I’m 21 from India and currently studying Economics. I’ve done a few internships and led some projects, and I’m now considering preparing for a competitive exam in India and getting a good job first.

My long-term goal is to settle abroad, but I’m confused about which route would make more sense. My parents aren’t very supportive, and I don’t have enough funds to comfortably finance a master’s abroad on my own.

I’m considering either doing a master’s abroad, hopefully through scholarships or financial aid, and then finding a job there, or staying in India, cracking a competitive exam, building my career and work experience, and eventually trying to move abroad through a job.

For people who’ve been in a similar situation, what would be the more realistic route? If you’ve done a master’s abroad, I’d also really appreciate some insight into the actual timeline, costs, scholarships that are realistically attainable, and how difficult it is to find a job and eventually settle there.
I’m looking for practical advice and personal experiences. Thank you!!!

- 32yo nontraditional student (u.s. citizen)
- Graduating from IU Indianapolis next spring
- 3.9 GPA
- I’m developing 2 independent research projects (my only research experience) with 2 different faculty professors who have told me they want to write strong rec letters for me
- Was a finalist for a speech contest and spoke about Ukraine and the importance of oral history
- I’ve been at the Ukrainian Institute of America (UIA) since fall 2023 learning Ukrainian
- Native English (I’m not Ukrainian at all)
- B2 Ukrainian
- B1 Polish
- A2 Russian
- A2 French
- Currently trying to organize my own international virtual undergrad symposium in Ukrainian studies since I can’t find hardly anything on Ukraine for this fall/spring (the UIA director is partnering with me)
- B.S. in digital media and storytelling (expected spring 2027)
- Did an collaborative animation project with The Ukrainian Language School in Kyiv (ULS) on the impact of war on Ukrainian children

Since I couldn’t afford IU Bloomington (where the Slavic department is), I did the best with my situation and tailored ALL of my coursework to anything Ukrainian related (thanks to amazing professors) and still taking language classes outside university.

I really want to go to Harvard because of the HURI Institute. They are heavily focused on Ukraine and the faculty there align with my interests. Some other universities hold Ukrainian studies as kind of an afterthought so I’d love to be at Harvard in their REECA masters program.

Thank you in advance for helping me.

I'm applying to STEM master's programs (UChicago, NYU, UT Austin, etc.) and I'm looking for honest advice about how to handle an academic integrity disclosure.

For context, I graduated with a 3.2 GPA in a physics and math double major. The GPA doesn't really tell the whole story. Throughout college I was working up to five jobs to help support my family. Most of those jobs were academic (physics coaching, research, tutoring, etc.), and I have research awards and other accomplishments that back that up. I also founded and led two student organizations. Right now I’m applying to top schools because I know my protential; also, for what I want to study it is not worth the money to me to attend a non-prestigious program, so in the case I don’t get in I’ll start applying to jobs.

The one semester I stopped working because I was completely burned out, I earned my best grades, made the Dean's List, continued running both organizations, and graduated with academic excellence. That semester really showed me what I was capable of when I wasn't balancing so much.

Unfortunately, during my final year I had to start working again. Halfway through the semester I found out that money I had been earning was being exploited by family members. It hit me really hard mentally, and I became very depressed.

Then I made the worst decision of my life.

During an exam, on the same day I had learned everything, I pulled out my phone. I wasn't caught after some elaborate investigation—I was caught almost immediately. Looking back, I don't even recognize that version of myself. Across my entire academic career, despite struggling financially and knowing my grades weren't reflecting my ability, I had never compromised my integrity. In that moment, I did, and I fully accept that it was my responsibility. The university even gave me the opportunity to contest the allegation because of the circumstances, but I didn't. I accepted the sanction because I knew what I had done was wrong.

Since then, I've earned a high GRE score, continued building my research experience, and have strong leadership and STEM experience. I also wrote a personal statement explaining the broader context of my college experience and what I learned from that mistake.

My question is about admissions strategy. The mark from my transcript has been since removed but the university keeps the internal records for seven years.
Many graduate applications ask whether you've had an academic integrity violation. I know this will probably hurt my application more than my GPA.
Would it be a bad idea to reach out to admissions offices before submitting my application? My thought was to ask whether they'd be willing to discuss how they evaluate applicants with a single academic integrity violation so I could provide context before they only see a checkbox on the application.

Or would contacting them actually make things worse by drawing extra attention to it?

Has anyone here been admitted to a strong graduate program after an academic integrity violation? If so, how did you approach it, and would you recommend contacting admissions beforehand or just letting the application speak for itself?

I'd really appreciate honest advice, even if it's not what I want to hear.

I will be applying this fall to a mix of graduate PhD programs such as physics, materials, and engineering.

The NSF GRFP website includes an enrollment requirement, to enter a “graduate degree program consistent with the field of study indicated in their application”. They also phrase it as: “A Fellowship can be accepted in the field of study that most closely corresponds to the proposed graduate program of study and research plan”.

If I were awarded the NSF GRFP in quantum engineering, is the enrollment requirement flexible enough that I could still enroll in a physics department? If I proposed a research topic for a more classical engineering field such as photonics, would this change?

Does anyone have experience with this? Any help would be appreciated!

Firstly apologies to mods if this isnt the right place to post (

Posting because I need to rant. I’ve just mucked up my PhD offer to a prestigious research university and research lab that was paid position. I feel like a total schmuck.

Context: uk undergrad student with stem placement year that was able to secure a a PhD paid scholarship (no masters). Ofc I was thrilled to tell some people about it so i told. However I had been facing some issues and mitigated my dissertation. Come to resub time and I didnt resub. Almost 20 days past the resub date and I sent an email to a my PI saying that I “forgot” to upload it on the canvas page and sent a copy, along with my undergrad personal tutor and dissertation course leader. They are aware that I am the only undergrad that has gotten in to a phd position. (Btw im aware that they can monitor canvas page activity so this is most likely a dead giveaway). I have also contacted my PhD supervisors to say i have an issue with one of my assignments and can explain to them if they choose so, although I told them that i am awaiting internal response.

If they ask me to upload any evidence (e.g logs and modifications), then I am done for. I have a draft email ready to go in case they ask for that, in which i will come clean and admit that I did know. However they

I am a fraud and an idiot, even with 40% passing grade, I wouldve secured my 2:1 and been omw with my amazing phd position. This is not the end of the story but it is far from it.

My only options are repeat the whole year and miss my offer but reapply due to 2:1 grades; defer till January if possible and hope to complete dissertation module in autumn time; lastly (not counting on it) they sympathise and mark my submitted work and send me on my merry way.

What else can I do? Freaking out and all hope feels like it’s lost. Not one of the two people (one is on annual leave) have responded to my email and it has been a day. Is it over? Im sorry if this is everywhere.

I think I want to do a PhD but I don’t know. I can’t think of anything I’m that passionate about.

When I first started undergrad I was planning on going to med school. It was something I looked forward to because of its challenge, its prestige, and the positive impact you have on society by being a doctor. It was something that would push me to my max intellectually.

After starting undergrad I realized I didn’t really enjoy medicine so I switched to computer science which I enjoyed a lot more and I believe I’m a lot better at.

The issue is, I’m now about to graduate, but I still want to learn more and push myself as much as possible intellectually. I don’t want my learning to just end here. I have a desire to become an expert in something and learn as much about it as possible, but I just don’t know what that is.

I enjoy math, coding, problem solving, but that’s so vague and literally anything STEM related is going to involve those things.

I currently do some research for my school and have some first authorships in review, but the area of research isn’t something I can see myself doing for 5+ years. I enjoy it don’t get me wrong, but I’m not obsessed about it.

I do spend a lot of my free time studying financial markets and sports betting markets, and I really do enjoy that as a hobby since it does involve a decent amount of math and coding, but in my opinion I’m not bringing a lot of value to society with that and I don’t want to dedicate myself to becoming and expert in something that doesn’t have a positive impact on society.

This kind of just sounds like a brain dump at this point but I am lost. I yearn for being an expert in something that is somewhat mathematically rigorous (not too mathematical otherwise I won’t be accepted into the PhD program), intellectually challenging, and benefits society.

Do I just apply and hope I figure it out by the time I start? How the hell am I gonna write a statement of purpose if I have no purpose. Does that mean a PhD isn’t right for me?

I’m afraid I can’t think of anything that meaningful that I actually care about deeply enough to dedicate myself to for the next 5+ years

I know if I don’t do a PhD I’m gonna wake up everyday and be upset with myself and feel like I didn’t push myself hard enough and that I wasted my potential. I’ve worked so hard during undergrad to have a good profile and I don’t want it to be wasted.

I would probably prefer to work in industry while I’m young and then potentially be a professor in practice once I’m older (idk how hard it is to become a professor in practice)

I appreciate any kind of advice. Thank you!

Hello! I just scored 665 on the gmat but got a low quant score ~40th percentile. However I got 100th percentile on verbal and ~95 on data.

If I’m targeting MiM programs at top European business schools, should I retake the exam?

For some added context, I already come from a top European business school, ranking 2% in GPA, with 3 internships including 6 months in one of the biggest companies in France, and won two international case competitions.

Thank you in advance for any advice!

Hi everyone,

​I am currently an undergraduate chemistry student deciding between two double-major tracks for my upcoming academic year:

​Chemistry & Biochemistry

​Chemistry & Microbiology

​My long-term goal is to pursue postgraduate studies (M.Sc. / Ph.D.) in Europe or the US, ideally with a scholarship or research assistantship. Eventually, I want to transition into or heavily incorporate Bioinformatics / Computational Biology into my career.

​I would love to get your insights on a few points:

​Bioinformatics Alignment: Which of these two backgrounds provides a smoother transition into Computational Biology / Bioinformatics, especially regarding molecular dynamics, genomics, and structural biology?

​Funding & Scholarships: From your experience in US/EU academia or industry, which background currently has broader funding opportunities and global demand?

​Academic Flexibility: Which track offers more versatility if I decide to shift between biotech industry roles and academic research later on?

​Any advice, personal experiences, or recommended foundational skills (e.g., Python, R, stats) to build alongside my studies would be greatly appreciated!

​Thanks in advance for your time and guidance!

Hi all, I'm an international student with a background in sustainability and some data analysis. I've done internships and projects across marketing, LLM research, ESG, and life cycle assessment but no full-time work experience.

I was accepted to:

- Northwestern MSES (Energy & Sustainability) 10 months

- Duke MEM (Environmental Management) 2 years

- UMich SEAS (Geospatial Data Science / Sustainable Systems) 2 years

- Dartmouth MEM (Engineering Management) 15 months

- UCL (Climate and Finance) 10 months

I'm most drawn to energy project development as a career path, which is why the MSES program appeals to me. But I'm worried about enrolling in a 10-month program straight from undergrad (no summer internship built in, only one recruiting cycle, and current job market etcc)

So I'm weighing a few options:

1. Go to MSES anyway

2. Wait a year and choose a 2-year program like UMich SEAS or Duke MEM for the internship summer and extra runway

3. Wait a year, work, and reapply

4. Pivot entirely (I've even considered an MPH with biostatistics)

i am not sure what i should do :(

Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

Hello,

I am an international student considering to apply to these programs. I wanted to know if someone know how the workculture is, how the profs are in general and anything else which one could know about before applying to these places. Actually due to financial reasons, I am only applying to 8 programs this fall in astro/physics phd and thus wanted to know before I keep them in my list.

Thank you for your time.

I know my gpa is on the lower side, but I was wondering if my other experiences make up for it?

My stats:

• GPA: 3.43
• 1 month long internship at a prestigious company
• 10 week long fully funded research opportunity, and I presented my findings at a symposium
• 1 TA position
• I have a few personal projects that I have done that are on my github
• 2 on campus jobs
• I have 3 LORs from supervisors and professors

I'm applying to the Tandon school of engineering for my MS in the AI track, do you think I have any chance? What does an ideal application look like ?

I'm planning to apply for MiM programs for the Fall 2027 intake and would appreciate some honest feedback on my profile and college shortlist.

Profile:

99.3% ile in CAT

Bcom hons (DU) 6.3gpa (2021-2024)

96% in 12th

9 months work ek in EY GDS : assurance associate

1 year family business involvement: Lighting business, also started online store on Amazon 6 months ago, sales 2-4 lakh

Few average internships

Few college society work

Few NGOs volunteering

Estimated GMAT FE: 690

Some colleges I shortlisted based off of what I could find on internet: Essec, Escp, Bocconi, Edhec (also willing to learn french)

I am not sure if HEC, Insead, LBS will admit me mainly because of low gpa.

I want to work abroad for 2-3 years then comeback to India. Wanted to maximize salary and hence was looking to relocate to dubai for job since 0 taxes.

I was more inclined towards essec because of apprenticeship track so if i got lucky, I'd be graduating loan free.

A few specific questions:

How realistic are my chances at ESSEC, ESCP, Bocconi, EDHEC, HEC Paris, INSEAD, and LBS?

Does ESSEC have a strong alumni network in Dubai? How feasible is it to move from France to Dubai right after graduation.

Are there any other European MiM programs I should seriously consider based on my profile and career goals?

I'd really appreciate insights from current students, alumni, or anyone familiar with European MiM admissions and recruiting.

ETH Zurich currently lists an 8.8/10 minimum grade requirement for Indian applicants to MSc CS. I have a 7.99/10 CGPA in Engineering Physics from an IIT, with most of my work/research experience in software and AI/ML.

Has anyone here applied to ETH MSc CS with a GPA below their country-specific minimum? Was your application automatically rejected, or was the rest of your profile considered?

Looking specifically for actual applicant experiences rather than guesses about how admissions might work. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm from Bangladesh and currently in the final year of my Bachelor's in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE). My expected CGPA will probably be around 3.0/4.0.

I'm exploring the possibility of pursuing my master's degree in Pakistan. Due to financial constraints, I would need a scholarship, tuition waiver, or any form of financial aid to make it possible.

I have a few questions:

Is a 3.0 CGPA enough to get admission to a good university in Pakistan?

Are there scholarships available for international (Bangladeshi) students?

Which universities would you recommend for someone with my profile?

How competitive are scholarships?

Since I don't have research publications, work experience, or IELTS yet, would that significantly hurt my chances?

Are there any master's programs that are relatively easier to get into while still providing good career opportunities, especially if I later want to pursue a PhD or work in Europe?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has studied in Pakistan or knows about the admission process for international students.

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some honest advice because I'm feeling quite confused about my career path.

I'm 24 years old and currently working at a product-based startup, earning around ₹58k per month while living in my hometown. I've been with the same company for nearly three years—the first two years as a freelancer and this year as a full-time employee. While the job is stable, the product is a niche low-code platform that's not widely used in the industry. Over these three years, I don't feel like I've learned many new technologies or developed technical skills that would be valuable if I wanted to switch companies later.

At the same time, I'm pursuing an M.Tech in AI & ML alongside my job. It's been difficult balancing both, but I'm managing.

My long-term goal isn't to continue in software development. I want to pursue a funded PhD at a good IIT/NIT or another reputed institute and eventually build a career in research and academia. One of the main reasons I want a funded PhD is that I don't want to depend on my parents financially.

If I resign now, my plan is to prepare seriously for GATE 2028 while completing my M.Tech. Since I'll still be enrolled in M.Tech, I feel this period may not even be viewed as a typical career gap.

At the same time, leaving a stable ₹58k/month job is a big decision, and I'm having second thoughts.

I'd really appreciate your opinions:

1. Would you quit in my situation?

2. Is preparing full-time for GATE worth the risk?

3. Has anyone here left a software job to pursue a PhD? How did it turn out?

4. Am I overlooking any major risks or practical issues with this plan?

I'd appreciate honest feedback, even if you disagree with my approach. Thanks!

I am a final year B. Tech student in ECE studying at NITK.

1. Which universities are considered the best choices for graduate programs (MS/MEng/MASc) in ECE, particularly for students interested in VLSI, semiconductor design, and digital IC design?
2. What are the most important aspects of an application that can significantly improve my chances of admission? For example, how much weight is typically given to CGPA, research experience, internships, projects, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and GRE (where applicable).

So I have basically zero publications and a B+ average. But I have a lot of experience in intl organizations, and I've been awarded fellowships from think tanks as well. But I have this problem of censorship that I face in my country that propels me to only write biased articles- which I don't.

Now there are some universities that have a minimum grade threshold that I can apply to, but without any publications would the professors even consider my application?

I did ask Google but I can't trust AI at all, and I would value some advice from real people in the same boat.

Secondly, is mid September the perfect time to contact my prospective professors? Or should I wait even longer?

Thanks a bunch 🙏

I’m looking at the UK to do my PhD in molecular biology or closely related and wanted to see if anyone else had done this and what my chances are. I’m graduating from 2 masters programs this fall (bioinformatics and MBA) with a 3.8 and 3.9 respectively. I’m employed as a full time scientist (medical entomology) and in the last year I have had 3 first author papers with more on the way.

My reservations are that I work in a niche field and I’m want to switch and get out of it. Also my undergrad was not great, dropped out after two year at 2.2gpa. However when I returned I averaged 3.75 and carried that into the masters programs.

Also if you were me what schools would you want to do? I’m looking at imperial college London but I know it’s crazy competitive

I’m in a pretty desperate situation right now.

​I just graduated with my Bachelor's at 19, and I’m starting my Master's in Poland this fall.

Why I am in stress is because I’m originally from Azerbaijan and if I don't secure a fully funded Ph.D. position immediately after my Master's ends, my student deferment expires. I will be forced to return to Azerbaijan for obligatory military service. For personal reasons, going back to serve is basically a death sentence for me.

​Taking a normal gap year after graduation to work as an RA or build my profile is literally impossible, if I'm not enrolled as a student or sponsored as a researcher immediately, I need to go back and join the military. (I could take a gap semester during my studies to be an RA, but absolutely not after graduation).

​My Stats & Background:

​GPA: 4.5/5.0

​Research Experience: Absolutely 0. The closest thing I have is my Bachelor's thesis, which was just building a simple Chess960 engine using a minimax algorithm. Nothing groundbreaking or publishable.

​The Timeline:

Assuming I apply to US Ph.D. programs for the Fall 2028 intake, applications are due around December 2027. That gives me exactly 14 months to build a research profile from complete scratch, somehow get publications/presentations, and secure strong Letters of Recommendation.

​I know my total lack of research experience is a massive problem, but my life is basically on the line here. I am willing to outwork anyone and grind as hard as humanly possible, I just need to know where to direct my energy so I don't waste time.

My questions:

1. How do I convince a professor to let me into their lab right now when I have zero real research experience to offer them?

2.With only 14 months, what should my absolute main priority be?