One of my friends got PhD opportunity at Yale' university after working as a RA st the same department , but he is not from STEM. Is that possible for us, one from biological science background, is that worth to try..any idea guyz?

Hi all, this is my profile CGPA: 9.4 in BE CSE in a Tier 3 college in India Publications: 1 IEEE paper Experience: 8 months in MNC in DevOps field (currently). Will have 1.5yrs during application

I am currently considering Aus and USA for masters for 2025. Can I get all the points I need to know? Which country is the best for ms in CS My purpose is to

1. Play safe (to be able to get a job after masters)
2. Find good roles after masters (Dev/ML/Blockchain/DevOps)
3. Want a decent ROI on my degree

I am in a huge dilemma. Help a brother out.

Hi everyone,

I was recently accepted into the Barcelona School of Economics for a master's in Economics and Finance. I'm particularly interested in this program because of its faculty and coursework. I’m looking to work in investment banking or equity research after graduation. Additionally, the tuition is much lower compared to most American universities and it seems very high quality which is what attracted me to it as well.

I'm from the U.S. and plan to return to work here after completing my degree. Could anyone share their experiences with this school, its reputation, and the career placements afterward? Is it worth it? I have a few offers from American grad schools and am trying to weigh my options and make sure I make the right decision. Thanks!

I am in my 7th semester and currently pursuing BTech in CS. I was planning on targeting the fall 2025 intake. The question I have is regarding the GPA requirements. I’m from India and have a CGPA system in place. My CGPA is 7.8/10. Very low I know. But a lot of universities I have seen in Canada ask for “last 2 years of study” when stating their GPA requirements.

If I remove my first year where I was barely able to attend uni due to medical reasons, the last 2 years of CGPA aggregate I have is 8.4/10. Will I be able to provide them just these 2 years of transcripts? What exactly do they mean by last 2 years of full time study.

Also, many GPA conversion websites have given me varying scores on a 4 point scale. What would be a reliable way to convert my CGPA to GPA.

In case I’m not able to provide them only the 2 years and have to use the 7.8 aggregate, is it even worth applying right now? Since I’ve heard Canada is very acad centric in its selection criteria.

Sorry for such a long message. I’m just really confused and don’t know where else to look. Thanks for reading my post. I appreciate the help.

I have finished my CS master with a GPA of 3.6/4.0 in a developing country. For nearly a year after that time, my CV has three papers, two of them are considered good (1 ICASSP, 1 MICCAI, and one Q1 medical journal), and I am the first author for all of them. I have a good recommendation letter from my advisor, and I have good research experience in computer vision and machine learning. I have submitted my applications to dozens of PhD programs, all of them are ML/CV in health care, and they are not even considered the top 20 in the world. I have applied for the program in the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia, emailed the professor, and even tried to contact the professor at the conference. But I COULD NOT GET ANY INTERVIEW OR SHORTLISTED, of course, I have been rejected by all of them. I even applied for the program that is sandwiched between a top university and a local university (funded by the local university), which is often considered a safe choice for many people. I have no idea what is wrong with my application and feel depressed for every single rejection. I am not sure if I should apply for another round or just give up.

https://preview.redd.it/zsxf3aj7t18d1.png?width=1360&format=png&auto=webp&s=5d20eba1e3fb49386aea1bcf5d052fe41488b253

https://preview.redd.it/w2i30v28t18d1.jpg?width=1124&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=458ab43b00681a7128b86933b2e54f26f3c525da

Coming from a lower-middle-class family in India, I had extremely limited options to sponsor my studies here in the US. At first, I was extremely happy with Prodigy Finance and did not go with a traditional bank because of the ease with which they process loans. The difference of around 5% APR seemed justified at the moment to avoid the hassle of transferring funds from India to the US account.

Boy, was I wrong. I learned the hard way about compound interest when every month, hundreds of dollars (close to a thousand) would just pile on as interest over the last two years. In fact, after doing several jobs and a well-paying internship over the summer, I only managed to pay off just the interest that had accrued over time, without moving the principal.

One of my colleagues here at CMU mentioned and shared their referral link that helped me save a lot of $$$. SoFi is pretty much the only bank that offers refinancing to international students without a cosigner. The only caveat is that you need to have a job offer starting within 90 days. They reduced my APR by less than half, and I was shocked to see how much lower the overall lifetime amount I had to pay back was when I switched to SoFi.

This is by no means a paid promotion or financial advice. I just wanted to share my experience, hoping it might help anyone looking (or unaware) to lower their Prodigy loans by half. I would be happy to help anyone who has questions over DM!

~ cheers

I have one year left in my forensic anthropology undergrad program and I need to make the most of it to hopefully get into grad school. My current GPA is a 2.7, which I know isn't great, but I still have time to make it better than it is. I also don't have any research experience, although I will have some opportunities this upcoming year at my school that I plan on taking advantage of. That being said, I'm currently working on a small project with a faculty member in my department, and I have an extensive volunteer history.

As I stated before, I'm a first gen student and I kind of have no idea how to navigate this. I've found some schools that I'm interested in, but I'm not sure where to go from there. I also have no clue what the "timeline" is for getting things ready and completed in the process besides the due dates that are listed for the schools I've looked at.

I guess I'm looking for advice on two things:

1.) Are there any other measures I should be taking to make myself more competitive for applications?

2.) What is the general timeline and steps I have to take to submit my applications successfully? Are there any other major steps I have to take besides the applications themselves?

Any advice is welcomed and appreciated. I've been stressing about this for a while now and I could really use a guiding hand.

Hello! I have an MA in Theology and BA in Theology and Sociology. I want start a PhD in the next five years or so (ideally) but am feeling like I have low chances. Here are some of my other credentials:

• 4.0 GPA in undergrad and grad school
• Strong writer
• Did multiple funded research projects in undergrad
• Did BA and MA on an accelerated track (not sure if this one is a pro or con; I potentially have less total coursework than other applicants)
• Taught introductory theology at my alma mater for the last year as an adjunct, and I might continue to do this in the following years
• Ample experience in the fields of social work and ministry, which would inform my areas of study

Does anyone have any idea of what kind of applicants I would be competing against? Or, even better, what PhD programs are looking for? I want to get in to a fully funded program (specifically looking at Princeton, Notre Dame, and maybe Harvard). I'm mostly concerned that my MA isn't competitive enough and that I don't have any post-grad research experience (yet).

I don't know exactly what I want to research yet, but it would be something in the area of Theology and/or Peace Studies. The only ideas I've had to improve my chances are getting published or getting published as a co-author with other scholars. I don't currently have great connections with faculty at any of these programs, but I have read other people's suggestions to just reach out to faculty and build a relationship with them. Is that a realistic strategy? Do I have any chance of getting in without getting another master's?

Thanks for reading my ramblings. Any and all advice appreciated.

I just got accepted to an MPH program but the department doesn't offer funding. But positions like GAs and TAs come with some tuition benefits but they currently don't have any available. Current scholarships available require at least almost a semester or full class registration. Other positions in the school that give tuition benefits aren't available at the moment, maybe there'll be posting when the semester is yet to start. I haven't accepted the offer yet cos I've been thinking of ways to fund without loan. I just graduated from undergrad this May and haven't landed a job yet. I need advice on ways I could fund my MPH without loan.

Hi I know that loads of people have already asked this before but should I apply to grad school this year? I’ve been working in an industry wet lab for this past year and I’ve realized this isn’t what I want. I want to contribute to the side that designs trials and interprets the data.

During college I majored in microbiology was able to skip taking stats and Calculus I due to AP courses. I took an bioinformatics corse my senior year and I really enjoyed it and I got an A. However, I haven’t been able to do well in the math courses I’ve taken this past year while working. I got a B in Calculus II and a C in calculus III. I haven’t taken a linear algebra course as it’s not a hard requirement for the program I’m looking at.

My gpa isn’t the best at a 3.34. But I feel like other aspects of my application are strong as I have one publication and I presented at 2 conferences as well as strong letter of rec. Would I be foolish to apply to graduate school this year? Thank you for your guys advice!

I just took a look at the website and learned that we can only apply to one program per cycle. What are the differences between MSCS and MSDS (under stats dept) at Stanford and what factors should I consider in the decision making process? (Currently working towards a Bachelor's in Data Science at UCSD)

I come from an undergrad in Physics, got a 2:1 in the end.

Offered:

Mres: Machine Learning and Big Data in the Physical sciences (Imperial) (Physics department)

MSc: Computational Finance (UCL) (CS department)

I understand they would be quite dissimilar paths, slightly split on whether I would want to pursue a PHD in Compsci/Physics (Computational Modelling) as my background is Computational Physics, alternatively looking towards a path in as a quant, although I guess I could pursue this after a PHD. Just wondering what you think.

Hi, title is pretty self explanatory. I did a BSc in Econ, have some okayish internship experience, one research related with a non-academic institution and another internship with a prestigious university in my country, though it was more technical than research related. I will also be doing a research fellowship in the policy space in the coming year, which I hope will make my profile more competitive. My concern is that my major course grades are not very impressive (econ/core coursework GPA is just around a 3} though I did really well in the courses which were part of my minor in Sociology (nothing below an A-). I'm also pretty comfortable with latex, stata and qgis.

My math grades are largely unimpressive as well. I also have some academic research experience with my final year dissertation, which I'm looking to rewrite and get published. I do sincerely believe that my grades are really not indicative of my overall ability, for a large part of my college degree I was in a bit of a bad space and failed to put in the effort to justify my claim.

I'm not totally sure about whether I'd want to do a Master's in Econ, as I've developed a liking for political science and sociology as well, to put it simply I'd want to do a master's in the quantitative social sciences. What are the chances I'd get into a top program in either of these realms?

I understand that I do not have a competitive profile for a top econ master's (T20), but I'm rather ill-informed in terms of prominent (quant) programs in sociology and political science. Looking mainly at the US, UK and Europe as options.

GRE - 159/170 for quant and 163/170 for verbal, though I didn't really prepare.

TOEFL - 116/120

EDIT: I am not considering any particular program at the moment, I just want to know how competitive my profile is for different domains and how I can improve it.

Been a long time lurker on this sub. This is not a typical grad admission post seeking out for help from fellow Redditors regarding which university or major is a better choice. It’s definitely fulfilling and heart-warming to see helpful people out there who give their two cents to the ones in trouble. This post is about me, and I really wish that anyone who is reading this gets something good out of it and does something beyond their limits.

Today marks one of the most memorable days in my life. One must be wondering that this dude might have gotten into Harvard or Stanford, or this dude’s cracked. Well, neither, or maybe the latter depending on your level of tolerance.

I applied to colleges just a couple of months back and I’m satisfied with the admits that I have but I’ve realised that a degree is not going to define me whatsoever. Nor is it going to give me an edge over others. My purpose and passion will. This cascades down to the mental awareness I have which further links to a lot of neurological effects. No matter whatever corner of the world I go to, I’m gonna put my best foot forward. Help people, add meaning to their lives and be the greatest of all time.

To the people applying to colleges, please remember why you’re doing it. In a world full of cyber-zombies, be the light and invent things which the world has never seen before. I want to gain respect of my loved ones and the people I help, which transcends the materialistic aspects. I want to take the lead. Sure wealth is important, but it wouldn’t be possible without having a meaning to your job. I’m gonna go work a 9-5, gain required skills, work the job that I despise without any complaints, not get irritated by that annoying coworker and later build an empire of my own. All of this will be worth the hustle while I can keep my mental health in check. I want to be the greatest the world has ever seen.

I applied to a joint Masters in Quantum Information Science between the University of Copenhagen and the Danish Technical University.
I also applied to the Masters in Computational Science and Engineering in the Technical University of Munich.

They would be somewhat each others complement.
One would focus on Quantum Computing with electives focused on the Scientific Computing side, while the other would be the opposite.

I got accepted to both. I don't know which one to choose. I was accepted to UCPH/DTU a month prior to being accepted at TUM and was already making arrangements and get ready to study there. TUM's acceptance came in today, and made me feel conflicted about my choice.

I would like to know wether someone has strong opinion or experience with either.

Thank you beforehand for reading this.

Hi,

I have admission form an EU university for one year LLM program which has 60ECST (30 US credits) including thesis. The Program.
I have had a 4 year bachelors in Political Science and my goal for the PHD will be security studies or international relations or even a legal degree. What makes me nervous is if the credits are too low for the US and if I should opt for a 90-120 credits master program.

Note: I'm from Middle East and from one of those countries under muslim ban and under limited budget, so I don't want to risk an expensive masters but my final goal is US.

I'm from the US and I'm having a hard time figuring out what schools to target because the programs I am interested are heavily international. I have talked to a few applicants/current students to get an idea of their profile/stats and see if I should bother applying to the program or if my profile doesn't stack up.

I only have 3 people who I can get LoRs from, and I don't want to ask them for more than 8-10. Therefore, I was looking through the list of programs I am interested in and decided to not apply to more than 1 or 2 at top schools (M7 business schools)

However, I have also heard from some people including my own family, who were former international Ph.D. students, that it is easier for US citizens who have US degrees to get into US grad programs. So they think I should apply to the top programs even if my profile isn't necessarily as good as some of the people I've talked to (who are international). Is this actually true, or would I be wasting application fees and letters of rec? I always thought that there was little to no bias against international applicants for grad programs.

Thanks for your advice!

I don’t even know how I graduated undergrad at all. I was a partier and very unfocused. I graduated with like a 2.4 gpa and really regret it to this day. I’m 28 now and care more about learning than I ever have before and I want to get a masters in Public Policy. My goal before going to college was to get into politics. As I became sophomore, junior then senior, my desire and passions hit an all time low. Couldn’t be bothered with a career or something that I cared about. Now I want to go back to school to get a real degree and learn how to become a politician writing policy and advising on campaigns. My question is, how can I find a school that would accept me with a low gpa? Is there a recommended entrance exam that would make up for those grades, (GRE v LSAT, etc.) Do you even need a masters to be taken seriously in that industry or is it all who you know? Any help is great. Thanks!

I just graduated with an Engineering degree and want to pursue a phD jn comp sci. I do have previous internship experiences but no research experience in the comp sci field.

1. How do I go about structuring my SoP
2. I want to apply end of this year to join Fall’25. Along with working full time, what other experiences can I get that will strengthen my application?

I got my WES report in 2018 - I am looking to apply for Master's in the US in 2025 and wanted to know if the previous report is still valid for them. It wasn't an easy process with one of my colleges in 2018 and I do not expect it to have improved much. If the report from 2018 is valid and can be used, I would be ecstatic!

Please let me know from your experience.

Thanks!

Hey guys,

I'm still trying to get published, but in the meantime I did some research last summer that didn't get published. We were going to use our work to create a computer program, but the funding was cut off midway.

Is it worth it to list this as experience?

Hi everyone. Wanted to understand the pros of spring vs fall admissions for financial engineering based programs and roles in the US. Would love to get an overview about it.

Thanks in advance

As the title states, I love learning and want to continue in academia to pursue a master's degree but I don't have a competitive academic profile. I just graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a bachelor's in Mathematics. I ended with a 3.2 GPA with no internships or research experiences. I also did not make many professional relationships so getting LORs from professors will be hard.

I'm currently working at a non-profit health insurance company in the billing department, I have expressed my interest in working under the IT department to gain applicable experience to my boss who seems to entertain the idea.

I also thought about enrolling in online certificate courses such as Coursera's Data Analytics course. Do admissions even consider those courses? What do you guys think?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I'm about to graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an MIS concentration in the Fall and I quickly realized that I'm not passionate about tech/MIS at all; I just wanted chances of good money. My favorite classes were all related to economics and some social sciences, and coming from a big city(NYC) to a suburban area(Just outside of Buffalo, NY) for college with no car made me realize how much I took NYC's easily walkable streets for granted. This experience, along with my interest in sustainability and climate change has lead to me being interested in possibly pursuing a master's degree in Urban Planning and becoming an Urban Planner, but I'm afraid that I don't have the experience or undergrad background that Urban Planning programs are looking for. I don't plan on going to Grad School immediately after undergrad, I want to gain some more work experience first. I just wanted to ask if anyone else went to grad school for something very different from their undergrad, what was that process like? So I could start planning now for what my future is going to look like.

Mainly looking at Georgetown Walsh MSFS, Johns Hopkins SAIS MAIR, Columbia SIPA MIA, Tufts Fletcher MALD, and Oxford Mphil.

My undergrade gpa was a very low 3.3-3.4 due to my hospitalizations in undergrad (although a 4.0 in relevant coursework), and my masters, which is in data analytics (a boon to my application, as I've been told, as I'll be going for a PhD in psychology) was a 4.0. Both are from top 1/2 schools for their respective programs. I have 1 pre-print that is being reviewed by a top journal in my field, lots of research experience (worked closely in this lab for about 3 years now, headed two of my own studies that are in review, name on a third that is also in review), and three top-notch letters of ref from people I worked with extensively.

I have a good reason for the low undergraduate GPA (was diagnosed with a severe autoimmune disorder, first-gen student, didn't know about disability accommodations, was in the hospital).

I'm sending emails out to potential professors now, and I have sent out about 18 so far. Do I have any chance? I've been worried sick about this. Applying for next year, not this upcoming.