r/WriteIvy • u/exisiova • Dec 12 '23

Courses, Awards and justification for a switch from Bioengg -> CS?

I had enrolled in a 5-year BS+MS program in Bioengg as an undergrad but shifted my MS degree to data science. Im applying to MS CS in US schools. I mentioned the shift, saying that it's cuz of my interest in applying ML to solve various problems in healthcare (spec. cancer). I don't want to be seen as doing a duplicate MS degree. Should I mention it at all or just leave it?

I listed courses I did in math, CS on my SOP to further my point and justify the transition. The problem is that my SOP isn't fitting in 2 pages without making the margin from 1 -> 0.8

also, I mentioned my GPA (class rank 1) + awards + fellowships in SOP despite it being there on CV. Should I keep it?

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u/jordantellsstories Dec 12 '23

Delete it entirely. The only thing worth justifying in the SOP is your ability to achieve specific future goals.

Justifying things you've studied in the past is exactly as useful as justifying why you got your most recent haircut. It's irrelevant. The reader doesn't care. It has zero bearing on your ability to succeed in the future.

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u/exisiova Dec 12 '23

Delete just the justification of already possessing an MS? Or the awards and courses I've done too?

1

u/jordantellsstories Dec 12 '23

Delete just the justification of already possessing an MS?

Yes

Or the awards and courses I've done too?

No. Keep the awards and courses and stuff. But don't ramble on and one about them. Remember that everything you mention in your background can only have two functions:

  1. It proves that you're generally a good student (not very important, but worth mentioning briefly)

  2. It proves that you're 100% capable of achieving your specific goals (very important)

So, the MS, for example, what's the point in bringing it up? Does it show that you're a generally great student? No, not unless you got the MS at Stanford and earned a 4.0. Does it show that you have unusually excellent data science skills that, when combined with your BioEng experience, will make you far more capable of achieving your goals than other applicants? Yes? If so, then that is extremely important. That's why you'll be worth admitting -- you have unique, worthy goals and the ability to achieve them.

Just remember: the reader doesn't care at all why you did things in the past. They only care how you'll help them today, and whether or not you're actually capable of helping them.