GRAD ECHO

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 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.

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!

The ideal approach in my opinion is demonstrating high-level fit first and then narrowing down to the specifics. A blend of the two may be necessary to showcase flexibility. For example, a program may have multiple professors conducting research in the same area. If you stick to just one professor and demonstrate a precise fit with them in your SOP, it may seem like you are a bit too stringent with your goals. Mention some special elements of the program after talking to the alumni there and getting information not publicly available. This showcases your deep interest and commitment to the program. Another way to do this is to read up on a professor’s work from Google Scholar (don't just stick to the first work of each professor listed on the Uni’s site, do a deep dive!) and demonstrate some future direction/ fit with their work. Remember to list some elements of the program that excited you besides the professor as well! This will show the flexibility of your fit and goals in the long term. Hope it helps.

I think your ranking criteria also vary significantly based on whether you are applying for a Master's or a Ph.D. Most master's students are looking for a job right away and may need to look at employment outcomes, employment support type (especially for internationals) as well the location and role diversity of alumni of the program. You should perhaps even consider expected salaries from different programs based on prestige and networking potential. For someone like me who applied to a Ph.D. though, I think the relative fit of research motivation, personality and expectations of the research advisor, culture at the research lab, quality, and pace of publications are far more important than any arbitrary ranking. Remember that PHD is a 5-year long commitment requiring incredible grit and complete commitment and having a good interpersonal relationship with the people around you in your lab and finding meaning in your work is essential to thrive in such a high-pressure environment.

What types of financial aid are available, such as scholarships, assistantships, or fellowships?

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.

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?

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.