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Hi everyone, I could use some advice - I'm a junior in computer science and statistics (focusing on machine learning) at a top university. I'm also active in extracurriculars (including some leadership positions), and I've just started work on a startup that I had the idea for a few weeks ago.

Things just got complicated because my college announced a joint BS/MS program that means I could get a master's degree by the end of the next year, but I'd have to drop almost everything else to do it. Earning the master's would mean sacrificing most of my statistics coursework, as well as a lot outside of class (clubs, sports, even friends to a degree), so the question I'm facing is how much of a difference an MS actually makes in the working world. I'm planning to do startups, or if that fails, probably to go into project-manager type positions in the software industry (potentially machine learning project specifically). In those kinds of roles, does it make a difference to have an MS in computer science vs a double BS in computer science/statistics? I'd prefer to just work on what I'm interested in, which wouldn't lead to the master's degree, but if it's worth it it might make sense to make some sacrifices.

Thanks for the help.

Hey everyone, I'm a college student in CS and aspiring startup founder. I've stumbled upon a problem I want to solve, and I believe that the best way to test this idea's feasibility is to get a v1 launched and exposed to users ASAP (most likely my college campus to get started). However, I've been focusing on coursework and ML stuff over the last few years, so the last time I did web application development, it was in raw LAMP, and I know the technology du jour has changed. Since I know Python, I've been looking a bit into using Django or Google App Engine to get a first version running (since I know Python already but not Ruby), but I'd apprecate any advice on what would be the most frictionless way to get something, anything, running. Also, does anyone have any tips on where to find/buy templates/design packages so the site looks decent without having to actually hire a designer? Thanks - any input from those more experienced is much appreciated.

From the recent "How to get Startup Ideas" article:

"So if you're a CS major and you want to start a startup, instead of taking a class on entrepreneurship you're better off taking a class on, say, genetics. Or better still, go work for a biotech company. CS majors normally get summer jobs at computer hardware or software companies. But if you want to find startup ideas, you might do better to get a summer job in some unrelated field. "

As a third-year CS major in college with a couple of software internships under my belt, including one at Google, I'm thinking right now about which industries would be the best to dip a toe in and see where they could use some help from ideas from the tech world. One area that's clearly been exploding is bioinformatics - I've spent some time at a lab doing research in the area, and it's an interesting field. What are some other ones that people might not immediately think about?

Hi all, I'm a first-year at the University of Chicago still searching for a summer internship in software or robotics, and I'm in the interesting position of having been accepted to an internship so far only at Google. As I understand, I'm now in the unfortunate situation of being stuck in the intern "pool" until someone fishes me out, unless I track down someone at Google who's looking for an intern for the summer myself. So, would anyone, especially Googlers/ex-Googlers, have any input on where to best go from here? I'm trying to land a position in the Mountain View Googleplex for the summer, but I'm hesitant to leave the team matching process to chance. Thanks!

I'm a recent US high school graduate currently on gap year working at a software startup, in no small part thanks to the advice I got on HN in April. I'm reapplying to numerous universities, one of which will be either Oxford or Cambridge (for engineering; applying to both is not possible), and I need to decide which soon.

I've been leaning towards Oxford, because it's in a larger town and offers a combined Engineering/Economics course, and I've heard that the difference in the sci/eng programs' quality in the two universities is insignificant. However, I just read about "Silicon Fen", which is evidently the UK's tech-company concentration spot, located around Cambridge. Its existence pointed me to the thought that Cambridge has a better concentration of hackers than Oxford.

So, can any HNers with experience with the two universities help with some input regarding the comparative strengths of the engineering (and science) programs, and the student bodies of the two universities? As well as a macro look at the universities, any advice on which colleges within the universities offer the best atmosphere for a budding hacker (preferably without being too bookish) would also be very helpful.

Thanks for the advice.