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Re:Ask HN: Thoughts on grad school? (CS PhD) by akd on Friday July 11, 2008 @10:54PM (#244248)
Make a good story about how you want your work to help other people, and also play up the diversity angle if you have something like an immigrant parent. That's what my NSF friends did (except those who were so excellent that they didn't have to jump through hoops).
Re:Ask HN: Thoughts on grad school? (CS PhD) by DaniFong on Saturday July 12, 2008 @03:59AM (#244396)
The cost you pay for this is that your place in grad school and your fellowship are now predicated on your ability to bullshit. This emotional weight may be worse than just plain not getting the shiniest fellowships, or into the most prestigious school.
Re:Ask HN: Thoughts on grad school? (CS PhD) by timr on Saturday July 12, 2008 @07:02PM (#244727)
Most of academic life is predicated on your ability to bullshit. ;-)
Re:Ask HN: Thoughts on grad school? (CS PhD) by timr on Saturday July 12, 2008 @03:32AM (#244383)
Yeah...sometimes that works. But if you and your friends thought of it, what makes you think that every other smart grad student in the country didn't think of it, too? (Except for the "have an immigrant parent" part, of course.)
Re:Ask HN: Thoughts on grad school? (CS PhD) by akd on Saturday July 12, 2008 @11:27AM (#244533)
It's precisely because everyone else has thought of it that it's essential if you want to have even a fighting chance.