to apply to graduate school. Secondly, how should we decide which specific field to apply in? At least many students in LUMS have the perception that Machine Learning (ML) is particularly hard to get into, so many people change their fields and actually turn to Computer Networks or to HCI because of a relatively higher chance of getting accepted. Further, many believe it is the hardest to publish a paper in ML, and since it is may be challenging to get into a PhD program without a research paper, they end up changing their desired subfield of study.

What are some important similarities and differences in the application processes of the U.S. and European graduate programs?

I am currently a computer science junior and trying to assess if graduate studies are something that that would suit me as they require considerable effort and time committment. If the professors and several graduate students on the forrum could share how they ended up on a path in academia, I would greatly appreciate that. I would also like to hear how people discover and get sure about their all important 'passion'...