Grad Applicants Can't Tell If Their GPA Disqualifies Them
12 posts across 5 communities in the last 60 days; 58% from r/gradadmissions.
“I know these posts are annoying but any feedback is helpful as I don't have too many mentors who are able to help me with this. Academics: Undergrad: 3rd year at top UK uni (think Oxbridge/Imperial/LSE) Major: econ + data science Year 1: 67%, Year 2: 77% (top 10% of cohort and…”
“Hi! Little context about me, im from India doing my bachelors in CS with 7.2 gpa. I want to get into a good PhD program in the future. My doubt is, i have two paths rn ie write GATE(Graduate entrance for grad school in India) or grind for GRE and get into a US grad school and…”
“I’m considering applying for a PhD in Economics or Finance in a year or two, but I’m not sure if it’s even realistic. My background: BA in Economics (US), GPA 3.4 MS in Finance (US), GPA 3.1 No publications No academic RA experience Several macro/fixed income research…”
Numerous posts express anxiety and uncertainty surrounding graduate school admissions, including concerns about GPA, GRE scores, research experience, program selection (LSE vs. UCL, Oxford vs. Manchester), and the impact of factors like language skills or age. Applicants are seeking advice and reassurance throughout the application process.
SOURCES (37)
“Hello! I’m looking to apply to Masters programs for psychology in NYC after graduating from undergrad about a decade ago in math, economics and statistics (most my courses were graduate level). I was an undergrad research assistant for organizational behavior for a year, but did…”
“I know these posts are annoying but any feedback is helpful as I don't have too many mentors who are able to help me with this. Academics: Undergrad: 3rd year at top UK uni (think Oxbridge/Imperial/LSE) Major: econ + data science Year 1: 67%, Year 2: 77% (top 10% of cohort and First Class in all Y2 courses) Relevant coursework includes probability & statistics, multivariable calculus, linear algebra, stochastic processes, algorithms & data structures, econometrics 1 & 2, machine”
“Hi everyone, I'm looking for advice on how to move forward academically after getting a Master's result that I'm not particularly satisfied with. My ultimate goal is to pursue a PhD in Economics , ideally in areas such as development economics, inequality, poverty, labour/applied microeconomics or policy evaluation. I'm trying to figure out what the most realistic way is to strengthen my profile and eventually become competitive for a good PhD programme. My academic background Ba”
“Please could I ask for my chances at each M7? Profile: 24 years old white male UK Oxbridge/LSE Undergrad: Low 2.1 outcome with some grades on transcript 2.2 and some high 2.1 (this is my weakest point I think) GMAT: 735, GRE: 340 (5AWA) FTE: London 6m ECM IB at lower tier EB (Laz/Roth), Currently FIG M&A at DB (have been here 3 months) Internships: Ares Private Credit Summer, BofA Markets Summer I got rejected from all deferred MBAs last year (Wharton Harvard Stanford). Thank you! subm”
“Hey everyone, I am currently in the final year of my MSc in HPC and looking to apply for PhD positions at places like ETH Zurich, EPFL, Oxford, and similar institutions. Doing some research on lab websites and LinkedIn, one thing that immediately jumped out is that a massive chunk of current PhD students were already doing their Master’s or master thesis in those exact same labs or departments. Given how competitive admissions have gotten lately, it kind of feels like the open spots for outside”
“Hi! I’m applying to PhD programs in history in the US. I did really well in my BA program (4.0 GPA in my major, an interdisciplinary humanities program), and went to the UK (Cambridge) for my MPhil in history. I received full funding for that as well. Moving overseas took a toll on my depression. UK NHS/mental health services are very confusing and not student visa friendly, and my university didn’t offer much either. Because of homesickness, mental health, and a couple deaths of loved ones, my”
“I'll keep it brief. I have applied to NUS, JHU, UIUC and CMU for the Spring 2027 PhD intake. All in mechanical engineering. I have spoken with the relevant faculty at all four, and I expect offers from UIUC and NUS. JHU has given a yellow signal. The faculty said they would prefer that I come in the fall because she will receive a long-term grant in July 2027. CMU said that they will get back to me but haven't made a firm verbal commitment, unlike UIUC and NUS. Assuming the best-case sce”
“Hi everyone, my first year at uni was a 2:2 because I was building an e-commerce business instead of studying. Second year I pulled it back to a solid 64 percent, and I am aiming for over 80 percent in my last year’s first semester exams now. Beyond the grades I have a few things going for me like a quant spring week at SIG and credit rating spring at Moody's, research with a physics professor, and an upcoming preprint on SSMs and formal verification. Since these places use rolling admission”
“I just completed my physics undergraduate degree at Imperial College London and did better in my final year (most solid 70-80s, with 3 modules scoring 88) but my first and second year grades were lower (although overall a first) as I was struggling to support myself without parental support. I still worked a lot part-time in 3rd year and saved up enough to only do a masters in France (in a much lower ranking university) for mathematical physics. I want to do a PhD but am feeling uncertain due to”
“Hi! Little context about me, im from India doing my bachelors in CS with 7.2 gpa. I want to get into a good PhD program in the future. My doubt is, i have two paths rn ie write GATE(Graduate entrance for grad school in India) or grind for GRE and get into a US grad school and grind from there. PS: Money is not really an issue and I've visited US twice so visa wouldn't be an issue either submitted by /u/Specific-Base-9017 [link] [comments]”
“Hi! Little context about me, im from India doing my bachelors in CS with 7.2 gpa. I want to get into a good PhD program in the future. My doubt is, i have two paths rn ie write GATE(Graduate entrance for grad school in India) or grind for GRE and get into a US grad school and grind from there. PS: Money is not really an issue and I've visited US twice so visa wouldn't be an issue either submitted by /u/Specific-Base-9017 [link] [comments]”
“I’m facing a big dilemma. I was recently accepted into a master’s program in Computer Science at an Ivy League university (not Harvard, Yale, or Columbia), and I really want to attend. However, I would have to take on debt while also working and studying. At the same time, I’m currently working on nonprofit project. (A start up) We recently received a small government grant, we’re testing the platform with clients, and the project is looking promising. I’m working closely with a mentor on the pr”
“Dear everybody, I am a Bachelors student currently doing a placement in Cambridge University. I study in mainland Europe, where, to do a PhD, you have to do a Masters placement. I found out that in the UK you don't actually need a Masters to do a PhD, just a bachelors. I was thinking of doing a Masters anyway (and then a PhD), and although this peaked my interest I didn't think too much about it. Anyway, talking to a PI recently at Cambridge, I apparently impressed and he is now interest”
“Dear everybody, I am a Bachelors student currently doing a placement in Cambridge University. I study in mainland Europe, where, to do a PhD, you have to do a Masters placement. I found out that in the UK you don't actually need a Masters to do a PhD, just a bachelors. I was thinking of doing a Masters anyway (and then a PhD), and although this peaked my interest I didn't think too much about it. Anyway, talking to a PI recently at Cambridge, I apparently impressed and he is now interest”
“I am an international student who currently has an MPhil offer from Cambridge but have recently discovered a program at LSE that I think would actually be a better fit for some of my future graduate interests and somehow the program is still open for applications. I’m hoping to apply to this program this week just to explore my options fully. Hypothetically, if I were to submit an application to LSE at this stage, are there any risks to my Cambridge offer? On the LSE application, it asks about o”
“Is it possible to get into Phd with funding if I have a lower merit grade at Masters level. My masters is from Oxford. submitted by /u/ideasofasunflower8 [link] [comments]”
“I’m considering applying for a PhD in Economics or Finance in a year or two, but I’m not sure if it’s even realistic. My background: BA in Economics (US), GPA 3.4 MS in Finance (US), GPA 3.1 No publications No academic RA experience Several macro/fixed income research internships at securities firms The obvious problem is math. I never took the standard math sequence (Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, etc.). Most of my quantitative work has been econometrics, asset pricing, R/Python, and applied re”
“Hello, I am looking for guidance from alumni who went to pursue PhDs in the US. TLDR: Will my GRE score ruin my profile? I have a BSc in Economics (3.75 CGPA) and a Masters from London School of Econ and Pol Sci (LSE)(Distinction). I currently work at a think tank and I manage projects related to international development and the care economy (which align exactly with my research interests). I also do quali and quant research at work, so I have a pretty solid skill-set at this point. Besides tha”
“Hi everyone! Has anyone here had experience being considered through a special admissions pathway instead of the regular admissions process due to a lower undergraduate GPA? I would really appreciate hearing about your experiences, how the process went, and what your chances of admission were. Thank you so much! submitted by /u/brightlights1989 [link] [comments]”
“I was accepted into a fully funded PhD in Physics at UC Irvine, in a really good experimental physics group, but I declined the offer. I felt like I didn’t have enough of a foundation and knowledge yet and wouldn’t be able to get the most out of the program. In a nutshell I felt stupid and not worthy for this program. So instead, I decided to pursue a Master’s - also fully funded by the DAAD Scholarship- at the University of Bonn in Germany. It’s also a great prestigious program, one of the best”
“I’ve noticed that most PhD students at top US STEM programs (Harvard/MIT/Stanford/Caltech etc.) went straight from undergrad to PhD. I get that having a master means you’re held to a higher bar, but does doing a master + working in research labs for a few years before applying to a PhD actually hurt your chances at these top programs? Because I cannot find many profiles with this background at these schools, and if there are, they’re mainly international students. Is it more that people who take”
“Hello. Most posts I see are for STEM-type subjects. Has anyone gone from a UK undergrad (about to start my final year) to a History or other humanities PhD at a good US school? I plan to apply to UK master's and US PhD programs, but I still think it will be unlikely to get into a good US school, especially since I am much older than a typical student and am coming straight from undergrad, which is not yet completed. I decided to cold-email some schools in the US and some professors whose res”
“Hi everyone, I'm trying to decide between Imperial College London's MSc Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Management (IEM) and UCL's MSc Business Analytics (MSBA) and would really appreciate some advice. A bit about my background: BSc Management with Finance from Warwick Business School Worked at Deloitte London Internships at Reckitt and the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) I feel confident I could handle either programme academically, so my decision isn't based on w”
“I’ve completed my Master’s in English from India and have got an offer from LSE for a course that I have been interested in for quite sometime and it’s a social science course. My goal is to do a PhD and the one year Master’s course offers a bridge between my ‘not so well reputed master’s from India’, and a good funded PhD programme, but I have been seeing posts on this sub on how second master’s visas are outright rejected, does this apply to my situation too? Thanks! submitted by /”
“Hey there im M21 just graduated from a UK Uni(around t25 in the uk for CS, around T200 itw if this is useful info) and i am trying to assess which path to take next. Now let me clarify the end goal is a PhD in America however im uncertain on whether to get a MSc in Europe/UK or directly apply to PhD programs. UK unis only have 3yrs so i may be behind others in terms of time spent in research. My profile currently is BSc CS (hons) with a 1:1(82% across the years that count). I have 2 yrs of resea”
“This year is so intense for PhD application. I only applied to Oxbridge, and preparing the package took quite a while and applied at the last minute. Fortunately, I received offers from both universities: DPhil in Criminology (Oxford) and PhD in Gender Studies (Cambridge). After months of waiting, and being on the waitlist/reserved candidates for funding, I am taking up the offer (full ride) in Cambridge. ❤️ Super happy, but for the record, the PhD dream is 9 years in the making. For those who f”
“TL;DR: Would taking 1–2 grad-level classes through HMX, HarvardU or similar help me show my academic potential for PhD since I can’t afford a full master’s? Hi everyone, grad admissions season is right around the corner, so I’ve started doing research into my possible options. Undergrad was a mess for me due to COVID, nonstop personal and financial problems. I double majored at a state school, had a terrible undergrad GPA, 3.2/4.0, no consistent trend, and only about a semester’s worth of resear”
“Hey guys, need a reality check because I’m totally stuck. So I got offers for a master's from both LSE and UCL. LSE is for Social Anthro, and UCL is for Digital Anthro. I have until the end of July to decide. Honestly, to me, both unis are on the same level, and I’m way more excited about the digital stuff at UCL. It just sounds cooler and more relevant to what's happening today. But my friends keep saying that LSE has way better clout and will look better on a resume when I’m job huntin”
“Hi, I’m a rising junior at an R2 school and I decided last summer that I wanted to get my PhD in either Operations Research or Applied Math because of a research experience I had. Currently I have one research project under my belt that lasted for about 6 months where I presented a poster at two different conferences and gave two talks. I’ve been working on a paper this past summer aswell. Next semester I have plans to do long term research with another professor aswell. I was just curious if th”
“Hi there, I was wondering whether applying significantly younger (below first quartile age median) and speaking 7 languages has any positive impact for grad school applications in top MPA/MPP or MA Pol Sci programs. As in, would it noticeably increase my chances of getting in? For reference, by the time i will be applying, I will be speaking: C2, (high C1?) C2, (high C1?) C2 ( I am trilingual [won’t be disclosing the languages due to privacy; all I can say is that two of them are major languages”
“I got accepted into both and I don’t know which one to pick. I am drawn to Oxford because it is Oxford. I want to learn the craft, go into publishing (literary fiction), learn to develop a writing routine (hard to write when life gets busy). I’m thinking the MA might be more rigorous but I was thinking Oxford has different standards. submitted by /u/ElectronicEconomy263 [link] [comments]”
“I’d really appreciate some honest advice from people who have applied to or are currently in MSBA programs in the US. I have a 2.8 CGPA and have taken the GRE twice . My highest (and latest) score is 309 (158Q, 151V) . At this point, I’m honestly exhausted. I’ve already spent a lot of time, money, and effort on the GRE, and I also work a full-time job. I’m wondering whether it’s worth attempting the GRE a third time, or if I’d be better off investing that time into strengthening the rest of my a”
“Lets say one (an international student) is aiming for the top grad schools in the US, including the ivies. Besides grades, GRE, extracurriculars and work experience (a good CV), what else matters? I’ve heard research matters a lot for grad school but is that confined to PhD applications or masters too? (Esp course based masters) submitted by /u/bostoncreme_ [link] [comments]”