Hi everyone! Some friends and I decided to make a graduate admissions spreadsheet for this cycle, which can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18Ji4iQ9fx7sQy4bNB3wo8fC5VEpSu8ooLJihngiEhO4/edit?usp=sharing

When using this spreadsheet, please follow the instructions on the Welcome Info tab. We want this to be a truthful resource for everyone as we await decisions in the coming months, so please don't delete anything contributed by others and remember to only share official information (formal interviews with a department, decisions, etc). Also, please don't keep the spreadsheet open 24/7 so it doesn't become laggy for others.

Good luck to us all, and don't hesitate to dm me or email the address listed on the spreadsheet if you have any questions or suggestions!

Knock some sense into me for dreaming about a top tier university.

• Undergrad gpa = 3.2 (but extra minors in cs, philosophy and math + during covid + very bad mental health)
• Masters gpa = 3.6
• 4 years of research:
  • 2 years in an astronomy lab with a very reputable professor in the field. Like very famous professor. First author paper published in a q1 astronomical journal. A couple posters and talks given at conferences. The LOR from her is the highlight of my profile, followed by the research paper.
  • 2 years in a quantum computing lab. Not too much to brag about. Mostly made simulations
    
• 2 very strong letters from the 2 professors I did research under. 1 decent letter from a lecturer whose class I took.
• No extracurriculars or anything of that sort.
• Mostly interested in instrumentation.
• Despite not taking any astronomy classes, I want to work in an astronomy lab and get an astronomy phd. I realize how optimistic that is, so I'll still be applying to physics labs.
• hoping to get into a university with very strong instrumentation or observational astronomy programs like UA, UCSC or UH Manoa. I've cold emailed a couple professors and they just encouraged me to apply.
• Will settle for any university/group with fun research and good postdoc prospects. Hoping to lock in and get one of the elite postdoc positions in an university lab in the future. I'm talking ivy league level postdoc.
  
• Scored 760 on the september physics gre with almost no prep(just reviewed formulas for cm, em, and qm). Hoping to increase my score with the october test.
• Very fortunate and grateful to have saved enough money to apply to like ~20+ schools. really hoping I get into at least one.

Hi all,

I’ve been cold emailing US faculty for a while now, specifically targeting Mechanical Engineering (ME) and Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) PhD programs for Fall 2027.

So far, I have received several replies from professors and two of them essentially said:"You are welcome to state my name on your Statement of Purpose (SOP)."

I'm trying to gauge what this actually means.

• Is this just a generic, polite way of saying, "apply through the normal pool and we'll see"?
• Or does this mean they actually looked at my profile and I have a solid chance of getting into their research groups/programs?

I have attached the screenshots of the original emails for your reference.

Thank you

Hi guys!

I'm an international student currently finishing my BSc in AI Engineering at a university in Türkiye, and I'm planning to apply for Fall 2027, mainly to CS/ML PhD programs in the US.

My GPA is probably the weakest part of my application. Uni also isn't particularly well-known internationally, so that's another thing I'm a bit concerned about.

On the research side, I've been trying to be active throughout undergrad. I have a first-author TMLR paper, a few other first/sole-author conference and workshop papers (ICML, ECCV, EMNLP workshops, etc.), some ongoing research projects, and have managed to secure a decent amount of research compute through EuroHPC and NVIDIA grants.

I've attached my anonymized CV since it's probably easier to judge the actual work from that rather than me listing everything here.

My current US list:

UMass Amherst, UMich, UIUC, UMD, Cornell, NYU, UIC, Columbia, Stanford, CMU, MIT, Berkeley, Princeton, and Rice.

I'm also considering a few programs in Europe and Asia, including ISTA, MBZUAI, KAUST, and HKUST.

I realize my list is pretty top-heavy lol, but I figured I'd give it a shot, especially since I'm mainly interested in research.

A few things I'd really appreciate feedback on:

1. How does my CV look for research-focused CS/ML PhD applications? Anything you'd change, remove, or emphasize?
2. How much of a disadvantage would my GPA and university be, considering the research experience?
3. Is my school list completely unrealistic, or is it worth taking the shot? Any programs you'd recommend adding?
4. Would you suggest going straight for PhDs or focusing more on research-based MSc programs first?

I know PhD admissions are unpredictable and depend a lot on research fit, recommendations, etc. Not expecting anyone to predict my chances, just hoping for a bit of perspective from people who've been through this.

Would appreciate any honest feedback. Thanks!

Hey everyone!

I'm applying for Fall 2027 PhD programs in AI/ML and have been looking into CMU. One thing I'm still trying to figure out is the difference between their three PhD programs: Machine Learning (MLD), Language and Information Technologies (LTI), and Computer Science (CSD).

My research is mostly around foundation models, RL/post-training, efficient fine-tuning, and LLM agents, so I've actually found professors whose work interests me in all three departments.

I know the obvious answer is to prioritize research fit with a potential advisor, and I completely agree with that. But I'm curious about a few other things:

• Competitiveness: Is there any meaningful difference in how selective these three programs are? I know they're all insanely competitive, but is MLD, for example, noticeably harder to get into than LTI or CSD?
• Career opportunities: Does graduating from one program versus another make any difference for research scientist positions in industry (frontier AI labs, etc.) or academic careers? Or is it basically all about your advisor and research output?
• Research flexibility: How easy is it to collaborate with or be advised by professors from other SCS departments once you're admitted? Are the program boundaries actually important in practice?

I'm considering applying to more than one of them, but the application fees add up, so I'm trying to figure out whether that's worth doing.

Would especially love to hear from current CMU PhD students, alumni, or anyone familiar with these programs.

Thanks!

Im a Mechanical engineering undergrad with over 2 years of experience as research associate in a think tank, planning to reach out for masters eng. (thesis-based) in Canada, US to professors researching on waste management, resource efficiency etc.

Hows the cv ? Please help with what could be made better..

Hi everyone, I'm an MBBS grad from India and want to apply to PhD programs in translational medicine and public health. Is it realistic for me to be ready to do it all by December 1, I've just started preparing my application.

Also, how realistic is it for someone like me with a few research experiences in the US? What can I do to show a strong profile over-all?

I'd really appreciate any insights!

(Public health programs also need a WES verification and since my marksheets are in percentage, I am beginning that process too)

Hi everyone,

I applied for the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine PhD, January 2027 intake and had my committee interview around mid-September.

During the interview, I was told that the outcome would likely be released around the end of October or possibly mid-November. I’m still waiting at the moment, so I was wondering if anyone else here applied for the same intake.

Has anyone:

• already had their YLLSoM PhD interview?
• received an offer/rejection after the interview?
• heard anything about when the January 2027 results are being released?
• applied in previous years and knows roughly how selective the committee interview stage is?

I’m also curious whether anyone knows if applicants are still frequently rejected after the committee interview, or if the interview usually means you are already in a relatively small final shortlist.

Would really appreciate any experiences, including from previous January intakes. Thanks!

Applying for PhD in vector biology working with mosquitos and pigs. Some questions I have:

I got married during my Masters, do I include maiden name in parenthesis or unnecessary?

What the heck do I put for technical skills? Does that section look okay?

Should I move any sections around or does the overall order of headers look okay?

I worked full time through undergrad and grad school because the jobs offered tuition assistance. It feels important to me to keep because I had to GRIND to work and do school and maintain that GPA but maybe I should drop it. I also feel like I forfeited many additional opportunities because of having to work. Thoughts?

Any other thoughts on content or formatting?

My MS research advisor unexpectedly passed away shortly after I graduated and he was my number one resource and supporter. We had plans to try to publish my graduate research but it is no longer a possibility. I did not think I would want to do a PhD, but my MS was a 4+1 program and I am itching to go back. I feel very lost in this whole PhD process but I really want to keep pushing forwards, any advise is helpful!

***Profile :***

1. Graduated from NIT (tier 2 I'm assuming), India

2. CGPA: 9.18/10, with Honours

3. Undergraduate degree: ECE (However, some of my Honours courses and electives were CS courses)

4. 2 summer research internships, one at an IIT and one at IISc (Unfortunately, neither resulted in a publication)

5. Currently have 2 years of work experience as an Al Engineer at a mid-sized company

6. 1 published book chapter in Springer CCIS

7. 1st-generation college student. Was involved in multiple clubs and committees during undergrad

8. Not giving GRE as it is optional for the programs I'm applying to, IELTS : 8.0

9. 2 LORs from professors(thesis, faculty advisor), one from work manager(a strong one).

10. Working on SOPs

I'm mainly interested in CS / AI / ML.

***University shortlist:***

Georgia tech MSCS

UT Austin MSCS

UNC MSCS

TAMU MSCS

UIUC (MCS vs MSCS)

UCSD MSCS

UW Madison MSCS

Purdue MSCS

***Questions :***

***1. What are my chances for the following programs? Am I aiming too high? Should I have more safe Universities in my list?***

***2. Any alternate programs I might stand more chance in for the above universities? Like MSDS? Any leads are appreciated.***

***3. How can I maximize my chances for these Unis? Anything I can do in a month? I know it's too late to ask this question but any suggestions are appreciated.***

***4. I believe all of the above programs are deadline based applications and not rolling based, correct me if I'm wrong, any advantage of applying weeks early from Deadline? OR even Dec?***

***5. Can someone share their SOP that helped them get the admit for reference?***

***I know the visa situation, immigration rules and everything isn't really looking bright. Please don't come at me for that, I'm not leaving yet, I still have time to decide and back off if I don't get my preferred University and program and if things go down. I'm just trying to put my maximum effort into application for my preferred universities for now. Any information, suggestions, leads are really helpful.***

I’m considering three possible structures for my SOP and would appreciate your advice on which would be most effective.

Option 1: Intellectual evolution
Introduce my background in pure mathematics.
Describe Research Experience 1 and the problem that led me toward biology.
Explain how Research Experience 2 reshaped my perspective and revealed the limitations of my previous approaches.
Conclude with how I hope to integrate both experiences in a research program aligned with Professor X’s work.

Option 2: Research experience first
Start directly with Research Experience 1, focusing on what I did and learned.
Explain how the skills and insights gained could inform Research Experience 2 in biology.
Discuss what I learned from biology and how it shaped my future research goals.
Connect these goals to Professor X’s work.

Option 3: Unifying research question
Introduce the broader scientific question motivating my interests.
Explain how Research Experience 1 equipped me with mathematical tools to approach it.
Show how Research Experience 2 deepened or changed my understanding of the problem.
Present my future research direction as a synthesis of both experiences, connecting it to Professor X’s work.

Which structure do you think would make for the strongest and most coherent SOP? I am a math student transitioning to neuroscience

Should I Apply Now or Gain 2 Years of Experience Before Applying to WU Vienna/St. Gallen for a Quantitative Finance/ Finance Master’s?

I am 21 years old and have just graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. My GPA is 2.91/4.00 (81.8/100), which I know is not particularly strong.
During my bachelor’s degree, I worked as a professor’s research assistant and participated in a competition at the National Bank of Georgia. I am currently doing a transfer pricing internship at BDO, having previously interned in audit at PKF.
I am hoping to receive an offer for a Financial Analyst position soon, although I recognise that this is an optimistic expectation. I am also actively working towards CFI certifications while studying CFA materials.
My goal is to pursue a master’s degree in Quantitative Finance, ideally at WU Vienna or do Finance masters in St.Gallen . Given my current profile, would it be better to gain around two years of work experience, potentially pass CFA Level I during that time, and then apply to WU/ST.Gallen? Or should I apply this year instead?
If I achieve a high GMAT score of 705 or above, would I have a realistic chance of being admitted? I would also take the IELTS if required.
would really appreciate your advice on the best strategy to maximise my chances of admissions.

I am partially deaf ( can't hear at all from one ear while other ear is totally fine) and I was wondering if its a good hook for a Personal Statement or even SOP. I used it in my applications two years ago and I was rejected in 4 out of 5 schools I applied, but one school accepted me, though unfunded ( so I had to reject). This time I am very torn about using it or not. I want to start my SOP by mentioning very very briefly that I want to go into academia to build an inclusive space ( one of the SOP prompts in the universities I am applying to is ' talk about why you want to do a PhD and future plans'). I think many universities try to be inclusive and would want the admission pool to be diverse so it can set me apart from the crowd, but I don't want to be rejected solely over it.

Also, I don't have any other hardships to talk about in the Personal Statement if I forgo this, maybe an anxiety disorder that I have, but I feel that would be worse.

Thoughts?. I would specially like to hear from any professors here, who sit in admission committees.

How is it on a scale of 1-10, what I should improve

Is there any website or something where i can show them and get genuine feedback i still have time to edit and change
I am from india and i am considering doing all of it without any study abroad counsellor
Also where to use ai ???to check spelling mistakes or grammatical mistakes?is it legal to do so ?
Any tips if you got on writing these letters ?that will be really helpful
Thankyou

I just posted this in r/GradSchool, but for some reason it won't let me cross post, but:

Hi all! I’d love to hear from anyone currently attending or who has graduated from the Bush School in DC, especially the Master of National Security and Intelligence (NSI) program.

I’m considering Georgetown’s SSP, George Washington’s SPS, and Johns Hopkins SAIS’s MASCI or MAIR with a Security, Strategy, and Statecraft focus. I’m debating adding Bush’s NSI program to my list, but I’m having a harder time getting a feel for the student experience there.

I’ve heard good things about the College Station's Bush School’s intelligence connections and the Aggie alumni network, but I’m curious how those translate to the DC program specifically. The DC location opened in 2021, and most of the detailed placement information I’ve found seems to concern the College Station programs.

A few things I’d love to hear about:

• How has your experience been with the classes, faculty access, and career services?
• What opportunities have come directly through the program—faculty introductions, alumni referrals, recruiting events—and how much have you had to find independently?
• For graduates, how familiar were employers with the DC NSI program during your job search?
• Have you been able to take the electives you wanted, or have course rotations and scheduling limited your options?
• What’s the student community like with evening classes?
• Did you consider other DC programs, and what ultimately made you choose Bush?
• What do you wish you’d known before enrolling, and would you choose the program again?

I’d be entering without full-time professional experience, so perspectives from people who started in a similar position would be especially helpful.

Even an answer to just one of these questions would be a huge help! I’d really appreciate any firsthand insight. Thanks so much!

Hi all! I just want a bit of insight into how an undergraduate research assistant position goes. I’m in my fourth year of undergrad right now and I just got my first undergraduate research opportunity (It seems a bit late but I am planning on gap years). I talked to the professor (this is her first year at my university) but my mentor is going to be a doctoral student under her. She’s not set up with her lab just yet so there’s no openings to work with her until most likely early next year. Not quite sure about the specific tasks I’ll be doing yet but I am meeting the doctoral student next week. She had asked if I had any type of literature review experience, so I’m assuming I’ll be doing a lot of that. What are the types of literature review that’s expected from undergrads with pretty much no research experience? It sounds like the group is basically a team of 3 right now including myself, so I am a little bit anxious. Please let me know if any of ya’ll have some good advice!

My masters’ thesis has progressed slower than I’ve hoped and I’m still in the middle of writing. I have a very, very rough draft of what I would hope to submit as a writing sample in 6 weeks.

As rough as I think it is, I think the idea is strong. However, hearing about other people’s’ writing samples have lowkey freaked me out - I have peers that submitted chapters that were published as articles who didn’t get in anywhere.

I know everything is incredibly school and cohort-dependent, where each schools seeks out different things, every applicant pool leads to different intakes, and personal statements/SOPs are a huge factor.

As I’m trying to finalize my writing sample, I’m just really struggling with feeling like it’s futile. I know it’s not perfect; my writing definitely needs some polishing but I think my idea is good. I’m just not sure if it’s enough after seeing more qualified, skilled people around me (which I’m fine with, it’s not a dig at myself) get rejected makes me wonder if it’s even worth applying with this at all.

I know this might sound juvenile, and I apologize if it is. I know we all struggle with this - I think the question I’m asking is that if having a writing sample with a good idea (along with reference letters, SOP, etc) is enough to make my application strong even if it’s not as polished as it could be.

It just feels laughable to kill myself over this writing sample only for it to have been pointless from the beginning. I don’t want to waste a cycle, but I also don’t want to waste energy on a cycle that won’t get me anywhere.

Salut à tous,

Mon dossier CIFRE en IA (LLM / NLP) va bientôt être déposé à l'ANRT, avec une start-up assez jeune (moins de 2 ans) et un labo public.

J'ai lu que l'instruction prend en général 2 à 3 mois. Pour ceux qui sont passés par là :

\\\\- Combien de temps a pris votre réponse après le dépôt ?

\\\\- Pour un dépôt en automne/hiver, certains ont-ils eu une réponse en moins de 2 mois ?

\\\\- Le fait que ce soit une start-up récente a-t-il posé problème (finances, demande de compléments, refus) ?

\\\\- D'après votre expérience, quelles sont les chances d'acceptation pour ce type de thèse (IA, start-up jeune, labo public) ?

Merci d'avance pour vos retours !