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Ask HN: Choosing interesting topics for CS research

10 pointsthealig6 comments

I am planning to do my masters in CS the future. My initial interests while applying were specifically in NLP /computational linguistics which I noted in the SOPs . However, I don't have much experience in it other than a survey paper about common sense reasoning in my undergrad. for various reasons, I ended up doing a sponsored project in embedded (rasp pi hooked up to a PLC for measuring biogas plant values) which i did not enjoy much.

Recently, I found compilers/programming languages very intriguing and contemplating preparing on the topic. Maybe getting some experience by contributing/using open source projects like LLVM etc. Currently, I am self studying some prerequisites like linear algebra that would hopefully come useful (mainly for ML).

First off, is it a good idea to choose topics and prepare to gain some experience in the domain before starting the masters? if so, how to approach any topic and prepare?

Kind of in the same boat here; gearing up for a PhD though.

The best thing that I did was I talked to professors—after class, during office hours, just dropping in to see if they had time, etc. Ask them questions about what’s interesting to you. I pestered one professor so much that he was just like “would you be interested in studying programming languages?” I didn’t realize that was an avenue until then. Now I’ve got a paper in progress because that professor introduced me to another professor who helped me get introduced into the field.

So talk to people. Be curious and ask questions!

thanks for the tips.

what would you recommend to prepare as in get familiar with the topic area before you try to fish for opportunities? Usually students with more experience are more likely to work in that area, but then I think trying out new areas isn't that far fetched if there are vacancies from what I've seen.

See, if you ask me - I have a Masters from Columbia - it helps to be very focused before beginning. I specialized in Networks and had a good relationship with my advisor going in.

What I would recommend you also do is talk to the faculty at your school. This way you can cultivate relationships with professors before going in and explore. CS professors usually have research groups that meet frequently.

The way I see it, Master's is a very specialized degree beyond just undergrad and you can be exposed to many different topics of CS research - which is the fun of higher education beyond a BS.

The good part is you already had a topic you knew you are experienced in. I'm not sure what to focus on currently, only kept a list of topics potentially interested in. Probably I can focus on one and two and move forward.

> if so, how to approach any topic and prepare?

What I usually do is to search for some people who I consider expert in that field and ask. Common questions I ask:

* Can you recommend a book, tutorial, course as an introduction of your field?

* What are the latest developments in your field? Can you point me to some papers on these topics?

* What do you recommend a newcomer to do in your field?

* (most important question) What are the biggest challenges in your field at this moment?

thanks for the advice. I could use these questions to get some inkling of the research area.

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