On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 1:53 AM, Satish Vellanki <[email protected]>wrote:
> On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 10:25 AM, Manohar Vanga > <[email protected]<manohar.vanga%40gmail.com> > >wrote: > > > > Hi, > > > > I am in my second semester of my 3rd Year of Computer Science and am > > thinking of working on a research project. I am looking to get into an > > MS/PhD program after my undergraduation and prior research experience > > counts > > for a lot. Does anyone know where I can start looking? Do I just directly > > approach professors or is there a more subtle way to go about the > process? > > I'm looking to work for a month or two before my summer vacations this > > year. > > Any information would be highly appreciated! > > > > Regards > > Manohar Vanga > > > > > > Hi Manohar, > You are absolutely right, your research experience in UG helps a lot when > you come for MS/PhD > Better opportunities and waivers come to those with prior research work > You should approach any professors near you and work with them on areas of > research that you like > If you can publish at least one research paper in your UG it will be > awesome > > Meanwhile you can work on some projects which will help you build up skills > and also help you understand current research issues > > All the best > -- > Satish Vellanki > > Thanks for the advice! What I'm curious about is, what kind of papers are expected from undergraduates? What is the purpose? If it is to show that the student has an understanding of the process and work involved in research, can the paper be on any random topic I choose (eg. Comparison of Calories in Apples and Oranges!)? Or is the purpose to show the interest of the student in a specific area of research, say for example a paper on Artificial Intelligence? The problem is, I have an interest in going for the second method, where I write a paper about a subject I wish to pursue later on (as it gives me a strong lobbying point to colleges when they consider me), but the problem is I don't have the faintest idea on where to start! Do I start out reading papers and then picking a topic? Do I start with a topic and then read related papers? I don't even know what topics are available for research at the moment :-/ The first option is still there where I can show that I know the process involved in research and I find it fascinating enough to pick a random topic and write a research paper on it. This is in comparison a much weaker argument I can give to colleges, but an argument nonetheless! Picking a quality topic here though just has so many possibilities though, it leaves my mind jittery :( Another thing is that the faculty of my college (GRIET) don't seem to be involved in any research activities. What I am hoping for is to work for a professor who is working on an area of interest. That way I can get a clue about the field and I can get started on my own! I guess I'll try approaching some professors and ask around :-) Please advice! Regards Manohar Vanga
