GRAD ECHO

I have been working on my SOP for Ph.D. admissions for a week. I am unable to determine if my SOP is good enough for admission. Is there any online forum that can review my SOP and provide me with to-the-point feedback for improvement?

I'm currently applying for master's programs and have a strong CGPA. However, I'm uncertain about the financial aspects of my admission. Can anyone guide scholarships, financial aid, or funding options? Your expertise would be greatly appreciated.

In my experience with Ph.D. interviews, it is primarily to get a sense of how you interact with the PIs, the level of maturity in your responses, and clarity in your future goals and ambitions is essential. Other than that, as others mentioned, you need to demonstrate a strong link between your interests and what the program/professor has to offer. Ph.D. is a very serious commitment, and you need to demonstrate you are taking this decision after due consideration. I would recommend having good questions prepared to ask before the interview as well as some follow-ups to showcase you know the program well and have specific and thoughtful questions.

I would recommend staying away from the Princeton Review and Kaplan series as I have come across several reviews claiming they do not mimic the actual GRE difficulty or question style even closely. The preparation for verbal and Quant is a bit too extensive to cover in 1 month and you might feel like you don't have enough time. I have heard good reviews about Magoosh and Gregmat to develop strategies but in terms of GRE Question difficulty, sticking to official guides is your best bet. These are made by ETS and are actual questions that appeared in recent tests. Studying the reasoning given for each answer will help you understand the type of thinking the exam expects from you. Furthermore, the hard questions there and the free Power Prep 1 and Power Prep 3 are your best resources for the closest approximation of exam difficulty and setting. Make sure to give them after you think you are ready. Remember to write the essays as well and giving 2 full timed tests will help you realize the pressure and conditions of the actual exam. Study your mistakes thoroughly and make sure to identify weak areas and strengths so you can adjust your prep accordingly. Best of luck with everything!

What are my chances of admission to the top 100 universities with a CGPA of 3.0? I have good scores in computer networking courses, my favorite field for the MS degree.

I recommend thoroughly searching through the Financial Aid and Assistance options subsection of program websites. Usually, there is some general statement about university/program policy regarding this. For Ph.D. programs, you can also check professor/PI websites which often mention whether they are looking to hire in a certain season. Other than that I think the resources others mentioned should help you find some answers.