Generally, PhD programs in the US have many more applicants than they can accept. The number of positions is limited by finances (a department can only afford a limited number of RAs and TAs), space and resources (students often need offices and access to equipment), and the ability to supervise the students (there is a limit to the number of PhD students a faculty member can effectively supervise). The admissions committee must decide which of the qualified applicants are most likely to be successful researchers while taking departmental politics into consideration. These politics include things like the start-up package for Professor X including a funded PhD student and a particular resource being already at capacity.
Can I get into school X with my {grades, test scores, research profile, personal story, etc.}?
The admissions committee bases its decision onThere is no formula by which we can turn your "statistics" into a number of piecesprobability of information including GPAadmission. Things vary from (Grade Point Averagesub), GREfield to (Graduate Record Examinationssub) scores, statement of purposefield, referencesschool to school, interviewsyear to year, and, for international students, TOEFL (Test of English person to person. If you posted a question asking us to evaluate your profile and your question was closed as a Foreign Language) scores. Thereduplicate of this post, this is no formula (e.gwhy. We appreciate that even a "rough, 6×GPA + 1×GRE + 2×references + publications) by which" buyer-beware formula would be very useful to applicants are ranked, but some universities and/or departments set minimum requirements (e.g., GPA over 3.0 or a TOEFL over 85). The admissions committee looks at the entire applicationwe are simply unable to make an informed judgment. This means that being strong inprovide one area can, and does. Nonetheless, offset being weakwe hope the information contained in another areathis answer will be useful to you.
GPA and major/background
How do programs decide who to accept?
When admissions committees consider the GPAGenerally, PhD programs in the US have many more applicants than they are considering acan accept. The number of factors including the grades: the strengthpositions is limited by finances (a department can only afford a limited number of the schoolRAs and major, the types of classesTAs), space and trends. An applicant who did poorly in first-year general electives will be looked at very differently from a student who did poorly in advanced specialized classes. The major is not nearly as important as the relevant classes. For example, an engineering department might look more favourably on a math major who tookresources (students often need offices and did well onaccess to equipment), engineering and applied-math electives than an engineering major who took humanities electives. As with everything in the admissions process,ability to supervise the students (there is a limit to the number of PhD students a faculty member can effectively supervise). The admissions committee is tryingmust decide which of the qualified applicants are most likely to judgebe successful researchers while taking departmental needs into consideration. These needs include things like the potentialstart-up package for research successProfessor X including a funded PhD student and a particular resource being already at capacity.
Compensating for a low GPA and major/background mismatch
The admissions committee bases its decision on a number of pieces of information including GPA (Grade Point Average), GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) scores, statement of purpose, references, interviews, and, for international students, TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores. Again, there is no formula (e.g., 6×GPA + 1×GRE + 2×references + publications) by which applicants are ranked, but some universities and/or departments set minimum requirements (e.g., GPA over 3.0 or a TOEFL over 85). The admissions committee looks at the entire application to make an informed judgment. This means that being strong in one area can, and does, offset being weak in another area.
How are GPAs evaluated? Can I get in if I have low grades? Do I have a chance if I didn't major in the subject I want to pursue?
When admissions committees consider the GPA, they are considering a number of factors including the grades: the strength of the school and major, the types of classes, and trends. An applicant who did poorly in first-year general electives will be looked at very differently from a student who did poorly in advanced specialized classes. The major is not nearly as important as the relevant classes. For example, an engineering department might look more favourably on a math major who took and did well on, engineering and applied-math electives than an engineering major who took humanities electives. As with everything in the admissions process, the admissions committee is trying to judge the potential for research success.
I would like to add that anAn excellent way of improving a low GPA is by taking a senior thesis course, which is almost always available. Not only is this a proven way of building close ties with one or more faculty members (who will supervise you in your thesis) and getting those strong, personalized recommendations, but it could lead to a publication, or at the very least, a technical report published by the department. My senior thesis experience was life-changing: I ended up doing a Ph.D. because it made me realize that I was a better fit for doing research than I might have originally thought. In terms of grades, getting a good grade on the senior thesis course is usually not difficult (especially since you’re not evaluated on an exam performance), assuming you put in the effort.
Examine why you struggled or what went wrong and how you can address a problem like that in the future. How have you developed the knowledge and skills that would have helped you then? Depending on the kinds of problems you faced and the extent of their impact on your record, they may not be appropriate to mention in your SOP and through your recommenders’ letters, but the steps you take to address them might tell their own story. (E.g.For example, perhaps you failed a class but then did research with a professor of the same subject;subject, or perhaps you had a rocky college record because you were immature or bad at planning, but you have now worked for five years in a responsible position at a lab.)
GRE
How are GRE scores evaluated? How bad is it if I did poorly on the GREs? Can a good GRE score save an otherwise weak application?
There are a number of limitations to the GRE in terms of predicting research successFirst, but it is the only standardized metric admissions committees have access to. The weight given to the different sections of the GRE and the subject tests can vary substantially among departmentswe should distinguish two things.
Compensating for low GRE scores
- The general GRE is like the SAT you took in high school: it contains a math section (very easy; these are literally middle school math problems), a verbal section (much harder), and a writing section.
- Some subjects (math, physics, etc.) offer, and some schools require, a subject GRE exam. These are short undergraduate-level questions. Note that the math subject GRE includes abstract math (e.g., abstract algebra, number theory, real analysis) and is therefore unlikely to be appropriate for non-math majors, even those with a strong background in "computational" math.
There are a number of limitations to both GREs in terms of predicting research success, but this is the only standardized metric admissions committees have access to. The weight given to the different sections of the GRE and the subject tests can vary substantially among departments. For example, in STEM subjects, near-perfect math scores on the general GRE are not at all unusual, while near-perfect verbal scores are very unusual. That said, it is unlikely that a super-high score on the general GRE will have much impact, though a strong score on the subject GRE may have some impact (if your field has a subject GRE).
You are technically permitted to take the GRE General Test once every three weeks, or five times a year. However, repeat testings are detrimental to your schedule, morale, and finances, so it might be best to keep taking the test only until you receive a satisfactory score that you feel will represent your target school's applicant criteria, not until you receive the best score you believe is possible for you. In particular, improving your GRE scores is a time-consuming and tedious endeavor, so you should carefully consider whether there are other areas that may be a better use of your energies.
Again, I want to add that, in my experience, the GRE (particularly the General GRE) is a ‘filter’, nothing more. In many cases, even applicants with low GREs will be considered and not automatically discarded. Most top admissions panels do not accept one candidate over another simply based on GRE. I know for a fact that some collegesSome grad schools don’t even require candidates to submit GREs. When I was applying to CS Ph.D. programs a few years ago, for example, I noticed that MIT did not require GRE scores to be submitted.
Statement of Purpose (SOP)
Make sure you understand the conventions and expectations around statements of purpose in your field. In some fields, something fairly generic will suffice, and in others, it could be the decisive component of your application. Talk to professors in the field you trust about whether your approach to the statement of purpose is an appropriate one.
This is also the ‘fairest’ part of your application. If you’re passionate about the research you want to do, it will show up in your SOP unless you’re a poor writer (in which case, you might want to reconsider the Ph.D. until you’re a decent one; good writing/communication is essential for successful researchers). There are several proven techniques of getting a strong SOP. I'll detail some below, but be careful about your field, as these suggestions are definitely not appropriate in all cases. One approach you might take before you even start writing your SOP is to:
Select your research area and actively check out the profiles of relevant professors, post-docs, and grad students (in that order) at the schools you are thinking of applying to. Check out their publications, and try to read (or at least skim) one representative publication before you start forming an opinion. The goals of this step are three-fold:
- It will give you a good idea of how productive a research group is, and whether a professor is even accepting (or currently has) students. This is closely tied to the funding situation of that professor.
- It will make you more informed about whether you really want to join that research group. What looks interesting at the high-level is not necessarily as exciting once you get into the nuts and bolts of the research.
- If you discover a really good fit (which is the best outcome of this exercise; trust me), you can use that in a big way in your application. In CS, for example, students often post their code or demos. Download those and tinker with them. Apply them to new datasets. Have fun with what’s available. I’m sure similar things can be done in other research areas.
Try to make contact with the faculty member of your choice. At the same time, also try to establish connections with the grad students. My adviser once showed me a list of potential Ph.D. candidates he was screening and asked me if by chance I’d heard of any of them. As it turned out, I did know one, through early contact. Needless to say, she got the position. The rest of her application didn’t even really matter at that point. Note that the reason you should do this step after Step 1 is to enable you to write an ‘intelligent’ note to the person you’re contacting. It’s a good idea to not mention that you’re applying at all in your early emails. Instead, try to start a conversation around the actual research. Show that you’re interested and that you know what you’re talking about. (The ‘know what you're talking about’ part is pretty important though!) Become a familiar name in that group.
Make sure to attend lots of talks by visiting faculty in your undergrad university. You don’t know where that will lead you. If someone’s talk influences you to pursue an area of research, that’s an excellent thing to reference in your SOP.
How are Statements of Purpose evaluated? What should I say (and avoid saying) in my statement of purpose?
How does all this relate to the SOP? The SOP is your chance to show your committee thatMake sure you did this and more. You can drop faculty names you’ve successfully contacted,understand the conventions and even reference papers. You can personalize each application. Most SOPs don’t cite even a single paper. Citing a paper though will moveexpectations around statements of purpose in your application up another notchfield. Talk to professors in the eyes of an academic committee, but only iffield you do it intelligentlytrust -- and appropriatelyconsider searching our archives, we have lots of historical questions about statements of purpose that maybe useful.
Having reviewed certain applications, I would also like to mention one major flawNote that shows up in the majority of the SOPsyour SOP is a professional document that get rejectedshould explain your goals in pursuing a PhD. The The SOP is not the document where you should get too personal. Don’t waste too many words discussing your childhood, or random thoughts you've had, or your theory of life. It's fine to state interests and hobbies and unrelated accomplishments, but make every word as objective (and verifiable) as you can. This is generally true, but especially so for STEM programs. Academics are impressed by crisp, concise writing.
The SOP is also your chance to explain negative experiences, such as poor grades, letters, or lack of research experience. This is a tricky balance. It is important to candidly and directly address your weaknesses: it looks very out of touch if you write an aggressive SOP but never mention your awful grades, for example. At the same time, the SOP is not the place to do a lengthy post-mortem on your failures. You should tell a very simple, clear narrative: "I had personal and medical problems during my junior year, but my performance during the other three years was very strong." If you want to give a concise reason ("my father died"), you may, but don't overdo it.
Compensating for a poor SOP
The SOP is also your chance to show that your application to this program is well-motivated. If you have already spoken to a professor and there is mutual interest in working together, you should definitely mention it here. If you are deeply familiar with a professor's work -- or have deep experience in the same niche area as a particular professor -- this is a great time to mention it.
Compensating for a poor SOP is very difficult. A high GPA and perfect GRE scores will do little to help an applicant who has difficulties writing about research. In some fields, past research experience is expected, while in other fields the ability to write about research intelligently may suffice in convincing the admissions committee to admit you, even ifIf you don’t have experience doing research. Strong letters of reference can, to some extent, addressare not a weak statement of purpose. Howevernative English speaker, there is generallyyou should consider hiring a strong correlation between the strength of letters of reference and past research experienceprofessional editor to help you with your essay. If you have no official research experience, try and get letters of recommendation from professors where you completed a class research project that got a good grade. Even if you didn’t do supervised research with the professorpoor writing skills generally, the professor maythis will be able to comment on your research skills and successes. Definitely contact the professor and remind them ofa major problem even beyond your class project, and the grade you received. Summarize itGRE, and attach the project to the professor so they can referyou should consider ways to itbuild these skills.
References
How are Letters of Reference evaluated? What does a good one look like? What should I do if I can't procure strong letters?
You’ll want at least one very strong reference for a top-ten program and in many cases two strong letters (three is actually quite a stretch). See my noteAs noted above for how you can secure at least one very strong letter by, doing a senior thesis is a great way to secure a letter of recommendation. Try also to aim for at least one research internship during your undergrad. This could lead to a second strong letter from a researcher in your area. Letters from industry don’t usually have the same appeal for academics, though if you have a strong background in industry, a letter from a senior research scientist at your company may be appropriate.
Compensating for bad reference letters
Ideally, a strong letter will describe your accomplishments, complement the rest of your application, and state high confidence in your ability to complete a strong PhD and have a successful career.
No content here - please help Academia.SE by filling in your expert knowledge! Most applications require three letters of reference, so you absolutely must secure these letters; there is no way to proceed without three. In the worst case, these letters could simply say "Student took my class and got a B"; this is a very weak letter that will not help your application at all, but it will at least allow you to complete your application. Alternatively, you could pursue additional research or coursework experiences so that you can get a PhD.
Interview
Will I have to do an interview? How are interviews evaluated?
Limited content here - please help Academia.SE by filling in your expert knowledge!
Compensating for a bad interview
No content here - please help Academia.SE by filling in your expert knowledge!
TOEFL
If required, how are TOEFL scores evaluated? How much does it hurt if I have a poor score on the TOEFL?
Improve your English and retake TOEFL; generallyTOEFLs are extremely important. Generally, schools have minimum TOEFL scores, and these minimums can be rather high. If your score is low, you should improve your English and retake the test; there are unlikely to be many options otherwise; taking a student whose English isn’t good enough can be a huge headache. SomeSome schools in the US will do phone/Skype interviews with prospective international students to get a sense of their English (regardless of their TOEFL score).
Meeting the minimum requirements
Meeting the minimum requirements
Transferring graduate schools
How is the process different if I have a master's degree? If I don't have a strong application now, will a master's degree help?
How is the process different if I started (but didn't finish) a Ph.D. somewhere else?
Sometimes, everything goes right and it is still necessary to transfer graduate schools. Programs understand this and will give your application the corresponding consideration. In this case, a letter of recommendation from your advisor will be very helpful -- and in some cases, your advisor can even proactively help to secure your position through networking.
If you have a poor record during graduate school, it can be very difficult to transfer graduate schools. As reported here are, you must report your experience at the other graduate school; concealing your attendance could end your career. Beyond that, most of the advice above applies; however, it is even more important to craft a clear narrative that explains what went wrong and why things will be better at the new institution. You should definitely consider schools that are (generally speaking) less competitive than the school you are leaving.
