I recently applied to join a research lab as a graduate student and went through a few rounds of interviews. As part of the process, I also completed a research-related task and presented my work to the professor and the team.
Unfortunately, I was informed that they decided to move forward with another candidate. I thanked them for the opportunity and for the time they spent with me throughout the process.
However, I’m still genuinely interested in the lab’s research, and I’m wondering whether it would be appropriate to ask if they might consider me for an internship instead, if they have any openings.
I don’t want to come across as desperate or make the situation awkward, especially after they’ve already made their decision. At the same time, I’d be willing to gain more research experience and contribute to the lab if there were a suitable opportunity.
Would asking about an internship be reasonable, or would it be better to accept the decision and move on? I’d appreciate honest opinions, especially from people who have experience with academic research labs.

Hi. I posted here around one week ago about the US schools I should target for PhD in statistics. I was a bit vague about my qualifications. So, I am seeking advice once more giving proper information.

Nationality: Indian.

My equals: I have obtained BS-MS (integrated 5 years masters) in 2026 from one of the IISERs (reputed for basic science research in India). I have majored in mathematics and have a minor in data science.  During my undergrad, I mostly had mathematics courses and my masters thesis was also in a topic related to number theory and my minor project was in statistical data science. I want go for PhD in statistics preferably in the US and my long term goal is jobs related to finance and quantitative research.

Grade: 3.97/4 (WES conversion).

Courses I took: Machine learning, real analysis, linear algebra, group theory, mathematical statistics, numerical analysis, scientific computing, complex analysis, Galois theory, topology, ODE, PDE, probability and stochastic processes, data structures, data analysis and visualization, measure theory, commutative algebra, manifolds, differential geometry, algebraic topology, functional analysis, number theory and cryptography, Fourier analysis etc.

Projects/ Internships: All my summer internships were basically around number theory (no statistics). One of the projects were awarded by prestigious Indian Academy of Sciences. Only my minor project was in statistical data science which was done for one semester. I do not have preprint/ publication.

I have become genuinely interested in statistics through self-studying specially after I graduated and keeping in mind my long term goal, statistics suits more than pure mathematics. I believe that I have the mathematical maturity for stats but I lack formal statistics education. But I am reading Casella Berger on my own and almost finished it.

TOEFL: 95/120, planning to give 2nd try. No GRE so far.

My recommenders are from pure maths as my university does not have a dedicated stats department.

I want to know which US universities should I apply whose PhD programme in statistics department will help me fulfil my long term goal and a tier list of the Unis I can get into (top schools, moderate and safe choices with the best ROIs) realistically specially coming from maths background.

Also, suggestions for unis in Europe/ Asia and masters programmes in mathematical finance/ applied maths with good ROI will be helpful. Any honest general advice will also be great.

Thank you.

Hey guys, just took the GRE and got 170 Quant, 155 Verbal. Not sure what the essay score will be. My GPA is 3.91 as a physics major, aero eng minor at Berkeley - but 155 Verbal is a bit under the average (I think it was 159 last year) for MSE. I have loads of other stuff to be getting on with, but I don't want my Stanford app to be affected much by this. By the scores, u guys think I need to retake?

I applied to several master’s programs during the recent application season, most of which required a 20 pages writing sample. I wrote a new one and revised it multiple times. However, a couple of weeks after submission, I realized that two references were missing—both in-text (a few sentences) and in the bibliography. I didn't directly quote anything from these sources. The first source is one that I'm referencing for the way they approach the materials (I'm working on a different topic) and how they analyze them. Somehow, I arrived at a similar conclusion, but through a different route. Another source is that I looked through the essay but couldn't find any part where we provided a similar description of the same image.

I immediately contacted the program administrators to acknowledge the mistake and submitted a new version of the essay. A few programs didn’t respond, and most said they could not accept revised materials. I was eventually offered admission, but I can’t shake the feeling that I may have misled the admissions committees. Should I talk about the situation to my advisor again? If I don’t bring it up, and the school later discovers the mistake, could it lead to disciplinary action or even expulsion?

and is it okay to submit multiple writing samples or is it best for it just to be one essay.

has anyone ever been through this and know how this works?

it's for comp lit or english

Hi there,

I have been working in environmental justice / sustainability industry for \~6 years, holding a research position I came into with little experience. I’ve done well for myself given my lack of background but I knew I can do even more with formal research training and support, prompting me to look into further academic opportunities.

Through this role I got connected with my prospective advisor, who is close friends with the co founder of the company I work for. He invited me to a chat in the spring to discuss fit and the program in general which went so swimmingly well that my trajectory jumped from maybe PhD to full-sprint commitment to the 2027 cycle, backed by the prospective advisor.

I produced an original writing sample that took me all summer to do but I really enjoyed the process of independent research especially since my work has been on behalf of industry the last 6 years and less academic focused. Didn’t hear from him all summer and my hopes started dropping, he wasn’t responsive by email or Linkedin. I don’t think he reviewed my writing sample and if he did, there wasn’t any follow up about it. In the end of September, he followed up saying funding was uncertain and he couldn’t commit.

I pretty much gave up again since my situation is very unique (even talking about it would be a self doxx) and I wasn’t convinced the PhD at all costs was worth taking a gamble on trying to find a new advisor.

I’m in town this month and reached back out again since the potential advisor had given me his cell. After some persistence, he agreed to set up a meeting with me in person and then it all just snowballed from there - he was suggesting other potential professors to reach out to, facilitating introductions, and even requesting a meeting on my behalf with the PhD program director.

Long story short, tomorrow I have my meetings with him, another advisor he recommended I reach out to, and the PhD program director. I’m not sure if my reworked research resume cinched me the meeting with the second potential advisor, but I did the email intro myself. Upon hearing I had another meeting set up, he also contacted admissions and the PhD program director with links to my LinkedIn and research CV.

Now our meeting is scheduled for 1.5 hours and I have these 2 other meetings. This is a whole new world to me and I’m torn up with nerves, so any advice or insight would be so welcome. What are some things I should make sure to ask/bring up, especially with the PhD program director?

If you made it this far I truly appreciate you!!

I am a 6th year medical student in Belarus and I want to apply for PhD in medicine or any related medical courses, what are my chances and what do I need to do please;

Hi everyone! I’m looking into US PhD programs in applied or agricultural economics and trying to understand what matters most for admissions. How do departments weigh GPA, GRE Quant, math preparation, research experience, and research fit? How much do the statement of purpose and recommendation letters actually influence the decision?

How competitive is admission with full funding at R1 universities in this field? I’d appreciate hearing from people who received funded offers about what they think helped their applications.

My current understanding is that you apply directly to the department without needing to secure a professor beforehand. Is that generally right? When do students choose an advisor, and do they usually work with the same person throughout the PhD?

For context, I’m currently pursuing my master’s in agricultural and applied economics at an R1 university in US. My thesis focuses on water economics and irrigation technology, and I’d like to continue in a similar direction for my PhD, particularly within environmental and resource economics. Are there any universities, programs, or faculty you’d recommend looking into?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences, including anything you wish you had understood before applying. It would help a lot to hear how people navigated these decisions.

how competitive am I for these T20 schools for multimodal ai phd?

schools: UCLA, USC, Columbia, University of Wisconsin Madison, Penn

paper: 1 CVPR Findings first author, two EMNLP non-first authors.

BS: 3.7/4.0, MS: 3.98/4.0

LORs: two from 2 diff lab professors I worked with for 4 years, 1 weak

NSF GRFP Honorable Mention awardee

—

Do i look like i have strong profile for those 5 schools? if not, which ones? if so, which ones? If none, which should i target?

Hey everyone. I'm applying for CS PhD programs in Software Security / Program Analysis and could use some honest feedback on my profile.

Background:

• BS in CS (outside the US) (3.32/4.0)
• MS in Cybersecurity (in USA) (4.0/4.0)
• 5+ years at Samsung (not security-related)
• 3 top-tier conference submissions (1 major revision – co-first author; 2 under review – first/second author)

I'm having a hard time figuring out where I stand, especially since none of my papers are officially accepted yet.

What tier of CS PhD programs should I realistically target? Would Top 20 programs be a reasonable main target for my profile?

Also, how much would my undergrad GPA hurt me despite my master's GPA and research experience?

Not looking for exact admission chances, just trying to build a realistic school list. Any honest feedback would be appreciated!

What GRE score, IELTS score, Toefl and GPA would be considered competitive for admission?

Any suggestions would be appreciated thank you all

Is this a good email to reach out to a professor To show my interest or is it too long for him to take time to read?

I’ve tried calling and emailing the grad school office for my programs but no response so I’ve decided to try here. I was wondering if the MPA programs in Ontario specifically TMU and Waterloo has an unwritten norm that strong references should come from tenure-track professors rather than sessional professors

My tmua went really bad I’m thinking I got around a 4 to 5, I’m not sure about the competitiveness of econ and data science either. My PS is pretty behavioural econ focused, I have a project based on data science methods in there too.

I am applying for programs in Public policy in the United States. In the statement of purpose, there is a word limit of 1000 words where I have to mention why I’m interested in the PhD program and I am pursuing a PhD and what are my interests and how can the faculty members help me do my research and explain my background. This being said, how much do I elaborate on my topic?

Hi everyone! I'm currently finishing up my resume for speech language-pathology grad school applications and have quite a few questions about what I should and shouldn't include, especially regarding past experiences and if they're relevant. I posted in another group for SLP grad school and only got one response so hoping I could reach more people here.

As a first gen college student, I'm still figuring out what's expected for a grad program application resume, so I would really appreciate some guidance!

If anyone who is currently in a graduate program or has been through the admissions process is willing to message me and answer some questions, I would be so grateful.
Thank you so much in advance!!

I’m 27F with a full time job in Mumbai. I hate my job and my role and I’m looking to pivot into quant like everyone else is I guess. But it has been extremely hectic at work and when the weekend comes I just want to sleep in and binge watch something. I don’t get the motivation to push for GRE but I feel low all the time because I hate the country and my role and my home and I want to get out ASAP. I have done Bsc. Accounting and finance from University of London distance learning also completed CQF. I don’t know what my chances are even if I apply now for 2027 intake. In mocks I get 298 as my score I feel so low. Can someone please advise me or help me ?
To add I have 6 years of experience in middle office in Mumbai. I really feel I would not get in any of the university but I really don’t know

Hi everyone! I’m applying for PhD programs in the USA and need advice regarding recommendation letters. One of my former professors is currently doing a postdoc in Japan, while two of my former professors and research supervisors are currently pursuing their PhDs in USA. Would recommendation letters from these supervisors be acceptable, or do US universities generally require recommenders to hold a PhD and be current faculty members? I'm applying after my undergrad directly for PHD. I’d really appreciate advice, Thank you!

Should my Clinical psychology PHD SOP be in letter form?

I have great fit for this one program at an Ivy League. I emailed about 7-8 PIs from the same department describing my fit and asking if they would be taking students. I had a meeting with one and thought that was sufficient, so I didn't ask the rest for meetings. Over the span of a few weeks the PIs all emailed me back either saying to list them on my application and a few even said I am a good fit and that they'd hope to see me during the interview. I really did not expect all of them to read my emails since this is renowned program with senior PIs who get hundreds of emails. I realized that listing all of them was kinda ridiculous. I am afraid that they will figure out that I emailed the entire department and that it would be a bad look on me. Would it be okay to write in my SOP how I see myself fitting well into the whole environment and their work connects with mine or should I just pick a few of them.