Notes Essays—Peter Thiel’s CS183: Startup—Stanford, Spring 2012

Here are my essay versions of my class notes from CS183: Startup. Errors and omissions are my own. Credit for good stuff is Peter’s.


Class 1: The Challenge of the Future


Class 2: Party Like it’s 1999?


Class 3: Value Systems


Class 4: The Last Mover Advantage


Class 5: The Mechanics of Mafia


Class 6: Thiel’s Law


Class 7: Follow The Money


Class 8: The Pitch


Class 9: If You Build It, Will They Come?


Class 10: After Web 2.0


Class 11: Secrets


Class 12: War and Peace


Class 13: You Are Not A Lottery Ticket


Class 14: Seeing Green


Class 15: Back to the Future


Class 16: Decoding Ourselves


Class 17: Deep Thought


Class 18: Founder as Victim, Founder as God


Class 19: Stagnation or Singularity?

Advice for Prospective Research Students

Like most professors, I get several hundred emails a year from prospective students interested in coming to UVa for graduate school and joining my research group. I try to reply to all messages that are not obviously spam, but find most messages I receive make me less likely to want to accept the students sending them. This page provides some advice for prospective grad school applicants considering emailing me, but most of it probably applies to any other professor you want to contact also.

Who To Contact

Its a really bad idea to send spam emails to long lists of professors. These emails will never help you, and some professors will maintain blacklists of applicants who do this to make sure their application is rejected without consideration.

Your goal in sending email is not to contact as many professors as you can, but to identify a few professors who you might want as your research advisor and then to find which of those seem most promising as advisors and convince them that you would be a worthwhile student.

You should only contact professors with whom you have a genuine interest in working based on knowing something about them and what they do. You can find out about professors' research by looking at their web pages (professors who don't have web pages about their research are either not interested in recruiting students, not doing any research, or so famous they probably have someone to filter their email for them).

Do Your Homework

Before contacting a potential advisor, do your homework: read the advisor's home page (mine is http://www.cs.virginia.edu/evans/, and our group blog is www.jeffersonswheel.org) and at least one recent paper (links to my papers are available athttp://www.cs.virginia.edu/evans/pubs/).

If doing this doesn't give you any interesting ideas, this is probably not someone with whom you want to do research so you shouldn't waste time contacting her or him. If it does, send a short introductory email.

First Email

A typical message should go something like this:

From: Flipper Wordsfish <flipper@adou.edu> Subject: Student Interested in TSU Problem Make sure your from address and subject lines are useful
Dear Professor Nemo, Greeting: its safest to be a bit formal here.
I will be finishing a BS degree in Underwater Mathematics at the Atlantis Deep Ocean University this year. I am considering applying to UVa's PhD program and would be interested joining your Octople Cryptology research group. Briefly introduce yourself in at most two sentences. Don't tell your whole life story. Be direct and clear about applying to grad school.
I found your paper, "A Linear-Time Solution to the Travelling Sea Urchin Problem", on your website (http://www.smith.org/urchin.html). I was fascinated by your result, especially as I have spent several summers studying the similar travelling sea cucumber problem as an intern at Microshifty Corp in the Attle Sea. You can find a paper about my work on this at http://www.flipper.com/research/tscp.html. Explain specifically what you read and where you found it (people sometimes publish several papers with similar names and forget which is which). A touch of flattery never hurts, but don't go overboard. If appropriate, relate it to your background and interests and briefly plug your work.
I believe your result is even more important than your paper implies, since it can be extended to solve the Travelling Salescritter Problem and thus to prove P = NP. Concisely describe your insight or why you are interested in the work.
Do you think it would be worthwhile to pursue this line of research? If you are interested, I can send you a proof sketch. End with a clear, simple question. Offer a suggestion on how to proceed.
Regards, Flipper Wordsfish (flipper@adou.edu) Closing — make sure to include yourname and email address.

Of course, your insight isn't likely to be so significant as Flipper's. But, you should make an effort to raise an interesting question about the work described in the paper, to suggest extensions or applications of the work, or to relate it directly to something you have done.

It is definitely worth taking time to write clearly and consisely using correct spelling and grammar. As with all emails, the message should be broken into short paragraphs, the sentences should be simple and straightforward.

What Not To Do

Never do any of these:

• Don't send information about your GRE scores, GPA, class rank, cholesterol levels, favorite movies, etc. and ask what your chances of admission are. Standardized tests and grades have minimal influence on your chances of admission and reveal very little about your potential as a researcher. No one can or should tell you anything about your chances of admission based on an email (other than that you are more likely to be rejected now since you sent an annoying email).
• Don't send a first email longer than a typical screenful. You should be able to get across everything you need in a first email concisely and use longer emails if technical depth is required in follow ups.
• Don't waste space and time telling me how hard-working, creative and smart you are — demonstrate it with the contents of your message.
• Don't waste space and time telling me how brilliant I am. The fact that you are interested in joining my research group is flattery enough.
• Don't make generic statements about being interested in my work or how well it relates to your interests. Most professors have projects in several different areas and can't figure out what you mean unless you describe a specific connection or interest.
• Don't attach anything to your email. If you want to provide additional content, you should do this by sending a URL (as plain text, not a link). If you are not able to create a web page, you probably shouldn't be applying to CS graduate programs.
• Don't use HTML encoded email or non-standard character sets.
• If you are a non-native English speaker, make sure your "From:" address appears using the English alphabet. If you have a name that is difficult for English speakers to pronounce or distinguish, it is to your advantage to use a name that English speakers can pronounce and remember. I do realize it is very unfair for us to expect you to change your name for our convenience and cultural ignorance! But, once you get admitted you can and should tell people what you want them to call you.
  Note that for your formal application it is necessary to use your legal name, so if you use another name in your email communications with faculty, it is important to also provide the name you use in your application so they can identify the corresponding application. This is probably not necessary in a first email, but is a good opportunity to refresh the relationship after you send in your application by informing your contact to the formal name used in your application.
• Don't use any fancy formatting in your email (including your message signature).

Follow Up

Since most professors get lots of email, there is some chance that even if you do everything right, your message will get lost in my inbox and you won't get a reply. If you don't get a reply after about a week, send a follow up email that politely asks if the message was received and includes the previous message. If you still don't get a response, that's a pretty good sign that the potential professor you are contacting either has an overly-agressive spam filter, or is not someone you want as your advisor.

Conclusion

Getting into a good PhD program is extremely competitive and professors are strongly motivated to identify and attract the best possible research students to their group. At any department you would want to go to (including UVa), the acceptance rate is usually in the single digit percentages. At the most competitive departments, only a few slots every year are awarded to students without recommendation letters from people the faculty know well.

It takes work to find the right PhD program and advisor, but contacting potential advisors directly is your best way to find a research group that matches your interests and goals well and possibly to improve your chances of being admitted.

Once you've read and followed these directions, please feel free to contact me about coming to UVa to do a PhD in Computer Science. Your goal is to start an interesting email conversation about research ideas.

If you find that my research does not fit well with your interests, feel free to contact me for general advice and suggestions on other professors to contact.

Links

Michael Locasto's advice for prospective students

My Advice Collection on other topics

Getting Recommendation Letters for Graduate School

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Should You Write Your Own Recommendation Letter for Graduate School?What do you do if a prof tells you to write up a letter?
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Getting Good Letters of Recommendation; Experiences that MatterWhat kinds of experiences lead to helpful recommendation letters?
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Thanking Your Letter WritersThanking those who write letters of recommendation on your behalf is not just good manners, it's solid professional advice. Here's a sample letter to illustrate this simple but very effective note.
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Statement of purpose

About the Graduate Admissions EssayYour admissions essay ensures that you match up with a graduate program that will offer you the training you need for the career you desire.
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7 Common Admissions Essay MistakesSkip these common errors to ensure that your essay sends the message you intend.
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Avoid an Overly Personal Graduate Admissions EssayBeware: You can reveal too much in your admissions essay
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Beat Writer's Block and Write Your Graduate Admissions EssayBanish writer's block to write a graduate admissions essay that gets you into grad school.
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Writing Your Admissions EssayWhat do you include? Leave out?
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What Ask Yourself Before Writing a Graduate Admissions EssayKnow yourself to write an effective admissions essay.
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Example of a Graduate School Recommendation Letter Written by a Professor

Every recommendation letter is unique, written for a particular student. But good recommendation letters share similarities in format and expression. Below is a template showing one way of organizing a recommendation letter for graduate study. Here the emphasis is on the student's academic work. The letter begins by explaining the context in which the student is known, followed by details of the work that forms the basis for the writer's recommendation. It is the details that count.

December 19, 201x

Dr. Smith

Director of Admissions
Graduate School University
101 Grad Avenue
GradTown, WI, 10000

Dear Dr. Smith:

I am writing to you in support of Mr. Stu Student and his desire to attend Graduate School University for the Basket Weaving program. Though many students ask me to make this request on their behalf, I only recommend students whom I feel are well-suited for the program of their choice. Mr. Student is one of those students and therefore, I highly recommend that he be given the opportunity to attend your university.

As professor of the Basket Weaving Department at Undergrad University, I work with many students who have substantial knowledge of basket weaving. Mr. Student has consistently shown such a strong desire to learn basket weaving that I simply could not turn down his request for a recommendation.

I first met Mr Student in my Intro to Basket Weaving course during the Fall 2010 semester. Compared to the class average of 70, Mr. Student earned a 96 in the class. Mr. Student was evaluated on [explain basis for grades, e.g., exams, papers, etc.], in which he performed exceptionally well.


Though Stu has consistently exceeded in all areas of his coursework, the best example of his intelligence shone through a [paper/presentation/project/etc.] on theories of basket weaving. The work clearly showed his ability to deliver a clear, concise, and well-thought presentation with a new perspective by demonstrating [embellish here].Stu is an outstanding individual with a strong character. He has the ability to produce impressive results in a wide variety of areas. Stu is/has [list of positive traits/skills, e.g. organized, motivated, etc.]. I have seen astonishing results on complex projects that offered great attention to detail where quality was never compromised. Additionally, he has a very positive attitude and truly embraces learning all there is to know about basket weaving.

In addition to his coursework, Stu also dedicated some of his] time volunteering at [Club or Organization Name]. His position required him to [list of tasks]. He felt volunteering was an important leadership role, in which he learned [list of skills]. The skills acquired through volunteering will be beneficial to all of Stu's future endeavors. Stu has the ability to manage and organize his time and schedule around different activities without having them interfere with his work. school.

I believe Stu is destined to be a leader in basket weaving, and therefore is an excellent candidate for your school. I highly recommend that you consider his application, as he will be a great asset to your program. I'm sure you will find him to be a student whose talents will only grow. If you would like further information, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Tea Cher, Ph.D.
Professor
Undergrad University

Sample Recommendation Letter from an Employer

Graduate school applications are standardized, meaning that they all contain the same basic parts: standardized test scores, admissions essays, transcripts, and, perhaps most overwhelming to students,recommendation letters.

Letters of recommendation - three words that often stress both students and faculty. Why are grad school recommendations so overwhelming? Because students often feel that they have no control over their content - and they often wonder who to ask. Requesting recommendation letter is daunting, but most students don't consider the challenge that professors face in writing letters of recommendation. So what does it take to write a letter of recommendation? A good, helpful letter of recommendation discusses the student in detail and provides evidence to support statements. Unfortunately there are many ways to write a bad recommendation.


Each student is different. Each application is different. There is no universal letter of recommendation. Every situation is different and certainly you will write different letters for all of your students. Samples, however, help. Letter writers (and students) may find these sample letters of recommendation helpful:

Sample Grad School Recommendation Letter from a Professor
This example is written by a professor.

An Effective Letter of Recommendation for Graduate School
An explanation of what goes into an effective recommendation letter coupled a brief letter.

A Poor Recommendation Letter
An example of what not to do when writing a recommendation letter as well as an explanation of why it is inappropriate.

Sample Recommendation Letter from an Employer
Frequently graduate applicants request recommendation letters from current employers. Here's an example of what you might write if you are in the position of writing on behalf of an employee.

Sample Recommendation Letter by a Professor
An example of a basic letter written by an instructor.


Another Prof's Grad School Recommendation Letter
Sample recommendation letter illustrating what might be included in a letter of recommendation.

An Effective Recommendation Letter: Sample

Whether a letter is good or simply adequate depends not just on it's content but on how well it fits the program to which you’re applying. Consider the following letter written for a student who is applying to an online graduate program:

In this case, the student is applying to an online graduate program and the professor's experiences with the student are entirely in online courses. Considering this purpose, the letter is good. The professor speaks from experiences with student in an online class environment, presumably similar to what he will experience in an online graduate program. The professor describes the nature of the course and discusses the student's work within that environment. This letter supports the students' application to an online program because the professor's experiences speak to the student's ability to excel in an online class environment. Specific example's of the students participation and contributions to the course would improve this letter.

This same letter is less effective for students who are applying to traditional brick-and-mortar programs because faculty will want to know about the student's real-life interaction skills and capacity to communicate and get along with others.

A Sample Letter of Recommendation is Below:

Dear Admissions Committee:

I am writing on behalf of Stu Dent's application to the online master’s program in Education offered at XXU. All of my experiences with Stu are as a student in my online courses. Stu enrolled in my Introduction to Education (ED 100) online course in Summer, 2003.

As you are aware, online courses, because of the lack of face-to-face interaction, require a high degree of motivation the part of students. The course is structured so that for each unit, students read the textbook as well as lectures that I have written, they post in discussion forums in which they converse with other students about issues raised by the readings, and they complete one or two essays. The summer online course is especially grueling as a full semester’s worth of content is covered in one month. Each week, students are expected to master the content that would be presented in 4 2-hour lectures. Stu performed very well in this course, earning a final score of 89, A-.


The following Fall (2003), he enrolled in my Early Childhood Education (ED 211) online course and continued his above average performance, earning a final score of 87, B+. Throughout both courses, Stu consistently submitted his work on time and was an active participant in the discussions, engaging other students, and sharing practical examples from his experience as a parent.

Though I have never met Stu face-to-face, from our online interactions, I can attest to his ability to complete the academic requirements of XXU's online master's program in Education. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at (xxx) xxx-xxxx or email: prof@xxx.edu

Sincerely,
Prof.

Sample Graduate School Recommendation Letters

Graduate school applications are standardized, meaning that they all contain the same basic parts: standardized test scores, admissions essays, transcripts, and, perhaps most overwhelming to students,recommendation letters.


Letters of recommendation - three words that often stress both students and faculty. Why are grad school recommendations so overwhelming? Because students often feel that they have no control over their content - and they often wonder who to ask. Requesting recommendation letter is daunting, but most students don't consider the challenge that professors face in writing letters of recommendation. So what does it take to write a letter of recommendation? A good, helpful letter of recommendation discusses the student in detail and provides evidence to support statements. Unfortunately there are many ways to write a bad recommendation.



An Effective Letter of Recommendation for Graduate SchoolEach student is different. Each application is different. There is no universal letter of recommendation. Every situation is different and certainly you will write different letters for all of your students. Samples, however, help. Letter writers (and students) may find these sample letters of recommendation helpful:


Sample Grad School Recommendation Letter from a Professor
This example is written by a professor.


An explanation of what goes into an effective recommendation letter coupled a brief letter.


A Poor Recommendation Letter
An example of what not to do when writing a recommendation letter as well as an explanation of why it is inappropriate.


Sample Recommendation Letter from an Employer
Frequently graduate applicants request recommendation letters from current employers. Here's an example of what you might write if you are in the position of writing on behalf of an employee.


Sample Recommendation Letter by a Professor
An example of a basic letter written by an instructor.

Sample Graduate School Recommendation by Professor

The success of your graduate school application relies on the quality of the recommendation letters professors write on your behalf. What goes into a helpful recommendation letter? Check out the sample letter of recommendation written by a professor. What makes it work?

An Effective Recommendation Letter for Graduate School
Explains how the professor knows the student. The professor speaks to the student’s abilities in several contexts (including assistant) rather than just in class.
Is detailed.
Supports statements with specific examples.
Compares a student to her peers and the letter explains exactly what makes the student stand out.
Describes a student's capacities in specific ways rather than simply noting that she is an excellent student prepared for grad school (all letters say that!)


Below is the body of an effective recommendation letter, written by a professor.

To: Graduate Admissions Committee

It is my pleasure to write on behalf of Jane Student, who is applying to the PhD program in Research Psychology at Major University. I have interacted with Jane in several contexts: as student, as teaching assistant, and as thesis mentee.

I first met Jane in 2008, when she enrolled in my introductory Psychology class. Jane immediately stood out from the crowd, even as a first semester freshman. Just a few months out of high school, Jane demonstrated characteristics commonly held by the best college students. She was attentive in class, prepared, submitted well-written and thoughtful assignments, and participated in meaningful ways, such as by debating other students. Throughout, Jane modeled critical thinking skills. Needless to say, Jane earned one of five A’s awarded in that class of 75 students. Since her first semester in college Jane has enrolled in six of my classes. She demonstrated similar competencies, and her skills grew with each semester. Most striking is her ability to tackle challenging material with enthusiasm and endurance. I teach a required course in Statistics that, as rumor has it, most students dread. Students’ fears of statistics is legendary across institutions, but Jane wasn’t fazed. As usual she was prepared for class, completed all assignments, and attended help sessions conducted by my teaching assistant. My teaching assistant reported that Jane seemed to learn concepts quickly, learning how to solve problems well before the other students. When placed in group work sessions, Jane easily adopted a leadership role, helping her peers learn how to solve problems on their own. It was these competencies that led me to offer Jane a position as teaching assistant for my statistics class.


As teaching assistant, Jane strengthened many of the skills I have articulated. In this position Jane held review sessions and offered out-of-class assistance to students. She also lectured in class several times during the semester. Her first lecture was a bit shaky. She clearly knew the concepts but had difficulty keeping pace with PowerPoint slides. When she abandoned the slides and worked off the blackboard, she improved. She was able to answer students questions and the two that she couldn’t answered she admitted to and said she’d get back to them. As a first lecture, she was very good. Most important to a career in academics, is that she improved in subsequent lectures. Leadership, humility, the ability to see areas in need of improvement, and the willingness to do the work needed to improve – these are all characteristics we value in academia.

Most important to a career in academics is research competence. As I have explained, Jane has an excellent grasp of statistics and other skills critical to a successful career in research, such as tenacity and excellent problem solving and critical thinking skills. As mentor of her senior thesis, I witnessed Jane in her first independent research efforts. Similar to other students, Jane struggled with finding an appropriate topic. Unlike other students, she conducted mini literature reviews on potential topics and discussed her ideas with a sophistication that is unusual for undergraduates. After methodical study, she chose a topic that fits her academic goals. Jane’s project examined [X]. Her project earned a department award, university award, and was presented as a paper at a regional psychology association.

In closing, I believe that Jane student has the capacity to excel at X and in a career as a research psychologist. She is one of a small handful of student that I have encountered I my 16 years teaching undergraduates that has this ability. Please do not hesitate to contact me with further questions.

Why this Letter is Effective
It is written by a professor who has extensive experience with the applicant.
The professor describes several aspects of the student's competence.
It describes how the student has grown and developed her skills.

What does this mean for you as a potential applicant to grad school? Work to foster close, multidimensional relationships with faculty. Develop good relationships with several faculty because one professor often cannot comment on all of your strengths. Good graduate school letters of recommendation are built over time. Take that time to get to know professors and for them to get to know you.

Email Template to Contact Graduate School Professors for MS and PhD

Planning to contact professor’s to apply for Graduate School Admission ( MS and PhD)? Use this email template as a starting point and improvise.


Here’s one email template you can use to contact professor to express your interest to his research and maybe that will lead graduate school admission with scholarship.


You may have to customize the email based on the professor’s research interest and your need. Don’t expect to get reply from all the professors.
Email template to contact professors


Dear Professor Last Name,

My name is /First Name/ and I am a current student at /University or College Name/ . As part of my Undergraduate project work with Professor Dr.XYZ implementing x y and z methods using technologies.

I am contacting you because I’m applying to programs in Major this . My research interests are in A, B, and C…

From your web page I saw that that you have done research on project X and Y. Because of our similar interests, your lab is one of the ones I am intrigued by at Graduate University. If you will be accepting any students into your lab for Fall 2015 Semester.

I’d be interested in hearing more about your particular lab and getting in touch with some of your current students.

Are you accepting new students for your lab and research work? I would appreciate, if you can direct me towards your most recent research (manuscripts, etc) as well.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Best Wishes,

You.


Now, you can use the above email template as a starting point. Then make changes based on the replies and types of professors you are contacting.


At times, you may have to just use a 3 line email or 10 lines email. The key is to improvise your email.


More information you include about research work and your past research experience, will make your email stand out from rest of the emails.


Your goal is get the conversation going from the first email.


P.S. Don’t ask for funding in the first email.


Email to Professor’s : Series


Following series of articles will give further information about contacting professors before Graduate School Admission ( Both Masters and PhD Degree).
How to contact Professor for Graduate School Admission ( this article )
Think Twice Before Contacting Professors via Email for Admission
11 Tips to Follow While Writing an Email to Professor
Email Template to Contact Graduate School Professors ( this article )
Sample Letter to Get Funding From University in USA
I Sent Email And Got Favorable Response From Professors
Reply from Professor is Disappointing About Grad School Admission