Grad Students Stressing Over Admissions
12 posts across 4 communities in the last 30 days; 67% from r/gradadmissions.
“Hey! I feel really dumb asking here as i have basically no idea how grad school admissions work. But I'll just ask straightforwardly. I'm from a third world country. My university is very mid. Not many research opportunities. Almost all of them go to the MS and PhD students. As…”
“Hey all, so I (bachelor’s international) was offered a spot in a combined MS PhD program at a SKY university in Korea. But the problem is that the PI’s research does not fit with my interests. For context, I’m in the field of biology and my undergrad experience was on microbio…”
“Hi everyone! I just finished my economics' master in a top 100 university in Europe with research focus, but I wasn't accepted in any programme that I apply (though I got a pair of interviews). That being said, I have specialized in macroeconomics, overall theoretical, and I…”
Numerous posts express anxiety and uncertainty surrounding graduate school admissions, focusing on GPA requirements, competition, international student challenges, and the impact of factors like research experience and test scores. Applicants are seeking advice on improving their profiles and navigating the application process.
SOURCES (56)
“I want to apply to the Central European University, Vienna for PhD in Cognitive Sciences. I did my masters from Hungary in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation biology although my thesis was in neuroethology, studying cognitive processes in dog brains, and then I worked as a…”
“If your ultimate goal is to get into a top Economics PhD program, would it be more strategic to pursue a master’s at a department that also offers a PhD, rather than one that only offers a master’s? Does being in a PhD-granting department give you an advantage in terms of research opportunities, faculty connections, recommendation letters, or future PhD admissions? I’m also curious whether master’s programs at PhD-granting departments tend to be more competitive to get into. Would love to hear y”
“If your ultimate goal is to get into a top Economics PhD program, would it be more strategic to pursue a master’s at a department that also offers a PhD, rather than one that only offers a master’s? Does being in a PhD-granting department give you an advantage in terms of research opportunities, faculty connections, recommendation letters, or future PhD admissions? I’m also curious whether master’s programs at PhD-granting departments tend to be more competitive to get into. Would love to hear y”
“Hey everyone, First of all, thank you for taking the time to read this and potentially commenting below. I have been a long-time viewer of this subreddit, and now that it's my turn to apply for grad school, I have decided to make a post and ask your thoughts on my profile and what I should realistically expect at the end of this cycle. Sorry, I know the flair says PhD, but I couldn't add 2 flairs together, so this is PhD and Masters, as I plan to apply to Europe and the US. I will provid”
“Hey! I feel really dumb asking here as i have basically no idea how grad school admissions work. But I'll just ask straightforwardly. I'm from a third world country. My university is very mid. Not many research opportunities. Almost all of them go to the MS and PhD students. As an undergraduate student, even just being assistants to MS and PhD students is really difficult and competitive. And to be completely honest, research doesn't interest me either. I'm a maths student (appli”
“Hi everyone! 👋 My sister just finished a PhD interview for an economics position at a Norwegian university. Right before hanging up, the prospective supervisor explicitly asked her to email over her full Master's thesis and transcripts. For those with experience in academic hiring or who have been in a similar situation: is this usually considered a strong positive sign? Thanks a lot for your insights, appreciate it! 🙏✨ submitted by /u/Opening_Attempt4659 [link] [comments”
“hey there i've got a bsc in econ and a masters in applied maths/statistics, my first love is econometrics and i'll be applying to the econ program but i've also done research in epidemiology and ecology during my master's which is also something i love and so i wanted to apply to the relevant schools but it's all in the same uni bc of geographical constraints. i'm afraid it wont be perceived well, because the stats program (where u can do applied stats to epi) is the same”
“Hey all, so I (bachelor’s international) was offered a spot in a combined MS PhD program at a SKY university in Korea. But the problem is that the PI’s research does not fit with my interests. For context, I’m in the field of biology and my undergrad experience was on microbio and when I graduated, I had no idea how to navigate the academia. I just knew that I want to go into biomedical science. I later landed an RAship at marine molecular science lab. I thought I could use the molecular bio exp”
“Hello everyone, As grad school applications slowly start opening, I would like advice as I am not quite sure how to navigate grad school applications in my current situation. On the surface level, I believe I seem to be a good candidate, I'll be graduating with 2 degrees in Mathematics and Economics with honors (3.5GPA) from an R1 research university. I am the vice president of the economics club, co-founder of our school's economics review, I've done been doing research with a profe”
“Hey everyone! Looking for a realistic profile evaluation and advice from current students or alumni. I’m planning to apply for a Master’s program in Economics at Peking University (aiming for PKU / PHBS in Shenzhen). Here is a quick breakdown of my current background and roadmap: Current Degree: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (Latin America). Graduating in 1 year (slightly delayed schedule). GPA / Average: \~78% cumulative average. Bridge Strategy (Next Step): Right after graduation, I will take”
“Hi! I was just wondering, does acceptance rate for public universities differ for domestic vs international applicants for grad school like for masters and phd? Im talking about the US submitted by /u/Outrageous_Egg7579 [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone! I just finished my economics' master in a top 100 university in Europe with research focus, but I wasn't accepted in any programme that I apply (though I got a pair of interviews). That being said, I have specialized in macroeconomics, overall theoretical, and I think this is the main problem: Most of the programmes are focus on empirical area and, even worse, they mostly focus on microeconometrics (labor, industrial economics...). I am currently in a gap year that has compl”
“Hello, for anyone that transferred over from a different university I wanted to ask how their stats looked like when applying for the masters program in Engineering. Im an EE student at a pretty decent public university but my undergrad gpa sits at 3.15. I was hoping my research experience (1 publication), and letters of recommendation would be enough or if I should play out my senior year, get my gpa up and then apply submitted by /u/scoot_leo [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone, I’m an international student from South Korea currently attending a liberal arts college in New Jersey. I'm preparing to apply for master's programs this year to start in Fall 2027, and I’m looking for some advice regarding major selection and career paths. I apologize in advance for using Gemini to translate the original text. Background & Current Major Current Major: International Relations (under the Political Science dept). At my previous institution(one of SUNY scho”
“Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice on grad school applications based on my profile below. Any input on target/reach/safety schools would be greatly appreciated! Profile: • Undergrad: top university in Taiwan, majoring in Economics, GPA 3.77 • Math background: Calculus I-III, Linear Algebra, Statistics, Econometrics • GRE: planning to take in October • Research experience: currently working as a Research Assistant Given this profile, what schools do you think would be realistic reach/target/safe”
“I’m an international student doing a Bachelor’s in Business & Economics (finance-focused) in Germany. GPA ~3.7/4.0, graduating in 2028. I’m considering a Master’s in Finance/Economics in the US, but funding is a major factor. Ideally, I’d like to get a substantial tuition waiver + TA/RA/assistantship. For those who’ve gone through this: how realistic is this for international master’s students, and what would you do during the next 2 years to maximize your chances? submitted by /”
“Hi all, I'm an international student with a background in sustainability and some data analysis. I've done internships and projects across marketing, LLM research, ESG, and life cycle assessment but no full-time work experience. I was accepted to: - Northwestern MSES (Energy & Sustainability) 10 months - Duke MEM (Environmental Management) 2 years - UMich SEAS (Geospatial Data Science / Sustainable Systems) 2 years - Dartmouth MEM (Engineering Management) 15 months - UCL (Climate and”
“Hi all, I was accepted back in November (!) to a really good grad school in my field. I am from Michigan and this program is in Tennessee. Originally, I felt great about the program as it has excellent board scores, top notch resources and faculty. As the winter rolled around, I started to feel some hesitation/dread surrounding the program. I knew it was nerves related to moving from home - I am extremely close with my parents (especially my mom) and leaving her feels like heartbreak. I lived aw”
“Hey guys, I'm currently an undergrad at Bilkent University aiming for a Economics PhD at Harvard or MIT. My current strategy is to keep my GPA near 4.0, complete a minor in Mathematics, and do solid research with top professors at my uni. Beyond a high GPA, strong math background, and undergrad research, what specific game-changers actually make an applicant stand out for top-tier US PhD programs? Any feedback from current students or alumni on what else I should prioritize early on would be”
“Hey guys, I'm currently an undergrad at Bilkent University aiming for a Economics PhD at Harvard or MIT. My current strategy is to keep my GPA near 4.0, complete a minor in Mathematics, and do solid research with top professors at my uni. Beyond a high GPA, strong math background, and undergrad research, what specific game-changers actually make an applicant stand out for top-tier US PhD programs? Any feedback from current students or alumni on what else I should prioritize early on would be”
“For context I have not been able to get my US Student Visa yet and hence Delft seemed like the next best option (considering the visa situation in the US) I am seeking advice - should I pursure Delft's Dfi or wait another year? submitted by /u/yellowcamlinposter [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone! I have a couple of questions about PhD admissions in the US. How much weight do master's grades carry compared to research output? Can a strong research profile compensate for average master's marks, especially if the degree is from a top UK university? Also, are there any current or recently admitted PhD students (within the last two years) in sociology, sociocultural anthropology, history or related fields who would be willing to chat? I'd really appreciate he”
“Graduated 6 years back and I really wanted to fulfil a promise I made to my younger self - attain a higher education masters degree cert from Chicago school of economics (they are best known for neoclassical economics!). Has anyone applied before and mind sharing how tough it is? Again, I can Google the process and what documentations I need. What I want to hear are your struggles and rants. I think finding a referral would be a challenge for me, let alone the costs I have to near. submitt”
“Hello everyone. I apologise if this is not the right place to ask or if this breaks any rules but just to explain, I'm an icelandic guy who recently graduated from University with a Bachelor's degree in Economics. I applied for and got accepted into a master's in economics at UiO and in Global Economy and Politics at NMBU. I only got the news that I got into UiO last night, I got accepted into NMBU back in May and I made the preparations to start there. I have a quite broad field of”
“Been going through a dataset of self reported admissions decisions, about 190k entries from 2022-2026 posted by applicants on a public results forum. Once I filtered down to entries with an actual Accepted or Rejected outcome (dropped interviews and waitlists) I had 138,929 rows left, which is honestly more than I expected to have after filtering. A few things in here surprised me. Quick note on method since someone will ask: GPA numbers use the ~79k entries that had a GPA on a 4.0 scale. For &q”
“Posting for a friend Programs to apply to : Stanford MSCS, CMU MSCS, CMU MSML Education : University of Chicago, BS in computer science, GPA 3.88 If at matters: International Mathematics Olympiad Team Canada finalist back in high school. Experiences : 2x AI research engineer at well-known big tech 1x SWE at FAANG+ 1x AI engineer at FAANG+ Research/Publications: Listed as an equal contributor for a paper published at atop conference for an industry paper. Did research with prof at school . Also l”
“I went through JEE but performed really bad and now going into some tier 3 government college but i still want to prove myself and yet not satisfied. The only way i can get the dream future i want to work with and i saw through my research was GRE. Although my GRE scores are good for now, and preparing for vocabulary, IELTS/TOEFL but i dont get it how would i prepare for the LORs and SOPs, research projects and internships from a Tier-3 college. Need and accurate description to understand about”
“im currently in my final year of my bachelors. I’m an international student studying physics and astro at a T5 in the US and would like to pursue a phd in astrophysics. Unfortunately, my gpa is not upto par. It’s a 3.3 which is just slightly below the average gpa for Astro at my school. As an international student I def found it hard to adjust to a different system and I recently got diagnosed with ADHD which definitely did not help me the last three years. My university also had grade deflation”
“Hi everyone, I'm planning to apply for the 2027–2028 intake of the Master's in Chemical & Process Engineering at PoliTO. A bit about my background: B.Sc. in Chemical Process Engineering (Algerian Univ) Final average: 13.9/20 (French grading system) Several internships in multiple industries, mainly Oil & Gas, and international certificates IELTS 7.5 I have a few questions for current students or alumni: How competitive is admission to the Chemical & Process Engineering master”
“My offer for Diagnostic Radiography at Cardiff University is DMM. I’m expected to achieve MMM, although there’s still a possibility of getting DMM depending on how well I’ve done in my exams. If I do end up with MMM instead of DMM, how likely is it that Cardiff University would still accept me onto the course? Has anyone been in a similar situation or been accepted after missing their offer by one grade? submitted by /u/IOLIJONREDDIT [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone, I'm an international student from India, currently starting my Master's, with a US-equivalent GPA of 3.30 in my bachelors .I'm targeting a fully funded PhD in the US (primary) or Europe (secondary), starting Fall 2028, with a strong interest in immunology and microbiology though I'm open to adjacent fields since I've only had one research experience so far. I've genuinely loved biology and research throughout my academic life, even with limited exposure, so I”
“I'll be attending a mid-tier university (~250 QS), top 20 in my country (Canada) for my PhD in physics. I've been wondering, what exactly do you miss out on by not attending a top university like MIT? Of course, there's the prestige of a name-brand school and the world-class professors. Is there any way that someone from a mid-tier school could make up for these shortcomings, e.g. by grinding harder, networking harder, publishing harder? submitted by /u/ieat5orangeseveryd”
“I know people at T10 CS universities in the US with similar profiles :shrug:. For a pure ML group it'd still be tough, but I would certainly apply to T10 unis with this profile (assuming the "top conference" they mention is actually a top conference).”
“With multiple SWE/researcher positions at big tech, what is the motivation for an MS here? An MS probably won't open up any roles not already made available by the industry jobs. A PhD would, especially in academia, so if the intent is to turn the MS into a PhD, just apply directly to PhD programs so you can be funded. With this profile, T10 CS schools seem like reasonable targets for a PhD (though Stanford/CMU ML groups will still be competitive with one top-conference first-author pub). Th”
“Really depends on the competition. I only applied to two PhD programs at the same university. I got into both. However, I won numerous academic awards and graduated at the top of my class from my undergraduate studies. I'm also in Canada, where there are fewer universities overall. Had two undergraduate research experiences and my master's research.”
“Honestly I applied to only one this cycle and im getting ghosted so better to apply to four”
“Probably decent odds, but not guaranteed. Others applying for these MS programs will be similar, so it’ll come down to luck.”
“To add to this… by looking at some schools at the next level down, you may avail yourself to funding and opportunities that would be difficult or impossible at a tippy top school.”
“with a profile like that the risk isnt really getting into nothing, its more that top CS masters admissions have genuine committee-level noise even for exceptional applicants, one reviewer having a weird day, a program hitting a funding-limited cycle, quirky fit reasons that have nothing to do with actual qualification. thats the part strong stats dont fully protect against. id add 1-2 more programs purely as portfolio insurance against that randomness, not because the current list is weak, thin”
“Reading hard huh? I said work with AI to get enough info for us to use: “I want to figure out if I can do a phd with my BFA in film. What information should I give to someone advising me on this?” Then they fill out the fields it suggests for this thread. Look at the replies already “what program and country are you in? Where are you applying?” All shit OP should have included.”
“depends on your field and country! i’m gonna assume you’re american (based on the question you’re asking), i am in canada where a master’s is required for PhD; i have a BA but went on to do an MFA right after, so i also had to do an MA to be able to continue on to do a PhD. the MFA is a terminal degree and was assumed to be practice based (though it most definitely was not and more research and writing intensive than my MA ironically), therefore not an accepted credential. however, i was not tol”
“It seems possible. Though it depends on the location and the degree you're seeking. In the U.S, it is quite common for students to enroll in a PhD program right after their undergraduate studies. In Canada, where I am, PhD programs typically require a master's degree. Moreover, if you're seeking a PhD in Film Production or a related field, e.g., Cinema Studies, it seems entirely possible and the normal course of progression. If you're seeking a PhD in a separate field, e.g., soci”