Information on this page is Computer-Science-Department-centric,
since the author has experience as a CS NDO and HCP student.
A small amount of information specific to the EE department
has been included. Admission requirements for other
departments within the School of Engineering are unknown.
To attain HCP status, a student must submit an application to
a department in the School of Engineering, and be accepted by
that department. The student fills out the standard
application for graduate studies, in hard copy or
online.
Further information can be found at the
Registrar's admissions
and at the Computer Science Department's
admissions
and
application guidelines.
Parts of this page are based on fragmentary, second-hand and
possibly old information, and represents the author's opinion.
Under no circumstances should it be construed to represent the
official policy of Stanford University or of any Stanford department.
Letters of Recommendation
Details:
General
Your application will be judged on the criteria listed below.
However, every application is different, so the relative weights of
the categories may vary for different applicants.
If you have a weakness in one of the categories, you should strive
to make all of the other categories as strong as possible.
Undergraduate Grades
Naturally, your academic performance as an undergraduate is
important.
academic institution takes grades seriously.
Undergraduate grades are most important for students fresh
out of college. For students who have been out of school
for awhile, the importance diminishes somewhat.
In particular, the grades seem to be less significant
when a degree is five or more years old.
Grade performance at Stanford
For most applicants, not stanford before.
academic institution takes grades seriously.
Takes own grades most seriously.
Chance to prove your ability to succeed at Stanford.
Chance to help self.
Chance to hurt self.
Taking NDO classes gives you a chance to demonstrate to the
admissions committee that you can succeed in the
type of courses you must take to earn an MSCS.
A few years ago, a hapless student known to this author was
told that, based on his NDO grades, he would
_never_ be considered for admission to the MSCS program.
The strongest applicants will have earned As in all classes
taken as an NDO student. One source indicated that a track
record of 3 As and a B was sufficiently strong in the general case.
Another source opined that an A- was "sufficiently close" to
an A for this purpose.
It's reasonable to assume that more difficult courses carry
more weight than easier ones. It seems that the cs10x and cs193
courses are considered less academically challenging.
A clever student could beef up this category by taking a couple
of the more difficult classes. Making at least one of those a
project-oriented class (for instance cs140, cs143, cs244a) would
also seem wise.
GRE scores
Only the GRE general test is required for Masters applicants
to the Computer Science Department.
(Only PhD applicants need to take the CS subject test.)
EECS applicants need to take the GRE general test only.
A source in the Computer Science Office of Graduate Admissions
once stated: "The ideal candidate will have GRE scores in the
90th percentile in all three categories." However, other
sources have indicated that the verbal score is less important,
as weighting it too heavily is unfair to the many applicants
who speak English as a second language.
Application, in particular your Statement of Purpose
The "Guide to Graduate Admission 2000-01" says the following about
the Statement of Purpose:
"The statement of purpose should describe succinctly your reasons
for applying to the proposed program at Stanford, your preparation
for this field of study, study and research interests, future career
plans, and other aspects of your background and interests which may
aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and
motivation for graduate study."
The Statement of Purpose form provides the following directions:
"Write a brief statement concerning both your past work in your
intended field of study and related fields, your plans for graduate
study at Stanford, and your subsequent career plans. As this is an
important part of your application, please describe the relevance
of your past work and future intentions to the program for which
you are applying."
This author found writing the statement of purpose to be challenging.
Statements of purpose from other, admitted students gave some guidance,
but it was necessary for the author to find his unique voice,
and to communicate information that was intensely personal and
very specific to his situation. Make sure you allow plenty of time
to find your own voice, and to say what you need to say. Also,
make sure you find the resources to verify that your grammar
and spelling are of highest quality.
Letters of Recommendation
The "Guide to Graduate Admission 2000-01" gives the following instructions
regarding Letters of Recommendation:
"Submit three letters of recmmmendation from faculty or others qualified
to evaluate your potential for graduate study. At least one letter
should be from a faculty member at the last school you attended as a
full-time student unless you have been out of school for more than
five years. Substitutions for faculty recommendations may include
work associates or others who can comment on your academic potential
for graduate work. ..."
The Recommendation Form for Graduate Study includes these directions
to the recommender:
"Please write candidly about the student's qualifications, potential to
carry on advanced study in the field specified, intellectual independence,
capacity for analytical thinking, ability to organize and express ideas
clearly, and potential for teaching. Descriptions of significant actions,
accomplishments, and personal qualities related to scholarly achievement
are particularly helpful."
You can
request a letter of recommendation from any professor in whose
class you did well as an NDO student.
Naturally, strong recommendations from Stanford professors will be
favorably viewed by the admissions committed. It is particularly
desirable if you can obtain a strong recommendation from a full
faculty member at Stanford. It is best to request the recommendation
while your accomplishments are still fresh in the mind of the professor.
Applicants who have been out of school for a number of years may
have difficulty obtaining letters of recommendation from the
faculty of their undergraduate school. This is expected by the
admissions committee.
It would be wise for a prospective applicant to consider which
persons in his or her professional life would make the best
references, and ascertain that those persons would be enthusiastic
about writing the recommendation.
One source suggested that students without any academic sources
submit as many as six letters of recommendation.