updates

demystify.tex

@@ -344,22 +344,23 @@ \section{Who is this document for?}
 
 The guideline can be useful for all students, but it is primarily intended for \textbf{international students} from \textbf{smaller countries and less well-known universities} (or domestic students from US universities with no PhD programs or limited research opportunities).
 
-Students from top schools with strong research cultures and experience might already know most of the information given here.
-My goal is thus to level the playing field by providing information that is not readily available to less privileged students. 
+Students from top schools with strong research programs and experience might already know most of the information given here.
+My goal is thus to level the playing field by providing info that is not readily available to less privileged students. 
 I hope to encourage more students with such backgrounds to apply to CS PhD programs in the US.
-Another goal of this document is to explain the \emph{``why''} behind the admission process, e.g., why LoRs are important, why you should not draft your own LoR, why you should contact professors, etc.  
 
-While this document may not fully meet the needs of students aiming for top-10 schools (\autoref{sec:ranking}), which typically have more stringent requirements (e.g., see the \href{https://da-data.blogspot.com/2015/03/reflecting-on-cs-graduate-admissions.html}{admission process} at CMU), it should be valuable for those targeting other reputable R1 institutions. It is certainly useful for students aiming for Mason!
+Another goal of this document is to explain the \emph{``why''} behind the admission process, e.g., why LoRs are important, why you should not draft your own LoR, why you should contact professors, etc. Understanding the reason and mindset of the admission committee and profs. can help you prepare better.
 
-\begin{commentbox}[Vu:]
-    One of the reasons I created this document is that my colleagues at Mason are interested in recruiting Vietnamese students and are surprised when seeing very few applications in Vietnam (see \autoref{sec:ack}). Each year our CS PhD program receives 500+ PhD applications, most of which are international but only 5--6 are from Vietnam. In general the number of CS PhD applications from Vietnam to US universities is very low and more would be welcome.
-  \end{commentbox}
+While this document may not fully meet the needs of students aiming for top-10 schools (\autoref{sec:selecting-ranking-schools} and \autoref{sec:ranking}), which typically have more stringent requirements (e.g., see the \href{https://da-data.blogspot.com/2015/03/reflecting-on-cs-graduate-admissions.html}{admission process} at CMU), it should be valuable for those targeting other reputable R1 institutions. It is certainly useful for students aiming for Mason!
+
+%\begin{commentbox}[Vu:]
+%    One of the reasons I created this document is that my colleagues at Mason are interested in recruiting Vietnamese students and are surprised when seeing very few applications in Vietnam (see \autoref{sec:ack}). Each year our CS PhD program receives 500+ PhD applications, most of which are international but only 5--6 are from Vietnam.
+%  \end{commentbox}
 
 
 \section{How long to complete the CS PhD program?}\label{sec:time}
 \sectioninfo{About 5--7 years in the US.}
 
-Typically, it takes 5--7 years for CS PhD in the US.  This can be longer than CS PhDs in other countries (\autoref{sec:msrequirement}), which might require MS first. 
+Typically, it takes 5--7 years for CS PhD in the US.  This can be longer than CS PhDs in other countries (\autoref{sec:non-us-differences}), which might require MS (\autoref{sec:phd-vs-ms}) first. 
 
 
 \begin{center}
@@ -1472,7 +1473,7 @@ \section{Contacting a prof. How to get a desired reply?}\label{sec:contact}
 \end{center}
 
 
-Faculty often receive ``cold'' e-mails from prospective students. Most of the time, we ignore these emails, but on some rare occasions, we do answer them. So how to write an email that gets our attention?
+Faculty often receive ``cold'' e-mails from prospective students. Most of the time, we ignore these emails (\autoref{sec:busy}), but on some rare occasions, we do answer them. So how to write an email that gets our attention?
 
 First, if you want to contact a prof. to \emph{ask about your admission chance}, please \textbf{don't}. We don't know and can't answer because as explained in \autoref{sec:evalapps}, we don't make individual decisions and might not even be assigned to evaluate your application.  It is the same as sending a paper draft to a journal editor and asking them if your paper has a chance.
 
@@ -1523,7 +1524,6 @@ \section{Contacting a prof. How to get a desired reply?}\label{sec:contact}
 \end{commentbox}
 
 
-
 \subsection*{Additional Resources}
 \begin{itemize}
   \item \href{https://yonatanbisk.com/emailing_professors.html}{A Note about Emailing Professors} by Yonatan Bisk
@@ -1585,7 +1585,7 @@ \section{Are profs. so busy that they completely ignore emails?} \label{sec:busy
 
 Profs. are busy. We have many deadlines, meetings, and emails, many of which are from prospective students looking for research opportunities. we also have a life outside of work, e.g., family, hobbies, etc. 
 
-However, this is not why we ``ghost'' you and provide no response.  It is because we want to avoid misunderstandings.  A response (\autoref{sec:interpreting-response}), no matter how clear we think it is, might be misinterpreted by the student.  For example, if we say we are not taking students but still (strongly) encourage to apply, then the student might take it as a positive sign of admission. Or if we say we are not interested, the student might take it as a personal rejection and not apply at all.  So it is not because we are too busy to reply, but because we do not want misunderstandings and have to deal with them later. 
+However, this is not why we ``ghost'' you and provide no response (\autoref{sec:interpreting-response}).  It is because we want to avoid misunderstandings.  A response (\autoref{sec:interpreting-response}), no matter how clear we think it is, might be misinterpreted by the student.  For example, if we say we are not taking students but still (strongly) encourage to apply, then the student might take it as a positive sign of admission. Or if we say we are not interested, the student might take it as a personal rejection and not apply at all.  So it is not because we are too busy to reply, but because we do not want misunderstandings and have to deal with them later. 
 
 
 
@@ -1838,7 +1838,7 @@ \chapter{MS Admission}\label{chap:ms}
 
 While both MS and PhD programs are graduate degrees, they are \emph{very different} in terms of objective, admission requirements, course requirements, duration, and funding. This section discusses the differences and provides guidance on applying to MS programs.
 
-\section{Differences between PhD and MS}
+\section{Differences between PhD and MS}\label{sec:phd-vs-ms}
 
 
 \begin{table}