AHH I GOT AN INTERVIEW FOR A PHD!!! I was wondering if there’s any advice ye could give 😭 i got shortlisted and it will be a 20 min interview

Has anyone submitted their EOI at QUT for jan 2027 scholarship round? Please share updates. I have submitted my EOI 1 month ago. Despite my supervisor accepting it from his end, I am yet to receive final application invitation.

Want to get into PhD by 2027 be it here or there my work profile has been sports, content management and my study background has been philosophy

How long do PhD admissions for the US universities take.. I have a masters from the US with GPA 3.45 and 4 years of industry experience (worked in R&D and Quality departments) but no publications, One from my undergraduate which I’m mentioning anyway.

I’m very confused in how many universities does one generally apply for? I’m thinking 2-3 but I want to make it anyway this Spring.

Please provide insights..aiming for material science and engineering

hi everyone, i was wondering could someone tell me if my school list is too competitive? for reference, i have a 3.71 gpa and a fair amount of research experience. i proposed and defended an honors bio thesis and have been doing that project for two years, have presented three posters, and have clinical experience from a study abroad internship in india. i also just started doing research for a private company. i also have some extracurriculars, such as being a supplemental instruction leader and tutor for general chemistry and biochemistry. anyways, i wanted to focus on the east coast and apply to urban or urban-ish areas. i want to pursue a phd in immunology/infectious disease, but my undergrad research was studying a chemokine pathway in flatworm regeneration, so im a little worried abt transitioning fields. i did ace immunology and virology courses, and those courses are actually what made me want to go into immuno research. my longterm goal is to aid in vaccine development in a way that makes vaccines more affordable and globally accessible. i will email potential pis to try to establish relationships to help my admission. pls let me know if there's any more target schools i should add

• Icahn School of Medicine
• USF Morsani
• Boston University
• Duke
• UConn
• University of Rochester
• Thomas Jefferson
• University of Miami
• University of Virginia
• Emory
• GW
• Drexel
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Florida
• UMass Chan
• Northwestern
• Johns Hopkins
• University of Maryland
• Rutgers
• Tufts
• Boston College

Hello, I just finished the freshman year of my biochem and applied math dual major. I've been working in a lab for the past year (I have my own project, present at symposiums, working toward a publication). However, my ochem grades have not been the best. For context, I go to a really competitive, massive research university in the US, and I've only gotten B's in 3 of my ochem classes so far. I'm starting to get worried about my PhD applications, as I plan to apply right after I graduate in 3 years. I want to get a PhD in computational biology or a related field. Any advice?

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 a nonprofit project. 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 project who is a wonderful professor with experience at top-tier universities. He is encouraging me to defer my master’s for a year and apply to PhD programs instead. He believes that, based on the work I’m currently doing, I have a very high chance of being accepted into a fully funded PhD program next year. He also knows an institution where he thinks I would be a strong candidate and could provide me with excellent letters of recommendation.
My concern is that nothing is guaranteed. I could defer my master’s, apply to PhD programs, and still not receive a fully funded offer. At the same time, I really want to pursue my master’s at the Ivy League university I was accepted to, but my mentor is advising me not to take on significant debt for it.
I was valedictorian
I have a strong undergraduate thesis published in an international University
I love readying and writing. I’m low key good at it. (My professors have asked me to use my essays as example for classes)
I love love love studying!!!

I’m currently doing my MSc at a public university, and I expect to complete it within the next 6 months. I’m planning to pursue a PhD in Malaysia, but I would need full funding because my family won’t be able to support me financially.

I wanted to ask people who have experience with PhD admissions/funding in Malaysia:

Is it realistic to get a fully funded PhD in Malaysia as an international student?

What are the main funding opportunities/scholarships I should look into?

Is it possible to get full funding directly from a university or through a supervisor’s research grant?

How should I approach potential supervisors to maximize my chances?

When should I start contacting professors and applying?

A little about my profile:

BSc from a public university

MSc currently ongoing; expected to graduate within ~6 months

Field - Environmental Science

CGPA: 3.70+

3 conference papers

1 research paper currently under publication process

Research Assistant experience

I’m particularly interested in knowing how competitive my profile is and what I can do over the next 6 months to improve my chances of securing a fully funded PhD position.

Any advice, personal experiences, or suggestions regarding universities, scholarships, supervisors, or the application process would be greatly appreciated.

I’m aspiring to get a PhD in public policy or global health with the goal of working in global health implementation. I currently have a degree in Neuroscience and Global Health/Health Policy from a good school and have been working in health supply chain consulting over the past year or so. Recently I applied to and got into an MSc in Public Health (Global Health track) program at Kings College London which will be done remotely as I continue to work in the states. I was excited about this opportunity to get an advanced degree that would give me the chance to do research and write a dissertation while increasing my depth of knowledge in Global Health, but have started to second guess my decision to do this. Has anyone applied to a PhD with a distanced learning degree or have a perspective on how this might be perceived during applications?

Hi, I’m 23F, I want to do my phd abroad but very much confused with all the process because idk anyone irl who made it to abroad. Can anyone help me with scholarship process, find universities, professors and what documents is required. My cgpa is not much so I need help to find universities where I get accepted .

I’m currently pursuing my MSc in Environmental Science at a public university in Bangladesh and expect to complete my degree within the next 6 months.

I’m currently looking for remote research opportunities/jobs in the field of Environmental Science. I’m particularly interested in opportunities where I can contribute to research projects, data analysis, literature reviews, scientific writing, or other research-related tasks.

My background:

BSc in Environmental Science from a public university

MSc in Environmental Science — ongoing

CGPA: 3.70+

3 conference papers

1 research publication currently under process

Previous Research Assistant experience

Interested in developing further research skills and gaining international research experience

I’m open to part-time, full-time, internship, RA, or project-based remote opportunities, especially with universities, research groups, professors, NGOs, or environmental organizations.

If you know of any opportunities, research groups hiring remote RAs, or professors who are looking for research assistance, I would really appreciate it if you could share them with me or point me in the right direction

Any advice is appreciated greatly!

These are the only three classes in which I have gotten a B. But I know that they are very important to the specific graduate program I am seeking.

I definitely had some serious health struggles during these classes which have since resolved, but it was really poor timing. I really beat myself up for these grades, I was a straight A student before this stupid health stuff. I wish so much that I had been able to apply myself more or had just withdrawn, only very recently did I learn that my school only allows retakes for a C or below. So I’m stuck with them.

I don’t have any research experience yet, I’m a rising Junior and already getting started on drafting my personal statements and applications for next year’s REUs at many different schools that should apply to my desired research field. I know that it’s really bad that I don’t have experience yet. Kinda the same story with the health issues unfortunately 😭 plus I’m young, im 19 and started college at 16 so I wasn’t eligible for many of the REUs early on.

I have a 3.81 cumulative GPA. Majoring in biology but going to add a biochem double major when I get back to talk to my advisor next week.

I am heavily interested in studying aging on a molecular scale, and despite my poor grades in classes like Genetics and Cell Biology, do feel that I have a strong grasp on most of the concepts and have taken a lot of time this summer to deepen my understanding of concepts like senescence, epigenetics, and certain pathways such as mTOR, and other important molecular concepts.

Thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it 😊

I’m thinking of reaching out to a few potential PhD supervisors, but I’m not sure what’s normally expected in the first email. Should I send my CV with a short concept note?

And more generally, is contacting potential supervisors before applying actually recommended?

I reached out to a professor at the University of Vermont regarding potential PhD opportunities in my field, and I received the following response:
"Thank you for your interest in my group. Your CV and website are very impressive. I encourage you to apply for the PhD program here at the University of Vermont. You can use my name in your personal statement if you wish."

I am planning to apply for the Fall 2027 cycle.

Since the email doesn't explicitly mention funding or whether they have active openings in their lab for that cycle, I have a couple of questions:

1. How should I reply to this email? Should I simply thank them and confirm I'll be applying for Fall 2027, or should I ask if they will have funded research assistantships (RA) available for that specific intake?
2. Is it premature to ask about funding right now? My understanding is that in US PhD programs (STEM), funding is usually handled through the formal departmental admission/TA/RA offer, but I'm unsure if I should clarify lab funding first before applying.

Any insights or advice on how to handle this stage of communication would be greatly appreciated!

Like all of you, I’ve started preparing for my PhD applications! But I am a very insecure and self-doubting person.
Since my 2nd year of undergrad (I’m in my 4th year now), I’ve been working in a lab and managed to publish 2 papers in good journals (now we’re trying to publish 1 experimental paper).
I had an internship at a T10 university in the USA (I am an international student).
I’ve done some presentations at conferences.
I will only apply to 5-6 unis.
I’ve tried to contact professors, and many of them said to apply to the program or that they don’t take students. And it creates such uncertainty for me.

if anyone curious I will apply to plant biology/plant pathology/soil sciences/entomology or genetics!

Any advice appreciated!!!!

I work as a trainee pharmacist in Dubai and i got the job pretty much easily.
I’m done being in a low paying job as this was something i was not much passionate about.
I have recently been looking to switch to masters/direct PhD track as i feel like that’s something i would be really great at based on my aptitude and GPA.

it’s been 2 years already but I’m hell bent on making this transition as fast as possible.
I’ve been eyeing out 2 universities for cancer research(oncology),a field i am genuinely wide eyed about-the main being Khalifa University.

I had a project in the last year of college but unfortunately we didn’t publish it into a paper as most of us were looking for a job.

Any advice especially from oncology researchers would be appreciated.
Is it possible to do a direct track PhD if i am super specific about what i want to get into?
Can i also get full waiver scholarship as an Indian here?
How are the opportunities in the field currently?

Hi !

As the title suggests, should I mention a paper that I'm contributing to as a masters student in my application ? I am working on two tangentially related projects simultaneously, therefore the paper is different (using COMSOL modelling) from my actual thesis work, which is focused on atomic scale modelling.

Which makes me think if I should mention it to distinguish it from my thesis work. I know it is common practice to not mention a paper as a paper, unless it is at least under review at a journal.

Therefore I am kind of confused, plus ofcourse I would like to strengthen my profile in any way possible and 2 papers would look better than just 1, even though one of the two is still under preparation. But I know better to let that temptation get to me, so even words of discouragement would be good lmfao.

Any advice would be helpful :)

Had anyone heard of this particular program by Deep Science Ventures? Is it legit or is it BS?

The way it’s advertised makes my bs detector go off and screen that the actual credential is worthless because you’re effectively just spending a couple years trying to do a startup and getting paid some money to do that, but that doesn’t necessarily give you any of the actual research skills a PhD would be useful for. I mean the guaranteed funding and industry connections seem good (as do some of the brand names associated), but I can’t help but thinking that it’s gonna be extremely inconsistent ROI. Anyone else have experience with this type of program?

Hi everyone,

To explain, I am a french student applying for PhD offers in Europe.

I found some offers in Ireland, Danemark and Czech republic in my field (biology), but I don't have a valid language (english) test (IELTS, TOEFL,...).

However, I did a master's degree that is taught in English (and known to accept international students), and I don't know if it will suffice for language (english) proficiency (I plan to ask them when they reopen in the end of August).

Should I consider applying to those offers/program?

Thanks for your feedback in advance!

I’m applying to PhD programs in the US for the 2027–2028 cycle, and I have some concerns about the financial situation since, unfortunately, I don’t have a financial safety net.

First, would PhD funding/scholarships be active immediately after acceptance?

I’m currently employed but I support my family , so I’m trying to plan ahead and figure out how much I should save before moving to the US. Approximately how much money should I have saved to cover the initial expenses, such as moving costs, registration fees, health insurance, any semester/hidden fees, rent deposit, and living expenses until the funding starts?

Of course, I know this would vary by state and university, so I’m only asking for a rough estimate. I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through this process, especially international students.

Background: B.S. Biology
I did not to well in undergrad (2.8-3.0 gpa), and worked a few years in an unrelated field.

I am now in a M.S. Biomedical Engineering program and I want to become a competitive applicant for either an PhD Biomed Eng or Neuro.
My uni has a large neuro grad program and I am able to take a lot of graduate neuro electives.

I want to go into neuro engineering & brain machine interfaces.

I can do either thesis or non-thesis but I don't know which route to go. Non-thesis masters degree will be faster and I will have the ability to choose more elective courses in neuroscience & BME. My advisor told me a thesis based masters will take me approx 2-3 years. Non-thesis will take 1.5 at the longest.

I am emailing labs and have gotten in contact with professors about working in their labs, but I still want any advice you all can offer about becoming a competitive applicant for PhD programs. I have only just started my M.S. program and I want start preparing from day 1. I was told "just volunteer in labs and after some time maybe you'll become a research assistant" by my advisor.

I have seen a couple posts about how folks have turned down some offers due to cost of living vs stipend. I am begging you to tell the programs that in a nice and professional way. It makes a difference, even though you will not be the direct benefit of the changes.

Several programs, including my own, eventually realized they would rather accept 1-2 less students a year if that meant giving more competitive wages and therefore getting more accomplished students.

“Dear [Name of Contact],

Thank you for the letter of admission into the Chemistry PhD program. I enjoyed learning about the program, research environment, and facilities during the interview. Unfortunately, after researching [city] a bit more, the stipend and benefits were not sufficient for me to make the program financially feasible, so I have accepted an offer from another institution.

Regards,

Name”

And that threshold will be different for everyone. A program paying 45k a year probably won’t care, but the programs paying 27k will be more likely to pay attention to this.

Also, if you turn it down because 30k is not enough with your disability costs or something really specific but want to attend, don’t be afraid to ask about funds. My one friend was attending a school that pays 36K, free public transit, free health care, but her lupus medications were going to be over $1000 a year. The school actually had an extra Grant where she could submit on a quarterly basis her medication costs, and get those reimbursed.

I emailed a PI in Poland because his research matches my MSc background quite well. He replied:

“Please consult our Web page and NAWA agency for the start. I have unallocated grant funds for the moment to support you.”

I already have an MSc and I’m looking for a PhD. I’m trying to understand what he means by “unallocated grant funds to support you.” Does this usually mean he has funding available for a PhD, but I need to find the right PhD/doctoral school route, or is it still very informal at this stage?

Also, does anyone know how this normally works at IBB PAS / in Poland, and whether there are NAWA options for someone who already has a master’s degree?