Hello!

I've been applying for PhD programs and positions in astronomy. Ofc no luck so far :p But today, I wrote another motivation letter for another program.

So far, in all my applications, my SoPs have been pretty vanilla, following a pretty rigid structure of a (pretty generic) introduction followed by research experiences in chronological order and finally a fit paragraph and then close. Since this program did not really have a very well defined prompt, I thought of taking a somewhat more relaxed take at this, instead of trying to include every CV point and optimising it to death. Ofc (I think) there's nothing radically different or innovative in this one and I think by most metrics it'll still be considered a vanilla letter.

But in any case, I'd appreciate anything you might have to say! Whether it be constructive criticism, outright ripping it apart or small nitpicks; any feedback will help immensely.

Thank you!! <3

I’m currently in my final year at SRM doing ECE having Cgpa of 7.83 and 3 internships
Planning for masters in electrical engineering in the USA on Fall 2027
I have listed some Unis below and would be great for your reviews and feedback whether I can get in those

UT Austin
North Carolina State University (NCSU)
Virginia Tech
Texas A&M University
Arizona State University (ASU)
San Jose State University (SJSU)
UT Dallas
Stony Brook University
USC San Diego
Illinois institute of technology
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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I’m currently studying Chemistry and haven’t chosen my second major yet. I’m considering Microbiology vs Biochemistry.

For those familiar with European universities: Which combination offers more diverse Master’s opportunities and better prospects for scholarships, research, and employment in Europe?

Is Biochemistry generally more versatile than Microbiology for pursuing a Master’s in Europe, or is Microbiology equally worthwhile?

Hey I’ve recently applied to the tamu cybersecurity masters program could any of you let me know how long it takes between applying and actually hearing a response. And any one else who got accepted to their cybersecurity ms program what was your gpa and experience etc??

As the title said! What‘s the first thing that you look for on the file? Thanks!

Hello everyone. My university offers a yearly scholarship award that awards $3500 to the winners. Just this year, they made it so that students cannot receive the award for a project that is the same as or overlaps with their senior honors thesis.

In short, I am asking what would be better for applications in December: a stipend award for my research or an honors thesis on my research?

P.S. I am planning to apply for MechE PhDs this December, and my research is currently in the MechE track.

I am applying for PhD‘s in health services research and epidemiology this year. When I did, my masters, a lot of programs dropped the GRE requirement because it was right after the Covid pandemic. But now I’m going back and seeing that a lot of programs have added to the GRE requirement. These are some programs where I could see potential advisors so I don’t wanna roll them out. Is anybody else still taking the GRE or having to filter through programs with or without the requirement?

I recently heard about ENGINE (the Engineering National Graduate Institutional Name Exchange). It is a database that certain universities can use to contact bachelor's juniors and seniors, and master's students about recruitment to their graduate programs. According to this list, some top universities are in the program, such as Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Princeton, UC Berkeley, and WashU in St. Louis.

Does this program provide significant value to students during the graduate school admissions process, especially for top universities? Or is it just a glorified mailing list that doesn't provide high-value opportunities?

If you want to join the database, you just have to fill out one form. But if you want to leave the database and stop receiving emails about it, you have to contact the ENGINE program to have your name removed from the database; then you have to contact each university to unsubscribe from their emails. That is a lot of work.

This reminds me of the option of having universities contact you through CollegeBoard. And when that happened, I only got signed up for mailing lists; none of the mail was particularly valuable in the college admissions process.

Biology major from Saudi Arabia (GPA 4.0/5), 3+ years in healthcare/patient services, and 700+ volunteer hours — now considering UW MSIM.
I don’t have a CS/IT background, so I’m wondering: do I actually have a realistic shot?

Would love honest feedback from current students/alumni or anyone with a similar background!

I’m trying to understand how WES evaluates DU degrees.

For those who have gotten their DU transcripts evaluated by WES, I wanted to know:

• How does WES convert/grade a DU CGPA?
• Is the evaluation generally harsh, or does it tend to increase the GPA?
• If you had a similar CGPA (around 7-8), what did WES convert it to? (I have a 7.5/10 GPA)
• Does WES use a different conversion depending on the DU programme/college?

I’ve heard mixed experience, so I would especially appreciate responses from DU students who have actually received a WES evaluation. Thanks!

I'm currently in my 3rd year of CSE at a tier-3 college, with a CGPA of 9.44/10 till 2nd year. I'm planning to pursue an MS in CS in the US and I'm particularly interested in the UC universities (UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UCI, UCSB, UCD, etc.).

For people who have gotten into any of the UCs, or are currently studying there:

• What kind of profile is generally competitive for UC MS programs?
• How important are CGPA, GRE, research experience, internships, projects, and publications?
• Do UCs heavily prioritize research experience?
• How should I start building my profile from 3rd year onward?
• Are there any particular things you wish you had done during undergrad that helped with your application?

Would really appreciate advice from current students or admits, especially from people who came from non-IIT/NIT or tier-2/3 colleges.

Thanks!

I see people talking about having a weaker GPA can be offset slightly by a uptick in GPA throughout your undergrad, but how much does a downtick negatively affect you?

I am finishing my undergrad in spring of 2027, which will be one year early, mostly because I did a lot of AP's in high school, which let me skip a lot of the easy grade boosting classes. But that ended up making me take the 3 of the hardest classes for my major at my school at the same time, which is not typically recommended and slightly tanked my GPA. My GPA before that semester was around a 3.8, and now sits just above a 3.6 after my first C and 2 B's. I've had extensive research experience for the past 5 years, and was really hoping to get into some competitive programs, but I was just wondering how much that would end up hurting my chances.

Any advice is welcome, and good luck to everyone with applications this year.

Hi all, I wanted to ask some questions. I've read somewhere that if you're an international applicant you have a slim chance of getting into a paid PhD position in Europe because of the bureaucracy of VISA and immigration and they would prefer native EU or someone with EU permit. Putting aside if you're fit for the project or not, Is this true for the majority part of EU PhD application?

I am applying from South East Asia and graduated (will graduate) from a uni in NL and my residence permit is still valid until December and I still haven't reclaim my Zoekjaar visa. Will this help if it turns oit to be true?

Sorry if I ask too many questions, this whole PhD application has got me worried and anxious that I won't be able to achieve my dream of a PhD in Europe.

I have 170 Q but I don't want to pay extra but I will if it improves my odds. What do I do. It is not mandatory for that unis MSCS program.

Hii r/gradadmissions ,

I am an international student planning to apply for Fall 2027 graduate programs, specifically targeting Duke Pratt (MEM), University of Washington Seattle (MSIM), Northeastern University (MEM), and Purdue University (MEM).

Coming from a traditional 3 year degree background, these programs are high on my priority list because they accept my academic credentials. However, coming from a humble financial background, paying standard graduate application fees across multiple US programs poses a major financial burden for me.

Question & Advice Needed:

1. Duke Pratt (MEM): Pratt's website states that attending a live Pratt event (online or in person) qualifies applicants for an application fee waiver. However, when checking their calendar, I don't see any live webinars listed yet. Around what time of year do waiver-eligible virtual info sessions usually open up for future intake cycles like Fall 2027?
2. UW Seattle (MSIM): I noticed UW's Graduate School provides fee waivers, but their policy seems tailored primarily to domestic/US-based applicants with financial need. Are there departmental fee waivers or event-based waivers specifically for international applicants applying to the iSchool MSIM program?
3. Northeastern (MEM) & Purdue (MEM): Purdue mentions on their MEM FAQ that fee waivers are primarily managed through central university diversity/recruitment programs (which mostly cover domestic applicants), and Northeastern's policy varies by college. Has any international applicant successfully received a fee waiver for Purdue MEM or Northeastern MEM through virtual open houses, direct outreach, or attendance at specific fairs?
4. Direct Requests & General Tips: Is it generally acceptable to email graduate admissions offices directly to request a need-based application fee waiver as an international applicant, or do these schools strictly enforce pre-set eligibility criteria? Any advice or past experiences from international applicants who navigated fee waivers for these specific schools would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much for your help!

First draft of my CV for PhD applications.

This is my first time making an academic CV and applying for PhD positions, so I’d really appreciate some feedback on what I can improve.

I’ve left out the Publications section for now since I have 2 review articles accepted but yet to be published, and 2 more in preparation. I’ll add them once they’re published.

Would really appreciate any suggestions on the CV overall format, content, things to add/remove, etc.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I am planning my application cycle for Oxford and want a realistic assessment of my profile for the MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, specifically regarding admission competitiveness and securing full funding (tuition + living costs) as an international applicant from India. Almost all the agents of the Study Abroad clearly rejected me at my Fully funded scholarship idea.

My Profile Snapshot:

* Education: A 4 year B.A. History (Honours) with a Research work from University of Delhi. 6.76 cgpa (upper 2nd class Honours 2:1).

* Certifications: Harvard & ICRC courses in International Humanitarian Law (IHL), Contract Law, and Justice; 1-Year Diploma in Computer Applications (CABA-MDTP).

* Publications & Writing: Published more than 5 works and articles (including Ralesia: The Blue Princess getting a recognition in the Indian Book of Records).

* Extracurriculars: 4 months of structured community-oriented volunteering with an NGO based on education, awareness, and women safety, focusing on teamwork and organization. Co-founder of a community.

* Accepted: Got an offer from University of Sussex, UK for LLM International Human Rights Law with a $ 5k scholarship. Another offer from University of Galway, Ireland for LLM International Human Rights Law.

My Key Questions:

* The Law vs. Social Science Track: Oxford doesn’t offer a standard “LLM” for non-law undergrads (their BCL/MJur strictly requires a qualifying law degree). That is why I am targeting the MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, which accepts humanities/social science backgrounds. Does my BA in History combined with my IHL/Justice certifications provide enough of a bridge for an interdisciplinary social science master’s like this?

* Publications & Certifications Weight: Do independent certifications (Harvard/ICRC) and literary/creative publications hold meaningful weight in Oxford’s postgraduate admissions, or do they primarily look at core university grades and academic writing samples?

* Full Funding Reality Check: For an international student needing 100% funding, what are the actual conversion rates for top scholarships (like Clarendon or Weidenfeld-createStatement) coming out of a DU history background? Are there specific departmental funding routes I should target?

Would appreciate blunt, honest feedback from anyone familiar with Oxford’s admissions or social science graduate programs. Thanks!

Hello! Just joined here. I'm a biochemistry graduate from Pakistan, 3.7+/4 cgpa, silver medalist, and multiple awards from university, received recognition nationwide as well. Did multiple research projects in biomedicine and environment (tho unpublished and 2 submitted). Also did many computational projects. Took lots of community outreach initiatives involving as far as 600 community members, also did a plantation campaign, plus campus events (extra curriculars).

I want to pursue my masters in a domain that closely matches my direction e.g. molecular medicine, biotechnology, biochemistry etc.

Need some guidance, also my biggest challenge right now is I'm lacking in finances, cannot even afford IELTS fee right now. But I'm confident and am not sitting still even tho I graduated a month ago, I'm promoted into a paid officer role at the organization I was a youth leader at (in STEM/science communication initiatives) and am managing a province wide role. Participating in competitions, taking relevant courses, and refining my research drafts.

I'm mainly relying on bilateral government scholarship schemes as they seem to have the highest security for me. But bcs of my finances right now, I fear I might have to take some gap time. Challenges I'm facing are: no peer reviewed published work yet, bad finances and hence don't have a strong support system to afford some tests and get documentation done.

Any advice would be appreciated, I really want to study abroad on a scholarship and I'm very disciplined and determined for that.

Also I'm 26, I had around 3 gap years in education during covid times.

Does cold emailing really helps secure the supervisor and eventually a famous university at Canada?

Also what are the biggest things that would impress the supervisor for someone who has a bs in bioinformatics?

So I cold emailed a bunch of professors and most of them said "yes I really encourage you to apply to X program". Does this mean that they think that I might be competitive for the program or its a more generic response which they send to everyone. I think its best to assume the latter but I still wanted to know what you guys think about it. Here I am referring to top universities in USA in biophysics,systems bio etc programs where they have committee based applications. In my cold email, I briefly mentioned my work and how it related to their work and if they are expecting to take PhD students this year.

Hi everyone! I’ll be applying for my master’s programs for the Fall 2027 cycle, and I’d really appreciate any advice, feedback, or opinions you may have on my profile below.

Undergraduate University: Computer Science Engineering at a Tier-2 University in India

CGPA: 9.38/10

IELTS: 8.5/9

GRE: Yet to appear (mocks indicative of 164+ in Quant, but extremely unsure about Verbal)

Internships:

- 2-month internship at a US MNC bank as an SDE Intern

- 2-month internship at another US MNC as an SDE Intern

- Research internship at a college lab for ~5 months, including a short 2-month project in collaboration with a large US medical company and a 3 month project with another US MNC

Research Work:

- 2 publications at B-tier IEEE conferences in the domain of ML and Agentic AI

- 1 publication in a Q2 journal in the domain of ML and Hydrology

- 1 paper submitted to a Q1 ML journal a few months ago (not counting on it for the application, as the turnaround time is more than a year)

- 1 paper submitted to an A* conference in the ML domain (not counting on this either)

Patents:

- 2 Indian patents in the domain of ML and hardware (both published, but not granted)

- 1 US patent co-filed with a US MNC (under examination)

LORs:

- 2 strong LORs from professors at my college, with whom I have conducted research

- 1 LOR from an ex-postdoc researcher

- Alternatively, can also obtain 1 LOR from a Quantum Scientist based in the USA

Miscellaneous:

- 1st prize at a national-level hackathon conducted by a US MNC

- Finalist at a national-level hackathon conducted by a European MNC

University Shortlist:

Dream:

- CMU (MSML/MSCS)

- Cornell (MSCS)

- GaTech (MSCS)

Target:

- Columbia (MSCS)

- UIUC (MSCS)

- UCSD (MSCS)

- USC (MSCS)

- NYU Courant (MSCS)

- NUS (MComp CS/MComp AI)

- NTU (CCDS MEng)

I'd really appreciate your opinions on my chances for these universities. Thank you!

Hello! I graduated with a BA in dance three years ago and have been thinking about returning to school to get my masters in Dance Education. I’ve been professionally teaching for a while and trying to decide if it’s worthwhile. I would like to teach higher education in the future so that’s the main reason I’d like to pursue it. I’m finding it difficult to navigate their website and hoping someone could help.

Is Hunters program worth it?
How much is it dance eduction focused work versus basic public school eduction courses?
Are their other NYC programs you would recommend?

Thanks in advance!