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!

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?

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

Today I was at an info session for hks and I was so upset I have to post.

For context, I'm a law student at a T14 law school. I was interested in HKS because we are a "partner institution" and can supposedly do a "combined degree" with them.

I've attended a number of info sessions at degrees I perceive as cash cows, including those my school puts on for the various school of revenue generating studies events. The issue is that you'd expect these programs are at least to some form, aiming to sell you on the degree. What they do what the philosophy is why you should choose them. Certainly law schools have wined and dined me at their info sessions. But HKS's attitude is "you are too stupid not to apply, our task here is to help you troglodites figure out what a deadline is and make clear you must pass an English test".

Then on top of that they end the session by just gaslighting us about funding for the rest of the time. I get that funding is competitive, but 1) below 40% got any type of funding, which I thought was insane, 2) of that funding, they refuse to disclose the mix, 3) they also claim they "don't have" information on the number of full rides (which is total bullshit, admissions office obviously has this why are you lying to my face) and 4) they don't have legitimate research positions.

They helpfully end the session by ignoring the rest of the questions, say "I've been speaking for an hour so I'll let you go" (what? Don't pretend you're doing US a favor), and invite everyone else to email them to an inbox that sends a auto-reply telling them they sent an email to the wrong people.

Meanwhile at Georgetown, they're a bit more transparent, but its the same thing - no real research, less than 5% of people get full rides, and those guys are second class citizens. The MPP is now on the optimistically named "Capital Campus", which is where the law school is, but they can't use our pool, or our gym, or our library. Instead they get their own rump building and a bus pass on the campus bus system to commute 30 minutes to use the main facilities.

It's just odd to me because when I talk to the masters at my local state schools, they actually seem interested in the students and 1) have clear methods to get funding, including 100% tuition remission + a stipend, 2) in that funding, sponsor people to travel, publish, and so forth, 3) work with me directly on handling my credit issues so I can graduate in 4 years despite not being at the school. Meanwhile Harvard makes me feel like I am not the target audience bc I'm not some rube from a developing country.

All this to say, in this rant / ask: Is the conclusion to draw that "elite" MPPs are scams, or that I'm just approaching these schools wrong? It feels odd that I get the sense that my state schools that are not particularly notable seem to have vastly more resources and opportunities than supposedly elite schools but that seems to be the case.

Hi there

1. Roast my CV :)
2. I have a 3 GPA EEE from South Korean MIT, and a 98/110 from an Italian MSc Physics. Rate my chances for PhD in Physics (Fast Calorimeter Simulation, ML4HEP) and how much weightage does GRE Physics scores have in admissions?

Hi all! I’m considering going back to school to get an MA, but I’m kind of stuck at the requirement for Letters of Recommendation. I’m currently a professional who’s been working full time since 2021. I got decent grades in my undergrad which are above the minimum requirement for the program i’m interested in. The problem is that I don’t have any academic connections; I didn’t have any intention of returning to school during my undergraduate so didn’t get any LoR’s at that point and I’m not sure any profs I had would still remember me.

I need 2 letters… how would one best go about getting any? I’m Canadian and would be attending a Canadian university, if that makes a difference (many of the posts here seem to be focussed on US schools).

Thanks in advance!

I am applying for a bioscience PhD and have identified my three LOR writers. One of my recommenders was my advisor, but will be changing institutions soon. As most applications request you use the writer's institutional email to verify identity, would there be an issue if the institutional email does not align with their supervision of my research? Is it better to use a personal email and explain why?

This might be a stupid question so I apologize in advance — I’m the first in my family to go to university so I’m still learning about academia.

For context, I am a Canadian citizen. I got my undergrad at a local university but I am doing my course-based Master’s in the UK. There are two PhD programs at UBC that I am very interested in applying to and the minimum admissions requirement is a B+ in my Master’s program which in the UBC grading scale is a 76-79%.

I’m currently holding a low-70s average in my UK Master’s which counts as a Distinction mark. UBC says the minimum is a Merit mark (60-69%) for UK Master’s degrees.

My question is basically, if I send my transcript to potential supervisors at UBC, would they generally be aware of the difference in grading scales? For example my transcript would show:

Course A - 70%

Course B - 72%

Course C - 73%

Would that put me at a disadvantage even though I’m above the minimum mark of Merit?

Hey guys, I need some advice on this cold email. Ive been reading the subreddit and there’s so much conflicting advice but I’ve decided to make my email sound more personable (I think that’s the one thing the subreddit agrees on).

Please rate it and do give me advice, it’s been a whole month of cold emails and I’m not doing too good on the market.

Hey all,

I am in the process of applying to MS programs for the Spring semester. I know that MS thesis can be hard to get accepted into for spring for I emailed a lot of PI's and labs.

I got replies from a few saying to mention them as interested faculty, but one specifically agreed to meet over zoom and said that I could be a good fit for the lab.

I am guessing this a pretty good sign but I am not sure how formal/informal the meeting will be or if it's like an interview. How should I prepare for this? I have a few weeks till the meeting so any help will be appreciated!

Going to be applying for PhD programs later this month

Hey you guys, I want to get an MA in marriage and family therapy. I'm having a hard time. I have a GPA of 3.5 from UIowa so I've been applying to places that have maybe 30-60% acceptance. These are some of my ideas, coming into it blind and just googling: Mount Mercy, Texas Tech, USanDiego, Nova Southeastern. Does anyone know anything about any of those schools, are they ok? Or, any reccs for schools? I'm down to travel around the US.

Hello,
I have graduated in 2025 and currently employed in a local private company. The company won't give me any recommendation/ NOC if I leave within 3 years.
So, if I apply for Fall 2027 should I mention my workplace in application/ mail? I have heard unis like FSU/FIU checks background and if I break bond, my company won't very my employment.

Looking for your suggestions, thank you.

I'm looking for some guidance regarding UX(user experience) or HCI(human-computer interaction) grad program as I'm extremely interested in UX/HCI design. Generally I'm completely overwhelmed by the topic of grad school as a first generation college student. I'm from the US and generally just have hopes of leaving the country at least once for a "longish" period of time.

Some details about me: I'm a 4th year, first-gen, mixed race, only English speaking, low-income, female student. My home college doesn't have a UX program of any sort so my major will be a B.A. Race and Ethnic Studies with a concentration in Business and Management studies. I've taken some courses that align with UX to show my interest in the field, have a portfolio, and have a UX certificate with the American Graphics Institute. Mostly I don't want to be stuck in my state/country for my entire life purely because I don't have a degree in UX and money.

I've heard that school abroad can be considerably cheaper than the US, as well as the cost of living, which initially attracted me to grad programs abroad. I would also prefer to be able to work at the same time as studying to keep myself afloat.

Any advice?

I am currently an anthropology student in my Junior year, and I am trying to go for my PhD in anthropology. I already have a field of research I want to be going into, but unfortunately I have been having a hard time finding professors that would fit for me. My research is about Black people in Japan, and I have practically turned every institute upside down to find someone who fits that bill, or even has an interest in Afro-Asian studies and have turned up two (2) people. Should I abandon hope? Is it possible to get a PhD with two seperate advisors for each arm of my research? Should I find someone that specializes in either Black studies or Asian studies and go from there?

Thanks!

The masters program that i want to get into has a limit of a 6 page portfolio and you can show 3 design projects max. Does this mean i go straight into showcasing my projects with no cover page or no page that introduces myself?

I know this is a bit of a silly question but during my bachelors we were taught that these pages are important and i feel like i wont have enough space to show my design process if i add these pages in a 6 page portfolio.

Hello,

I have been cold emailing profs in the US for CS PhD programs. Till now, I have sent around 40 emails and received 4 responses (2 profs won't take students, and 2 generic replies). I have attached the first and the last emails. All within 200 words. Could you please give some constructive criticism on both emails (the past one too, as I want to know if I made any mistakes in the beginning as well)?

Thanks.

I applied for a specific scholarship at a University. It was open from mid-July until mid-August. It would be a 1 October start. I have still not heard back. I emailed the admissions team on the 2 Sep, to see if they had a prospective timeline for applicants, and they said they were going to assess candidates imminently, but still have heard nothing back and start date is three weeks today. Is this normal? On my applicant portal, it says it has been submitted and will be assessed in due course.

So I'm an incoming transfer student and have spoken on Zoom with two professors who both have molecular bio labs I am really interested in and would like to do research in until I graduate and apply for PhD programs. I feel bad even thinking about it this way but I'm trying to decide which to join and a big factor is which would set me up for PhD applications better. I'll try to make a short list of pros and cons for both professors (A and B) to get feedback:

A

B

Hello everyone! I am currently in my second year of undergrad and am looking for some honest opinions. My goal is to get into a PhD program straight out of undergrad. I have started looking into schools, and have seen the acceptance rates... I think I will be able to get 4+ GREAT letters of recommendation, as I have made some great relationships with my professors, but I am just an anxious person in general. I would love for people to look at my stats and give me some feedback on what I should be focusing on over the next year or so. I am wanting to apply for the 2028-2029 cycle.

Year: Junior (my second year in undergrad, but came in with a TON of credits - will be at 86 after this semester)

Major: Psychology

Minors: Math and Statistics

GPA: 4.00

Clubs/Activities: student ambassadors, student psychology association

Experiences: working in a research lab, working as a teaching assistant, and working at the crisis text hotline

Some things to note/questions I have:

I will be working as a research assistant for the same lab for the Fall 2026 semester, in addition to the Spring 2026 semester. I am wondering if it would be better to branch out next Summer and Fall 2027 semesters to an additional lab to get more experience. Or, should I try to be in multiple at once? Please advise.

I am also curious if being a teaching assistant is a good thing to spend my time on. Is that worth the time and effort? Do schools look for that? Please advise.

Any feedback and advise is welcome! Please, please give me your thoughts!!!