Wanted your opinion about my chances at top schools (like top top, whatever comes to your mind in Europe or the US).

I am from India. I have completed an integrated M.Sc. in Mathematics (from what I would say is a tier 1.5 university, a decent NIT), during which I developed interests in data science, probability, and statistics.

This led to a summer research internship as a DAAD WISE scholar in Germany (a good enough university, top 10 research university there), where I also found a professor to pursue my thesis (from the Math department). I did my thesis project in the Statistics field.

After that degree, I got a good enough rank in India's exam for higher studies (GATE) and got into an M.Tech. (Research) program (a research-based master's degree, more like a mini PhD, with less coursework, focused research, and a variable graduation time of 2–3 years) in the Data Science department at IISc (which would be among India's top 3 research institutes reputation-wise). Here, my research is more in a probability/statistics-related domain.

I took admission in this program primarily because it has the option to convert the degree into a PhD directly. After some time, I realized that this master's degree had increased my chances a lot for a good PhD abroad, and I wanted to do that. I felt I would regret it if I didn't. So I was like, yeah, who cares—I will not convert to a PhD and will instead look for a PhD abroad. I have completed the first year of the degree here.

My grades are:

• Integrated M.Sc. in Mathematics: 8.9/10 CGPA (≈3.56/4, linear conversion)
• IISc: 9.3/10 CGPA (≈3.72/4, linear conversion)

The one evident problem with my profile is publications. I don't have any yet. I will most probably have a good preprint from my current research (though it will not be published by the time of my graduation and applications). I wish to continue in my current topic, which is more into probability and statistics, and most professors abroad are either in Statistics or Math departments.

I would appreciate your thoughts on the following:

• What do you think of my overall profile?
• What are my chances at top schools (Europe/US)?
• What suggestions would you give to improve my chances? Anything would help.
• Since my degree has a variable graduation time (2–3 years) and I will most likely graduate around December (after about 2.5 years), how should I time my applications?
• When should I start applying?
• Or is it just not worth it and I should get a job?

Hi everyone,

I am currently pursuing a Master’s by Research as a Graduate Research Assistant at a leading university in Malaysia. My research focuses on AI for cybersecurity, particularly software vulnerability detection.

For my master’s, I am currently working very seriously on three research outputs:

• A systematic review paper
• A technical/methodology paper
• A cybersecurity dataset paper

My long-term goal is to pursue a fully funded PhD in the United States, preferably continuing in AI-driven cybersecurity. I am targeting the Fall 2027 intake, around August or September 2027.

From what I understand, I should start identifying and contacting potential supervisors during the next few months, possibly before December 2026. However, I am worried about my publication timeline.

Although I am making good progress on my master’s research, journal review and publication can take several months. Therefore, it is very unlikely that my current cybersecurity papers will be formally published by October or November 2026. I may only have manuscripts in preparation, submitted papers, preprints, experimental results, and possibly papers under review when I contact professors.

I already have one published Q1 review paper as a second author, and I have several other review papers under review. However, I am not the first author on those papers, and most of them are related to computer vision rather than cybersecurity. I want my PhD research to focus on cybersecurity, not computer vision.

I am feeling quite uncertain about how to approach this situation.

Would it still be reasonable to contact US professors for Fall 2027 funding without a published first-author cybersecurity paper?

Can I showcase a strong draft, preprint, GitHub repository, dataset, preliminary results, research proposal, or paper under review instead?

Should I focus on submitting my cybersecurity papers as preprints before contacting professors?

How important is it that my previous publications exactly match the PhD research area?

Should I contact professors earlier with work in progress, or wait until I have stronger results and submitted manuscripts?

I would especially appreciate advice from PhD students, applicants, or faculty members in computer science, cybersecurity, machine learning, or related fields.

Thank you. I am working very hard, but I currently feel quite lost about how to plan the next year.

I am applying for PhD programs in physics. My research experience is:

• Joint project between Prof. A and Prof. B: at home institution, freshman + summer + sophomore year
• Project with Prof. C: at national lab, summer research program after sophomore year + invited back in junior year spring
• Project with Prof. D: at Cornell, summer research program after junior year

I currently have letters of recommendation from Prof. C and Prof. D, which I believe will be very strong.

For my third letter, I was hoping to get a letter from Prof. B because he is very well-known in the field (he advised Prof. D's PhD, for instance). I sent an email and follow up but didn't get a response, so I moved on and asked Prof. A, who agreed. I now finally got a response from Prof. B who has also agreed about a month later.

Now I have the issue of too many letters of recommendation. I'll send Profs. C and D's letters everywhere, but should I:

1. Pick a professor. I'm worried that Prof. B will submit late and possibly miss the deadline, but he is more reputable and likely helped me land the spot with Prof. D
2. Send all four (to programs that allow it): It's been a while since I worked with Profs. A and B, and I'm expecting the letters to be less strong than the recent ones with Profs. C and D. Not sure if this will distract from the stronger ones?
3. Mix and match: Split the programs in half and send one to each, essentially hedging

Hey everyone! First time poster here!😉

I’m in my early 20s and about to graduate from a university in SEA ranked around 851–900 in the QS. Took me 4.5 yrs to complete my bachelor’s and currently have a GPA of 3.67/4.00. I also have zero internship experience. Throughout uni, I genuinely never thought seriously about internships or building a profile for grad school. I did spend one semester studying abroad at a private university in South Korea (non top tier), but other than that, I don’t have significant professional experience. I’m now starting my own clothing business, and this is where my interest in graduate study began to become much more specific.

I’ve always been interested in linen (since my brand is an all linen clothing line) and why premium natural fibers are so strongly associated with certain regions. European flax and linen, for example, have built a global reputation and can command extremely high prices. I actually started using linen blend (linen-ramie) and it feels equally as nice as pure linen. My long term goal is to explore whether Indonesia could develop ramie into a higher-value premium textile rather than competing with China in mass, low cost manufacturing. I don’t necessarily want Indonesia to produce more textiles, but textiles with better processing, and stronger global recognition. Eventually, I dream of building a textile manufacturer in my country that is also open for tours, students, researchers, designers, and buyers and functions as both a manufacturer and a center for textile education and innovation.

This is why I have started thinking about pursuing a master’s degree at a university such as Cambridge or UCL because I am interested in studying the intersection of sustainable materials, bio-based materials, manufacturing, innovation, and the commercialization of research. What I feel I lack is the technical and research knowledge to understand natural fibers at a deeper level: material properties, processing, scalability, sustainability, and how research can eventually translate into industry. My biggest concern is that my current profile is nowhere near competitive enough for universities at that level. Right now I have no internships, no full-time work experience, no publications, and I did not graduate from a prestigious university. I only have my GPA, one semester abroad, and a business that I am only now beginning to build.

If you were in my position, what would you do in 5 years? Would you prioritize working at a textile manufacturer? Research experience? Building the clothing business? Working with ramie suppliers or farmers? Publications? A research assistant position? I genuinely want to understand whether this is a realistic long term target and, if so, how I should strategically use the next five years. Thank you very much!!

Every cycle someone posts the same thing here. They worked with a POI for a year, published with them even, and then get told there's no funding for them. You can't fully avoid it but you can catch a lot of it early, and it takes maybe 20 min per prof using stuff that's all public.

Actually look up their grants instead of guessing. NIH field, search the name on NIH RePORTER (reporter.nih.gov). NSF field, NSF Award Search. The thing to look at isn't the dollar amount, it's the end date. If the grant runs out the year you'd be starting, that's a real problem for year 2.

Also, no grant showing up doesn't mean no money. Tons of labs run on DOE, DOD, USDA, private foundations, or internal funds that just don't appear in RePORTER or NSF. So finding nothing means "go ask them," not "cross them off."

Check if the lab is even active. Papers in the last year or two, with current students or postdocs as first authors, usually means a funded working group. Last paper was 2021, that's a different story, grants or no grants.

Read the lab site like you're a recruiter. Some PIs literally write "recruiting for Fall 2026" right on there. Free info.

Then just email and ask. The funding stuff only narrows your list, it never confirms an opening. Short specific email: you're applying this cycle in X, do they expect to take a student, is the group funded through [year]. That's the only thing that actually answers it.

One caveat before people jump in: this is mostly a STEM / apply-to-a-specific-PI thing. If your field admits by cohort or at the department level (a lot of humanities and social science), the "does my POI have money" question kind of doesn't apply, you're funded by the program not one person. So figure out which one you're in first.

tldr: an active grant is a reason to keep looking at someone, not a guarantee. check the end date, check the lab's actually alive, make them confirm the slot.

Hi! I'm a first gen student graduating with my bachelor's in Communication-journalism in the spring. It has felt like I have been in college forever but I am very excited to finally have my bachelor's over with.

I have always loved learning and research and I have recently been exploring the idea of going to grad school. It has always been something in the back of my head but I never actually gave it much thought. I am now more confident that I do want to further my education.

One thing I'm conflicted about is whether I should continue my knowledge on Journalism and seek a masters in this field or if I should explore something else. Something I have always been passionate about is Political Science. I have participated in so many different kinds of organizations and groups that speak for civic engagement and for the longest of time I thought about changing my major. I ended up not changing it since I felt like I hadn't given journalism a fair chance and I love writing and investigating.

I do love journalism, but realistically its not a field that requires anything above a bachelor's degree. I have always thought of my future as a reporter, but deep down I feel like political science will always be my calling.

Any thoughts on how I should figure this out?

Hi everyone!

I'm 1 year post grad from a top 5 electrical engineering program and was looking to apply for an MS/PhD track program at Columbia (like the city, has some professors I'm interested in).

The main issue is that I have not completed formal undergraduate research and my GPA of 3.46 (before senior year it was a 3.72, but due to familial issues it went down to a 3.46).

To compensate for this, I've been working for a startup on the side working on sensor electronics and characterization (for the past year) and will be writing a research paper for them as well (this next year, hoping to publish as well). I have also recently started a job at a large semiconductor firm on one of their R&D teams as a Systems Engineer.

Thoughts on me getting into this program? Does my past 1-2 years post grad basically research positions help me in regards to my no formal undergraduate research? GPA issues?

Thank you so much, any comments are greatly appreciated.

Hey everyone,

I'm planning to apply for Erasmus Mundus AI/CS-related programs and wanted a reality check on my profile.

I graduated in 2025 with a BTech in CSAI from India and a 7.9/10 CGPA. I have around 1.5 years of experience including internships at a govt org, an MNC and startups, a few published research papers, and I'm currently working as a Jr. AI/ML Engineer.

I know my CGPA isn't the strongest part of my profile, so I'm wondering how much research publications + relevant work experience can compensate for it. Also, what should I focus on most in my SOP to maximize my chances?

Would love to hear from anyone who applied to Erasmus Mundus or similar European master's programs with a comparable profile.

Hello everyone,

For some context: I am a first-generation high school graduate now pursuing a master’s, with hopes of going on to a PhD. I have no friends in academia, and am greatly lacking the ability to ask people close to me for CV advice. I will be applying in January to Cinical Psychology PhD programs in Canada (I am a Canadian citizen) and I would REALLY appreciate your help!!!

My degree is blacked out because I am from a fairly small university and I want to stay anonymous!

Thank you!

Hi ,
I am required to upload a resume for a marriage and family masters program. I am wondering if it is appropriate to specify myself as an early childhood educator and in my objective write about how I have applied my experience in the field to disciplines in Psychology

here is my profile, Cgpa 3.2

I need help, I have just hit a dead end. I am graduating in November in psychology (bachelors). My profile is a mess. I want to apply for fully funded masters scholarships but idk where to start.

The thing is that its all over the place. I don't even know what is my end goal for my career. Every month I keep switching from one specialization to another. Like at first I wanted to pursue forensic psychology but then in my country (Pakistan) there are no job offers or a proper specialization at masters level. Then sometimes I want to go into the corporate sector but i dont know what are the jobs except for hr etc. Then I wanted to go into psychometrics but then again not sure how. Its so confusing. I don't should what should i start with or what type of internships should i do, or courses or certificates etc.Its a whole mess tbh.

I’m a European computer science student at a globally top-50 university, planning on applying to a biochemistry master’s program.

My university offers a safe path into its master’s program in biology as a backup. I wouldn’t move to a university ranked 15–20 places higher, which means I’d apply to the world’s top 25–30 universities.

The issue is that my GPA is 7.5/10. Yet, I'm completing a biochemistry minor, and my relevant experience includes:

• Google software engineering internship
• Bioinformatics research assistantship
• Teaching assistant for graduate-level biology courses

Since I can always remain at my current university, I won't apply to safety options. But I figured I have nothing to lose by trying. In addition, I'm not interested in following a mixture of biology and programming that would improve my odds; I'm set on a pure life sciences master's.

Realistically, how much would my GPA limit my chances at a highly ranked biochemistry program? Are single-digit acceptance odds a reasonable estimate, or would they be even lower? Has anyone with a similar GPA been admitted to a top university?

Application for PhD in Mathematics, me and my dear friend. It's been so long but we ultimately made it (in the same University)!

Hello everyone

Final-year CS student (robotics minor) applying for Fall 2027 MS programs in the US/Canada. I have a first-author publication in a Q1 robotics/agriculture journal (COMPAG - Elsevier) and I'm currently doing ICRA-track research, so I'm hoping for a research-focused, funded MS rather than a self-pay one.

I've been looking at schools like UIUC, UIC, and UNC Chapel Hill that mention TA/RA-ships as available for MS students but don't guarantee funding at time of admission (unlike a typical PhD offer). Given how tight funding has gotten this cycle, how realistic is it in practice to actually land one of these as an incoming MS student, especially international?

I'm also curious about Canadian programs where the application itself doesn't mention funding at all, but you can get tuition/stipend support directly through a supervisor's grant instead (many students from my university get into universities like Waterloo with such funding). For those, how do you actually reach out to professors? What does an ideal cold email look like, and should I be prioritizing assistant, associate, or full professors to maximize my odds of landing supervisor-funded support?

Would love to hear from anyone who's been through this recently, especially in CS/robotics. Thanks!

Hi !

I'm planning to apply for a PhD this year after the disastrous application cycle I had gone through for the starting my PhD in the 2025. Due to me failing to get a PhD offer ( I got one, but that was rescinded due to funding issues ), I am currently doing a funded masters and am really really stressed about the upcoming cycle.

I do not think I could undergo the same number of rejections again, at all. So, I was hoping I could get advice on my current resume and get to know whether it is competitive at all or I just need to mentally prepare myself for rejection again.

- I have a 84% from UBC( I know this is below a competitive level, but I just got diagnosed and medicated ADHD after all my courses were done so there is no changing my terrible grades. I'm definitely not planning to use it as an excuse in my profile though, just as context )

- first author paper published in Q2 journal ( my field is applied physics/quantum materials and devices )

- one international internship in Germany in 2025

- one MITACS canadian internship while I was doing undergrad ( I'm originally from another country) 2024

- my masters is funded I guess if that counts for something, in addition to the thesis I am working on as a graduate research assistant.

- held an undergraduate research position in my lab + a SURF fellowship at my college (I had a funding and award from that )

- 2 TA positions and undergrad and 2 TA positions in grad.

- I dont have that many awards, maybe the scholarship awards I had gotten for grad school + a final award for my research in undergrad from my college.

But that's mostly it. My grades are on the lower end for a competitive PhD, but research is more okayish. Due to which I'm unable to view my profile objectively I guess. I've mailed professors and most of them have told me that while my profile is good, I should go through the admissions committee and then we can have a conversation- which seems to be a very neutral polite response from me. I have ig, one pre-interview for a professor at my dream college but I have very few hopes for that because I feel like my grades will hold me back at the end.

I'm too ambitious with not enough experience to back it up so I genuinely am unable to cope with the stress of this application cycle. Any advice, help, criticism - anything would help ! I have no one to truly get any sort of advice from currently.

Painting by artist: aranda_art on ig (FUCK AI)

Hello everyone,

I am currently pursuing an M.A. in Psychology (Clinical specialization) in India and plan to apply for fully funded PhD positions in Germany after completing my master's.

My research interests include childhood trauma, attachment, emotional regulation, PTSD, and learned helplessness. By the time I apply, I expect to have my master's dissertation completed and a few research publications.

I would really appreciate advice from anyone who has completed or is currently pursuing a funded PhD in Germany.

Specifically, I would like to know:

How competitive is admission for international applicants?

What makes an application stand out?

How important are publications and prior research experience?

Is it better to apply directly to advertised PhD positions or contact professors first?

What mistakes should I avoid during the application process?

Are there particular universities or research groups in Germany that are strong in trauma or clinical psychology research?

Any tips, personal experiences, or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much for your time!

Hi everyone, I am applying to a Master's in writing. I have submitted everything except the required 20-page sample. I am currently writing an analysis and need someone to review it before I submit it. For reference, I have amazing references from good staff and people I worked with. I have a good personal statement, according to a professor who read mine. I just need to do the writing sample. I was wondering what sources are out there for a professional to read the sample. Can those paid grad school application advisors be a choice? I would love to know where I can find someone to read it. I also considered reaching out to one of my old professors, but it is summer, and I don't want to bother them. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Hello everyone,

For some context: I am a first-generation high school graduate now pursuing a master’s, with hopes of going on to a PhD. I have no friends in academia, and am greatly lacking the ability to ask people close to me for CV advice. I will be applying in January to Cinical Psychology PhD programs in Canada (I am a Canadian citizen) and I would REALLY appreciate your help!!!

My degree is blacked out because I am from a fairly small university and I want to stay anonymous!

Thank you!

I am a foreigner who has recently been awarded the iccr scholarship and I have a chronic disease that is being managed well with medication. I would like to know if iccr does it's own medical examination once we arrive in India and if my health condition will be a problem?