Applicants need guidance navigating graduate school applications

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“Hi all! I’m looking for some feedback on my CV as an undergraduate applying for BS-direct-to-PhD programs for CS. I’m a Texas native attending one of TAMU sister schools for my bachelor’s. My GPA is okay, 3.58/4.0, with it covering relevant coursework to my research interest. I have been doing empirical-level research for my campus as a part of our Trustworthy AI lab. Since being a participant in the lab, I have taken full control of all experiments, code creation, and authorship for a major pap”

“Hi! I'm almost 2 years out of my undergrad and am finally applying to grad school. Im looking at MS thesis-track programs in the Environmental Science, Climate Science and Engineering, Marine Sciences, and Sustainability realm. I would love advice on my CV if you have the time. I forgot to add my GPA before uploading this, but it's 3.91/4.00. I'm likely applying to Stony Brook University, Northeastern, Rutgers, CUNY City College. If you have any program recommendations, let me know.”

“Hi everyone, I’m finishing my MSc in Nanoengineering (BSc in Bioengineering) with a thesis on computational drug discovery. Due to some circumstances I have not applied for anything yet. So I’m looking for rolling or year-round Industrial PhD openings, mainly in France or Denmark. If you're a non-EU student who landed an Industrial PhD without already working at the company, how did you find the position? Also, where’s the best place to track these openings, and is the process significantly”

“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.. submitted by /u/DocumentOk3724 [link] [comments]”

“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”

“Hi everyone, I need some honest advice / profile evaluation for Chemistry PhD Fall 2027 in the US. My Profile: GPA: 3.81 / 4.0 Rank: Top 2 in my entire batch Awards: Received an Academic Excellence Award from my university + secured a position in a poster presentation competition. Experience: 1.5 years of experience as a Junior school teacher, plus 3 poster presentations. - Conferences: Attended 4-5 International Conferences. - Teaching Experience: 2 semesters as a Teaching Assistant (T”

“Hello :) I would like to apply to an event which aims at introducing Master’s students to the mathematical research done at a certain postgraduate research and higher education institute. There is a selection process and one of the things they ask for is a Scientific CV. I am a MSc applied math student, I don't have any published research and I haven't attended any conferences or stuff like that. What should I add to the CV? I do have some work experience, first in a bank in IT,”

“Hello everyone I am currently applying for PhD programs. Mainly in the US because I would like to gain industry experience during my PhD and I feel that the US, despite what the current administration is doing, is still my best option for that. Here is a little background about me. Work/Research Experience I have worked as a researcher in a research center that works on Computer Security with a specific focus on Cryptography. I have been working there for 6 years. However, the actual experience”

“Hi everyone, I'm a recent Mechanical Engineering graduate planning to apply for funded MS/PhD programs in the US for Fall 2027. My profile: CGPA: 3.42/4.00 2–3 conference papers; working on a journal manuscript Research interests: Heat transfer, CFD, thermal systems, and energy materials Research assistant experience in a university lab I've emailed around 100 professors with personalized emails, but unfortunately, I haven't received any positive responses. I'm feeling frustrated”

“Hello, I am currently an undergraduate student at a US T5 engineering school majoring in Mechanical Engineering and I am conflicted between applying to MS and PhD. I ultimately want to pursue a PhD, but I feel like my profile is not strong enough and that I will need to strengthen it through an MS. My main field is robotics, and my GPA is 3.5/4.0, which is not the most competitive. But I do have extensive research experience so far at 4 different labs, each for at least one year. I currently hav”

“Hello! I will be applying to Chemistry PhD programs this coming fall. I have a weak GPA (3.4 from a top 50 private university in the US), but I have been working in industry for 2.5 years now in a research role and have received a promotion from associate to full chemist. I am currently working on a grant-funded project and have made several faculty connections through networking opportunities, but I currently have no publications. There are multiple that are expected to come out of this project”

“Hi everyone, would anyone be willing to take a look at my CV and see if its any good for some Education PhD programs? Looking at a couple of higher ed and sociology of education programs. This is my first cycle, and I got some feedback from recent doctoral grads in my field that it looks good, but ofc gradcafe and just the recent situation with funding has me so nervous lol. First time posting here so would love to DM someone if anyone would be willing to give their input :) submitted by &”

“Applying for the first time this cycle to social/personality PhD programs in the US. Note: identifying information (name, my university, etc was blocked out. I went to an R1 for both my BS and my MS in Texas. I also have another poster (submitted for consideration) that is not yet on my CV. Thank you! submitted by /u/Neat-Wolverine5063 [link] [comments]”

“Hi all. I’m hoping I could get a little help! I have PhD scholarship applications due at the end of the month and have begun looking at my CV. Obviously job CVs are a little different to academic CVs so I was hoping someone had an idea of what to include. Do I list my degrees I have? In the progress of competing? Etc. Do I list academic articles? If so how does the structure of the CV flow? submitted by /u/Chemical-Homework679 [link] [comments]”

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“Hey everyone! I’m gearing up to apply for US PhD programs in Fall 2027 and would love some brutal, honest feedback on my academic CV. Are my project and experience descriptions too industry-focused rather than highlighting methodology, rigorous analytical skills, or theoretical depth? submitted by /u/Fit-Number-8060 [link] [comments]”

“Hey All, I have applied to MS in Mechanical Engineering for Spring 2027 and received and narrowed my acceptances to the following: T50 USA engineering program - Thesis with no funding - I do not want to say the university name UIUC - Non thesis with no funding Purdue - Non thesis with no funding Duke - Non thesis with no funding Georgia Tech - Non thesis with no funding For all these, I can self-fund without taking any loans. So, I am very confused as to how I should make my decision. My goal is”

“can you guys provide me with prof names who are currently recruiting phd students in this area. submitted by /u/Top-Vegetable5624 [link] [comments]”

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“I am a student currently enrolled in a "Engineering/applied physics" masters program in an engineering university in Bangladesh. The current research in this department greatly leans towards Material science. My primary interest is in theoretical physics. But due to absence of supervisors working in the field, I am constrained to work on a materials project for my thesis that uses molecular dynamics to probe the system of interest. # Is there any way I can switch to theoretical physics”

“Hi everyone, I'm a 3rd-year undergrad in India applying for summer research internships in Germany (Max Planck CS internships and other labs), mainly in ML, HCI and human-centred AI. Quick background: I've done computer vision research with a professor at my university, and I've been working remotely with a researcher at a German institute on an HCI project, which I got through cold emailing. I have two papers under review (one as first author). I'm unsure how to present all this”

“My final year gpa 3.5, but final 2 years is 3.0, so I only just make the minimum requirement. Any fellow engineering students know some things I can do for the next couple months to add to my CV to offset my subpar gpa? submitted by /u/yoonminur [link] [comments]”

“I am a student currently enrolled in a "Engineering/applied physics" masters program in an engineering university in Bangladesh. The current research in this department greatly leans towards Material science. My primary interest is in theoretical physics. But due to absence of supervisors working in the field, I am constrained to work on a materials project for my thesis that uses molecular dynamics to probe the system of interest. Is there any way I can switch to theoretical physics a”

“How to choose grad School for chemical engineering PhD like ranking seems not to uphold true profile of the schools. submitted by /u/Loveless_Year [link] [comments]”

any advice helps :) submitted by /u/yoonminur [link] [comments]

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“I’m an international student planning for Fall 2027 and honestly a bit confused about where I should apply. Profile: B.Sc. Biotechnology, 7.85 CGPA (till 6th sem) Working on a review paper currently Research/internship experience in bioinformatics, RNA-seq, molecular biology and computational analysis Some Python and bioinformatics project experience IELTS 8.0 My goal is to work in bioinformatics/computational biology but I’m unsure whether I should pursue a dedicated MS in Bioinformatics/Comput”

“Hey y'all! I'd appreciate an honest review of my profile for Fall 2027. Primarily looking for ML field and leaning computational cognitive science. I’m not very familiar with the graduate admissions landscape, so I’m mainly trying to calibrate my expectations and get a better sense of where I’d be competitive. Was considering PhD but seems like the competition these days are so fierce that I'm probably better off starting at a Master's. Undergraduate degree: Bachelor's of Sci”

“Hey everyone! 1st-gen student here feeling overwhelmed by the academic PhD application process. This is my first academic CV, and I’d appreciate honest feedback, a good roast, and advice on target programs. Looking for feedback on everything but particularly on: CV Formatting: Any major academic CV red flags? University Targets: What tier of universities or labs should I realistically aim for in the UK/US/Europe? General Advice: How can I best leverage what i already have . Very nervous about my”

“Hello, everyone. I've been rewriting and revising my CVs for my second round of Master's and PhD applications with help from online research and advice and suggestions I received from my previous posts. Compared to my previous CVs, especially the ones I used for my applications last year, I admit that these are much better and more likely to fit my applications. I would like to make this my official last attempt at doing this, but I'd also appreciate any other advice and suggestions”

“Currently in a PhD program; updating my CV for the first time since applying to said program. Should I keep things from undergrad on it? For context I am in physics, and was heavily involved in the same research during undergrad as I am now. In the photo attached, all of the presentations (page long) are talks or posters I presented during undergrad, and all but the last research position listed are also from undergrad. I feel like I should at least keep the national conferences and all previous”

“Hi everyone, I’m applying for a Master’s in Computer Science in Germany and would really appreciate some honest feedback on my Letter of Motivation. A little background about my profile: B.Tech in Computer Science & Engineering 7.9/10 CGPA Around 3 years of professional software engineering experience Currently working mainly in backend engineering Experience with real-time systems, geospatial data, and AI/multi-agent systems I’ve tried to connect my professional experience with my interest”

“Hi everyone, I am an international applicant planning to apply to ECE PhD programs for Fall 2027. My previous reseach has focused on display technology, image processing, and deep learning, and I am now hoping to continue my research in computional imaging and related areas. Here is a brief overview of my background: B.S. in EE from a university in China: GPA 3.6/4 M.S. in EE from a university in China: GPA 3.6/4 Two first-author publications in OSA/Optica journals, along with presentations at i”

“Hi everyone! I’m an international student currently preparing my application materials for Chemistry PhD programs in the US, and I’d really appreciate some feedback on my CV. I have a few specific questions: GPA: I listed my overall average using the original 10-point grading scale from my university. I was advised that independently converting it to a US-style GPA is generally not recommended. However, US universities are used to evaluating international transcripts and different grading scales”

“I want to preface some things to make my CV make a little more sense. First, I am applying to grad school for a M.S in the Earth Sciences/Geology. Second of all, there are some things up there that are dated a month or two ahead of what the date is—this is because I know I will be doing these things with 100% certainty (I have heard mixed things about putting future events on a CV, so if I’m wrong, please let me know!). In general, I’m looking for critiques about the formatting, style, whatever”

“Hello everyone, Applying to research-based material science master's for the fall 2027 in US. I am an international student; however, I have done my bachelor's in physics from DU. I have currently outgrown my current research facilities so, I'm stuck and not able to scale and continue my research at my current institute. I will appreciate your insights and feedback on my CV. submitted by /u/Pretty-Inevitable-77 [link] [comments]”

“Hello, everyone. For the past several days, I have been searching for advice and suggestions within the community regarding revising and improving my CV for my second round of Master's and PhD applications. I'm grateful for the numerous responses, especially the brutally honest ones, because they helped me realize how bad my older CV versions were, especially when they looked fluffed up and disorganized. With the responses and online research as guidance, I edited my entire CV to the poi”

“Hi everyone! I’m an international student from India applying to US biomedical PhD programs for Fall 2027 and would really appreciate some feedback on my profile/program list. Background: Biomed from India – salutatorian Currently doing a 2-year masters in Biochemistry at a US Main interests: metabolism and physiology etc Research: Currently doing research in a lab (since starting of my masters so completed one year now). Previous research experience at a major research institute in India in for”

“Hey all, I’m planning to apply for MSCS for Fall 27 intake in the US (can consider Europe as well). Can people here suggest which universities are targetable and which are not given my profile (also open to other Uni suggestions which i haven’t considered) Nationality - Indian Bachelors - BTech CSE Tier 2 college 9.1 CGPA Work Ex - 2 YOE as of now, SDE 2 at MAANG TOEFL - 5.5 / 6 GRE - Not planning to give (unless someone convinces me otherwise) Strong CP profile back from college days and few ha”

“Hi! I am currently planning to apply for PhD in Chemical Engineering at various US Universities. I wanted to know if my profile is competitive enough to get selected. My profile : From India Bachelor of Technology in Chemical Engineering (GPA : 3.6/4) Class Rank : Top 5 1 Research Internship at IIT 1 Industrial Internship 1 remote Internship Other than this, I have worked on 3 research projects in my own department. 1 manuscript is almost completed and will submit it in first week of October. I”

“I am applying to Materials Science and Engineering masters thesis programs. This SOP is specifically UMass Amherst as written in the header. Currently at about 1050 ish words, but literally no guides on the websites I have been looking at others SOPs but I can't find many examples of people who are going back to school after a year in industry work. A few disclaimers: - I went to a T10 university in USA -My undergrad GPA was 3.1 cumulative and 3.06 in my major. I had to retake quite a few cl”

“Sorry about the horrible cropping. Would this be okay as a resume/CV for masters applications in materials science? I am trying for a thesis route. I went to a T10 school for undergraduate, but I have no publications. I did win a design award so I added that. Any feedback is appreciated! submitted by /u/Signal_Term_5418 [link] [comments]”

“Hi everyone, I’m planning to apply for MSCS programs in the US for Fall 2027 and would really appreciate some feedback on my profile and university list. Background BSc (Joint Major) in Computing & Information Systems and Mathematics Mathematical Modelling & Statistics Second Class Upper Division Overall GPA: 8.4/10 Major GPA: 8.99/10 My academic performance improved during the later part of my degree, but the overall GPA is still something I’m concerned about for highly competitive prog”

“Hello. I know I said yesterday was my last time revising and improving my two CVs for my second round of the Master's and PhD application cycle. However, I received conflicting advice and suggestions, and while I appreciated them, I felt a bit put down and hopeless about my chances in this cycle. Regardless of feeling sorry for myself (since that won't help me get into any program), I decided to try one last time to search for any advice and suggestions on my newly revised CV. Although I”

“I am applying to CS/IS PhD programs in the United States and Canada, and while there might be some program specific changes in the CVs I will finally submit with my completed applications, this is a pretty generalized version with names/institutions/venues/competitions anonymized and some of the accuracy/evaluation scores rounded up/down. I'd be very grateful if someone (preferably someone familiar with CS/IS PhD admissions) could take the time to critique this. I’d mainly appreciate feedbac”

“Hi everyone! This will be my second time applying to a PhD program. The first time around, I applied to a program that ultimately wasn’t the right fit for me. After a lot more thought about my research interests and what I’m looking for in a program, I’ve landed on Stanford GSE’s SHIPS program for Fall 2027. I’d love to hear from former applicants, current students or anyone recently admitted to SHIPS, particularly Sociology of Education. I’m starting to work through my application now and would”

“Applying to QSE / computational quantum science PhD programs this cycle. I'm planning on scattering it across chemistry, applied math, and physics depending on how many PIs. I'm primarily interested in computational quantum physics, electronic structure, open quantum systems, and numerical methods. Looking for feedback on CV structure, what to cut/emphasize, and whether my research direction comes through clearly. Thank you! submitted by /u/Vesalas [link] [comments]”

“Hello. I have been in this community a few times for advice and suggestions on revising and improving my two CVs for the second round of the application cycle for Master's and PhD programs. With the advice, I arranged my CVs in a way I'm a bit proud of, so basically these will be my official versions for the two programs I'm applying to: African Studies and History. If you have any other advice or suggestions, I appreciate them and will consider them. submitted by /u/Pres”

“Hi all, I have started to apply for a PhD position in the past couple of months and have lurked around in this subreddit asking a bunch of questions such as CV review etc., (thanks btw for people who have answered). Since then, I have only had 1 official interview and 1 discussion interview with a PI, although compared to the ammount that I've put out, I still think something is wrong with my profile or cover letter or how I'm approaching this PhD admission. Now I would like to once agai”

“Applying for PhD programs in the US in materials science/chemical engineering. How much detail is expected to be in a CV? I keep seeing conflicting advice and examples; some people put a long description of their research experiences while others write just the name of the role/institute and maybe a brief description, saving the details for the SOP. submitted by /u/radicalsapphic [link] [comments]”

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“Hi everyone I'm planning to apply for MS/PhD (or direct PhD) mostly in Korea (All the -ISTs, like kaist, unist, etc), my own university, and some Masters programs like EMJM (intermaths, disc maths). My main concern is that I have so many research experiences but only one regional IEEE conference paper as second author. A bit about my profile overall: B.Sc in applied math, statistics, data science and a minor in AI from a top university in the country 3.8+ GPA had 3 research experiences, 2 at”

“I'm a senior (final year) at Tier-2 Indian university, aiming at US/UK Top 100 universities for PhD in Materials Science Engineering/Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering. Got three years of research experience and two international gold awards. Currently at top of my department. Looking for honest reviews on my CV, what to improve and whether is this competitive enough for my prospective universities? submitted by /u/abracadabra_xx [link] [comments]”

“Hello! I am applying to PhD programs in biomedical engineering this upcoming cycle, and I would love any advice on the structure and presentation of my CV. I would also be curious to know how competitive my profile is for US PhD programs (as a US citizen). I have spent a lot of time anonymizing it lol, but I am happy to provide clarifications. Thank you! submitted by /u/Practical-Scratch441 [link] [comments]”

“I am applying to PhD programs this fall for Biosci programs. Would gladly appreciate if anyone could help look at this CV and give suggestions/feedbacks! Feel free to critique as you like. Thank you! submitted by /u/Big_Baby-Duck [link] [comments]”

“Hey everyone! I am applying to doctoral programs in mechanical engineering (additive manufacturing) for the Fall 2027 semester as an undergraduate graduating in May 2027. I feel like I have slim chances, but I am unsure. I have no capital "r" research experience, but I have done independent studies and several projects. I have much more impressive internship experiences and projects. I would argue that I have a strong academic prowess as well, but that is debatable for the applicant po”

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