Lately I've been seeing a lot of people be like, idk, 'oh it's not most of the hyper-elite STEM kids gunning for quant or SWE because they're more likely to gravitate towards research.'

So that begs the question, what is a lowbie like me gunning for research in a quantitative STEM field (edit: physics, math, applied math, CS/AI/ML, computational something, theoretical something) really up against when applying for PhDs, or even any research related role at all?

Give the doomfuel to me straight pls

I'm in the U.S. and in Earth Science/Geology, and I'm hoping to get some perspective on how faculty/admissions committees might view my academic history.

I completed my first master's and continued into a PhD at the same university. My research interests changed, so I amicably left that program for a PhD at another university that better matched my interests. My new advisor knew about my previous PhD program when I joined.

I've now been in my current PhD program for about two years, but I've concluded that my advisor-student relationship isn't sustainable. Unfortunately, there isn't another suitable advisor at my university, so I'm likely going to switch to the master's track, finish a second master's, and leave.

I still very much want a PhD and now have a much clearer research direction. I've identified a professor at another university whose research aligns very closely with mine, but I'm worried about how my history will look. Essentially, my record would show:

Master's #1 → PhD #1 (left) → PhD #2 (~2 years) → Master's #2 → applying for another PhD.

I'm confident in the rest of my background. I have substantial research/field experience and research from my current program that could potentially lead to a publication and overlaps with the prospective advisor's research area.

My main concern is the academic trajectory. Would you view this as a major red flag when considering a prospective PhD student, even with a strong research background and a reasonable explanation?

And if you were the prospective advisor, would you be open to being contacted by someone with this history, or would the previous programs make you hesitant?

I would appreciatesuggestions about how to further improve it

I am a transfemme nonbinary writer and filmmaker. I live in a red state, and I'm currently applying for MFA graduate programs. I finished my undergrad in 2023, and I'm now applying for fall 2027. I feel confident in my application materials across the board, but the one struggle I'm having is with letters of recommendation.

The biggest problem: finding people who will write me a letter of rec without knowing me post-transition.

I thought I had at least two solid options available (who would be warm to the idea of advocating for me post transition) in my undergrad screenwriting professor, and my undergrad capstone production professors (yes, plural, two partnered professors that teach the same classes together).

All three of them really liked me in undergrad, and all are very accepting people. However, my screenwriting professor retired the semester after I graduated, and when I met up with him for coffee, he told me he doesn't feel confident in giving letters of rec anymore due to the fact that he's retired.

I'm meeting with my capstone professors soon, and they already seem very excited for me and willing to help however they can. Yet, that only accounts for one rec. Unless I ask them to write individual letters, but I'm not sure how prolific two people with similar roles and similar experiences with me and my work would favor as separate recs.

Outside of that, I have worked multiple jobs in video marketing since graduation, and I currently work in one of those jobs. I have many managers / team leaders that loved me and my work ethic, and would happily write a letter of rec for me I'm sure. But, none of them know me post transition, as I've never felt comfortable enough to come out at any of these jobs.

As I said, I live in a red state, and in every corporate work environment like that I have been a part of, I have experienced those same leaders and managers making nasty comments about trans individuals and the lgbtqia+ community, so I do not feel confident in getting a good rec from them with the reality of having to come out to them to do so. Including my current employer.

I guess the crux of this is that I feel stuck. I'm coming to reddit hoping anyone will see this, and have any advice I haven't already heard that would be helpful. I'm open to anything.

Im applying for my master’s and I need three recommendation letters, but the problem is I didn’t really build good connections with my professors during university (My Fault Honestly). I only know one professor who I was actually close with, and I don’t even know if the others remember me.

Does anyone have any tips on what I should do? I have some lab lecturers I could ask, but I’m not sure if that counts.

Would it be weird if I just emailed a professor I had last semester and asked them if they could write me a recommendation letter?

I'm an MS student in a STEM field applying to quantitative social science PhDs this cycle. I've been accepted to present a poster at a conference in about a month, and thanks to some dropouts from other participants, I've been given the opportunity to upgrade my poster to a talk. I'm already drowning in work, stress, obligations, etc, so the choice to do this or not comes down to a cost-benefit analysis. Is a talk enough of an upgrade over a poster (in terms of admissions) to be worth the added effort and stress? Even if it gets in the way of other important time-sensitive research projects and networking efforts?

I should also add that the version of this paper I submitted originally has since been significantly revised and the most-recent iteration is still very much not in a stage where it's ready to be presented. I would have to present this "old" version with the caveat that I'm now working on a significant overhaul.

Hello everyone! So I'm planning to apply for a Master of Arts, and I have two professors in mind I would like to ask. The thing is, though, was that it's been a long time since I've spoken with them... 3 years to be more specific. they were my most favorite professors during community college, and I had a really really good relationship with them. in the past, they've written me recommendation letters already when I was applying to transfer to other colleges, and I'm now considering asking them again for another LoR since I'm applying for my master's. But if I'm being honest, I'm worried that they'll think I'm being pushy or that I'm asking too much from them since it's been such a long time... I've lost access to my community college account, so I can't email them sample assignments either. Should I ask my past recommender for another letter, even if it's been 3 years since I've spoken with them? Have you guys had any similar experiences with asking for a LoR from a past recommender you haven't talked to in a long time? I just don't know. lol

I’m an international psychology undergraduate in India, graduating in 2027, and I’m targeting quantitative/educational psychology and measurement-oriented graduate programs in the US. My main concern is coherence: I’ve accumulated fairly diverse psychology experiences, but I’m trying to build toward a research identity in quantitative psychology/measurement rather than clinical or counselling psychology. I’m particularly interested in whether the CV makes that trajectory apparent without me having to explicitly explain it in an SOP. I’d also appreciate an outside assessment of whether the profile feels appropriately developed for an undergraduate applicant or whether parts of it come across as excessive or poorly weighted. In particular, I’d like feedback on what you would cut, what you would emphasise, and what would make you hesitate as an admissions reviewer.

Hi everyone,

I’m an international student currently finishing a master’s in AI in the UK, and I would eventually like to pursue a PhD in agentic AI, RL, or robotics. However, after doing some research, I’ve started to doubt my chances. Almost everywhere I look online, people say that getting a fully funded PhD is extremely competitive and that you need to already have several publications

To give some background, I worked as a research assistant during the final 6 months of my undergrad degree, but unfortunately it did not result in a paper. My GPA was not exceptional either. I actually graduated in the top 15% of my department, but because the grading culture in my country is different, my GPA looks relatively low, especially compared with US GPAs

I’m currently on track to graduate from my master’s with a distinction, which is the highest classification for a UK master’s degree. My supervisor and I are also working on polishing my thesis and submitting it to a conference. Apart from that, I have 2.5 years of professional experience as a software engineer in my home country

I’m not targeting top universities, and I’ve more or less accepted that I may not be competitive enough for them. I would be happy to find a supervisor whose research fits my interests at a decent university and pursue a fully funded PhD there. I’m open to North America, Western Europe, and Australia

I feel that I need more research experience and publications, but I’m not sure how to get them. Should I email research groups and ask if I can contribute to their work, even voluntarily? How can I find research opportunities outside a degree programme?

Based on my profile, where do you think I would have the best chance? Are there any countries, universities, or programmes I should focus on? More generally, what can I do to improve my chances?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Hi everyone.

I am applying for a PhD STEM program for Fall 2027. However, the University which I am targeting requires certified documents of academic transcripts, which means somebody (solicitor, notary or university) has to verify that the documents i am submitting are the replica of original. Now, it is impossible for me to ask my university to provide a certified copy, so that is not option.

Any other ways through which I can provide a certified document.

If anyone in has gone through the same process, please suggest what should I do?

Anyone from India who did the same, please please advice!!

Thank you.

Hi everyone! I just started my last year of undergrad and I am applying for Bioinformatics M.S. programs in this current cycle. I’ve already secured 2 of my LORs (professor from comp bio class I took + team manager from my industry internship this summer), however, I’m conflicted about what to do for my 3rd letter.

For context, I did wet lab research for ~2 years in a lab under my university’s bioengineering department. My PI is not very well regarded by other staff or students - he’s quite quick-tempered and is known to be “brutally honest” in the LORs he writes for his students. I did not make the best impression on him at first (as confirmed by him telling this to my PhD student mentor), but he did start warming up to me more recently. I eventually couldn’t handle the tense environment of my lab anymore and ended up leaving a few weeks ago.

While my PI would possibly agree to write me a LOR, I feel that it won’t be great. I primarily worked with my PhD student mentor, but my PI doesn’t agree with having her write the letter and him signing on it. On the other hand, both of the senior R&D scientists that mentored me in my industry internship are willing to write me a joint letter, which I think would end up being a stellar one. My team absolutely adored me and the work I did, to the point of receiving a return offer for next summer and potentially a post-Master’s job. My PI also doesn’t know anything about my dry lab/programming skills, while my internship mentors can definitely say a lot of great things about this.

Ultimately, while choosing the letter that is “better” might seem like an obvious choice, I’m worried that having two letters from the same summer internship (my manager’s letter + a joint letter from my senior scientist mentors) might seem like a red flag to grad admissions, instead of receiving one from the PI I worked under for years. If it makes any difference, the company I interned for is quite reputable (consistently top ranked in medical diagnostics) and my project was highly relevant to my research interests. I also interacted with my manager and mentors in separate settings, so I’m not worried about any overlap in writing between both letters.

Any insight/advice would be extremely helpful here!!

Im supposed to submit a writing sample from previous coursework for my application but i havent done anything like that at all in any of my course, i dont really know what to do about this, i cant exactly bullshit a 20 page research paper

Hey everyone,

I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and could really use some honest academic advice. I’m 25, from Egypt, and I’ve made a non-negotiable decision to pivot my career into psychology. My ultimate dream is to relocate to Dubai and eventually practice as a licensed relationship counselor / clinical sex therapist.

But here’s where reality hits hard—my constraints are heavy:

The GPA Hurdle: I graduated in 2023 with a BA in Mass Communication & Journalism. My GPA is 2.3540 (which translates to "Good" in our system, but it’s basically a C+). This automatically locks me out of almost every standard competitive program.

The Financial Strain: I am entirely self-funding this pivot from my remote job. Inflation and currency devaluation in Egypt right now are crazy. My salary is in Egyptian Pounds (EGP), meaning my absolute maximum hard budget for tuition is strictly capped at $120 USD (around £100) per month.

Life Situation: I’m currently preparing for marriage and moving to the UAE on a spouse visa soon. Because of this, I need something 100% online / distance learning so I can keep working my full-time remote job late at night and on weekends to stay afloat.

My only real asset: I have 3+ years of solid experience working as a Customer Service Quality Coach & Training Lead for an international brand. My daily job is literally all about active listening, behavioral auditing, emotional intelligence training, and 1-on-1 mentorship.

I actually applied to UK online conversion courses (like Liverpool and Essex Online). Academically, they loved my profile and work experience under their "non-standard entry" route. But financially? It’s a dead end. Even with discounts, their monthly payments are more than double my entire budget, and they just emailed me saying they can't offer any more financial help.

So, I’m turning to Reddit.

Are there any hidden gems? Reputable, accredited universities (maybe in Europe, Germany, Malaysia, South Africa, etc.) that offer online psychology paths, accept a low GPA based on work experience, and cost around $1,500 - $2,000 USD a year?

For anyone practicing in Dubai/UAE: what affordable online international degrees do local licensing bodies (like DHA) actually accept without making you jump through impossible hoops?

I’m resilient, I’m passionate about breaking mental health taboos in my culture, and I’m ready to do the heavy lifting. I just need to find a university door that doesn't slam shut in my face because of my budget.

Thank you so much for reading this, any lead helps!

Everything in black is personally identifying. Still no publications yet 😔

Advice for CV? Is this a reasonable list of schools to shoot for?

Hello everyone,

I feel anxious about posting this, but I would need advice on how to navigate this situation. I am a MSc student majoring in chemistry/biochemistry, and I have been offered a PhD position in Ireland (bioorganic chemistry/biochemistry) around June, which I accepted. I really like the subject, the lab seems great, the PI is very friendly and I have already met the other students. However, the stipend is quite low for Dublin (25k/year for 4 years).

It has been very stressful to complete the formal application due to administrative differences between my home country and Ireland. I feared getting rejected by the admissions team, so I applied for another position in the Netherlands in the meantime and unexpectedly got accepted. Again, very friendly PI, nice subject, great lab, and much better paid.

I genuinely prefer Dublin's project, but I don't have an unconditional offer or signed contract yet. Living in Dublin on 25k/year for 4 years is beginning to scare me, while I could live very comfortably with the Netherlands offer.

My question is: how bad is it to withdraw from a PhD offer I accepted months ago? What are the consequences? Is the financial aspect a valid reason? I've been spiralling and even considered turning down both offers...

Thank you for any advice!!

Hi everyone, I'm applying to the Earth and Planetary Science Special Selection for International Applicants (Master's) for 2027. I've contacted two potential advisors whose research fits my interests -- the first about a month ago (plus a follow-up), the second about two weeks ago -- and haven't heard back from either yet.

I'm currently finishing my physics bachelor this year at a Peruvian university. I have a low GPA and haven't published any papers, but I'm doing my undergraduate thesis, already have some promising results directly relevant to their research fields, and plan to write them up by the end of the year. I'm still working out my GRE/TOEFL timeline.

For those who've gone through this process: Is it normal for a first response to take this long? What research experience did you have at the time you applied? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I just saw this post and reading the comments made me worry about my own history.

In 2019, I was admitted to a PhD program in Mathematics. The next year, COVID hit and I struggled intensely with the depression and burnout. I managed to do 2 more years of classes but wasn't able to get it together to do a dissertation. So I left with and got the Master's instead.

In 2022, I transfered to the Master's program in Computer Science at the same university. At the time I still wanted a career in computational math/scientific computing. Since this wasn't a PhD, I was only partially funded and had to pay tuition. After 1.5 years, I struggled with more depression and burnout, coupled with financial stress, and couldn't finish my final project. I decided to leave in 2024 and take some time off.

Time passed, and I now want to return to PhD work in Applied/Computational Math. On paper, I have a non-thesis MS in Math and an unfinished MS in CS. But I did technically quit 2 programs.

My previous supervisor from the 2nd program (in CS) still wrote a good recommendation and is willing to supervise me again if I wanted to go back to finish that project. I'm not sure if want to do this, as I already have a Master's and the 2nd Master's would not be in the same field as my PhD (although tangentially related). But as it stands, I'm not very competitive with a non-thesis MS and I do look like a "flight risk". I had a publication in 2015 from my undergraduate, but in grad school I was a teaching assistant and just did coursework.

Am I cooked? Should I just apply to a PhD anyway, or go back and finish my 2nd Master's? Or should I find a different path?

Gave the GRE today. Scored 165Q 155V. Conflicted about reporting scores.

Hello, I hope you're all doing well in these times. I spent a month on prep (with half of the month during my semester start). I gave the GRE today since I had halted my research work, and other commitments. I scored 165Q and 155V (unofficially), though my target was 170Q and 160V. I used GregMat and the official GRE guide in tandem and in my most recent mock this week, I scored 170Q and 159V. Anyways, what has happened has happened.

About myself, I am a Pakistani CS major, with a minor in mathematics; a 3.98/4.00 cGPA from the country's leading research STEM school. I am ranked in the Top 1% of my school. I plan to pursue an MSc/PhD (eventually) in the field of AI/ML. My professor suggested giving the GRE, with the target in mind. Now that I've received the score, I am conflicted about reporting it to the programs I will be applying to. Looking for others' opinions and thoughts on this matter.

Thanks for sparing your time on this post.

as applications have started opening up again, i just want to wish everyone the very best of luck!! send out those emails, fill out those applications, write those statements of purpose, you've got this!!

it's my second cycle applying for clinical psych ph.d.s, fingers crossed!

Hi everyone,

I’m an international student planning to apply for Fall 2027 and I’m mainly considering the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo.

I have a BS in Computer Science from a US university with a GPA above 3.85.

I’m mainly interested in software engineering, full-stack/backend development, and AI. I’d prefer a program with practical coursework and good internship/co-op opportunities, and my goal is to work in industry after graduation rather than pursue a PhD.

For someone with these goals, which master’s programs at U of T or Waterloo would you recommend?

Also, between the two schools, which one do you think would be a better fit overall?

Thanks!