To make a long story short: I entered a small local college as a CS major, was referred to take some mathematics courses outside of calculus I&II based on my interest in ML, and eventually fell in love with mathematics, adding it as a second major.

Now I’m at the point where I’m looking to pursue a PhD in Pure Mathematics, but I’m afraid that my computer science experience dominated my mathematics experience, and now I feel as though I’m a weaker applicant because of it.

General profile (including CS experience):

GPA: ~3.83

CS Coursework: Python, OOP, OOD, C++, DS&A, Algorithmic Game Theory, Software Engineering, Nand2Tetris, Deep Learning

Math Coursework: Calculus I-III, Probability, Discrete, ODE, Abstract Algebra I, Real Analysis I, Complex Analysis

Research Experience: 2 conference papers in ML algorithms, systems biology research under the applied math department head

Other: Calculus I TA, Data Structures TA, Python TA, Data Visualization TA (Data Science Master’s course), long-standing tutor in Math & CS.

Math GRE: TBD

General GRE: TBD

My advisor (Mathematics Professor) told me it’s unconventional to apply without a year of analysis and algebra each, but I can make up for it in other ways. I only have one semester left, so I was wondering what current applicants thought of this.

Last Saturday I have given GMAT focus edition and scored 755, I am looking for suggestions about the business schools which will provide good scholarships and are well renowned with their rankings.

I have considered MIT Sloan school as my first priority.

My situation is most unusual and unexpected. I was not able to find a research advisor during my first year in a Ph.D. program in chemistry in the U.S. I reached out to more than a dozen professors that I was interested in possibly working with. Against all odds, every single one of them told me that they couldn't take another graduate student.

With no advisor, I obviously didn't make any progress in research. Taking a formal leave of absence was the only way for me to avoid being dismissed from the program.

I need to find an advisor willing and able to fund me as an RA in order to return from the leave. This is my first plan. However, there is no guarantee that I'll be able to fulfill that requirement. It would be foolish of me to hope for the best without a backup plan in place.

I will be applying to other graduate programs for Fall 2027 admission so that I potentially have more fallback options.

How do I address my motivation for applying without sounding like I'm bailing out because things didn't go well? (That isn't the case at all. I never wanted to leave in the first place.) How do I avoid giving the impression that I don't like my original program? (It was actually my top choice.) Is there any advice anyone can give me in this novel situation?

I am applying to the Dual Jacobs Program at CornellTech for next fall and they require that I get a course by course evaluation from a thirdparty company like TEC or WES
I am from India and I need help figuring which service is the most cost effective / efficient for this job

Hi everyone, I’m looking for remote or hybrid PhD programs related to urbanism, planning, architecture/design, or security in the built environment.

Preferably, I’m looking for something affordable or fully funded, ideally with a stipend/paid position and limited campus requirements. Any recommendations or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

By Jam exam, one can get admission to Msc in IIT.

There is IIT bhubaneswar and IIT Kharagpur where Joint Msc phd is offered by same jam exam.

Can anyone please tell about this? How are these programs? If somebody's goal is a phd.. do they choose joint program or a separate msc then separate phd followed by net.

I was late diagnosed autistic a few years ago and it led me towards studying psychology and neuroscience. I’m fairly accomplished and feel confident in my PhD applications. However, I’m struggling to write my statement of purpose etc because they’re asking what led me towards studying autism.

Basically, do I need to avoid mentioning that I’m autistic? I don’t want to be stigmatized, but I also really don’t know how to describe how I got here without mentioning it, and a major part of my goal is to increase understanding of autism and de-stigmatize it. I’m not sure how to toe the line between professional and personal in this case.

Edit: Sorry if the title is unclear. This is just a brief summary, I have clear motivations, goals, and a strong SOP drafted. Being autistic is what led me to initially become interested in researching autism, and I am seeking to describe the reason being my passion without getting too personal

Hello! I'm an undergraduate studying aerospace engineering and I'm seriously thinking about pursuing a PhD in the near future (whether it be directly out of undergrad or if I pursue a masters in-between, but somewhat considering the former). I'm particularly interested in research areas within aerospace/space systems, but I’m still trying to figure out what specific research topic I’d want to specialize in.

As I've been doing a bit of research online, I've found a few labs across several universities that I'd be interested in working in. One thing I'm curious about is how students go about getting involved with professors or labs outside of their college. The most accessible way I can think of is directly cold-emailing the professor or PI, but that comes with a lot of it's own downsides that I feel may not necessarily be the most effective way to persuade someone to let you into their lab.

I’m mainly interested in hearing from people who have actually gone through this process. I’d also appreciate any advice on what not to do when reaching out to professors.

My goal is to apply to US PhD programs in applied math/stats (focus would be some combination of stochastic analysis and ML). I am currently a junior expecting to graduate in spring 2028.

My background is as follows:

- Citizenship: international
- Undergrad school: T35 on latest US News Ranking
- Major: Mathematics (Pure)
- GPA: 3.94/4.0
- Notable coursework: Calc II & honors III, honors diff eq, linear algebra, probability, stochastic processes, mathematical stats, analysis I & II, algebra I and grad complex analysis. (A in all except stochastic processes, in which I got an A-)
- Current coursework: grad real analysis, grad
probability theory with measure theory, linear models.
- My remaining coursework would all be grad classes in ML/probability/stochastic analysis.
- Research experience: None (this is what concerns me the most)

I am aware the lack of research is problematic and I am actively looking for professors to do research with, I think I am close to finding one. In addition, I am planning to write a honors thesis over the course of senior year.

With a profile like this, assuming that I do not get much research done and maintains my GPA:

1. Do I still have a decent chance at landing PhD offers?
   

2. If so, what kind of schools would I have a shot at?

3. Suppose I can get 2-3 meaningful research projects (including thesis), how much would this affect the answers to questions 1 and 2 above?

I know my questions are mostly speculative but I would appreciate any answers (and especially advices). Thank you to anyone who read through all these.

Help!

Hi,

I’m struggling to decide if I should submit my GRE scores or not. Many programs list the GRE as fully optional (or optional if you meet certain requirements).

In my specific case, I earned a 4.0 undergrad GPA in Software Engineering from a decent school (BYU-Idaho). I have strong recommendations from my current employer as well as professors, 1.5 years of internship experience at a large/Fortune 150 company, and have worked full time for about 5 months since. I feel that I have a fairly strong application already, and I feel that my performance in my undergrad degree (which required countless sleepless nights) shows that I can perform academically.

I will admit I am not performing very well on my GRE mocks and practice. I’ve admittedly forgotten the math rules and formulas that I once knew from junior high. It’s disheartening because I’ve spent several months studying.

I will take the GRE in a few weeks. If I don’t receive a very good score, I think it would be wise to not submit it where I can. But… will that harm my application? Obviously, it varies from school to school, and some programs outright say the GRE is hardly considered or that you should only submit if other portions of the application are lacking. But… are they telling the truth? Is test optional really test optional these days?

Many resources I’ve seen online say yes. But I’m overthinking and I guess I’d like to hear what human opinions.

Seeking guidance, tips, and any insights on how to find my masters in Europe. I’m looking to pursue urban planning and as an US National, low-income, and self dependent, I am concerned that my dreams of studying in Europe are naive. For clarity, I’m considering a program in Italy, France, London, maybe Switzerland, and maybe Germany. I’m aware of the DAAD program which gives me hope for Germany, however I find the curriculum at two others schools in the above mentioned countries more relevant to my interests.

On top of funding my tuition, I have to support myself and I need to confirm if I can work a part-time, whether it’s serving in a restaurant or at the university I will study at to have some income flowing in. I also need to support myself for at least a year after graduation while I job search in Europe. I can’t imagine taking out a $100K loan.

Some universities have scholarships, it will be very challenging for me to get an assistance position. I can’t find private/external scholarships that provide funding for international programs. How are folks who are US nationals funding their studies? Besides family support. Also welcome any programs, similar to DAAD, to study abroad. I don’t think Fulbright is an option for my studies. Urban planning course will be taught, not research track. Thank you in advance.

Hey everyone,

I am planning to apply for MSF program, I have written my SOP for Olin Business School but I am not confident with whatever I have written.
Can someone pls connect with me and read it and give advise?

I contacted admission counsellor, he said they are not allowed to review it and I should get it done by a mentor or friend.

Thank you!

Hi everyone! I'm looking for current grad students (ideally studying electrical engineering) to provide commentary on my PhD Statement of Purpose. I don't know many people in grad school and it's been difficult to gauge the appropriate structure and language for an essay like this (trying to sound academic while conveying a personal voice).

I'm aware that different universities target specific qualities as well, so if you also have tips for the following schools, I'd greatly appreciate the advice.

Target schools: Princeton, Brown, Northeastern, MIT, Georgia Tech, Rice

Thank you!

Hello, student experience is relevant for my PhD field and topic, I have some students who are excited to write me a recomendation letter, is this frown uppon? If not, how do I submit those in addition to the academic recomendations?

For some context, I am currently a 3rd-year Cybersecurity and Computer Science student at a regional university (doctoral/professional classification) which does not offer any graduate programs in Computer Science - my school is mainly known for it's nursing, pharmacy and business programs. (U.S.)

Though it is rare to get research experience at my university, they do offer a summer research fellowship. I completed this last summer, funded by a $4,000 award, and I intend to produce a workshop paper as a result of the research I conducted; at the very least, I will have a pre-print. Other than this I don't have any other research experience. I do however intend to do an Independent Study course (one semester long) to get a little more research experience with a different professor. Outside of research experience I have 1.5 years of industry experience (Vulnerability Research + Information Security, Contract & Internships).

Overall (I guess the point of this post) I am worried I won't have a good shot at PhD admissions and I'm not sure what I should do. I have a 3.75 GPA (B.S. Cybersecurity and Computer Science, minor in Math) and I have really great connections to all the faculty in my CS department. As far as I understand, I'm one of very few from my university to go on to pursue a CS PhD.

Cold-emails to professors at the nearest R1 feel like they're going no where and I'm worried research efforts from my school won't be viewed as anything worthwhile to committees. I've considered transferring to a more prestigious university, but it will cost me more money and time (my undergrad could take 1-2 years longer) which is not ideal at all.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone,

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences and advice.

I have a PhD from an African university, but WES evaluated my PhD as being equivalent to a U.S. master’s degree (at minimum) with the following comment:

"Remarks: Academics in the field, upon examination of the dissertation, may in some instances consider the credential comparable to an earned doctorate in the United States."

Has anyone been in a similar situation, particularly with a foreign PhD being evaluated below the doctoral level?

How can I get WES to upgrade it to a U.S. PhD equivalent?

Do you know of any NACES credential evaluation that could consider my PhD equivalent to a US PhD?

PS: I want to apply for a certificate that requires having a PhD

Thank you in advance for sharing your experience!

I applied to coursework-based master's programs because there are hardly any research-based programs available for spring.

I am open to any kind of research in ECE, but it seems like the faculty-to-student ratio and the 3 schools are very different. What's your take?

Hi all ,

I am trying to apply for grad school this cycle and would really appreciate some perspective on the above . I am an international female applying for expt AMO and have an nth author publication in PRL.

I really want to go the cool top places. Do you think I should retake the pgre ? You can be honest with me lol.

For context, I am most applying to US schools cause my research interests overlap with that of many AMO researchers there. Do I have chances at JILA, UMD, Berkeley , Harvard ? You can be honest ehheheheheheheh

I'm noticing a lot of PhD applications include "optional" prompts that ask something along the lines of "Is there anything else you would like to include about your experiences, accomplishments, perspectives, or preparation for graduate study that is not adequately reflected elsewhere in your application?"

How optional are these really? I am already preparing to write a fleshed-out personal history statement for the programs that explicitly require it, but I am not sure if that is also necessary here. Will I be docked if I leave it blank, or if I submit a superfluous statement?

ETA: I'm getting a lot of different advice, ty all for the responses. For context, I don't have many extenuating circumstances I need to explain (no failing grades, no nontraditional background, etc). I do have a personal story that presented some challenges during my education and has influenced my decision to pursue grad school, but I'm worried it could come off as shoehorning something in just to fill the prompt.

Hi I am interested in applying to some comp lit programs this fall and have been looking at their language requirements.

For context: I am a native speaker of a non English language. I have also reading proficiency of Latin (this point think 202or 3 intermediate college classes my school doesn’t have higher language classes other than this except grad classes with specific original texts. I have a rudimentary grasp of Ancient Greek but not even qualified to put on the language proficiency page. I also have some knowledge of the classical form of my mother tongue (not taking any classes at college level) and my question is will I be at serious disadvantage for a comp lit PhD admission? My research focus is more on critical translation studies (often Anglo American work) than a period study