New answers tagged graduate-admissions
1
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Are PhD programmes reluctant to admit multiple students from the same university in the same application cycle?
It's been a long time since I handled grad admissions, but I think this is really unlikely to happen. I can only imagine one circumstance where I might have considered doing this:
Suppose undergrad ...
0
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Good SOP for a prospective MS ECE student
If the SoP doesn't require you answer specific questions, then it would be the same as for doctoral study. Give your goals for study and thereafter. For a research masters say what area(s) you are ...
4
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Deciding to not apply to a college that I have met with a faculty member, advice on what to do
I think application fees are a perfectly good reason not to apply to a school. They can get outright predatory. If you have reason to believe that the fee is larger than typical, and is within the ...
3
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What steps should I take if I haven't received responses from potential supervisors?
If you haven't heard in a couple of weeks you can follow up with a request for information. Ask whether there is any more information they would like or need.
As for getting help, let me suggest that ...
11
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Deciding to not apply to a college that I have met with a faculty member, advice on what to do
It would be polite for you to send them an email thanking them for their help and letting them know that you will not be applying. There is nothing else you need to do. You may but do not need to ...
-3
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Is it possible to ask about RA positions after being rejected by the same lab for a PhD?
Absolutely. The best course of action would have been to mention this during the application and/or interview for PhD, otherwise it might seem that you invented a straw to clutch for after the ...
15
votes
Are PhD programmes reluctant to admit multiple students from the same university in the same application cycle?
No. Never been an issue in all my years of supervising admissions.
0
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How do I mention low grades on the transcript due to genuine incompetence? (PhD Application)
Present the transcript as it is.
The admissions tutor will know the actual maths requirement of the program. S/he may say to a colleague something like, I have a candidate who is weak on maths but ...
34
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Deciding to not apply to a college that I have met with a faculty member, advice on what to do
You do not need to apply to a program just because someone is helpful any more than you need to enter into a marriage agreement with anyone who has smiled at you.
34
votes
Accepted
Are PhD programmes reluctant to admit multiple students from the same university in the same application cycle?
I have never heard of a graduate program not wanting to hire multiple students from the same university. Graduate programs want to hire the best students. Where they come from does not matter very ...
-2
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Do I stand a chance at top US CS PhD schools or should I broaden out my school list?
Strictly speaking, publications as a masters student is pretty rare. So lack of publications isn't a very big deal. The point of PHD programs are to make you into a researcher. So, so long as you ...
2
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Statement of Purpose for math graduate schools
It would depend on what else you say in the SoP. If you are intending (hoping, actually) to continue to follow those threads in your doctoral research then they are germane to your "purpose";...
-2
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Do I stand a chance at top US CS PhD schools or should I broaden out my school list?
Literally, yes, you stand a chance. Practically, however, you would be wise to broaden your list of schools. Any school in, say, the top 50 in the US would be likely to have excellent opportunities, ...
2
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What is the consequence on purposefully lying on grad-school application (town of birth)
You should strongly consider your motive for lying: if a person responsible for admissions is judging (not "evaluating," i.e they are forming a "like" or "dislike" ...
2
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What is the consequence on purposefully lying on grad-school application (town of birth)
If Sam isn't a citizen, lying is likely to attract grief from whoever checks up on visas — most countries do remarkably little data-matching, but if someone does bother that's a glaring red flag, ...
6
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How do I mention low grades on the transcript due to genuine incompetence? (PhD Application)
I think you need a better understanding of why you underperformed in math before you complete your application, if only because you need to question your motivations in applying. Internalizing your ...
6
votes
How do I mention low grades on the transcript due to genuine incompetence? (PhD Application)
Computer science is a rather confusing degree, because there are areas of it which are very mathematical (formal verification, for example) and areas which aren't (human computer interaction is one ...
3
votes
How to become a competitive candidate for grad school after a ruined integrated master's degree?
I have no research projects, no LoRs, and quite frankly, I am not skilled enough in the subject I would like to pursue research in. I don't even have a concrete idea of what I want to do research in ...
10
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How do I mention low grades on the transcript due to genuine incompetence? (PhD Application)
As in Bryan Krause's answer, I don't believe your should bring up weak points (such as poor grades) unprompted. While I think you see "being honest about math incompetence" as a positive, it ...
8
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What is the consequence on purposefully lying on grad-school application (town of birth)
You can typically read the consequences of lying on the admissions form itself. Here's an example.
The information supplied on this application is complete and true to the best of my knowledge. No ...
1
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Can two people write one letter of recommendation?
Yes, they certainly can. My lab head and I have done this for students I have directly supervised so that they have the benefit of my detailed comments on their day-to-day performance, and also the ...
11
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What is the consequence on purposefully lying on grad-school application (town of birth)
Any sort of dishonesty is frowned upon. It could be anything from nothing to expulsion and it is impossible to say. If you lie about one thing, are you going to lie about others in the future (muses ...
-1
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Can two people write one letter of recommendation?
Why aren't both of them writing letters? Typically, recommendation letters aim to provide a 'personal' perspective from a supervisor, co-author, director, etc. Since both of them may not be able to ...
2
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Can two people write one letter of recommendation?
That would be up to the receiving institution to judge, but I suspect so. But it would possibly count as one letter of the (likely) three that you need, however.
Individual letters might be a bit ...
0
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How do PhD letter of recommendations actually get sent?
Usually, if you need multiple recommendation letters from the same person, they will submit more or less the same letter to each institution, with maybe a few modifications depending on whether the ...
33
votes
Accepted
How do I mention low grades on the transcript due to genuine incompetence? (PhD Application)
I don't think this is something you mention.
You present your grades; you present your research experience. You let the person judging your application make observations like "this person has ...
-1
votes
Are German university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) Bachelor degrees recognized in US UK NZ or Australia?
We use scoring tables for scholarships. The problem in Australia is that you will not receive extra 'prestigious university' points when applying for a PhD scholarship. [obvs I am at a university ...
1
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How do PhD letter of recommendations actually get sent?
There are a lot of possibilities. If there is staff available, it may just get passed to them. But that is probably less available than in the past (US perspective).
But, given that the professor ...
1
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What are the criteria for a student from a weaker university to be accepted to elite graduate school?
A combination of close connection can work well here. First, the students needs a mentor/ letter writer who knows the student well. Just taking classes is not sufficient, you want some research ...
1
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How important is it to disclose all of academic records for graduate school application, especially ones that are seemingly trivial?
So I'll try to get through all your questions. Take this all with a grain of salt, I've never personally dealt with something like this before...
Do the universities really go through and verify the ...
0
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Joining three labs in the same university on the CV for a grad school
At my university (R1 with a strong focus in STEM), many students do "rotations" in different labs. Each rotation consists of a three to six months stint at a lab. It is rare to expect an ...
1
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How important is it to disclose all of academic records for graduate school application, especially ones that are seemingly trivial?
Verification of details may not be common but can definitely happen. If they ask for EVERY record, then it should be on the CV.
(otherwise, I believe you are usually under no obligation to report all ...
2
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How important is it to disclose all of academic records for graduate school application, especially ones that are seemingly trivial?
I don't know where you want to apply to exactly, but in Germany, you are required to list EVERY academic enrollment and transcript. They check e.g. if you failed a course three times, which would ...
5
votes
Accepted
What are the criteria for a student from a weaker university to be accepted to elite graduate school?
I'll speak as a person who has been on graduate admissions committees in a field that ends in "-physics" at the university with a top five ranked graduate program and also at one that is in ...
4
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May have embellished my CV and resume by mistake after I was admitted to MA and Ph.D programs. Could either of my degrees be revoked?
The short answer is: you do not need to be concerned, this will not be noticed by anybody, and there will be no consequences.
The long answer: you didn't lie on your resume - you really didn't even &...
0
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May have embellished my CV and resume by mistake after I was admitted to MA and Ph.D programs. Could either of my degrees be revoked?
Every situation is different, so it's hard to give general advice. And like any lawyer would say, this isn't legal advice or anything. So as with most things in life, take everything I say with a ...
0
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What are the criteria for a student from a weaker university to be accepted to elite graduate school?
Just to be clear: "exceptional" is not a thing that one can contrive by clever strategies. There has to be substance, that is (also) not a thing that can be arranged in a few moments. "...
0
votes
What are the criteria for a student from a weaker university to be accepted to elite graduate school?
It is pretty uncommon for the quality of the undergraduate institution to be the deciding factor in graduate school admissions. Admissions committees understand that there are a lot of factors that go ...
0
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Is chemistry needed for graduate programs in material science?
While it might be good to take an advanced course in chemistry or any other related field, I doubt that it is necessary. Some programs might find it a problem, but most doctoral programs in US are ...
0
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Joining three labs in the same university on the CV for a grad school
Since you are only in the second year and you are seemingly looking for doctoral study eventually, I'd think that this is a minor concern. The undergraduate program is normally very broad, especially ...
0
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Joining three labs in the same university on the CV for a grad school
In my experience, when it comes to applying to graduate school different institutions differ about what they care about. So it can be difficult to give general advice that would apply.
That being said,...
0
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In my Statement of Purpose (SOP), is it best to write about my specific area of interest, or to broaden my options?
If you seem to absolutely rule out all other options, then yes, it could hurt you since it lessens the likelihood of finding an advisor.
However, it is good to narrow the field somewhat (languages, ...
0
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Should I switch labs to work on a topic that interests me more or stay with great current PI?
You need to care about your subject/topic - your fascination for the topic will get you through the hard times (and there will always be hard times during a PhD).
At the very least - discuss this with ...
1
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Should I switch labs to work on a topic that interests me more or stay with great current PI?
Since you are asking the question you already realize that there are tradeoffs. I suggest that you speak (personally) with each of the PIs giving your concerns. It might be that the "great" ...
0
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Should I switch labs to work on a topic that interests me more or stay with great current PI?
Search for the project you would like to work and find the PIs that work already in that or would be interested to assist you.
Doing something you don't find interesting and then applying also for PhD ...
2
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Is it better for a statement of purpose for a physics PhD program to be straightforward as opposed to attempting to make the style interesting?
Your question still hints at a false dichotomy between either "meeting the minimum requirements" or "writing in an interesting style". You are in effect suggesting that the reason ...
1
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Which letter of recommendation to use for graduate application?
None of these are great. The best letter writers are people you have worked with enough that they can honestly and confidently predict your success in graduate study. If you know any of the professors ...
2
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sending good/bad rec letter without waiving my rights
In my recent (last 10-15 years') experience, in the U.S., in mathematics, there would simply be no way for anyone to inject an unsolicited letter into your application file.
The way it works nowadays ...
1
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sending good/bad rec letter without waiving my rights
I'll focus on "bad" letters and communications.
This might depend on the country's (or other political entity) laws and regulations, but it would be highly unethical for a professor to ...
0
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Should I submit my math subject GRE score? (Engineering undergraduate applying for Applied Math MS)
It is hard to give a direct answer, but note that no single thing is determinative in the US. Note that the math GRE test is quite difficult, even for those who have studied math as a major in ...
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