Grad Students Grapple with PhD Competition

“I am currently doing MS from Texas A&M and looking for PhD options in Computer Science. I have noticed UT San Antonio is very highly ranked (just behind UT Austin) among Texas schools as per Shanghai Rankings. Specifically, their score in world class faculty is more than double of UT Austin's score. Shanghai Rankings However, when I checked in CSRankings, it is ranked 7th among Texas! CSRankings Can someone please help me to understand the reason behind such disparity? Is UT San Antonio”

“I'm planning to apply to Statistics/Data Science graduate programs in the US for Fall 2027 and would really appreciate some honest feedback on my profile. I’m especially interested in knowing: What are the strengths/weaknesses of my CV? Am I competitive for top programs, or should I focus more on mid-ranked schools? Which programs would be good targets/reaches for my profile? Is there anything I should improve before applying? Please be as honest as possible—even if the answer isn’t what I w”

“so i’ll be completely honest, i’m a finance major, but always been interested in cs, took some cs classes in undergrad then did a masters in data science and now i worked as a quant researcher in a big financial services company that specializes in analytics and indexes. I want to mention that my job isn’t glamorous at all, i don’t work in a hf or anything like that. The point is i wish to do a phd in cs, i know my background and profile isn’t great rn, i’ve been doing some research on what coul”

“Hey all, I’m going into second year of my mathematics undergraduate at university in the UK. Afterwards I’m interested in applying for PhD’s in computational/applied mathematics. I’m just wondering about a few things though that I’d love if someone could clear up. 1 - Because my uni isn’t amazing our opportunities to research are heavily limited, I will be applying for a summer research placement but I may not get it. If I do get it it will likely just be a poster it’s not likely to be any serio”

“I’m planning to apply to CS PhD programs this upcoming cycle and would like an outside read on my competitiveness and where to aim. Background: - BS in Computer Science, UTArlington, GPA 3.80, graduating May 2027 - 2 years as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in two research labs (both ongoing), across three federally funded projects: a DOJ-funded LLM/VR de-escalation training system for law enforcement, and an NSF-funded VR CNC machine simulator and a upcoming Department of Transportation tra”

“I’m an Economics major with a heavy math background (Real Analysis, Convex Analysis) and formal CS coursework in Data Structures & Algorithms (fluent in Python and C++). I plan to apply to CS PhD programs focusing on Algorithmic Game Theory, Market Design (Matching/Auctions), and Pure Optimization Theory. I currently have a solo-authored paper in R&R at Operations Research Letters and currently also working on a complex game theory paper, which is already long. However, after seeing peop”

“I'm really interested in pursuing a more theoretical area of CS in grad school, and I'm currently pursuing a math major alongside CS. The problem is that while I enjoy math, I'm honestly pretty terrible at it, especially pure mathematics. My Mathematics GPA is around a 2.8, compared to a 3.8 GPA in Computer Science. For people who have applied to theoretical CS grad programs (especially things like theory/algorithms, ML theory, etc.), how much did your math grades matter, or how much”

“I received my BS and MS in Computer Science from the same institution (around #50 US NEWS and CSRankings) and am hoping to get in to a top PhD program (dream program is UCSD). My undergrad overall GPA was 3.50 and my grad GPA was a 3.95 (although the school does not report grad GPAs). Is this fluctuation going to hurt me, or since it’s most recent, will it help by showing growth? submitted by /u/DryImpact3634 [link] [comments]”

“Hi! Most people on here seem to apply for computer science and the like masters and PhDs, but not a lot of social science merged with data/computational programs. Does anyone know how competitive these programs are? Anyone in these programs? I just honestly don’t know who’s going into these niches and am curious what other’s perception and experience is in these programs. MS in Data Analytics and Computational Social Science at UMass Amherst Masters of Public Policy and Data Analytics at Wake Fo”

“Hey all! Im looking for some outside perspective before I lock in my PhD application strategy this fall. Quick background: Rising senior, CS, mid-tier state school (3.9 GPA) Currently doing a summer research fellowship in quantum computer vision (QAOA applied to image segmentation) Also do undergrad research in two other labs (one blockchain/security, one AI safety-adjacent) Some industry ML deployment experience from an internship 2 accepted publications so far (one quantum-safe crypto, one LLM”

“Hello all I’ve seen a lot of post asking whether they are competitive, but would really like to know how fierce the competition is in some mathematical fields. I’m interested in the applied mathematics and statistics side of things. To be specific I’d like some insight on how competitive the following fields are: Mathematical physics Dynamical systems Partial differential equations Stochastic systems Photonics Cosmology Once more, any input on how tough it is to get a PHD / how competitive these”

“Hey everyone, trying to get a realistic read on my chances before I spend the application fee and months of hope on UT Austin. Planning to apply for Fall 2027, CS Masters, interests in ML and cybersecurity. My profile: Academics: BS in Computer Science, math minor, from the University of Louisiana Monroe (Dec 2023). GPA 3.3. I know this is the weak spot, especially for a top 10 program. Work experience: Currently a Software and Systems Engineer at DXC Technology, previously at Sabre. About 2.5 y”

“As someone who is tired of writing cover letters and various SOPs and never gets selected for a single interview can you tell me what mistake I could have made? Has anyone else had the same situation and now landed in a good institute for PhD. What did you realise and did that get you a Phd offer? I am from India. I am only applying for European countries and I am looking for PhD in astronomy and astrophysics. Ps : posting again because the original post was removed by the moderator. submi”

“2.24 undergrad GPA, applying to master’s programs (applied math / quant finance leaning) for Fall 2027 — the master’s itself would be in-person/on-campus. I’m just looking for online non-degree courses beforehand to strengthen my profile, since I’m based outside the US and can’t easily take in-person courses right now. So far I’ve found: **•** Columbia CVN non-degree: hard 3.0 GPA floor, got rejected **•** JHU Engineering for Professionals: no hard GPA stated, seems more open **•** NYU Courant n”