Pretty good advice, much of it not exclusive to CS alone. In particular the notes about the opportunity cost involved with getting a PhD. I'd add to this: find

Pretty good advice, much of it not exclusive to CS alone. In particular the notes about the opportunity cost involved with getting a PhD. I'd add to this: find out with absolute clarity upfront what the terms are for applying as a doctoral student vs. a masters student (with option to matriculate). Often there is an expectation that doctoral students can and will pass qualifying exams within a pretty short period of time (a year perhaps) of being accepted to their program. This was the case in my own program.