How much emphasis to put on GitHub reputation in a CS MS application?
My undergraduate major was not CS but Civil Engineering, and I took five CS courses in college. I worked as a software engineer for five years after I graduated, but not for famous companies. I love open source and I spend much time on it. Now I have a 2000+ stars GitHub open source repository and several 50-100 stars repos.
My target is a top 30 CS MS program in the US.
How helpful are popular GitHub repos like mine for applications, in particular when changing fields?
graduate-admissions graduate-school masters computer-science
edited Dec 19 at 11:12
henning
18.4k46293
asked Dec 13 at 7:33
user2790103
565
|
show 1 more comment
My undergraduate major was not CS but Civil Engineering, and I took five CS courses in college. I worked as a software engineer for five years after I graduated, but not for famous companies. I love open source and I spend much time on it. Now I have a 2000+ stars GitHub open source repository and several 50-100 stars repos.
My target is a top 30 CS MS program in the US.
How helpful are popular GitHub repos like mine for applications, in particular when changing fields?
graduate-admissions graduate-school masters computer-science
edited Dec 19 at 11:12
henning
18.4k46293
asked Dec 13 at 7:33
user2790103
565
An admission committee can give you insights, but we aren't that committee, so we can't. Perhaps you can rephrase your question in terms that we can answer? (Please avoid shopping questions in any rephrasing.)
– user2768
Dec 13 at 8:07
One answerable question might be how much emphasis to put on the GitHub reputation in the application.
– Patricia Shanahan
Dec 13 at 8:34
@PatriciaShanahan and user2768 Thanks!
– user2790103
Dec 13 at 8:41
If you don't have a top B.Sc in CS you may find this a much more significant obstacle, as you'll be competing with mainly CS B.Sc. grads with top grades. You need to demonstrate a consistent interest in CS, not just programming. Be prepared for extra course requirements (to ensure you are at B.Sc. CS levels) and hence extra time and extra expense.
– StephenG
Dec 13 at 14:17
6
If you don't have a top B.Sc in CS you may find this a much more significant obstacle — I doubt it, actually. Lots of people change fields between undergrad and grad school, and five years of experience and a popular github repo go a long way toward balancing out a lack of formal academic training.
– JeffE
Dec 13 at 14:34
|
show 1 more comment
My undergraduate major was not CS but Civil Engineering, and I took five CS courses in college. I worked as a software engineer for five years after I graduated, but not for famous companies. I love open source and I spend much time on it. Now I have a 2000+ stars GitHub open source repository and several 50-100 stars repos.
My target is a top 30 CS MS program in the US.
How helpful are popular GitHub repos like mine for applications, in particular when changing fields?
graduate-admissions graduate-school masters computer-science
edited Dec 19 at 11:12
henning
18.4k46293
asked Dec 13 at 7:33
user2790103
565
My undergraduate major was not CS but Civil Engineering, and I took five CS courses in college. I worked as a software engineer for five years after I graduated, but not for famous companies. I love open source and I spend much time on it. Now I have a 2000+ stars GitHub open source repository and several 50-100 stars repos.
My target is a top 30 CS MS program in the US.
How helpful are popular GitHub repos like mine for applications, in particular when changing fields?
graduate-admissions graduate-school masters computer-science
graduate-admissions graduate-school masters computer-science
edited Dec 19 at 11:12
henning
18.4k46293
asked Dec 13 at 7:33
user2790103
565
edited Dec 19 at 11:12
henning
18.4k46293
asked Dec 13 at 7:33
user2790103
565
edited Dec 19 at 11:12
henning
18.4k46293
edited Dec 19 at 11:12
henning
18.4k46293
edited Dec 19 at 11:12
henning
18.4k46293
18.4k46293
asked Dec 13 at 7:33
user2790103
565
asked Dec 13 at 7:33
user2790103
565
asked Dec 13 at 7:33
user2790103
565
565
An admission committee can give you insights, but we aren't that committee, so we can't. Perhaps you can rephrase your question in terms that we can answer? (Please avoid shopping questions in any rephrasing.)
– user2768
Dec 13 at 8:07
One answerable question might be how much emphasis to put on the GitHub reputation in the application.
– Patricia Shanahan
Dec 13 at 8:34
@PatriciaShanahan and user2768 Thanks!
– user2790103
Dec 13 at 8:41
If you don't have a top B.Sc in CS you may find this a much more significant obstacle, as you'll be competing with mainly CS B.Sc. grads with top grades. You need to demonstrate a consistent interest in CS, not just programming. Be prepared for extra course requirements (to ensure you are at B.Sc. CS levels) and hence extra time and extra expense.
– StephenG
Dec 13 at 14:17
6
If you don't have a top B.Sc in CS you may find this a much more significant obstacle — I doubt it, actually. Lots of people change fields between undergrad and grad school, and five years of experience and a popular github repo go a long way toward balancing out a lack of formal academic training.
– JeffE
Dec 13 at 14:34
|
show 1 more comment
An admission committee can give you insights, but we aren't that committee, so we can't. Perhaps you can rephrase your question in terms that we can answer? (Please avoid shopping questions in any rephrasing.)
– user2768
Dec 13 at 8:07
One answerable question might be how much emphasis to put on the GitHub reputation in the application.
– Patricia Shanahan
Dec 13 at 8:34
@PatriciaShanahan and user2768 Thanks!
– user2790103
Dec 13 at 8:41
If you don't have a top B.Sc in CS you may find this a much more significant obstacle, as you'll be competing with mainly CS B.Sc. grads with top grades. You need to demonstrate a consistent interest in CS, not just programming. Be prepared for extra course requirements (to ensure you are at B.Sc. CS levels) and hence extra time and extra expense.
– StephenG
Dec 13 at 14:17
6
If you don't have a top B.Sc in CS you may find this a much more significant obstacle — I doubt it, actually. Lots of people change fields between undergrad and grad school, and five years of experience and a popular github repo go a long way toward balancing out a lack of formal academic training.
– JeffE
Dec 13 at 14:34
An admission committee can give you insights, but we aren't that committee, so we can't. Perhaps you can rephrase your question in terms that we can answer? (Please avoid shopping questions in any rephrasing.)
– user2768
Dec 13 at 8:07
An admission committee can give you insights, but we aren't that committee, so we can't. Perhaps you can rephrase your question in terms that we can answer? (Please avoid shopping questions in any rephrasing.)
– user2768
Dec 13 at 8:07
One answerable question might be how much emphasis to put on the GitHub reputation in the application.
– Patricia Shanahan
Dec 13 at 8:34
One answerable question might be how much emphasis to put on the GitHub reputation in the application.
– Patricia Shanahan
Dec 13 at 8:34
@PatriciaShanahan and user2768 Thanks!
– user2790103
Dec 13 at 8:41
@PatriciaShanahan and user2768 Thanks!
– user2790103
Dec 13 at 8:41
If you don't have a top B.Sc in CS you may find this a much more significant obstacle, as you'll be competing with mainly CS B.Sc. grads with top grades. You need to demonstrate a consistent interest in CS, not just programming. Be prepared for extra course requirements (to ensure you are at B.Sc. CS levels) and hence extra time and extra expense.
– StephenG
Dec 13 at 14:17
If you don't have a top B.Sc in CS you may find this a much more significant obstacle, as you'll be competing with mainly CS B.Sc. grads with top grades. You need to demonstrate a consistent interest in CS, not just programming. Be prepared for extra course requirements (to ensure you are at B.Sc. CS levels) and hence extra time and extra expense.
– StephenG
Dec 13 at 14:17
6
6
If you don't have a top B.Sc in CS you may find this a much more significant obstacle — I doubt it, actually. Lots of people change fields between undergrad and grad school, and five years of experience and a popular github repo go a long way toward balancing out a lack of formal academic training.
– JeffE
Dec 13 at 14:34
If you don't have a top B.Sc in CS you may find this a much more significant obstacle — I doubt it, actually. Lots of people change fields between undergrad and grad school, and five years of experience and a popular github repo go a long way toward balancing out a lack of formal academic training.
– JeffE
Dec 13 at 14:34
|
show 1 more comment
1 Answer
1
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oldest
votes
2000+ stars Github repo is an amazing achievement. This will definitely make you stand out if you know how to use it right.
You should tell a story in Cover letter/Statement of purpose/or whatever it is called: what is your passion with coding and open source, how did you come up with the idea for that project, how well it was received by the community (explain a bit as people may not know github), how it helped other projects (search if any other repos that use your tool)
This part is not an answer: ask yourself why do you want a Master? this is impressive for a PhD program too. If you just want a Master, then it's better to find a job with a top tech company instead of wasting 2 years, and a lot of money. Stackoverflow has a function that if you give them your github, it can refer you to employers.
answered Dec 13 at 8:48
qsp
10.9k82963
What is the function where if you give them your github, they refer you? I took a small glance and couldn't find anything like that.
– Seiyria
Dec 13 at 14:13
@Seiyria Try the jobs board and the developer story.
– TRiG
Dec 13 at 14:38
@TRiG I see that and have it set up, but what I'm trying to figure out is where the "github employer match" feature is. I don't recall this existing in that capacity - just that you can put your github stuff on your profile. If there exists some documentation that SO uses it to match, that would help. Otherwise, it's just a result of having github related stuff on your profile and it being more appealing to employers (not specifically seeking to match with them).
– Seiyria
Dec 13 at 14:45
5
It will definitely need some explanation. Many CS academics don't participate in open-source development (*raises hand*) and will have no idea what "2000 stars on github" means.
– David Richerby
Dec 13 at 15:56
1
@PascLeRasc No, it's a terrible filter. The asker can continue to do open-source development in grad school regardless of what his professors do, and it's perfectly possible to have enthusiastic open-source developers on the faculty but not on the admissions committee.
– David Richerby
Dec 13 at 21:08
|
show 3 more comments
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2000+ stars Github repo is an amazing achievement. This will definitely make you stand out if you know how to use it right.
You should tell a story in Cover letter/Statement of purpose/or whatever it is called: what is your passion with coding and open source, how did you come up with the idea for that project, how well it was received by the community (explain a bit as people may not know github), how it helped other projects (search if any other repos that use your tool)
This part is not an answer: ask yourself why do you want a Master? this is impressive for a PhD program too. If you just want a Master, then it's better to find a job with a top tech company instead of wasting 2 years, and a lot of money. Stackoverflow has a function that if you give them your github, it can refer you to employers.
answered Dec 13 at 8:48
qsp
10.9k82963
What is the function where if you give them your github, they refer you? I took a small glance and couldn't find anything like that.
– Seiyria
Dec 13 at 14:13
@Seiyria Try the jobs board and the developer story.
– TRiG
Dec 13 at 14:38
@TRiG I see that and have it set up, but what I'm trying to figure out is where the "github employer match" feature is. I don't recall this existing in that capacity - just that you can put your github stuff on your profile. If there exists some documentation that SO uses it to match, that would help. Otherwise, it's just a result of having github related stuff on your profile and it being more appealing to employers (not specifically seeking to match with them).
– Seiyria
Dec 13 at 14:45
5
It will definitely need some explanation. Many CS academics don't participate in open-source development (*raises hand*) and will have no idea what "2000 stars on github" means.
– David Richerby
Dec 13 at 15:56
1
@PascLeRasc No, it's a terrible filter. The asker can continue to do open-source development in grad school regardless of what his professors do, and it's perfectly possible to have enthusiastic open-source developers on the faculty but not on the admissions committee.
– David Richerby
Dec 13 at 21:08
|
show 3 more comments
2000+ stars Github repo is an amazing achievement. This will definitely make you stand out if you know how to use it right.
You should tell a story in Cover letter/Statement of purpose/or whatever it is called: what is your passion with coding and open source, how did you come up with the idea for that project, how well it was received by the community (explain a bit as people may not know github), how it helped other projects (search if any other repos that use your tool)
This part is not an answer: ask yourself why do you want a Master? this is impressive for a PhD program too. If you just want a Master, then it's better to find a job with a top tech company instead of wasting 2 years, and a lot of money. Stackoverflow has a function that if you give them your github, it can refer you to employers.
answered Dec 13 at 8:48
qsp
10.9k82963
What is the function where if you give them your github, they refer you? I took a small glance and couldn't find anything like that.
– Seiyria
Dec 13 at 14:13
@Seiyria Try the jobs board and the developer story.
– TRiG
Dec 13 at 14:38
@TRiG I see that and have it set up, but what I'm trying to figure out is where the "github employer match" feature is. I don't recall this existing in that capacity - just that you can put your github stuff on your profile. If there exists some documentation that SO uses it to match, that would help. Otherwise, it's just a result of having github related stuff on your profile and it being more appealing to employers (not specifically seeking to match with them).
– Seiyria
Dec 13 at 14:45
5
It will definitely need some explanation. Many CS academics don't participate in open-source development (*raises hand*) and will have no idea what "2000 stars on github" means.
– David Richerby
Dec 13 at 15:56
1
@PascLeRasc No, it's a terrible filter. The asker can continue to do open-source development in grad school regardless of what his professors do, and it's perfectly possible to have enthusiastic open-source developers on the faculty but not on the admissions committee.
– David Richerby
Dec 13 at 21:08
|
show 3 more comments
2000+ stars Github repo is an amazing achievement. This will definitely make you stand out if you know how to use it right.
You should tell a story in Cover letter/Statement of purpose/or whatever it is called: what is your passion with coding and open source, how did you come up with the idea for that project, how well it was received by the community (explain a bit as people may not know github), how it helped other projects (search if any other repos that use your tool)
This part is not an answer: ask yourself why do you want a Master? this is impressive for a PhD program too. If you just want a Master, then it's better to find a job with a top tech company instead of wasting 2 years, and a lot of money. Stackoverflow has a function that if you give them your github, it can refer you to employers.
answered Dec 13 at 8:48
qsp
10.9k82963
2000+ stars Github repo is an amazing achievement. This will definitely make you stand out if you know how to use it right.
You should tell a story in Cover letter/Statement of purpose/or whatever it is called: what is your passion with coding and open source, how did you come up with the idea for that project, how well it was received by the community (explain a bit as people may not know github), how it helped other projects (search if any other repos that use your tool)
This part is not an answer: ask yourself why do you want a Master? this is impressive for a PhD program too. If you just want a Master, then it's better to find a job with a top tech company instead of wasting 2 years, and a lot of money. Stackoverflow has a function that if you give them your github, it can refer you to employers.
answered Dec 13 at 8:48
qsp
10.9k82963
edited Dec 13 at 8:56
answered Dec 13 at 8:48
qsp
10.9k82963
answered Dec 13 at 8:48
qsp
10.9k82963
answered Dec 13 at 8:48
qsp
10.9k82963
10.9k82963
What is the function where if you give them your github, they refer you? I took a small glance and couldn't find anything like that.
– Seiyria
Dec 13 at 14:13
@Seiyria Try the jobs board and the developer story.
– TRiG
Dec 13 at 14:38
@TRiG I see that and have it set up, but what I'm trying to figure out is where the "github employer match" feature is. I don't recall this existing in that capacity - just that you can put your github stuff on your profile. If there exists some documentation that SO uses it to match, that would help. Otherwise, it's just a result of having github related stuff on your profile and it being more appealing to employers (not specifically seeking to match with them).
– Seiyria
Dec 13 at 14:45
5
It will definitely need some explanation. Many CS academics don't participate in open-source development (*raises hand*) and will have no idea what "2000 stars on github" means.
– David Richerby
Dec 13 at 15:56
1
@PascLeRasc No, it's a terrible filter. The asker can continue to do open-source development in grad school regardless of what his professors do, and it's perfectly possible to have enthusiastic open-source developers on the faculty but not on the admissions committee.
– David Richerby
Dec 13 at 21:08
|
show 3 more comments
What is the function where if you give them your github, they refer you? I took a small glance and couldn't find anything like that.
– Seiyria
Dec 13 at 14:13
@Seiyria Try the jobs board and the developer story.
– TRiG
Dec 13 at 14:38
@TRiG I see that and have it set up, but what I'm trying to figure out is where the "github employer match" feature is. I don't recall this existing in that capacity - just that you can put your github stuff on your profile. If there exists some documentation that SO uses it to match, that would help. Otherwise, it's just a result of having github related stuff on your profile and it being more appealing to employers (not specifically seeking to match with them).
– Seiyria
Dec 13 at 14:45
5
It will definitely need some explanation. Many CS academics don't participate in open-source development (*raises hand*) and will have no idea what "2000 stars on github" means.
– David Richerby
Dec 13 at 15:56
1
@PascLeRasc No, it's a terrible filter. The asker can continue to do open-source development in grad school regardless of what his professors do, and it's perfectly possible to have enthusiastic open-source developers on the faculty but not on the admissions committee.
– David Richerby
Dec 13 at 21:08
What is the function where if you give them your github, they refer you? I took a small glance and couldn't find anything like that.
– Seiyria
Dec 13 at 14:13
What is the function where if you give them your github, they refer you? I took a small glance and couldn't find anything like that.
– Seiyria
Dec 13 at 14:13
@Seiyria Try the jobs board and the developer story.
– TRiG
Dec 13 at 14:38
@Seiyria Try the jobs board and the developer story.
– TRiG
Dec 13 at 14:38
@TRiG I see that and have it set up, but what I'm trying to figure out is where the "github employer match" feature is. I don't recall this existing in that capacity - just that you can put your github stuff on your profile. If there exists some documentation that SO uses it to match, that would help. Otherwise, it's just a result of having github related stuff on your profile and it being more appealing to employers (not specifically seeking to match with them).
– Seiyria
Dec 13 at 14:45
@TRiG I see that and have it set up, but what I'm trying to figure out is where the "github employer match" feature is. I don't recall this existing in that capacity - just that you can put your github stuff on your profile. If there exists some documentation that SO uses it to match, that would help. Otherwise, it's just a result of having github related stuff on your profile and it being more appealing to employers (not specifically seeking to match with them).
– Seiyria
Dec 13 at 14:45
5
5
It will definitely need some explanation. Many CS academics don't participate in open-source development (*raises hand*) and will have no idea what "2000 stars on github" means.
– David Richerby
Dec 13 at 15:56
It will definitely need some explanation. Many CS academics don't participate in open-source development (*raises hand*) and will have no idea what "2000 stars on github" means.
– David Richerby
Dec 13 at 15:56
1
1
@PascLeRasc No, it's a terrible filter. The asker can continue to do open-source development in grad school regardless of what his professors do, and it's perfectly possible to have enthusiastic open-source developers on the faculty but not on the admissions committee.
– David Richerby
Dec 13 at 21:08
@PascLeRasc No, it's a terrible filter. The asker can continue to do open-source development in grad school regardless of what his professors do, and it's perfectly possible to have enthusiastic open-source developers on the faculty but not on the admissions committee.
– David Richerby
Dec 13 at 21:08
|
show 3 more comments
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An admission committee can give you insights, but we aren't that committee, so we can't. Perhaps you can rephrase your question in terms that we can answer? (Please avoid shopping questions in any rephrasing.)
– user2768
Dec 13 at 8:07
One answerable question might be how much emphasis to put on the GitHub reputation in the application.
– Patricia Shanahan
Dec 13 at 8:34
@PatriciaShanahan and user2768 Thanks!
– user2790103
Dec 13 at 8:41
If you don't have a top B.Sc in CS you may find this a much more significant obstacle, as you'll be competing with mainly CS B.Sc. grads with top grades. You need to demonstrate a consistent interest in CS, not just programming. Be prepared for extra course requirements (to ensure you are at B.Sc. CS levels) and hence extra time and extra expense.
– StephenG
Dec 13 at 14:17
6
If you don't have a top B.Sc in CS you may find this a much more significant obstacle — I doubt it, actually. Lots of people change fields between undergrad and grad school, and five years of experience and a popular github repo go a long way toward balancing out a lack of formal academic training.
– JeffE
Dec 13 at 14:34