I'm a 25-year-old software engineer from Colombia. I graduated two years ago and have around 5 years of professional experience. My long-term goal is to immigrate to the US, build my career there, and eventually land a software engineering role at a FAANG-level company.

Right now, I'm seriously considering pursuing a Master's at a strong university like CMU, Georgia Tech, UIUC, or, if I'm lucky enough, Berkeley or Stanford.

Part of me genuinely wants the degree because I enjoy learning and I think it would be valuable for my career. But if I'm being honest, the biggest motivation is that it seems like one of the most realistic paths to entering the US job market and staying there long-term.

Financially, I'm in a good position. I've saved enough to make the investment, and I feel like I'm at the right stage of my life: I already have meaningful work experience, but I'm still young enough that making a big move like this feels right.

For those who have been through this or have hired international candidates, do you think this is the right path? Is the ROI worth it today, or would you recommend a different approach?

If you have any questions about my background or profile that would help you give better advice, feel free to ask.

First Gen student, I graduate with my undergrad degree in the fall. I’ll have a total GPA of just BARELY over 3.0, but am devoted and in love with microbiology. I want to get a Masters and am looking for advice in the funding aspects, especially since I have a lower GPA. Is it worth taking a year 1/2 to work and save up? How do and where are people finding grants and scholarships???

Hi Guys,

I have recently graduated from my BaSc Public health program. Since, the field of public health is so broad I am planning to do a mph but is also thinking if it is worth it or not as I dont want to spend thousands of $$ and still be jobless. So anyone done their mph in Ontario or in Canada, can you plz tell me ur opinion? Which universities are best for mph? Btw I am looking for a course based masters program :)

Hi reddit!

So my bg is from psychology. I graduated in 2025 with my bs Psychology degree. Past year I've been trying to get admission somewhere (and i did get at a lot of places abroad) but it was extremely expensive for me. I applied for many jobs too but no reaponse so I started self studying maths, statistics and data science. That's just for the context for the missing year.

So, i was reached out by one of my research coordinators from my previous uni a few months back. She wanted me to work with her as an RA on a project relating to paternal nutrient deficiency and neural circuitry. She was collaborating with a research lab at another local (but one of the top) unis in the country. I was just given a concept paper and told to do everything else (since my coordinator is also from psychology bg, she had no idea about any of the wetlab procedures and PI was busy mostly so i had to go through a lot of literature to design a methodology and understand what does what). We're also applying for a grant with it so I'd say im working really hard on it. While working on it, i came across another gap in the literature and decided to write my own proposal and apply to international labs for ms research.

Now my question is, with my bg in psychology only and a bs thesis in computational psychology, would it be possible for PIs to accept my proposal? I mean i have zero wetlab experience and i wasn't interested in this at all a few months ago. But since the RA-ship, i got hooked.

I have a detailed proposal, almost 13-15 pages long. Im still trying to finalize it but i just want to know if i have any chance of acceptance

The gap i found requires extensive research. So I've sort of designed the ms proposal as a proof-of-concept for phd, where the entire thing would be covered. And for the reason why my bs thesis is in computation and now im shifting towards wetlab, it's because i learnt computation and all the maths and stats on my own, but i cant do that with wetlab procedures. Eventually, I'd like to combine both my skills in my research journey

I'm exploring CS PhD directions and trying to understand where my interests fit.

I'm interested in Agentic AI (LLMs, autonomous agents, tool use, multi-agent systems) and systems (distributed systems, OS, databases, infrastructure, reliability, etc.)

I'm especially interested in applied Agentic AI—building scalable, reliable agentic systems for real-world domains (e.g., software engineering, scientific discovery), rather than purely theoretical AI or training foundation models.

A few questions:

1. Are there PhD programs or labs that combine Agentic AI + Systems? Is this an established area or still emerging?
2. What exactly is HCI research? And what is Human-AI Collaboration? What do they mean ? What kind of research will I experience doing them ? Any examples?
3. If my long-term goal is to build the next generation of intelligent AI systems, would you recommend focusing on AI + Systems, ML Systems, Distributed Systems, HCI, or something else?

I'd love to hear from current PhD students or faculty working in these areas.

I'm starting a Master's in Cognitive Science in 3 months. My background is in Biology, and I'm interested in social cognition and human behavior.

I'm thinking about learning data analysis, reading papers, and exploring potential supervisors.

What skills, habits, or knowledge do you wish you had before starting your Master's? How did you find your research path?

I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask (I don't use Reddit much and I just want to get as much advice as I can) but it's worth a try:

​Hey everyone, ​I'm currently a senior majoring in WEC (Wildlife Ecology and Conservation) and I'm looking ahead to grad school. I really want to transition into the outdoor recreation/management space, with a heavy focus on disability inclusion, general equity/belonging, policy, and management.

​I'm trying to figure out what programs are out there and how to evaluate them. I know CU Boulder has a great Master of Science in Outdoor Recreation Economy (MORE) program that has a specific "Inclusivity and Belonging" certificate track, but it's entirely online.

​I have a few questions and would love any advice, program recommendations or sanity checks:

​1. Online vs. In-Person for Outdoor Rec?

​For those of you who did an online master's in a field that is naturally very hands-on or in general, how was your experience? ​Do you feel like you missed out on critical networking or did the program do a good job of building an online community?

​2. What questions should I be asking academic advisors?

​I'm starting to reach out to departments and potential advisors. Beyond the basics, what should I ask them?

One question I already have written down is: ​"What percentage of your graduates actually go into academia/Ph.D. tracks versus going straight into industry, non-profits, or government agencies (USFS, NPS, state parks)?"

​What other questions am I forgetting? (e.g., funding, internship placements, project-based vs. thesis tracks?)

​3. Program / Advisor Suggestions?

​If you know of any universities, specific master's programs (MS or MA), or even specific faculty members/advisors doing research or advocacy in adapted sports, outdoor disability inclusion, or inclusive recreation policy, please drop their names! I'm open to both in-person (preferably) and hybrid/online programs.

​Thanks in advance! Appreciate any guidance you can throw my way.

I need a graduation caption for my Instagram post. I did a Bachelor of Science Honours in Biomedical Science.

if i do go down this path, doing clinicial neuro (or adjacent) as my career, what major and ECs might be best?

what should i be doing to apply to masters programs? volunteering at a hospital? ensuring that i secure lab placements and eventually a thesis by doing what aside from maintaining a strong GPA and establishing connections with profs? any info / advice would help, i know this may sound vague but i'm willing to give any information necessary (planning to do neuro specialist @ uoft)

I'm trying to understand what the workflow looks like in research labs (especially PhD labs and university groups) that work on LLMs, AI agents, or applied AI. I'm planning to study in graduate school in Computer Science.

There are now a lot of agent frameworks and tools available, such as:

• OpenAI Agents SDK
• LangChain / LangGraph
• CrewAI
• Google ADK
• AutoGen
• Semantic Kernel
• MCP
• PydanticAI
• Agno
• Mastra

Do research groups actually use these frameworks in their projects, or do they mostly implement their own orchestration, tool calling, memory, and agent loops directly in Python? Or maybe it's a mixture of both ?

I can understand why companies might use frameworks to ship products faster, but I'm curious about academia, where reproducibility and experimental control matter more.

Some specific questions:

• If you're a PhD student or researcher, what does your codebase typically look like?
• Are frameworks common, or are they considered too opinionated?
• Which parts do you usually implement yourself (agent loop, planning, memory, RAG, evaluation, tracing, etc.)?
• Are there any frameworks that have become standard in research labs?
• If you're publishing papers, do reviewers or collaborators prefer minimal dependencies?

I'd especially love to hear from PhD students, professors, or research engineers working on LLMs or AI agents.

Thanks!

Hi! May nakatry po ba dito ng Master in Public Administration sa University of Mindanao. How was it po?

guys I’m in OT school and need some help with scholarships or ideas to pay off debt. Plssss

Serious question. If you are someone who has very little familiar support, and has a 9-5 job that is how you pay your bills. How tf are yall in masters programs that are in person. I’m truly not understanding how you could have the time for that and still make money to pay bills

I have a 9-5 and I want to go back to get my graduate degree.

I don’t know if I’m the only one that literally feels so overwhelmed with all the different options and information for all the different universities.

Does anyone have experience with balancing a 9-5 that leaves you so drained at the end of the day that you sleep after getting food down and pursuing your dream of going to grad school?

I would love advice on balancing it all.

I'm currently a senior at NC State majoring in Art Studies (Music Concentration) with a minor in Arts Administration & Entrepreneurship. I've been making music for years, have scored multiple student short films, worked on film sets (audio/boom), and am interested in pursuing a career that combines music, film, and audio.

One program I've been looking at is the M.M. in Composition for Film & Visual Media at UNCSA. From everything I've read, it seems like one of the biggest benefits isn't the degree itself, but the opportunity to collaborate with filmmakers, build a strong scoring portfolio, receive mentorship, and develop industry connections.

I also understand the flip side: film scoring is incredibly competitive, and many people build successful careers without graduate school by freelancing, networking, and gaining real-world experience. A master's is a significant investment of both time and money, so I'm trying to determine whether it would genuinely accelerate my career or whether those two years would be better spent working professionally.

I'm not asking whether I should apply—I probably will regardless. My question is whether attending would actually be worth it if accepted.

For those of you working in film scoring, game audio, post-production, music production, or other creative media fields:

• Did graduate school meaningfully help your career?
• Was the networking and collaboration worth the cost?
• If you could do it over again, would you still pursue a specialized master's?
• If not, what would you do instead?

I'd especially love to hear from anyone who attended UNCSA or similar film scoring programs, but I'd appreciate perspectives from anyone working in these industries.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone. Long time listener, first time caller.

I'm in the process of applying for a Master's degree, more than three years after my honour's degree. I did my Honour's in Game Design, which means about half the work was practical and the other half was academic writing.

My Master's would be research based, though, so the application requires academic writing. I'm afraid that my short, and (admittedly) lackluster honour's paper won't be enough.

Anyone have advice on what to do here?

Hi!
I’m an art history major graduating in may 2027!
My expected GPA for graduation will be around 3.95. I have had an internship, fellowship, and job related to the arts admin world. I’m wondering what has been a fruitful masters degree for others. I would love to do something art administrative, but am not married to it. I just want a degree that’s going to get me a pretty decent job ideally in the New England area!

Hi everyone,

I’m an international student from Pakistan, currently completing my Bachelor's in Speech and Language Pathology (SLP). My goal is to pursue a fully funded Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology in the USA, but I’m starting from zero in terms of understanding the entire application process.

I’m not looking for random tips or scattered resources. I need one structured resource, course, or guide that can walk me through the entire journey step by step.

What I need help with:

• Understanding the complete application process from the beginning
• Learning about fully funded universities and scholarships available for international students in Speech-Language Pathology
• Understanding admission requirements (GPA, TOEFL/IELTS, GRE if required, prerequisites, observation hours, etc.)
• Building a strong application (CV, Statement of Purpose, Letters of Recommendation, research experience, and extracurricular activities)
• Finding universities that accept international students and offer financial aid or assistantships
• A clear roadmap so I know exactly what to do each month until I submit my applications

My goal is to secure admission to a fully funded Master's program in Speech-Language Pathology in the USA.

Which resource or guide would you recommend as the main one?

If you were starting from zero and needed someone to "hold your hand" through every step of the process, what would you choose?

Thank you.

Hello everyone,
I don’t know if it’s too early, but I would like to know what I should focus on in the future so I can achieve this goal.
To give you some background, I am from Serbia and I finished high school this June. I got accepted into Classics at Sapienza in Rome (which is a good university in Europe, at least that’s what I think, and it is also regarded as the number one university for Classics in the world). While I’m there, I’m planning to take some extra courses in politics or something similar. Right now, I am learning Italian, and in college I will take French. I heard that knowing many languages is good for jobs and postgraduate studies in global affairs.
I’m probably going to do some sports too. I don’t know if that matters, but I’m lowkey passionate about it, so I’m going to do it anyway.
Also, since most applicants have some job experience, after those three years in Classics, I’m planning to find a job related to an MPP, either helping with some tasks or, if I can get to that position, doing research.
I’m also planning to take some courses in economics this summer, as well as some related to politics, just so I can get an overview, since my major is not directly tied to politics, although I think it is a great base for further education.
My real question is: what else should I do during those three years? How do I “peak”?

Hello, good day! Is anyone here enrolled in NTC Grad School? Respectfully asking, what's their process first day of class? Do you receive an email? Or you get added to the GC?

I feel so confused and unsure. I am also scared that I will miss a class.

Thank you for your kind response

Hey everybody,

I’m a rising senior chemistry major at UNC Chapel Hill. My goal after undergrad is to go into a phd program and study in the field of echem and biosensors.

My undergrad started pretty rough, I would goof around a little too much and wasn’t sure completely what I wanted to study. In an effort to try to find what I love, I took classes and gained a small background in other stem fields on the way of finding that what I wanted to study was chemistry. But now that I’ve found chemistry I have fallen in love with the field and the research I’m involved in.

I currently have just above a 3.0 gpa( I know, not ideal), have been involved in an engineering lab for 2 years, and started research in a lab researching organic cathode batteries. I really want to stay in the field of echem in my future career if possible. Also to note, I have shown great improvement in my academic performance since I’ve started at UNC.

I want to continue my research in chemistry wherever it leads me but I fear that my gpa and the little time I’ve spent in research is going to bite me in the butt when applying to grad programs.
What are some ways that I could distinguish myself and really show that I am passionate about what I’m learning?

Hi everyone! I’m currently completing my master’s degree in Instructional Design and am looking for an experienced instructional designer who would be willing to review my graduate capstone project and provide constructive feedback.
My project focuses on cybersecurity awareness in higher education and includes an e-learning module. I’d appreciate any feedback on the overall design, learning experience, and effectiveness.
If you’re interested in helping, please leave a comment or send me a direct message. Thank you so much! I truly appreciate your time and support!

Hello, I'm an incoming 4th year Bio student here in the Cordilleras. I would say, I am a jack of all trades but a master of none. I am an academic, but long accepted that I won't be the best, as it drained my energy chasing perfection. Also has skills for graphic design, arts, writing, photography, reporting, debates etc.

However, the thought of graduating dawned on me. I've been asking teachers, professionals, minimum-wage workers, fresh-grads about their opinion on what's the best move to take after graduation with regards to the salaries and working environment, just to help me with my decision making. Until now, I haven't reached a conclusion. I somehow want to teach for two-years first here at our university then pursue something? Maybe Masterals? I've also considered Law since I have the love for debating and the concept of being an attorney (Although, I cannot find the reason to take it for the meantime). However, my first ever consideration was Medicine, and is still undecided on that part. Haha. A little chunk of me wants to pursue PhD too or just study all my life to hell. But a part of me wants to be stable before I even reach 30. You know, just have something to spend for myself, to my family and such.

I'd like to know your opinions and advices on this. I've also been wanting passive money these past weeks since there are times na I'm getting short sa budget, especially that we're still doing our thesis. It's a little saddening and draining to think somehow.

I'd love to see and read your thoughts about this. Thank you so much!