If anyone has any group links for the Fall 2025 cycle please DM or comment down below.

Thanks in advance :}

How did you write your essay? Does the type of degree you want to obtain determine how formal or informal you write it? (Slang/cursing isn’t used obviously for the informal, it’s more like talking to an older stranger about your life and why you want to get into this field.)

I’m trying to get into the school psychology program but I feel like talking about my experiences working in education and discovering what I want to do makes it seem a bit informal.

TIA!

I am currently working on my application for UNC Greensboro's Psychology PhD and it mentions an application promo code. Does anyone know what the code is or how to get one? I know some schools you can get one for financial reasons (they specify they don't give them out for that reason) or during info sessions, but I haven't been able to find any webinars for this school.

Thanks!

I was just seeking some thoughts and opinions on a certain situation. Right now, I’m currently in a MFT program, due to graduate May 2026, and plan to take the licensing exam ASAP and have my AMFT license.

My long term goal has always been to be a psychologist. Last cycle, I applied to masters and PHDs, but only made two MFT master’s programs, and waitlisted at two other PHD programs (rejected from the rest).

Of course, this program is giving me clinical training. On the side, I am doing research with two advisors at two different institutions. My plan is to apply to clinical psychology PHD programs so that I can go into them right after I graduate from this masters program. Another part of my plan is to have 3-4 publications by then.

So I will have AMFT licensure, publications, and presentations at national conferences.

I just wanted to hear thoughts and opinions on whether me having this master’s degree could be a deterrent into getting into a psych PhD program. Does it even make me more competitive? Any thoughts on what more I should do?

I signed C1 TIP in September for Richmond. 58 an hour, corp housing, etc.

Got Bloomberg 2025 SWE internship offer. Only 46 an hour but in NYC (+ relocation bonus and nice apartment or big stipend for housing).

Which do I take (Bloomberg requires C1 reneg).

I am not sure if this is the appropriate flair, it seemed the closest.

Hello, I am looking into math PhD programs, preferably in the northeast of the US. I have a bachelor's in math, minor in physics, and a master's in math. I have been a faculty member at my alma mater, Montana State University, for about 8 and a half years, so over 10 years of teaching experience including grad school. I am looking for a program that I would have a good chance of getting into. I tried a few schools last year but was rejected from all of them. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I am applying to PhD in chemistry programs in the US. Any advice where I should apply so I don't burn a ton of money applying to too many reach schools? Also, any advice on my CV?

https://preview.redd.it/6jcfzcnrpb0e1.jpg?width=1275&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=61b2708a89829f9db52c19b4f977f8c000033571

If budget cuts / restructuring for agencies such as NSF and NIH are proposed by the incoming administration, is this PhD admissions cycle likely to be impacted?

I see that Vienna University of Economics and Business is on QS's Masters in Finance 2025 rankings, and from what I understand from some posts on reddit, they mention that although the school is good in QFin, the student profile is generally cringe. I want to do a master's degree in quantitative finance and since the UK is very expensive, I am thinking of applying to programs in other European countries. Can you give me information about the QFin MSc at Vienna University and universities in Europe in general that are not very expensive and can provide sufficient education?

Hi,

I saw an older post yesterday asking whether undergrad institution matters for graduate admission purposes, and the overwhelming consensus people seem to express is that it does not. They then go on to say that "I came from (mediocre ranked college) and got into (super elite PhD), you will be fine". I understand it absolutely has to do with what you make out of your education, regardless of where it was, but at the same time, I got the impression that people think it doesn't matter at all where you come from. Admission faculty are more likely to know your course rigor and preparation, they would more likely know your professor, and you would likely have more and better opportunities for research. So while I would agree that on the surface level, just reading the name of a good school is not going to be sufficient in getting into grad school, I do think the effects of going to a good school directly or indirectly influence things. Thoughts?

Been lurking here for a while, but still unsure what level of schools I’d be able to get into as a Canadian looking at the US. I’m not too set on a specific research area yet, but I’m really into computer vision, robotics, and ML in general.

My GPA took a hit during my year abroad, so I’m wondering if schools only look at the number or if I can explain that in my applications (I was taking classes in Japanese). Any help would be amazing.

Detailed Stats

General

• Degree: Honours BS in Computer Science & Biology at the University of Windsor (a smaller Canadian university)
• Demographics: 24-year-old Caucasian male at degree start
• GPA (including exchange year): 3.69/4.00 (CS GPA: 3.84/4.00)
• GPA (excluding exchange year): 3.86/4.00 (CS GPA: 3.95/4.00)
• GRE: Not taken

Research Experience

• 4-month research intern at Vector Institute & Western University (ML & Neuroscience project on face memorability using StyleGANs)
• 4-month research intern at Glendor (part-time; focused on facial recognition and privacy in medical big data, specifically MRIs)
• 4-month research assistant in a physics lab (developed GUI for automation and analysis tools)
• 4-month project with the Head of Biology at my university (developed an educational web app for Biochem students based on her paper)
• ~1 year volunteer research assistant at a cancer research lab (participated in peer mentor network; name on an unrelated paper about e-learning: DOI link)

Work Experience

• 1-year Software Engineer intern at an AI company (worked closely with the ML team on a Python codebase)
• 4-month mobile developer intern at a small civil engineering startup
• 4-month Teaching Assistant for an introductory algorithms course

Letters of Recommendation

Potential options I’m considering:

1. Western University professor (CS PhD) who supervised my Vector Institute internship
2. Senior developer from my software engineer internship (my mentor)
3. Non-technical professor from my university who oversaw my projects with the Head of Biology and Glendor internship
4. Head of Biology at my university, whom I collaborated with on an educational web app

Extracurriculars

• International Exchange Year (Jasso Scholar)
• Valorant team at my exchange university (competed in a tournament)
• Fundraising chair at a fraternity for ~1 year (considering leaving this out)

Question: Based on my profile, what types of schools would be realistic for me? Would any schools be more understanding of the impact of my exchange year on my GPA?

Hi everyone! I’ve done BS CS and have 1.5 years of experience as a Software Engineer. I am aiming to apply for a PhD/MS in computer science in the USA. To strengthen my application, I’m looking to publish some research papers. Could anyone suggest credible journals? Thanks in advance for your help!

Curious on people’s thoughts because it just hit me that there is a possibility that I don’t get into any of the schools I’m applying to. I’m applying for a masters in geography and I have a pretty solid CV with research experience, but I just realized that two of the schools I wanted to apply to have a deadline of December 1 and not January 15 like my first choice, so I’m wondering if I even have time to develop a SOP tailored to those schools. What do I do if I don’t get into a masters program in the fall? My student loans will start accumulating, do I start working and apply again next fall? Do I apply again and try and get in somewhere for spring acceptance? Do I go for a graduate certificate and try and get in to a program that way? I’ve never really thought about this because I am What I would consider to be a damn good candidate, but these thoughts are popping up now.

The program I'm applying to encourages reaching out to faculty beforehand and so I did. I had an interview with one of the P.Is to discuss areas of work and fit.

Now, I'm confused if I should mention that specifically in my SOP?

At a top 20 university ECE

tldr: juggling job security with uncertainty of grad school and furthering my education

has anyone ran into any issues/consequences applying to grad school while working full time and i’m not necessarily talking like logistically juggling work and studying for the gre but like push back from management/ team (if they found out).

i have no intention on telling my team until i get into a school that i would even consider going to at which point i would even consider working part time if the opportunity presented itself.

basically there are too many unknowns for me to even consider alerting my current team any time soon. i just reached out to my references (previous workplace) and i just don’t want my current team to catch wind. any advice ?

The majority of PhD programs I am applying to have rotations. Columbia BME PhD appears to be direct admit (admitted to a lab and not a rotation) and I'm hesitant to apply because I haven't spoken to any PIs. One PI I reached out to said they don't know their funding situation yet. Is it recommended to only apply if I have spoken to PIs who seem interested in me?

Hey, could someone help list the pros and cons of an MEM degree compared to an MBA? I’ll kick it off: “it costs less than half the price.”

Hi all,

I recently graduated with a Bachelors in Polisci and desire to work in policy for a couple of years before applying to law school. After much research, it seems that Masters' programs with a quantitative edge seem to be the most desired, however, a lot of MPP programs in Canada - aside from perhaps Carleton and kiiinda Queens - don't really have many courses related to statistics, calc, etc.

Perhaps I'm misinformed, but I was wondering if anyone who is currently in an MPP program (or has graduated from one) could comment if their Masters program had courses related to that - or allowed them to add on math-related electives from other departments to complement their degree. It seems as though my top choices are missing courses that I would otherwise deem integral. I would like to do my MPP/MPA in Canada - it seems that American programs mostly have that focus on the quant side of things compared to programs here.

Sorry if this is the wrong sub to post something like this ;-;

I already applied and got rejected from a rather small, easy to get in, university masters program. I am in education, been teaching for 5 years and looking to get into administration. Is there any way to get into grad school with a 2.3 or is the climb too steep? What would yal recommend?

Hi all. I am applying to PhD programs in Atmospheric Sciences. I am applying after working in an unrelated industry for 2 years. I have asked my manager, with whom I have worked closely for over a year, to write some recommendations for me. However, he does not have a PhD. Will his recommendation be considered unimportant by the admissions committee?

I do not satisfy the minimum requirement of one section at most of the top universities (R:18, L:24, S:22, W:28). I think I have a good profile with experience as an RA. Should I retake the TOEFL? Will my application be ruled out solely because of the TOEFL criteria?

I am applying to several programs and have asked a couple of professors and a Senior VP from my company for recommendation letters. They all asked me to draft the letter, which they will then review and send. Is this common practice?

The answer to this question is probably no, but I figured I’d ask.

So I’m an undergraduate psychology student in the process of applying to clinical MSW programs, and I’m refining my CV. My CV is unfortunately lacking. I have very good grades, but I have limited relevant experience/involvement and no actual publications. It’s barely over a page. Recently, an article I contributed to was published by some of my former classmates. The article is about a semester-long research project our class did. I did a good amount of the actual research, I helped with the first draft, and I took the lead on an interview used in the article. My class is listed as the third coauthor (Author 1, Author 2, and the ____ class at ____ College), and in the abstract, it lists me by name as someone who contributed to the research and the first draft. It also lists me as a contributor in the first footnote of the article PDF.

Obviously, the first reason it’s probably not worth including on my CV is that I’m technically not a coauthor, so it’s not all that impressive. I don’t even know how I would include it, since calling it a publication would be overstating my contribution. The second reason is that it’s a history paper not directly related to my field, meaning the type of research I did was pretty different from anything in the psychology field. I think the article is pretty cool and I’m proud to have contributed to it, but MSW programs probably don’t care.

I think the answer to my question is probably just to leave this article off, but since my CV could use to be less pathetic, I thought I might as well ask. Is it worth putting this article on my CV as a scholarly activity or something, or should I steer clear of adding it?

I have a question so im currently studying in lums in pakistan. I am in second year of university hoping to major in english with a minor in psychology. I want to do masters abroad preferably in an ivy league school or any good school that will give a GOOD scholarship. What should be my process where should i start and everything? Is there a subreddit for this or which school is best for masters in English? also what can i master in that will help me more. My main plan is wanting to become a developmental editor in a publishing company so pleaseeeee help me. I wanna be prepared

just received my first acceptance letter for a mental health counseling program!!!!! had an interview with them last week and heard back today. can’t explain the relief that just washed over me, my hard work is finally starting to pay off :) i wish everyone the best of luck with their applications and if you have any questions feel free to ask!

So I’ve spent time preparing my application materials and I think I’m ready to submit them. My concern now is only one of the professors I tried to contact sent a reply and she basically just said come back after you’re accepted.

I’m scared because I’ve not heard many stories of funded admission offers without prior communication with faculty.

Do I really stand a chance? 🫠