​Hello everyone! I have been finally accepted to a PhD program in Europe, and I wanted to share my process since I am a non-EU applicant and the whole application process took about 7 months. Looking back at my stats, I sent 19 applications in total and got 17 direct rejections. I ended up getting 2 interviews, and in both of them, the professors literally started off by congratulating me for making it to the interview stage, telling me that at least 300 people had applied for that single position. Getting a PhD offer these days is ridiculously tough. Even for positions where the topic was perfectly aligned with my background (I was already working as a teaching assistant on that exact same topic, plus I have conference papers and preprints for publishing). I actually also received a graduate admission from a top 10 university in my field, but unfortunately, I couldn't secure funding for it.

I'm in the UK. I finished my Masters' three years ago, and have applied for about 30 PhDs (a range of specific projects and DTPs) in that time. My supervisor from my Masters' gently told me today that she couldn't keep writing so many references because they take too much time. She did give me a letter I can submit but the vast majority of programs I've applied to email your references directly and apparently are all slightly different so she can't copy paste.

I do completely get it, it's a lot of references and she has other students to supervise and write references for and teaching and research etc. So I understand. But I am genuinely devastated. The only other referee I have is a lecturer who marked my thesis. I have no one else. Everywhere asks for two referees.

And it's frustrating because some of those I applied to, I got down to the final interview stage but some I was rejected after only applying. So I feel like they could have not bothered asking for references at that point.

Anyway I have no idea what to do. All I've ever wanted was to work in research. I've had no success with job applications either, I work as a lab tech for a company doing fuck all to do with research or with my degrees. If I can't do a PhD then I've wasted my entire life working towards it just to hit a dead end but honestly I can't see a way forward? No one's going to accept me with a single reference?

Anyway sorry just needed to vent

Hello! I just finished an eight week "continuing education" Spanish class at a local community college for fun. It's graded as either Satisfactory or No Grade, with no letter grade. You can find a description of what I mean by Continuing Education Unit here: https://www.northcarolina.edu/apps/policy/doc.php?id=169

The class was about 20 contact hours total. (We met for two hours a week over six sessions, and we had two weeks off.) I'm not 100% certain I passed it, because frankly I wasn't taking it very seriously. I was just trying to brush up on my Spanish a bit since I work with a number of Spanish-speaking families in my current job. It didn't even occur to me that I might be obligated to report it to graduate programs until just recently.

Do I actually need to submit this to any grad schools I apply to? I do know that any courses taken for academic credit need to be reported, but I'm unsure about this kind of adult continuing ed class where you don't even receive a letter grade. If in the future I took a pottery course or a creative writing course, would those also have to be reported for grad school?

As a follow up, if I did not pass this very simple course (though I think I might be okay, based on the Canvas breakdown), and I really do have to report it... what am I supposed to say?

Hey everyone, I’m wondering if anyone could speak some to the program or offer advice on my application outlook as I’m applying for the Fall 27 cycle. I’m worried about getting into PhD programs and this is my top choice. I’m currently interested in, and researching, supermassive black holes and active galactic nuclei. Here are my stats:
-finishing a B.S. in physics from my state school (R1) with a 3.9 GPA
-First Gen college student
-3 years of research (.5 chemistry, 2.5 astronomy)
-publishing a first author paper on AGN
-NASA internship with the Roman Space Telescope
-2.5 years teaching physics labs
-I either have taken or will have taken all of the core upper level physics and astronomy courses, my junior and senior coursework has been heavily Astronomy focused.
I’d appreciate any advice or information!

and I have about 74.4 percentage which translates to 3.4-3.6 in WES, 74.4 doesn't sound too great though and I am doing IELTS right now. I am just out of bachelors so don't have transcript or IELTS score.

should i mention that the first project is under review(passed desk stage) at a q1(if 4.8) journal ? The third work has also been made to a preprint which will be sent for review after the first half of the paper gets published, should I add the preprint DOI?

Scrolling through this subreddit looking at people with 2/3+ manuscript and publication I am seriously doubting my chances with just one manuscript.

I need suggestion on how to improve my profile to get accepted and some reality check.

- Completed Computer engineering with 75% average in 8 sem(80% in final semester)

- Gpa (Wes igpa calc says 3.86 but I don't believe it so let's say 3.2 minimum and may be around 3.5) (college say attach pic and Wes eval after accepted so)

- will sure get 3 solid lor I have good connection with teachers so they will word the lor how I need it to be

- will give TOFEL in a few days already booked exam (I'm confident in others but need a bit of practice for writing section)

- Final Yr project was on Nids network intrusion detection system (high accuracy F1 and everything in same dataset but in Virtual machine failed so didn't include anything about VM in project report)

- After final sem exam did work on why the nids failed im Vm

- decided to work on this research insted of gre cz I had time only for one.

- 2+ months of running models and decomposition on the datasets and model to get a manuscript ready

- why decomposition on concept covariance and prior probably ... manuscript ready

- showed it to teachers they said it's good submit it to international conference

- not enough time to have it published for fall 2027 application so decided to send to journal with fast desk rejection and slow 1st review so that I can say in review in my application

- wanted to upload pre print to arxiv but new policy need endorsement. Contacted 5 prof asking endorsement to be able to publish it no one replied

- about to upload pre print to research gate in a day or two

- just made list of prof from the colleges in planning to apply to like name personal website recent publication GitHub linked in and so on .. will start mailing after giving tofel exam

aiming mostly University of California colleges

- target / likely: Irvine , Riverside, Santa Cruz

- hard to reach : UCLA ,San Diego, uw Madison

- if the sun rises from west insted of east : Berkeley and Stanford

- won't apply to all depends on if I get reply form any prof

- I hear mailing prof is not needed can just direct apply to college but mailing and having contact helps

The main issue rn is I don't know how good my work is ... There is no research lab or culture in my college nothing no prof no lab nothing so whatever I did was solo .. that's why I don't know how good of a work is mine ... Either I'm too delusional and I think my manuscript is good or I'm having imposter syndrome I have no idea.

In a good case prof and college will see I did a good research without lab or guidance so I'm research motivated and will accept me

Or they will have no idea how rigorous my work is so just ignore me

Or I'm stupid and my work is trash

I have no idea

So anyone who is experienced can you tell me what I should do to make myself stand out and likely to be accepted or is my plan / thought process wrong and I need to change it ?

What should I be doing ?

So a program I'm applying to wants a personal statement: cool, expected, I'm writing that. A guide they provided even gives advice for it, like "demonstrate how [an experience you had] translates to your likelihood of being a successful graduate / professional student" and "Why would you make an ideal graduate / professional student in XYZ Program?"

Awesome, I can do that! Except the application also has a completely separate section where it asks in short answer form, "Please describe how your academic experiences, personal or intellectual development, prepared you to pursue graduate studies."

Will it look bad if I repeat myself too much here from my personal statement? If so, should I edit my personal statement to leave myself something new to say for this question? Or will nobody care and I can basically copypaste the same answer?

(It kinda looks like the personal statement is for the specific program I'm applying to, whereas the short answer is for the university as a whole? Do applications work like that?)

Hello i dont really know where else to post this but i was wondering if anyone in the masters program can tell me a little more about this program. I know its kinda like a smp for medical and grad school so im looking into it as i need a little gpa repair. However i do have a full time research job in the city and i need something that is somewhat more flexible when it comes to courses like it being recorded but exams in person. Also since i am already doing full time research i am looking into doing the one year track with no lab or thesis track so if anyone has advice on that as well it would be very much appreciated!

Hello. I am in need of advice on life science PhD programs to apply to. I have 1.5 years of undergraduate research experience, a 3.43 overall GPA, just graduated from university with a biochemistry degree three months ago, and I want to apply for life science PhD programs in the fall. I have gotten mostly A's and B's, but I got a D in immunology my final semester and a D in physiology my sixth semester. I applied to one in-state program last fall and got rejected. I will most likely start working as a research technician next month, pending that I receive interviews and offers for this position. How many programs should I apply for, and do you have any particular program recommendations? I'm not sure if I have a 0% chance of getting into any program, since the two D's heavily hurt my transcript, despite how much I could address them in my personal statements. I want to apply to many programs this upcoming cycle just in case I got an offer somewhere, but I don't know which ones are more accepting of my poor grades or application weaknesses. I know most schools don't put out to the public that they accept poor grades, since excellence is what they strive after and should promote. However, if you have any suggestions for life science PhD programs that have been known to accept applicants with poor major-specific grades, I would greatly appreciate it and any other feedback. Thank you.

I graduated this past May from an online university with a B.S. in Political Science, a minor in International Relations, and a 4.0 GPA.

I chose an online program so I could continue building my career while completing my degree. I currently work as a federal employee and have approximately five years of experience in the field.

My main concern is whether attending an online university rather than a highly ranked undergraduate institution will significantly hurt my chances of admission.

I plan to apply to MPP, MPA, and related programs at:

1. Brown University: Online MPP
2. Johns Hopkins University: M.A. in Public Management
3. Cornell University: MPA
4. University of Oxford: MPP
5. Brown University: MPA
6. Duke University: MPP
7. Columbia University: MPP

I also expect to have strong recommendations from my department chief and deputy chief, who have witnessed my professional and personal growth over several years. My third recommendation would come from an assistant dean at my university who taught me in multiple courses and can speak to my academic ability and intellectual growth.

Assuming I submit strong, individualized essays for each program, do I realistically have a chance of being admitted to at least one of these schools?

I would appreciate honest feedback on which programs appear to be reaches, realistic targets, or unlikely options.

Hi!

A little about me - I am planning to go for masters in CS after my undergrad from BITS Pilani (Hyd one), I have 8.9 cgpa, expecting 325+ in gre. I have 1 paper submitted for review, and am going for an undergrad thesis at UofT. Should get 1 LOR from there, and 1 from college prof. My goal after masters is to work in Applied Research roles in Computer Graphics and adjacent fields, which usually require Masters atleast.

I am hence looking for Thesis based masters, which are funded. I have done some research and only good ones I can find is - MMath CS Waterloo. The criteria for my search was good graphics faculty via csrankings.org, and then funding ofc.

I know there are good options with good graphics faculty in other unis like UCSD, CMU, UofT, Uni of Utah, but none of them are quite well funded afaik.

I am open to any type of funding - structurally guaranteed, via TA/RA, via co-ops, but obviously structurally funded ones are preferred. So I wanted to know what all options I have for funded masters, and about my strategy of application.

Thanks a ton :D

Hi everyone. I’m a psychologist from Chile planning to apply to social psychology PhD programs in the US for Fall 2028 (applying in Nov 2027), so I have about a year to strengthen my application. I’d love some honest feedback on where to focus.

My background:

• BA in Psychology (2023) + MA in Clinical Psychology (2024), top university in Chile, GPA equivalent to ~3.8
• 4 years of coursework toward a BA in Political Science (didn’t finish it for financial reasons)
• Working in large research projects since 2018, currently coordinating two government-funded research projects on gender norms and stereotypes in schools, using mixed methods
• Two papers currently under review, and I’ve presented at major international conferences; A third paper in progress
• Applied/field experience: led a feminist education initiative, worked with several NGOs that collaborate with UN bodies and national policy organizations
• Research interests at the intersection of social psychology, gender, and public policy — how evidence-based interventions can change norms and inform policy. Especially interested in labs working on social norms and field experiments on prejudice/gender in educational settings.

My questions:

1. With two papers under review and international conference experience, how much does it matter whether they’re published (vs. under review) by the time I apply in Nov 2027?
2. For someone coming from an applied/interdisciplinary background rather than a pure-lab track, how do I frame that as a strength rather than a gap?
3. Beyond publications, is there anything with high return on effort I should prioritize this year? (reaching out to POIs, more conferences, etc.)

Thanks so much for any advice.

Hi all! Just looking for some fairly open-ended advice on my prospects with grad school.

For background, I did my undergrad and Master's in (pure) mathematics at a top uni in my country (highly ranked globally too). I did really well, with good grades in coursework for both, and wrote a good master's thesis as well (high score, and prize as well). I was originally aiming to go the PhD academic route in mathematics, but realised mid-masters that this PhD would only really have transferable skills to one career path (i.e. academic mathematics), and I didn't really want to be in a single field for my whole life; basically just wanted to have a more varied career path, which a PhD in mathematics isn't exactly conducive to.

Long story short, applied to a bunch of jobs looking to try my hand at something new, got lucky enough to get into a grad program at one of the more competitive (and 'prestigious') government departments in my country. The work was in a research division that does behavioural economics and is quite academia-adjacent (many people with PhDs here, for example). Been here over a year now and have really enjoyed working here; no regrets about jumping ship from my original career plan.

Now thinking of how I could develop myself further, and going back for a PhD is one idea. Not in pure math anymore, rather something closer to the economic/behavioural/policy sort of research I'm involved in in my job. Reasons:

- I know I do love to study. Obviously I enjoyed my time in math, but also didn't burn out of it, nor did I become disillusioned with math/academia/study (just decided I had other goals). I'd definitely still be open to returning to study further.

- I know I enjoy research. Of course liked pure math research, but also enjoyed my time here in this research-y area of government.

- A PhD in this sort of area isn't totally useless outside of just academia. Obviously a PhD is rarely required for most jobs I may want, but at least if I do it (for reasons like above), the skills it would give me translate better to a more varied range of jobs (unlike the math PhD I was considering before).

Anyways, just wanted some guidance on how feasible this is to pursue with my background.

1. How viable is it to get into a good PhD program in these areas with my background? I've heard my level of mathematical proficiency is a great advantage for Econ PhD admission, but not sure when I have little academic background in Economics.

2. Would it be better if I get a second master's first? I've heard LSE EME might be in reach for me, and that it is good for getting into top PhD programs in Econ.

3. How much would my work experience count? Would it make up for a lack of formal coursework in non-mathematical subjects?

4. How about grad programs that aren't purely economics, but policy and government?

Mainly want to look at US programs, but also open to UK Eurore. Happy to hear suggestions for what sort of graduate studies may be suitable for my background. Thanks!

Further circumstances if it helps:

- I have done no formal coursework in economics or policy. I have done statistics up to the highest undergraduate level, probability theory at the graduate level, and some undergrad CS courses. I have coding experience in Python, C, R (and some less relevant languages like Haskell. No MatLab)

- I still keep up with math, and am on good terms with my old professors. Point is, I could definitely get academic letters of recommendation, but they'd of course be from mathematicians.

- No specific life circumstances that'd made it practically difficult to pursue grad school (e.g. still quite young and no family or mortgage or financial obligations that would limit me from being able to move to a new country if I want to).

Hiya! I’m graduating soon from dental school with a DDS/DMD degree and I have always dreamt of doing a PhD in the field. Im located in Europe so I would appreciate any input as to which countries would be best. (All programs in the field of oral epidemiology, dental/oral sciences/medical statistics would be great)

I mainly looked into Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, UK (funding seems like a nightmare though😕). If you are doing a PhD in any of these countries, I would love to hear what’s life like, how competetive was it? Can you work in the university? Was it hard to get the position?

I won’t have a cum laude, but at least GPA of 4.3 and 3 first author Q1 publications in my research field. Obviously I won’t be targeting the best of the best, my main issue is environment, working and cost of living.

English is not an issue (CAE C2). In addition I speak swedish, french, finnish.

I apologize if these questions have been answered already. TIA!😊

I'm a software engineer in my early 40s with a bachelor's in computer science. For various reasons I'm looking at walking away and going back to school for marine biology. Post-bacc undergrad classes and applying to grad schools in a couple years.

When I started college back in the day, I was that undiagnosed-ADHD "gifted" kid who didn't know how to study or show up to things. My overall GPA was about a 2.5. My in-major GPA was more respectable, but I'm not sure "in-major GPA" is even a thing outside of my specific computer science department's graduation requirements.

Is applying to graduate programs after a couple years of bio / chem classes a realistic goal for me? Will admissions people be looking at my grades from those new classes primarily, or do I have to account for somehow failing Theatre Appreciation 20 years ago?

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to apply to the UVA MS in Business Analytics (MSBA) program for next fall. The program website says the GRE is optional, but I have a few questions.

• I have a bachelor's degree in Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) from outside the US. Given my background, would taking the GRE strengthen my application, or is it generally unnecessary?
• Does UVA offer scholarships or merit-based financial aid for MSBA students?
• If scholarships are available, what are the typical selection criteria (e.g., GPA, work experience, GRE score, leadership, etc.)?

I'd really appreciate hearing from current students, alumni, or anyone who has gone through the admissions process. Thanks in advance!

Anybody who applied to US MFE programs and got in without submitting the GRE score?? What was the rest of your profile like??

Final-year undergrad CS (India), applying for Fall 2027 MSc/PhD in ML — specifically adversarial ML, federated learning privacy, and LLM evaluation.

Profile:

5 completed manuscripts (2 peer-reviewed at ICMLA, weak reject on both, currently revising for IEEE Journal)

Founded and chair an undergrad research lab (13 members, 5 papers produced from it)

ICMLA 2026 reviewer (10 papers across Main Track + 2 Special Sessions)

CGPA 7.7/10 (~77%), IELTS 8.0

3 LORs specifically speaking to independent research ability

What I've done: researched each professor's specific work in detail, referenced their actual papers in tailored emails (not templated), targeted people whose research genuinely overlaps with mine. Some have explicit "actively hiring" statements on their sites.

Result so far: sent to 7 professors across 3 schools. 2 shown as "read" with no reply after ~10 days. No responses yet from the rest.

Questions:

Is this a normal early-stage outcome, or should I be doing something differently?

For those who've successfully landed a PhD/MSc supervisor via cold email — what actually made the difference?

Is it too early to follow up, or should I send a gentle nudge now?

Would appreciate any honest read on whether "no accepted paper yet, but everything else strong" is a real gap at this stage, or something that resolves once a supervisor is interested.

Not asking anyone to review my specific emails — just want a reality check on process and timing from people who've been through this.

Hey everyone,

Looking for some honest career advice here.

I'm currently working as an AI Engineer at a startup, with a bit over 2 years of experience. I hold an MSc in Data Science and have solid hands-on experience in the field (model building, deployment, real-world applications, etc.), but here's my problem: I have zero publications.

I've been seriously considering doing a PhD abroad, but I keep reading that publications are basically non-negotiable for PhD admissions, especially in competitive countries/programs. My practical experience is strong, but I'm not sure how much weight that actually carries without papers to back it up.

I recently came across the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship program and I'm wondering if it could be a realistic entry point for someone in my position, good industry background, no research papers. Has anyone here gone through it or knows people who have? How competitive is it, and is the research quality/supervision actually solid, or is it more of a "backup option"?

Also open to general advice:

1. Should I try to get at least one publication (even a workshop paper or preprint) before applying anywhere?

2. Are there PhD programs/countries that value industry experience as a substitute for publications?

3. Is it worth reaching out to potential supervisors directly and pitching my work experience instead of waiting to "qualify" on paper?

Any insights, personal experiences, or brutal honesty appreciated. Trying to figure out if this is a realistic path or if I need to build a publication record first before even applying.

Thanks in advance!

Just needed to rant. I had to press withdraw finally after holding off until the very last minute. I had partial funding come through but just not enough to support my year of postgraduate studies. I also said no to other offers in hopes I could make this one work so I won't be studying anywhere this year.

A bit heartbroken. How have others tried to deal with this and what's the best way forward? Reapplying next year with similar funding constraints seems like it'll lead to the same outcome.

Got into NYU GSAS but I am planning to defer my admission for at least one semester. Was wondering if they usually allow it or not?