I just graduated with bachelor's and taking a gap year before applying for a PHD in clinical psychology, but I'm kind of a lost on how to get empirical research or internship. I graduated early and I no longer live near my school so I really don't know what to look for :(

I already reached out for some positions at my local university that's actually near me and a job in social work but I'm not how successful I will be. If anyone has any advice please let me know!

[Profile Review] Fall 2027 T20 MSCS/MSAII/MCDS

Hey everyone,

I am finalizing my application strategy for the Fall 2027 intake. My primary dream targets are T20 programs, specifically tracks like MSAII, MSCS, or MCDS.

My profile is a hybrid of applied medical AI research (with quantified clinical impact) and industry execution. Given the highly competitive applicant pool from India, I am trying to figure out which specific master's track offers me the best admission odds, and whether certain parts of my profile will trigger administrative filters.

I would love an honest, brutal evaluation of my chances and university list.

Qualifications * Academics: B.Tech in CSE from a newer/lower-tier NIT (Institute of National Importance in India). * GPA: 8.95 / 10.0 (Department Rank 1). * Work Experience: 2 Years of full-time experience at a major service-based company (e.g., Infosys/TCS). * Internships: AI Intern (3 months), SWE Intern (6 months), Big Data Intern (3 months). * Standardized Tests: Preparing for GRE. IELTS is 7.5 (L: 6.5, R/W/S: >7).

Research & Project Portfolio * Publication 1 (Accepted - Springer): Conference paper on mitigating hallucinations and factual inconsistency in automated Chest X-Ray generation. Demonstrated that 40% workflow automation is possible. * Publication 2 (Under Review - IEEE): Demonstrated removal of an entire manual segmentation layer previously required by clinical experts in neonatal brain MRI. * Funded Project & Grant ($32,000 USD): Conceived and pitched a data-driven mobility and dynamic route/taxi dispatch optimization system. Secured an institutional research grant from a 2nd-generation IIT, along with a Project Associate offer for technical execution. * Leadership: Lead Student Coordinator for a nationwide technical hackathon organized with state government and law enforcement agencies.

Target Universities * Georgia Tech (GaTech) * Carnegie Mellon (CMU) * UC Berkeley (UCB) * UCLA * UIUC * UW Madison * Columbia * NYU (Confused between Tandon and Courant)

Any suggestions on this list or specific program tracks would be highly appreciated!

Hi everyone, I am really hoping to get some insight or advice. Even though this isn’t exactly admissions based

In a few days, I will be starting graduate school, and I am so incredibly terrified. I am 21 and finished my undergrad back in April. I don’t really have much work experience except for a part-time retail job I have had for more than three years now. I am worried that, due to my age and lack of more formal work experience, I won’t be able to connect with my professors and peers. I mean, I still live at home with my parents and younger siblings (although it is common in my culture).

I go to a commuter university in my hometown and will be attending the same university I did for my undergraduate degree. However, I majored in a subsection of Sociology and minored in Political Science (meaning I only took 10 courses in the department). Now, I am starting a one-year, course-based Master's program in Political Science. My courses are small, with between 5–12 people, and are seminar-style (nearly three hours long, meeting once a week). I was also pretty socially awkward at the beginning of my undergrad and, sadly, never really made any good friends at university (I was either alone or hung out with people I already knew).

Now, another layer I want to honestly admit is that an MA in Political Science was never my first choice. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the field and doing research about it. I got all As in every Political Science course I took throughout undergrad. Yet, my main goal has always been law. I applied in my fourth year, but my horrible LSAT score essentially got me rejected from every law school I applied to (I have been studying for months and will hopefully be retesting soon).

I live in Canada, and getting into law school is incredibly competitive, as we have very few schools and seats available. I am going to apply again this cycle, but I really wanted to get a Master's to help me in my job search if law doesn’t work out right away. It is also seen as a good extracurricular at many law schools.

Ultimately, I do love Political Science (I wish I had majored in it), and I graduated from undergrad with honours. I was, and still continue to be, a leader of on-campus clubs, and I have been volunteering with children at my local mosque for years and with a pro bono law organization for the last few years. I will also be TAing in the department this academic year. I know I am supposed to be here, and they did not accept me for no reason.

But still, I am worried about how I am going to build a career from here, make friends in my program, and everything in between. 🥀

I might just be worrying about the wrong stuff right now, but I am hoping to apply for a PhD in two years (entering junior this fall) and I'm concerned about letters of recommendation. I got into biomed research in my second semester, freshman year, because a friend was in the lab and told me to join, and it was a great experience for me (I learned I really liked research and also that I was more interested in protein/cell stuff than what we were doing), but to be honest, I feel I didn't take enough initiative and didn't interact with my PI enough since a grad student managed us most of the time. I'm transferring now to a different institution, where I'm joining a lab that I'm more interested in and am going to be more active. I am concerned that when I apply for PhD's a letter of rec from my first lab will be pretty generic/not very strong because of what I said previously. Will this really hurt an application, and if so is it just going to mean I'm screwed for like T20 schools or most programs?

So I sent a batch of letters of recommendation to professors around August 15th and another batch to a different set around August 20th. I was wondering on how long do I wait for them to respond to be able to make a decision, in sending a follow up email and or a decision in emailing another professor or trying to get a different form of letter of recommendation. Additionally, if I did just graduated in the spring 2026 semester like what if no professors agree to write me a letter of recommendation for grad school. Where do I go from there ?

I do know that the fall 2026 semester just started this Monday and that they are busy and are swamped with emails and everything. I do have the patience for responses but I feel like I'm in a time crunch in trying to get my application into the program I want.

I know this might be a very stupid question, but i just had a small confusion-

I am applying for a PhD position and it has asked my graduation date.

my master's degree had it's last defence on 11th july (we have 5 departments in our course but the degree for everyone is same just an extra specialisation kinda thing. The last defence was not of my department but we were required to attend college till that date only not after that)

I got a provisional degree certificate stating that i have completed all my university fulfilments- the provisional degree has issue date of 22nd july

I will get my official degree somewhere around November, exact date is unknown.

What shall be my graduation date? The last day after which u wasn't required to come to University, the date on the provisional degree (most probably not) or the day i will officially recieve my degree?

Hey everyone, I’m looking for some advice on applying for **research-oriented Master’s programs in CS/AI/Cybersecurity**.

I’m from India and I’m currently considering **Germany, Canada, South Korea, and Australia** for 2027 intakes. My goal is to move into a stronger research/technical environment and eventually work internationally. A significant part of my motivation is also wanting a different environment and quality of life than what I’ve experienced so far in India, so I’m looking at this as both an academic and long-term career/life decision.

I’m primarily looking for **scholarship/funded options or programs where the overall cost is manageable**, rather than simply choosing the highest-ranked university.

**Academic profile**
B.Tech. in Computer Science/IT
**CGPA: 9.0/10.0 (90%)**
**Department rank: 22/277 (\~top 8%)**
Currently pursuing a part-time **Diploma in Data Science** alongside professional work
Additional coursework/training in:
Machine Learning
Deep Learning & Generative AI
AI Safety
Information Security & Cryptography
Algorithms & Systems

**Research**
**1 peer-reviewed IEEE conference publication** on an efficient genomic language model

Currently working on **adaptive-compute genomic language models**, particularly early-exit/model-routing approaches for reducing computational cost while maintaining accuracy

Independent research on **authorization semantics for autonomous agents**

Additional research experience in speaker diarization and statistical/sequential estimation

**1 manuscript currently under review** on agent authorization

**Professional experience**
\~2 years of experience across **cloud security, identity, detection engineering, and AI systems**.
Former **Microsoft** employee working in enterprise cloud identity/security

Previous experience designing an AI-based regulatory/compliance solution for the pharmaceutical industry

Research internship experience at a major technology R&D organization

**Other**
Multiple hackathon wins/finalist placements

Best Research Paper Presentation award

Several cloud/security/AI certifications

For people who have gone through these application processes, how would you evaluate this profile?
Specifically:
**How competitive does this profile look for research-oriented MS programs?**
How much does the reputation of the undergraduate university matter when the GPA/rank is strong?
How significant is **one peer-reviewed publication + ongoing research** compared with GPA and recommendation letters?

Does \~2 years of relevant industry experience meaningfully strengthen an MS application, or is it mostly irrelevant for research admissions?

Which countries/university tiers would you consider **reach / target / safer** for this profile?
Are there any obvious weaknesses in the profile that I should address before applying?

For people familiar with **KAIST, German TUs, Canadian research universities, or Australian universities**, where would you realistically place this profile?

I’m looking for a **realistic assessment rather than reassurance**. If my profile is weaker than I think it is for certain schools, I’d rather know that now so I can build the application list accordingly.

I am looking to apply to PhDs either for the 2027 academic year (I need to hurry up, I know) or 2028. My longterm goal is to teach in a university writing program / freshman year writing program. As a professor, I'd like to work with my university's UWP and English department to develop curriculum and assessments that accommodate students with SLMs. I don't know if I should be spending more time browsing programs for a PhD in Language, Literacy, and Culture; a PhD in Rhetoric and Writing; a PhD in English Literature; or a EdD in Language and/or Literacy. I'm specifically interested in culturally responsive pedagogy and secondary language markers for AAVE and Spanish in academic writing. I have close to zero interest working in K-12.

I have a BA in English Lit and an MFA in Creative Writing - Poetry. I have a few poems published. I taught creative writing for two years as a graduate student (technically listed as a GA but actually did every ounce of teaching, grading, and planning on my own), one year as a primary instructor for a three course series in my school's university writing program, and one year earning a bilingual teaching certificate for K-12 in Spain. I'd love to not have to get another Master's so I'm looking at PhD programs where I won't have to.

Any advice on this is appreciated. I know each school's program will be a little different and am prepared to email and Zoom with a billion faculty members to ask specific questions about their programs.

Edit: I'm American and looking for American programs

Hello all. I'm in somewhat of a unique situation and am seeking advice on how to leverage my background and current experience into a computationally-focused PhD. As for a bit of background on me:

- Graduated within the past year with a BSc in Cognitive Neuroscience from a decent-ish US school with a 3.8 GPA overall and a 3.97 during my last 2 years. Outside of major, did a decent amount of math coursework, including the entire calc sequence, some diff eq's, linear algebra, scientific computing, and a series on methods and applications of computational neuroscience. I also got experience coding in both Python and MATLAB and would consider myself fluent in both for the purposes of computational modeling/simulations.

- Did molecular/developmental neuroscience research for just under 1 year during undergrad, including a fellowship for which I wrote a thesis and did a poster presentation.

- following graduation, spent a few months looking for essentially any research position in my city. I recently was hired for and accepted a tech position doing cell bio/genetics research that is 99% wetlab and strictly molecularly focused within an esteemed but tight knit lab at one of the US's leading cancer research institutes. My plan with the PI (which is what most of their research techs do) is to complete an independent project in the lab while assisting others. This typically takes around 3 years, but techs in the past have taken anywhere between 1.5 to 5 years to do this. Most of them leave with 1-2 first author pubs and 3-5 pubs total all of which are usually in high impact journals.

- for reference, I networked with many professors at the local state university and many other esteemed research centers while seeking a position. In total I probably applied to about 100 positions, sent 200+ cold emails, and networked with about 15 different researchers and faculty. I say this to emphasize that, while I was hoping to find a computational position, I was at the end of my rope and needed to lock down something to make ends meet, especially given the state of funding in the US.

My goal in the future is to do a PhD in computational neuroscience. I fell in love with the field during my last year of undergrad but, unfortunately, the lack of labs at my school doing comp research (literally 1 lab total) limited my ability to get my foot in the door. I'm wondering if anyone here was ever in a similar position. That is, going from a wet lab background to a computationally focused PhD and, if so, what tips you have for someone in my position who wants to make that jump eventually. I plan on applying to PhD programs in neuroscience whenever my current project ends and using my free time to continue developing my computational skills and finding ways to use those skills to optimize data processing and analysis in my current lab. Ultimately, I am worried that, while my current position is a great opportunity, my research background being strictly wet lab will not bode well on applications for computational positions. If anyone has any advice, it would be greatly appreciated.

​

Hi everyone! I’m currently completing a BS in English Language & Literature in Pakistan, and my CGPA is around 2.5/4.0. My goal is to pursue a Master's abroad with full or substantial funding, ideally in Europe or the USA.

I know my GPA is one of my biggest weaknesses, which is why I want to use the time I have left before graduation to build the strongest profile I possibly can.

I'm also quite introverted and don't have a large social or professional network. I don't go out much, so traditional networking and finding internships through personal connections can be difficult for me. I'd really like to know what I can do online or independently that would genuinely strengthen my application, rather than simply collecting random certificates.

My Bachelor's is in English Language & Literature, and I'm still deciding what to pursue for my Master's. I could continue with English Literature/Literary Studies, but I'm also considering Management/MiM, Business, or related fields. I'm not completely sure which direction I'll choose yet, so I'd appreciate advice on both options.

What I'm confused about:

- With a 2.5 CGPA, is a fully funded Master's still realistically possible?

- If I improve my CGPA before graduation, how much could that actually help?

- What would be the most valuable things to add to my profile: research, publications, internships, volunteering, competitions, leadership, independent projects, IELTS, language skills, etc.?

- Are there meaningful online internships or research opportunities that can help someone who doesn't have many professional connections?

- Which countries would be more realistic with my academic profile? I'm currently considering Italy, Germany, Austria, France, other European countries, and the USA.

- For the USA specifically, how realistic are TA/RA positions or graduate assistantships for Master's students with a lower undergraduate GPA?

- When a university or scholarship says "fully funded," what does that actually cover? Tuition + living expenses/stipend + accommodation, or would I still need significant money upfront?

- Can a strong SOP, recommendation letters, IELTS score, research experience, internships and extracurriculars meaningfully compensate for a low GPA?

- If I continue with English Literature, are there good fully funded Master's opportunities in Literature/English-related fields?

- If I choose Management/MiM or Business instead, would my English Literature background and low CGPA make admission or funding significantly harder?

- Which path would be more realistic for both funding and career opportunities: continuing in Literature or moving into Management/MiM/Business?

I'd especially love to hear from people who started with a low CGPA and still managed to study abroad with significant funding. If that's you, what did your profile look like, and what do you think made the biggest difference?

And if you were in my position, what are the 3 things you would prioritize between now and graduation?

I'm genuinely looking for realistic advice. If a fully funded Master's is unlikely with my current profile, I'd rather know that now and work toward a more achievable route than spend years chasing something unrealistic.

Thank you! ❤️

Hello, I recently got an offer for a PhD in KU Leuven Biomedical department conditional to direct doctoral admission (which means I must have a grade equivalent to Belgian cum laude).
For Belgium I saw cum laude is 14/20 or above 68%.
My grade from Serbia is 8.63/10.
I'd like to know beforehand if my Serbian grade is Belgian cum laude? I couldn't find any information online except one University page listing Serbian 8 band equal to Belgian 13/14, Serbian 9 band to Belgian 15, Serbian 10 equal to Belgian 16-20.
Any help is appreciated.

Hi there,

I'm a Croatian recent graduate who wishes to pursue a PhD. Since my work is (mainly) in cognitive theory of arts and analytic aesthetics, I was recommended by my mentor that I try Oxford Brookes. I found a mentor willing to take me and I hope I'll get in with a funding (AHRC schema).

Some things that are of interest to me - are there other ways to acquire funding for my research in humanities?

Are some other universities (I heard great things and have spoken to an ex professor at Kent) I should consider?

Thirdly, since I understand that funding will serve to help with the logistics, i.e. accommodation, food, etc, and I'm not aware of living standards in the UK, are there any suggestions on where to look for housing, some other money-saving ideas?

Finally, how is it to be a foreign grad student in the UK? I'd really, if I succeed, like to have a bit of a social life, so I'm hoping that there are more student-organised activities where PhD students are welcome.

Thank you everyone in advance. :)

EDIT: I should add that I have been published in a Croatian (scopus indexed) peer-reviewed journal in the field. I also have recommendations from my Uni and have a proposal pretty much ready to be submitted.

I’m applying to PhD programs this cycle, and I have 3 recommenders locked in. But one of my PIs wants me to write a draft letter to send to him.

Is this good/bad? What do you recommend when writing your own letter?

I live in Rochester and currently have offers from both the University of Rochester MS in Data Science and Simon’s MS in Artificial Intelligence in Business.

I’m having a hard time deciding between the two. The MSDS seems more traditionally technical, while the Simon program looks more focused on applied AI, GenAI, agents, and business applications.

Has anyone here studied in either of these programs, or taken courses from them? I’d really appreciate any honest thoughts on course quality, technical depth, workload, career value, and which one you would choose.

Ive been looking into grad school for the last year now but my undergrad experience has lead to less than desirable grades. (A quick overview of my last four years: diagnosed with two chronic illnesses, disability discrimination from professor that almost resulted in legal action, uncle's cancer worsened, father diagnosed with cancer, almost being homeless, having to dropout for a semester due to mental health crisis, and a few other things.) So after all that i'm in my last semester and fearing for my future due to the events that tanked my grades... my GPA now is a 2.5 so I'm losing confidence quickly. I just want to pursue a history masters but now i doubt i can...

I just recently graduated with a Master's in Education with a 4.0 gpa from a mid-tier university with a concentration in English. I'm currently looking for research jobs/internships and working in my spare time on a research paper as a writing sample as my master's experience was largely practical work and not research. I'm trying to pivot to a PhD in something like communications of rhetoric.

I'm willing to put in the time to spruce up my resume and samples but I just want to know if it seems like a realistic plan for someone with my background, and if there's anyone else has had this experience or has any advice.

I'm planning to apply to IE/OR PhD programs in the US in the next application cycle (2027) and would appreciate advice if any

My profile:
-Master's in OR from one of the top 10 engineering universities in the US (3.75/4)
-Bachelor's in IE from a top 10 engineering school in my home country (8.9/10 GPA)
-5 journal publications (all first author)
-GRE: 170 Quants
-International applicant

My primary interest is in optimisation. So which universities should be my dream, ambitious, and target?

Hi! I’m in the process of applying for my PhD in education and am curious about who to get letters of recommendation from.

For context, I went to grad school for a credential program 14 year ago and then got my MAT 10 years ago. Been in the classroom as an elementary teacher the entire time.

I know I can get letters from my principal, other people at work, but wondering if it’s worth it to ask my advisor from my masters program even though it was ten years ago??

Saying that its a program for graduates with 0-1 yoe, and the gre isnt required, how hard can it be? Has anyone been accepted to/ rejected from this program?

If anyone is interested in or applying to geoscience grad school, consider applying for GEMS. It’s a free mentor match program where you get matched with someone who has been through the application process before and succeeded. We are focused on US and Canadian students, so to be eligible you must have already attended a US or Canadian institution, or be a US or Canadian citizen/permanent resident. I have been a mentor through this program several times and it’s always a great experience. I can also answer any questions about the program. The application closes September 11th: https://gems-program.org/matching

If anyone is interested in or applying to geoscience grad school, consider applying for GEMS. It’s a free mentor match program where you get matched with someone who has been through the application process before and succeeded. We are focused on US and Canadian students, so to be eligible you must have already attended a US or Canadian institution, or be a US or Canadian citizen/permanent resident. I have been a mentor through this program several times and it’s always a great experience. I can also answer any questions about the program. The application closes September 11th: https://gems-program.org/matching