When should I start building my profile for grad school...
-
How long does the profile-building process take and what should the timeline for it look like? Broadly I am looking to understand when should we start activities like RAships, TAships, and personal open-source projects? And how early on should we start working on our grad school applications?
-
When applying for master's and PhD programs, there are five essential elements to your application: your transcript(s), which showcase your grades; your Statement of Purpose (SOP), where you narrate your journey, experiences, and how they've prepared you for graduate studies; Letters of Recommendation, usually from professors who can attest to your potential success in grad school; and standardized tests like the TOEFL and GRE.
Building a strong profile begins from the moment you start your undergraduate studies. In your first year, it's crucial to invest time and effort in foundational courses. A solid grasp of these basics will enable you to effectively build and expand your knowledge in the years to come. As you move into your sophomore year, start exploring potential internships and research opportunities. These experiences are important for practical learning and to make your application stand out. Additionally, this is a good time to identify key courses and faculty members you might want to work with in the future.
For graduate school in CS, your grades in computer science, engineering, and mathematics courses matter a lot. Equally important is working on at least one research project or an independent project where you have played a major role. This is particularly important for PhD admissions, where prior research experience is highly valued.
-
Your graduate admission cycles mostly start in December and extend to January. Considering this timeline, all your application content should be ready by at most the end of November. So, if you want to do any RAship, you need at least one year to make sure you have enough contributions in your RAships or other experiences to show in your application. Moreover, when you start writing your essays, you should begin in the summer before your final year, so you can get it reviewed by seniors and faculty members, and make relevant revisions to them.
Similarly, with respect to LORs, you should reach out to faculty members well in advance. Reach out to faculty members you know well and who have worked with you for a reasonable time or taught a course you've done well at. Generally, at least one of your LORs should be from your advisor who has worked with you for an extended time and has had close interaction with you. Detailed LORs for PhD applications can to be 4-5 pages long as they are evidence-packed and include a lot of specific experiences.
-
You should be targeting the end of November to the beginning of December, by this time all your content should be ready for the application. You should also have some buffer time to do things like retaking exams in case you don’t do well on them on the first attempt. So, try to get done with standardized tests, like the GRE, in the summer. Give yourself a couple of months for GRE preparation. Similarly, for letters, reach out to your referees ahead of time and be prepared to remind them of the specific interactions you have had with them. You can’t send them an email and expect a wonderful letter in return. They might ask for more details or even an interview.
The strength of a letter is a product of three things; the profile of the referee, the interaction, and the quality of the actual letter. Because it’s a product, if one of these things is low, then the overall letter is low. For example, if an amazing referee has written a high-quality letter but has had a short interaction with you in a workshop, it would not be a good letter overall. You need real overlap between these three things. For example, doing an SProj or being a co-author with the referee, being an RA or TA with the referee, or having taken a course you did really well in. These things allow the referee to comment on different aspects of your personality.
-
When you're aspiring for a master's, you’re looking for a university and a program.When you are aspiring for a PhD you’re probably looking for a professor or a lab. University selection is a very involved process and includes a lot of different variables. Such as, what kind of professors you want to work with and even down to things like what the specific state in the U.S is like, what the tuition would be etc.
-
A few additional comments to keep in mind:
Many students worry that a lower GPA (e.g., below 3.3) will shut the door on their graduate school aspirations. However, this common fear may not be well founded. When assessing applications, graduate admissions committees take a holistic view, considering your entire academic and professional portfolio. In PhD programs, for instance, a less-than-perfect GPA can often be counterbalanced by substantial experience in research. I have personally guided students with GPAs around 3.0 who have received admissions in reputable PhD programs, thanks to their excellent research contributions. Thus, it's vital to focus on building a comprehensive profile. This is not to suggest that students should neglect their courses.
Based on my experience, I have observed that many students do not give the Statement of Purpose (SoP) the attention it deserves. This document is your unique opportunity to share your academic journey and aspirations in your own words. It's your chance to tell your story—highlighting your interests, the steps you've taken to pursue them, and your academic and professional experiences, such as research assistantships or teaching assistantships. Crafting a compelling narrative in your SoP can significantly influence the admissions committee's decision. Therefore, it's advisable to begin drafting your SoP several months in advance, allowing ample time for revisions and feedback.
Lastly, the importance of Letters of Recommendation (LORs) cannot be overstated. These should reflect both the depth and breadth of your interactions with faculty. Ideally, at least one letter should attest to your research abilities, while the others might focus on your performance in coursework. Quality interactions with your recommenders are key—they should be able to speak convincingly about your qualifications and your potential as a graduate student
-
H hamid10hn moved this topic from Where to apply? on
-
University selection, I believe, is also a crucial part of the process which you need to start well in advance. It is a fairly complicated process - what will be the right set of universities to apply to, given your profile. Here, you’ll need feedback from experts and experienced people who have seen similar profiles to see what will be your likelihood of getting into certain universities. Your set of universities should include places you have a good likelihood of admission and then safe universities and high-risk ones.
