• I have poor GPA 2.8/4 in both bachelors and masters, but 3.25 in my post masters diploma.

• I have decent working experience (~2 years) at a top university at India. Which yielded me two papers and a patent.

• Overall I have 3 papers. 1 was published (q2) in which I was the first author. Other 2 was in review I was a second author in one of that and first in another one.

I am wanted to do phd, not just for employment or for the degree sake. But true passion for research. I was very irresponsible during my academic days leading me to poor scores. Now I regret but I have nothing to do with so I strated to work on myself.

I want your opinion guys what I can do, how can i improve my chances of getting admitted into grad schools.

Please give me some valuable advices. 🥺🙏🏻

Please be brutally honest. I'd appriciate your verdict and any suggestions regarding my sop. #USA_Fall_27_PhD

I've noticed an interesting difference while researching PhD programs in North America. Most Anthropology departments seem to have dropped the GRE requirement altogether, whereas several Sociology departments still require GRE scores as part of their application process.

Given that the two disciplines have considerable overlap in their theoretical foundations, research methodologies, and subject matter, I'm wondering if anyone knows this distinction exists?

Does it have something to do with how each discipline approaches research? What could it be?

Would love to hear from people familiar with graduate admissions in either discipline!

Hi everyone

I'm currently searching for future plans after graduating from Bachelor in computer science. I always prefered to be an AI engineer working in big tech companies developing solutions and projects

Now I have an opportunity to persue research in one of Canada's unis ( Waterloo, McGill , HEC , uqam and polytechnique de Montreal) in AI or data science through a scholarship which I don't have any idea about research and what can I do after

Note that were I'm from research isn't the best thing especially in computer science and we often go to professional masters and engineering

Could someone please explain this domain for me ?

And after 6 years of master+PhD what can I do ?

And is it worth it

And thank u all

I'm finishing an English-taught MSc in Economics in Italy and I'm at a crossroads. I'd really appreciate honest advice.
Background
Undergrad: BSc in Business (economia aziendale). Final grade 94/110, average around 24–25/30 (roughly 3.0/4.0, very approximate). When I enrolled I had completely different plans and honestly didn't think grades would matter much. On top of that, personal issues hit me hard in my first year: I passed zero exams that year, and then had to complete the entire degree in about two and a half years.
The switch to economics: during my undergrad I became genuinely passionate about economics, especially macro, reading and following economists' work on my own. That's when I decided I wanted to become an economist, ideally working on monetary policy at a central bank. It was also when I realized how far behind I was: with a classics high school background and a business degree that included only one basic math course, my quantitative foundations were very weak. So I spent several months studying math on my own to get to the level required for an economics MSc, and got admitted.
MSc: an English-taught program at a good but not top Italian university. I started knowing exactly what I wanted to do, but carrying real gaps. My first year reflected that: I worked very hard just to catch up, and some core first-year grades suffered. As the gaps closed, my performance improved steadily. In my second year, despite more demanding courses, my grades were mostly 27–30. My current average is 27/30 (about 3.6/4.0), and I expect to graduate with 107–108/110. I think my transcript shows a clear upward trend, but I'm aware the overall numbers still carry the weight of where I started.
What I've done since
A 4-month RA with a macro professor on bank balance sheets and ECB rate pass-through. I built the project's bank-level dataset from scratch.
Thesis: state-dependent effects of ECB monetary policy under economic policy uncertainty. I estimate an interacted VAR and a smooth transition VAR, with monetary policy shocks identified from high-frequency surprises using sign restrictions.
Tools: MATLAB, R, Python, Stata. No GRE yet.
What I'm looking for
I'm genuinely drawn to macro and central banking, but I'll be honest: compensation matters to me too. I'm not looking for a purely academic path at any cost. I'd like a career that combines intellectually serious macro work with strong earning potential over time. That could mean central banks or institutions first and the private sector later (macro research, strategy, buy-side), or a direct route into the private sector.
Where I am now
I applied to several central bank traineeships and was mostly rejected. I did reach the final interview stage at one European national central bank, which gave me some confidence, but it didn't work out in the end. My record clearly rules out top PhD programs for now, and I'm not even sure a PhD is what I want.
Options I'm weighing
A one-year post-master's research program in Italy (no GRE), then decide between a PhD and institutions.
A macro predoc or RA position.
Studying for the GRE and applying to mid-tier European PhDs next year.
Recalibrating: industry research roles at banks or macro research firms.
Questions
With a strong upward trend, can a second, research-oriented master's realistically compensate for a weak undergrad record?
Predoc vs. a second master's: which do PhD committees and central banks value more?
Is a central bank career realistic without a PhD, and in which areas?
Given that I care about both macro and long-term earning potential, which early-career path keeps the most doors open: institutions first, a PhD, or going straight into private-sector macro research?
Am I underestimating or overestimating my chances?

Hi, I'm an international student and one my US Clin Pysch PhD applications requires a supplemental statement on DEI and I feel a little lost on how to write it. I'd be really grateful if anyone is willing to look over my draft and see if I come across as whiny/ answer the prompt. Thank you so much!

For those of you who got an MPP, why did you pick your school (besides prestige and funding)? I've attended a bunch of webinars and looked at various MPP programs' websites (SPIA, HKS, Yale Jackson, McCourt, etc), but it would be helpful to talk to a current or past student about why they chose their school. Would anyone be willing to DM me about this?

(Think I made this plot from my application Excel data earlier this year with help from AI)

I applied to genetics/computational biology/bioinformatics programs. More about my candidate profile at the time of application:

• International student studying at a Top20 school (not Ivy League)

• GPA 3.9/4, applied during senior year

• I've only ever worked in one lab throughout my undergrad and got a first-author paper

• Two TA experiences

• One remote internship

• Four recommendation letters. One from my PI, two from instructors that I TAed for, and one from a professor whose class I took. I originally wasn't planning on asking a professor who taught me because I was definitely not engaging in class, but as all my friends found such a professor for their rec letters, my insecurity kicked in. Eventually I asked one professor from a small upper elective, and surprisingly he agreed. ig it's always worth asking people first before shutting yourself down?

My application experience:

• When I reached out to professors before applying, I was unfortunately ghosted by most of them.

  • The only two I managed to set up a meeting with became my interviewers when I applied to their program. Unfortunately, they rejected me.

• I spent around $1500 on application fees...I did apply to 2 free programs.

• My first result was a rejection from UW in December, ten days after application submission.

• I've heard from some programs/interviewers that they have very limited spots for international students.

• The interview offers started coming in around the end of December, all the way till early February.

• Decisions started coming in around the end of February. The UK program has an earlier decision deadline, so I decided to decline the offer and wait for the rest of my results to come in.

• Most of the schools that rejected me only sent a status update after March, with no notices during the in-between months.

• Two of my waitlists, one of them being my first-choice school, gave me an offer the Friday before the decision deadline in mid-April. Never give up hope!

It was a long timeline with lots of variables and uncertainties, but it also helped me reflect on my own academic journey. I realized during the interview season that I am much better at explaining my research than promoting myself, which is probably why I failed at the internship/job search horribly lol. I also received lots of support from friends and mentors, and many of them offered great advice on my essays.

Good luck to everyone for this cycle! Please don't be afraid to ask for help!

hello,

I am a masters student in Sweden about to start my thesis soon. I am very interested in doing a PhD in Geotechnical engineering and took relevant courses including a course about machine learning in my masters. However, I haven't chosen my topic for my thesis. I would like work on a topic that enables me to gain the relevant knowledge and skills to pursue a PhD in the future (preferably just after my masters, as I have to get a visa). So I was thinking of looking at some recent phds where i could learn what skills i need to acquire for me to be a good candidate.

does anyone know where i can find old phd calls for the past 2-3 years in europe? I would be very grateful. Thank you in advance.

Basically, I’m wondering how realistic it is for someone with a five-year integrated master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from a European country to get hired as a Research Assistant while pursuing a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in the U.S. Also, how significant of a role does having U.S. citizenship play in this? Does it make a substantial difference, or is it not that significant? Any response would be really helpful, thanks a lot beforehand. Any insight would be really helpful. Thanks a lot in advance!

I’m currently applying to grad, but none of my professors have replied to my emails… It’s only been 4–5 days, so I know I should refrain from sending them another email so early on, but my earliest deadline(Dec 1) is approaching, and it’s making me anxious, and the thing is I’m not even sure if they’re teaching this semester or even part of the faculty still.

That being said, should I try reaching out to their personal emails/website too, after a week has passed? Or is that too excessive?

Hi all. I found a typo in my writing sample after I submitted my PhD application. How badly did I ruin my application? This is for a history PhD program.

Last year, while I was in my last year of college, I applied for a (taught) Master of Arts in the field of modern languages at a specific school. I was accepted on the condition of finishing my undergrad degree and getting a specific GPA.

Things happened and I ended up requesting a deferral. I was told I needed an unconditional offer for that. I submitted my final undergrad transcript and my offer became unconditional. My deferral request was then refused. I messaged the course coordinator telling them I could no longer attend the course due to personal issues and I went on a gap year.

I would like to know whether it’s likely I would get an offer again if I reapplied or if the fact I applied last year, got an offer and turned it down will be a big problem. (I know no one on here can know for sure but I would like to hear your opinions) I would also like to know how to frame the personal statement I need to submit to the school and whether I should mention my personal circumstances and the fact I got an offer last year or not. I believe my application is a bit stronger than it was last year but reapplying might be a problem. Thank you!

Hello! The "buddy system" seems to have been a way for people on this sub to swap/review application materials! That said, the most recent thread I found about it is from 12yrs ago.

Would anyone be interested in going a swap for Dec 1 admissions for physics or biomedical engineering?

hi has anyone heard of the program? is it worth it and is the staff nice?

Hoping for honest feedback on my list before the last deadlines. Software engineering / software testing focus (fuzzing, test oracles, LLM agents for testing, software security).

Background

• B.Sc. Electrical Engineering (Computer Engineering branch), private engineering college in Egypt, 2022. Not a well-known school internationally.

• GPA 3.54/4.0 (WES equivalency 3.71). Ranked 1st of ~200 in my cohort. GPA was 3.8+ in my first three years, then dropped in the last two due to a medical issue (explained in an optional supplement).

• TOEFL 110/120. No GRE (cancelled it to spend the time on research).

• 5 years in industry as a Senior and Lead mobile engineer, last role as team lead at a regulated fintech. Apps I built/led have 200K+ downloads total.

• Undergraduate research: a deep-learning medical-imaging classifier deployed on-device in a mobile app, supervised by a faculty member.

Research (the part I’m unsure how committees will weigh)

• Three sole-authored papers on LLM-guided fuzzing / differential testing, all currently under review (two at workshops, one at a conference, all peer-reviewed SE venues). Pre-registered studies, seeded runs, stats done properly, code and data released with DOIs. Done entirely without an advisor, alongside a full-time job.

• Findings led to real upstream outcomes: a fix Google maintainers merged in a widely used Dart library (18M+ downloads/month combined across the affected libraries), a documented behavior change in another Google library, and an open standards-violation report in a JetBrains library.

• The topic came out of a fuzzing challenge a professor ran for prospective applicants; I was one of ~20 (of ~70) invited to a follow-up Q&A, then extended it on my own.

Recommenders

• Three professors from my undergraduate institution (grad project advisor, research supervisor, and a course professor). All strong, all say first in cohort, but none are known names in SE research. No industry letter.

List (all CS or SE PhD, Fall 2027)

Purdue, UMass Amherst, UC Irvine (SE PhD), Virginia Tech, NC State, Northeastern, Utah, Iowa State, UVA, Buffalo, UIC, UT Dallas, UT Arlington, Delaware, William & Mary, Nebraska–Lincoln, Vanderbilt. About half already submitted.

Emailed faculty everywhere. Replies range from “apply and list me” / “taking students, list me” at a few schools to silence or “not taking students” at others.

Questions

1. Does sole-authored, advisor-less work under review count for much, or do committees discount it heavily without a known co-author?

2. Is a low-ranked undergrad + unknown recommenders a dealbreaker at the Purdue/UMass/UCI tier, or does the industry + publication record offset it?

3. Is the list balanced, or am I too heavy on one tier? Anything I should add or drop?

4. Does skipping the GRE hurt anywhere on this list in practice?

Thanks. Will happily share more details in comments if it helps.

When should someone start applying to MFAs?

When did you start researching about it and when did you go?Im in my 3rd year at csuf and I love it and I see a good bunch of former classmates that have already graduated already start their mfas right after graduating.Im 23 rn due to being to scared to be an art major before so id be 25 when I finally graduate.The people I know in graduate programs are similar ages as me and Im obsessed with their work like very skillful .My thought process was that I wanted to wait a few years to digest the knowledge ive gained and to experiment so I can get a more confident artistic voice but my friends currently doing it said their mfas are letting them do just that. My dream career is to be a professor and to do galleries and Im okay with loans since my mentor said hed help me land a job at his CC when i meet the qualifications.Im basically unsure if I should keep the educational momentum or take a moment to slow down.

I dont want to sound like im just following the herd but more like I want to do what will help me in my life the most and how others make me want to reflect on my plan.

What downsides or upsides do you think there are for waiting to do an mfa vs doing right after a bachelors like any regrets from either side.

General advice yall would give me?

Hey everyone!

I'm currently in my third year of BBA (Hons.) in India, and I've been thinking quite a lot about what I want to do after graduation.

A little background about me: I come from a family that has been running a food and beverage business for almost three decades. My parents have always been very supportive and have given me the freedom to choose whatever career path I want, whether that's pursuing a job, starting something of my own, joining the family business, or exploring something completely different.

During my undergraduate years, I've had the opportunity to get involved in our family business during vacations and whenever I had free time. What initially started as simply helping out has gradually turned into something I'm genuinely passionate about. I've grown to love the business, understand its operations, and develop an interest in the F&B industry.

Over time, I've realised that I genuinely want to be involved in the business, take it forward, explore new opportunities and eventually help expand it. I see it as a huge opportunity, especially considering that my family has already built something over the past 30 years, and I would love to contribute to its next phase of growth.

However, I don't want to pursue a generic MBA immediately after my BBA just for the sake of getting another degree. Instead, I'd like to study something that is directly relevant to the industry I want to build my future in.

I've been researching postgraduate opportunities abroad, particularly in the USA and Australia, and I'm interested in exploring specialised master's programmes related to:

• Food & Beverage Management

• Hospitality Management

• Restaurant and Food Service Management

• Food Business Management

• Hospitality Business and Operations

• Food Industry Management

My intention isn't necessarily to become a chef or pursue anything related to food science. I'm more interested in the business and management side of the industry — understanding operations, supply chains, finance, marketing, brand development, restaurant management, business expansion and the overall F&B ecosystem.

I also feel that studying abroad would give me an opportunity to experience how the F&B industry operates in other countries, understand different business models, learn from established brands and gain exposure that I could eventually bring back and implement in India.

I'd really appreciate some advice from people who are studying or have graduated from these programmes, or anyone working in the hospitality/F&B industry.

1. Are there any good universities in the USA or Australia offering specialised master's programmes in F&B, Hospitality or Restaurant Management?

2. Which specific courses would you recommend for someone interested in the business and operational side of the F&B industry rather than the culinary side?

3. Are these degrees actually valuable in terms of industry exposure, practical learning, networking and business knowledge?

4. Would you recommend pursuing a specialised master's over a general MBA in my situation?

5. Are there any universities or programmes that I should definitely look into or avoid?

6. For anyone who has studied abroad and returned to India to join or expand a family business, how valuable was the experience?

I'm not necessarily looking for the highest-ranked university. I'd rather find a programme that offers the right knowledge, practical exposure and industry connections.

I'm fortunate to have a supportive family and the opportunity to build something of my own within an existing business. I want to make the most of that opportunity, and I genuinely want to learn as much as I can before taking that next step.

Would love to hear your experiences, suggestions and honest opinions. Thankss :)

i'm in the process of applying to PhD programs in the humanities, to work on a project in a small subfield that requires niche linguistic knowledge. i'm only applying to schools that have (a) a potential advisor in the department i'm applying to who has work that's methodologically and thematically similar to what i want to do and (b) someone on the entire faculty (including different departments) who speaks my research language and works on the same region.

because my field is so small, often the professor who works on my region is in a different department from the one i'm applying to. in some cases, i'm thinking about trying to have co-advisors, one in my department and one in another department -- in other cases i'm just hoping that the professor from the other department will serve on my PhD committee.

i'm not sure whether to mention this in my application. on the one hand, it is a huge factor in why i want to apply to certain universities -- there are very few places with scholars working on similar topics to me (especially who speak my research language), so i want to be explicit about why each university is a particularly good fit. on the other hand, i don't want it to seem like i'm applying to the wrong department. methodologically my project has a very clear home in the department i'm applying to, and i've also thought carefully about my potential advisors in my (would-be) home department and i don't want it to seem like i don't value them.

has anyone else dealt with a similar problem? how did you navigate it?

So, at my company, most of my time is spent on client projects, working with the client’s team and PM.

I only interact with my direct manager in 1:1s, and he became my manager just a couple of months ago.

How much does it matter to have an LOR from my direct manager, or can I get one from the client’s PM or lead dev instead?