Hi everyone!
I’m currently an MFA student at SCAD, and I’m planning to apply to PhD programs in Computational Media, Digital Media, and related interdisciplinary fields this fall. My graduate GPA is around a 3.5, which I’m worried might be on the lower side for competitive PhD programs. I’m particularly interested in programs that combine game design, programming, interactive media, and research. I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences or any advice you might have. I’m trying to be realistic about my chances while still giving myself the best opportunity to get accepted.

I’m in my sophomore year at Princeton and have to make a decision on committing to Physics or not by the end of the semester. By the end of the semester I’ll have about a 3.45 GPA with most of my A-‘s in physics and computer science classes. I really don’t know how possible a physics PhD still is with this low of a GPA though, just looking to gauge how possible it is to set myself up for a successful PhD cycle so I can decide on my major

Recently agriculture grad looking for an paid internship abroad

im a current 4th year undergrad with a major in bio and minor in physics. i have a 3.7 CGPA and 3.82 major gpa and am planning to give the gre subject test for maths (stanford and scripps consider it)

i have a decent amount of research experience (undergrad thesis, and 4 internships) in structural biology and protein design (which is what the labs i like in the program do so i have a lot of transferrable skills) and will get great recos from the pi(s) i have worked with before. all my research experience has been independent, and i dont have any publications right now but i have presented a poster at a conference before. idt it matters but i have been the president of some societies also.

i am applying to ucsf biophysics, scripps, stanford biophysics, baylor college of medicine, and uwash biological physics

realistically, is there any chance of me getting in, most of these schools dont seem to be taking too many int kids ://

and is there anything i can do to make my chances better

Hi guys, I just wanted to ask you all a topic that I have heard a mix of different opinions for a while.

Assuming that a candidate has a decent amount of engineering R&D experience in industry, which is related to the research domain for research master/PhD, but does not result in publication. Can that be counted as "research experience"?

I heard some people say yes and some say no, so I am a little bit confused as someone who is planning to go to grad school after a few years of experience.

My gpa is garbage due to life stuff (2.5-2.6) but I have 3 rec letters, one on the way, and a somewhat strong resume. I have volunteer experience, leadership experience, but i didnt do much on campus with clubs and such. I also have two bachelor's at 20, so i hope that helps. I am also a published writer. Im aiming low with schools. Any recommendations on how to improve my resume and chances before I graduate in May? Thank you!

Wondering how much does a French speaking Chinese (no french citizenship but residence permit) graduating from a french undergrad going to help with admission? I spent 10 years in France now thinking of Canadian grad school ...

Thinking of Mcgill and Toronto right now, planning to apply for comp sci both thesis and non thesis. Is it also worth it to add UBC? I don't want my recommenders get too much work on the letters, cause on top of that I'm also looking at US masters, especially research oriented ones in CS

I am trying to decide between the Master of Finance from Tulane or CU Boulder. For me it comes down to:

Tulane seems like it has a stronger academic program and it’s an opportunity to explore a cool city I’ve never been to. I went to undergrad in a new city and really enjoyed it.

Money isn’t a huge factor since I got a lot of merit scholarship for both. But CU Boulder would be a bit cheaper because it is where I grew up so I would live at home and it would be what I’m used to and I would be around my family more which is great. But I enjoy exploring new places so I feel really stuck.

I also was offered a recruited walk on spot on both schools’ ncaa sports teams. But they both have great D1 facilities so that’s not too much of a factor.

Hey everyone, I need some honest feedback on my MSc profile for 2027.

I'm doing CS at a non target with 51% in Y1 and 65% in Y2 (degree is weighted 35%yr2/65%yr3). I'm aiming for 80%+ in Y3 Semester 1 to pull my overall grade to a First. For experience, I've done ML research with a physics prof, have a preprint waiting on selective state-space verification, worked as a lab assistant/TA, founded a student research group, and did spring weeks at SIG (quant trading) and Moody's.

I'm thinking of applying to KCL, Warwick, and QMUL now with my current grades, then waiting until March after my Semester 1 grades land to hit LSE (MSc Stats), Imperial (MSc Stats - DS & ML), more KCL, and UCL.

Does my research and spring week experience actually make up for a 65% Y2 at top unis, or do admissions treat it purely as a grade filter? Also, is splitting my applications between now and March smart, or should I just wait and apply everywhere in March with the updated S1 transcript?

I know I can get 80% this semester and it will strengthen my profile by a lot. I guess I'm scared of not getting an offer to any of my options and am unsure when to apply. Some reassurance or advice would be very helpful and needed.

The responses to my question below made me think: how will I know my love (or passion or obsession) is strong enough not just to finish, but to thrive in a PhD?

https://www.reddit.com/r/GradSchool/comments/1x5nxsc/comment/pgtqwdz/?screen_view_count=2

Hello everyone!! I am a final year BS CS student and an AI researcher with research interests in machine learning, computer vision, NLP and LLMs, Medical AI, Reinforcement learning and trustworthy AI.

I also have research experience during my undergrad and have written a paper which is also available on arxiv. I also have production experience in AI and have built several projects as well.

I am aiming for MS opportunities in Canada, USA, China, Japan, South Korea, Middle East.

If anyone has an opportunity or any professor is reveiwing this post. Kindly do let me know.

Hello peeps sorry for the very long post but I am facing a very odd situation.

To give a bit of background, I graduated back in May finishing two bachelor’s degrees simultaneously in EE and CompE with a very high GPA. During my undergrad, I did research in two different labs and even got a second-author publication in an IEEE journal out of one. I was also very involved with large projects and orgs during my time there.

I always wanted a master’s degree to study IC design, however due to personal and family reasons, I couldn’t afford going full-time right out of school so I accepted a job offer in a semiconductor company (doing device level R&D mostly validation) and decided to pursue an online MSEE at a reputable institution that offered a lot of IC design classes as well.

Fast-forward to today, I am realizing that the learning experience from an asynchronous online program is very poor I hate the lack of collaboration and direct contact with professors and classmates which was a key thing for me during undergrad and I really miss doing research. In addition my current work is very R&D heavy and often times we have late night meetings too because we are a global team.

All of this is making me want to pursue a full-time master’s instead with a thesis and dedicated tapeout track too. I am currently taking two courses and staying in them is causing me extreme burnout so I was considering withdrawal.

Would a withdrawal from a program this early for these reasons kill my shot at getting into a good program? Would it nullify my undergrad record? Keep in mind I discussed with most of the schools I am targeting and they seem to not require I submit a transcript since I would have been there for less than a sem and got no credits if I withdraw but I still plan on mentioning it in my SoP or additional info sections.

I am interested in the M.S program. I only have a 3.5 GPA, but I have built my own website for sports journalism news. I majored in Mass Communication at Arizona State. I’m not sure if it is worth applying to or not.

Does anyone have any experiences with getting in or not to the J-school? Is it as difficult as other sectors of Columbia?

What is the program about. I don’t see a set curriculum on the journalism site?

My degree's part-time and the coffee shop roster is all over the place. I keep trying to block out study time but the early opens and late closes keep eating into it. I tried waking up an hour earlier on my early days and it just made me useless for everything else. The reading load is manageable once I actually sit down, but finding the sit-down part is the problem. I've got a few friends on similar schedules who batch everything into one long weekend session, but that approach would have me falling behind by Wednesday every week. Curious what systems other people with unpredictable hours have actually stuck with, not the ideal ones, but the ones that survived a month of 5am starts and staff callouts.

How difficult is it for international students to secure geology-related jobs and stay in the country after completing their Master's? How important is the local language?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for clarification regarding my eligibility for the Rhodes Scholarship for India for the 2028 Oxford entry.
Here is my academic background:
● Date of birth: May 2001
● B.Sc. completion date: 15 February 2024
● Expected M.Sc. completion: 2027 July
● Intended programme at Oxford: Direct-entry DPhil in Reproductive Biology or Biology
I came across the age and undergraduate degree completion criteria for the Rhodes Scholarship for India, but I’m unsure how they will apply to the 2028 entry cycle.
Could anyone familiar with the Rhodes Scholarship selection process clarify:
1. Would I potentially be eligible to apply for the 2028 Oxford entry based on my age and B.Sc. completion date?
2. Does completing my M.Sc. in 2027 affect the undergraduate degree completion requirement?
3. Have the eligibility criteria or application dates for the 2028 entry cycle been announced yet?
I understand that the criteria may change between application cycles, so I would especially appreciate official sources or guidance from previous applicants.
Thank you!

Long story short i have a 3.52/4.0 GPA, 4 preprints, 2 undergrad RAships, 3 TAships and industry experience as well.

LORs : 3 strong letters, 1 is a highly reputable professor who’ll vouch for me while the other two were my undergrad research supervisors.

Where i lack is my gpa, ive seen most students with a 3.75+
My research direction, no matter how specific or relevant, i feel like wont compensate for my low gpa.

Could anyone from ubc or anyone who has knowledge about this let me know.
The human mind creates doubt unfortunately.

Hey guys,

I recently graduated with a master’s degree in Linguistics in August and I am currently enrolled in a second master’s degree in the Education field. I am passionate about this field and interested in pursuing research in Education. I like to think my previous masters degree exposed me to this field.

I am applying to PhD programs in Education for Fall 2027, but I’m unsure whether I should mention that I am currently enrolled in another master’s program in my applications.

I would appreciate any advice. Thank you!

It took me my MA degree, BS degree, along with 2 AA degrees, :)