Computer Science Experience and Background Essay

The general "statement of purpose" essay is not required for application to the computer science graduate program at USF. Instead, you should write a  Computer Science Experience and Background Essay , which you submit with your application. ( Please put your name at the top of the text of your essay )

Essay description : The department is interested in highly-motivated students with strong technical backgrounds who are eager to develop innovative software, perform research, and extend their computer science education. This essay provides an opportunity for applicants to detail their software development, research, and extracurricular experience. The essay will be used in conjunction with other quantitative measures to evaluate your suitability for admission and is required to be considered for a fellowship. In the essay, we are interested in topics such as the following:
  1. your most significant software development projects, including whether the project was commercial, academic, or just for fun
  2. research projects in which you have been involved
  3. published articles or other technical documents
  4. significant skills and interests you have beyond computer science, especially those that show creativity
  5. experience communicating technical material such as teaching or making presentations
  6. management or team leadership roles
  7. experience in public service projects.
Please describe very clearly  your  role in these endeavors and, further, what technology and languages you used. Naturally, you don't need to have experience in all areas, but we are eager to learn about your background. Those students coming from a nontraditional computer background should simply explain what computer programming experience they do have.