Robotics graduate school advice

[Chubigans]

I would like to pursue a graduate degree, and I am set to graduate in Fall 2012. I would love if someone could give me a little advice tailored towards my current situation and goals.

Please and thank you! Here's my story...

I'm a computer engineering student entering my fifth year at University Of Central Florida. I have become interested in going to graduate school because I really love to learn, teach, and innovate. I have a 3.8 GPA. My extra curriculars have been:

• A semester of research (unfortunately I never made enough headway to get published)
• A year of physics tutoring
• A year of working at lockheed martin as a software developer
• Robotics club, a small competition
• I'm beginning a job as a research assistant at a human-robot-interaction lab this summer.
• My senior design project is a robotic chess board.
• My electives are focused on AI robotics.

I only have two classes left (AI and senior design II). I will graduate this December. I need to decide where I'm going to grad school and when I will be applying.

The following are my goals

• Receive financial assistance throughout my grad education so I don't have to live off of loans. I live very simply on about $12k a year currently and I would like to maintain a similar lifestyle and remain debt free.
• Get a master's degree from a decent school.
• Have the freedom to pursue a Ph.D. after a master's.
• Possibly apply for a Ph.D. program straight away if I'm qualified

Sometimes I feel that I'm not a good candidate for these schools because I went to UCF and I don't have published research. I'm not sure where I stand. What I am sure of is that I'm genuinely interested in academia and I am a very hard worker.

If you could review that list of goals and help me come up with a decision, these are the questions I need to answer:

• Do I apply to UCF only or to other schools?
• Do I apply directly for a Ph.D. or for a master's?
• Do I apply for spring or fall?
• If I apply for Fall, what do I do until then? Graduate & work at a lab, Stay in school and take grad level UCF classes, or stay in school and double major in CS?

Thank you very much for reading.

 

[R.Mesri]

Given your goals and current situation, my advice would be to consider applying for a master's degree in Computer Engineering from UCF or other schools. You may want to consider applying for a Ph.D. program straight away if you feel qualified and you are confident that you can handle the workload. As for when to apply, you should consider applying for Fall 2021 as this will give you ample time to prepare and ensure that your application is of the highest quality. In terms of what you should do until then, you could consider taking graduate level classes at UCF or double majoring in Computer Science. This would allow you to gain more knowledge and experience in the field which would be beneficial when applying to grad school. Additionally, you could continue to work at the human-robot-interaction lab where you currently have a job. This will enable you to further develop your research skills and gain valuable experience in the field. I hope my advice helps you in making your decision. Good luck!