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Your research statement (not "statement of purpose" as university administrators strangely insist on calling it) should be a description of your research experience, interests, and goals, as a support …

How can I judge the quality of research of a group? This is the wrong question. What you should be asking is "How can I judge which research group will best support my educational and career goa …

This is a tricky situation, but as long as everyone is careful and honest, you should be fine. Here's what I would recommend. Yes, you should ask your former advisor to submit a reference letter on …

This is an attempt to rescue a strongly down-voted question. Are there any studies investigating possible unconscious gender bias in evaluating recommendation letters? Specifically, is there any pub …

Focusing on test scores will not get you into MIT. You need research experience — real, world-class, publication-quality, independent research experience. A paper at a recognizable (from MIT) confer …

No! Until you receive an official offer of admission, you have not been accepted to the PhD program. Do not withdraw your other applications until you have actually been accepted somewhere. (In fact …

I can only speak for my (computer science) department. Students who apply to our PhD program with MS degrees are held to a higher standard than applicants who apply as undergraduates. What we look f …

As aeismail says, what we are looking for is concrete evidence of research potential. So, in decreasing order of importance: Decent grades and (if required) test scores; otherwise, no one will read …

It's difficult to really answer your question without actually seeing your application, but here's some general advice. Remember that the admissions process is random. — There is nothing you can do …

Be as specific as possible. Do not bluff. Remember that admissions committees are looking for strong evidence of research potential. One of the markers of that potential is a deep interest in your …

Some universities impose a minimum undergraduate GPA requirement for all incoming PhD students. For example, the University of Illinois requires a GPA of at least 3.0 (out of 4.0) for the last two ye …

I have to disagree slightly with the stark "No" answers. Only when those details provide evidence of your potential for research. Some information about your high-school experience may shed light on …

Age is simply not a factor in PhD admissions in computer science, at least in North America. As Zenon says, age discrimination is illegal here. However, being out from school for a significant per …

But I take incredibly bad grades, just because of the calculation mistakes I do. It's not because I didn't solve the question or anything, it's just because of the calculation. Boy that word "jus …

You have to make the case that your research potential outweighs your lack of research output. The only places to make that case are your research statement and your letters. Both your statement and …