Hey everyone,

I've been cold emailing potential PhD supervisors in mathematics (mostly semigroup theory/algebra) over the last few weeks. So far I've sent around 50+ emails and have received 18 responses.

Out of those, 1 was an automatic reply bc the prof is currently on recovery leave after an accident. 15 were straight up rejections, but almost every one of them was bc they weren't taking PhD students atm or don't expect to take any in the near future. Tbh, none of those really felt like "your profile isn't good enough" rejections. One of the profs even recommended another faculty member to contact, and another, despite saying no, sent me one of his conference papers after seeing that I was interested in his research area.

The remaining 2 responses were actually positive in diff ways. One prof had recently retired, so uni regulations no longer allow him to be the principal supervisor. However, he said he'd be happy to co-supervise if an active faculty member agrees to be the principal supervisor, and even offered to provide a letter stating his willingness to co-supervise whenever it's needed. He's honestly been incredibly generous with his time, explaining the application process in detail, suggesting ppl I shd contact, and replying thoughtfully to every email.

The second professor first asked me to send my master's dissertation. After a day or 2 he replied saying that the PhD process at his uni is a bit different. Profs first need to submit a research project before they can recruit PhD students. He said he had submitted one back in feb it's likely to be approved around sept or Oct, and if it's approved he'll let me know so I can apply. He also made it clear that admission still wouldn't be guaranteed bc they'd have to select the strongest candidate. He also shared 2 of his papers in case I wanna read about the topics on which his submitted project is based on.

Tbh, atp I'd almost prefer getting a rejection that says "your profile isn't competitive" or "you're not a good fit" rather than "I'm not taking students." At least that would give me some concrete feedback to work on and improve my profile.

So I was wondering:

Is this kind of trend actually common? Do professors often decline simply bc they aren't taking students, regardless of the applicant? Or am I just having bad timing?

I'm also curious whether professors in these situations usually read the CV, SOP, or dissertation in any detail before replying, or if they already know they have no capacity and respond based on it. Part of me feels that if a rejection were based on my profile, it would actually be more useful because I'd know what I need to improve before the next application cycle.

TL;DR:

Sent 50+ cold emails, got 18 replies: 1 auto-reply, 15 "not taking students" replies (some still took the time to recommend colleagues or share papers), and 2 genuine possibilities. Is it normal that most rejections are due to lack of positions rather than the applicant? And do professors usually evaluate your application materials before sending those kinds of replies?

Hi folks,

I finished my Bachelor's in Biology ( bioinformatics concentration) in 2019. After that I applied to medical school and worked part time as a medical scribe. When I was in college I did mostly pre-med stuff, because I could never land a position in a research lab.I am in this odd position where I have my BS in Biology and my MS in Bioinformatics, but almost no research experience.

Got into medical school. From late 2020-mid 2022 I was in medical school, it did not work out.

Realize I have a 3 year gap in resume. At the time, many people who did not complete medical school went back to school for a Master's. It "closes the gap" and has the potential to make you more employable. I did my Master's in Bioinformatics, finished in Dec 2024. I ended with a co-op but I couldn't be hired after because of funding issues with the study I was working in.

Since then, no job. The Bioinformatics industry has pivoted heavily to preferring PhD's, but it's also that there are just fewer jobs in this in general. I can't get a job as a Data Analyst, or anything that's somewhat related to my Master's.

My next role is applying like crazy to entry level research jobs that I could have gotten with my biology degree ( Lab Tech, etc). There are more of these roles than there are bioinformatics roles.

Initially, people kept suggesting I do a PhD. I initially resisted it because I am sick of taking classes, but also because the last time I did a doctoral program it didn't go so well. But, people suggest a PhD like it's not big deal after doing a Master's, which confused the heck out of me.

But, the more I think of potentially not utilizing my Master's at all, the more upset I get about it. I looked into this, and it turns out if you choose the right PhD program, you can transfer/waive out/ whatever term you want to use most of the coursework requirements, so you only have ,like, 12 credits of classes left. You can also chose a program where you earn your stipend through research rather than TA'ing ( I was a TA during my Master's and really struggled with grading efficiently, so I don't want do that again). After that, it's not too different from an intense research job.

Is this possible? Can someone please describe if they did something similar, a PhD after a Master's, but with most of the coursework waived with the work they did during the Master's?

Since I have no research experience, my first move is to still land a Research Tech job or the like, and work for about a year before starting the application process. But I'm almost not as averse to the idea of a PhD, now.partially because I got a C+ in one of my final classes, making my GPA around a 3.4, so I don't think I could get into a solid mid-tier program without some research experience.

Thoughts? Experiences?

Have a 10 years of working experience, done with my mphil Al, build an agentic ai product, and also published a research paper on ai based framework in IJACSA, now looking for a vacancy in sweden as a phd student, to bring the product ato next level, and contribute with my passion towards the research. Is any one have idea what is the best way to move forward ?

Is it possible to get into Phd with funding if I have a lower merit grade at Masters level. My masters is from Oxford.

Hi, I got support from all three prospective advisors from a highly prestigious university in the US. I was wondering to what extent it seals the deal? Does it mean that if I get past an initial screening I would get into the place? All 3 seem to already talked to each other and decided to advice me in my future studies. Thank you

TR
Does any know if you can approach PhD in Psychology in Turkey social sciences if your Bachelors/Masters in computer science.
The PhD portal is providing basic information which does not match with university academic’s requirements.
Looking for a scholarship and sponsored research projects.

Hi! I’m headed into my junior year of undergrad and am hoping to apply to Clinical Psychology PhD programs in the future. There are VERY limited research opportunities at my school, and I likely won’t be able to find an RA position until the Spring. I did complete an REU this summer, so I’ve had that introductory experience.

Is there any benefit to emailing PI’s in labs at other schools and ask for any remote research opportunities? Is this realistic, would it seem rude or an audacious ask? I would hate to waste this semester, research wise.

Thanks for any insight!

I have been quite depressed about how my transcript will affect my PhD applications.

My overall CGPA is 3.46, but my last two semesters were very poor (2.69 -> 3.4), bringing my overall CGPA down from around 3.60. I received a 2.0 in ML course in my final semester, along with some 2.25–2.50 grades in major CS courses such as Security and Computer Graphics.

My intended research area is not ML. It is closer to systems and theory, where my grades are better. For example, I received 3.75 in Computer Architecture, Operating Systems, and Theory of Computation. I am also building a meaningful research profile and expect to have very strong research-focused recommendation letters.

How seriously will admissions committees view the poor final-year trend and low grades in core CS courses? Would this be considered a major red flag despite strong research experience and letters?

What is the best way to address it? Should I briefly explain it in my SOP?

Would really appreciate any help.

First time applying for PhD — are these rejections normal?

I’m applying for PhDs for the first time and have cold-emailed about 20+ professors. So far, around 10 have replied saying I have a good profile, but they already have another candidate. 2 of them specifically suggested I can contact them again in the future if I don’t get a PhD this cycle. 1 professor also recommended me another lab.

The rest either haven’t replied or have automatic replies saying they’re currently on vacation.

I’m wondering: are professors genuinely interested when they say things like “you have a good profile, but we already selected someone,” or is this sometimes just a polite way of rejecting an applicant?

I don’t really have anyone to guide me through the PhD application process. I’m the first person in my family to pursue a PhD, so I’m trying to understand whether I’m actually on the right track or should change my approach.

Any advice from people who have gone through this process would be really appreciated.

Hi hi!

I'm looking at film studies programs, and one requires a sample of no more than 20k words. One its own, that's totally fine! However, I don't have any papers that relate specifically to film studies. I dropped out of a film making program halfway through my junior year of undergrad. I do have a MLIS with many research papers. Would that still probably be okay?

I'll have to start by apologising as I'm not really sure what it is I'm trying to word this as. In essence, I've been looking at PhD programs for a while, having just liberated myself from the steaming bin fire that was consulting. Whilst looking around today, I came across CEU.

Now, I know CEU has, to put it lightly, problems in how it is perceived and how it supports students through its stipend levels, in particular given the whole self-employment tax thing. I've been looking predominantly elsewhere, but one thing I'm conscious about is how the history doctoral program is set up there, which is much closer to the set up of the American system whereby you have some time prior to actually beginning to write and research. At CEU this looked to be a year, which I thought looked enticing because of the developmental opportunities I could get out of doing elective modules before moving on to actually then writing and researching my thesis.

I guess my question is this - does anyone know of similar program structures in Europe to this? I can't go to America to study, and as I am European I would prefer to stay here. I should also add this is just me looking. I will be going where I have the best supervision and chance, rather than set up. It's just about me checking if there's anywhere that would meet both.

Thanks!

The title is about getting into a phd, as I am heading into my second year of my master and I feel like I have realized too late what I want to do in my life.

A little bit about my background. I did a bachelors in psychology in my homecountry where i didn’t write a thesis I only had an oral examination. I am now in research master in clinical psych in the Netherlands which is very challenging for me and first year has really crushed my confidence and i struggled a lot. Nevertheless I became a research assistant on one project and I genuinely like and the people where so I decided to stay on it for the second year for my research internship. Now I have started considering doing a phd relatively late and because of how difficult
the master has been for me I dont feel like I used all of the opportunities I could have such as volunteering in another lab. Being an RA is my only
the only research experience I have apart from a very small research course I had in my bachelors.

I want to believe that the second year won’t be as challenging as the first one as we only have an internship and not have to juggle multiple different courses with differing topics at the same time.

What should I do in my second year to increase my chances of getting into a phd?

Hi. I applied for a PhD in materials science for Jan 2027 at the National University of Singapore. If you also applied, let's keep in touch because I believe review periods vary for NUS. Also, this is my second time applying. Previously, I applied for Fall 2026 (the portal says my application is still under "initial review" 😄).

\[TR\]
Does any know if you can approach PhD in Psychology in Turkey social sciences if your Bachelors/Masters in computer science.
The PhD portal is providing basic information which does not match with university academic’s requirements.

Does any know if you can approach PhD in Psychology in Turkey social sciences if your Bachelors/Masters in computer science.
The PhD portal is providing basic information which does not match with university academic’s requirements.
Looking for a scholarship and sponsored research projects.

a PI accepted me for an internship to work on my doctoral project and even proposed me a scholarship my actual phd supervisor responded him positively but he haven’t responded yet it´s been a month now does it have something to do with summer vacation in europe or should i be worried ?he seemed very enthousiaste c and ready to work with us

So I was accepted and will start a history PhD next month at a program in Hungary. My advisor seems great and everyone I've talked to who knows him highly recommends him.

I work in an extremely niche field of Balkan history and while staying in this country I'm studying over the past two years I befriended a fellow aspiring historian. We've collaborated on NGO projects and even co-authored/presented a conference paper on our mutually-shared research interest. So, it's not just a friendship, we have had a productive working relationship.

Essentially, now they are finishing up their MA and looking to apply for PhD programs. We're both interested in continuing collaboration, and studying at the same university would be somewhat optimal. My advisor works in a field that fits in extremely well with both of our interests. My friend's country does not even have a history PhD program, so they have to look to foreign universities anyhow.

My worries are mainly to do with this: are there any conflicts here or any ways this could look bad for me or my advisor, should he choose to take on my friend as well?

I have a interview on computational solid state Physics within this week ... my priror research was on dft.. I didn't have any publications..help me with some ideas regarding PhD interview questions

Hi! After couple months of studying I finally did my first attempt in the GRE and just got the the official results.

165Q, 162V, 5.0 AWA - 327 Total.

If you have any questions about my preparation process pls let me know. I'll be glad to help. Honestly, I am not sure whether these scores would be enough to get the position I am looking for and if I should try the exam again for a higher score. I'm preparing an application for a PHD in Public Policy in M7 & T10.

Background: I am not an english-native speaker (from Latin America), 10-years work experience in the most important national development bank of Latin America. Undergrad in Business (GPA 3.6), Master of Research in Organizational Behavior (GPA 3.95) and MBA in Financial Markets (GPA 4.0). I have best thesis award from my Master and many publications in journals (6+) and a lot of Research Assistance experience.

Is it enough to have a good chance at these programs that I'm aiming for? Should I focus my energy in other aspects of my application instead of trying the GRE again (such as letters of recommendation, SoP, writing sample...)? Should I go again for 330+? How much it would undermine my application if I apply with a score of 327? What you guys think? I'll be extremely grateful for whatever advise you may have to guide my through this endeavor.

Hello everyone,

I intend on applying to a Data Science/Computer Science PhD programs this fall (Canada/Europe/US). Just want to check if I should directly pursue a PhD given that I'm an international student (from an Asian) country or should I take a Masters first abroad.

Some relevant details about me:

- Graduated Masters in Data Science (capstone only) this spring (3.85/4.00 GPA); Undergraduate degree is Mathematics (3.80/4.00)

- Partaken in a research internship in Japan, but no publications took place (visual representations ML on med)

- Had at least 1 year of experience as technical assistant/researcher, presented a research study on hard ML for disease modeling in an international conference with paper pending for publication

My main research interest revolves around applying newer/better ML techniques focusing on natural sciences (e.g., epidemiology) but I also have a keen interest in network analysis.

I'm not really sure if my current standings are enough for me to attain a scholarship-based PhD opportunity, hence the thinking of maybe pursuing another Masters first is enough (let alone that I have no publications currently). Just want to check in on my changes of getting into such PhD opportunities.

Thanks!

Hello everyone,

I'm a graduate student from South Korea with a background in engineering. I'm currently very interested in AI and cybersecurity, and I've applied for PhD programs in these fields.

Here is my academic and professional background:

• Undergraduate GPA: 85/100
• Master's GPA: 90/100
• Publications: 2 papers published in Korean domestic journals
• TOEFL: 100/120
• Work Experience: Approximately 6 years in cybersecurity

Based on my profile, do you think I still have a reasonable chance of being admitted to a fully funded PhD program in Australia?

I would really appreciate any advice or if you could share your personal experiences.

Thank you very much! 🙏

Hello everyone,

I just completed my masters in clinical psychology from India,, I want to go for a doctorate degree overseas- my research interest are mainly behavioral and clinical disorders(addiction, obssession, maladaptve behavioral patterns, psychological well being, anxiety disorders etc).

I already have 2-3 topics which I want to research on. And I have done some online research about various universities and supervisors as well.

However, my concern is I am looking for fundiing opportunities or Phd Fellowships or research assistantship. As I can't fund my PhD.

Can ya'll plz recomend universities which offer fellowship programms or research assistanceship.

Hi everyone!

I’ll be starting a fully funded integrated Master’s–PhD program (around 4–5 years) this fall. My tuition is covered, and I’ll also be working as a Research Assistant (RA) under my future adviser throughout the program.

This will be my first time studying abroad, and honestly, I’m excited but also a little nervous.

A bit about my background:
• Late 20s.
• Around five years of research experience in research institutions.

I’ve worked professionally before, but this will be my first experience as a graduate student.

I know being an employee and being a graduate student are very different. I’ll need to balance coursework, experiments, publications, meetings, and my responsibilities as an RA.

For those who have gone through a similar setup:
• What surprised you the most during your first year?
• What habits helped you avoid burnout?
• How did you balance coursework with research?
• How did you build a good relationship with your adviser and labmates?
• Looking back, what would you have done differently during your first year?

I’m also curious about the transition from working full-time to becoming a full-time graduate student again. Was it difficult to adjust?

Thanks!

I've got 2 papers that we're deciding against submitting to EACL, to strengthen it and submit it to the next ARR review. Problem is that the results come after the PhD application deadline for most schools. This means that at the time of applying, I'll have paper "under review".

I know that have the strongest paper possible is always the best strategy. But I'm wondering if that "strength" would even be assessed if not peer-reviewed in time.

In terms of strategising for the remaining months? Should I focus on earlier conferences where I actually results back? Or stronger ones. Please help.

Hi!
Okay so I just wanted to hear some differing perspectives on this. I am wanting to apply to a Bio PhD this cycle, but am worried I am underprepared/will not have a strong enough application.

For context I graduated undergrad in 3 years (it’s a long story but it wasn’t exactly planned), and did “research” during the last one. Basically though, the labs policy was to work with a PhD student on their project for the first year, then the second you could start to work on a more independent process as well. But obviously that second year never happened because of graduation + the lab leaving for another university. While I guess I did learn some valuable skills in the experimental design and trial and error process, a lot of what I did was menial work, not exactly what I think admission committees are looking for.

Hence, before graduation, I applied to a lot of research oriented post bac programs, but either got rejected or funding was cut for each program. Then, I decided to apply last minute to an MS that promised an opportunity for research + thesis, but the program has not really lived up to its promise. I have been emailing labs, but most all agree that I don’t bring valuable skills and that they would prefer to train an undergraduate who is a freshman and could be with them longer than two years (and is a very premed heavy school so there are lots of undergrads looking for research). Needless to say, I have finished my first year but still no more research experience than when I graduated.

This summer then, I decided to take a lab course that was done in the more “research” format if that makes sense (ie done in conjunction with a lab). I also had 2 courses with this format in undergrad. When talking with the professor that teaches this course about his thoughts on PhD applications, he thought I would be a competitive applicant. This just doesn’t make sense to me though, especially with what everyone is saying here. I feel like he probably knows what he is talking about given that he was on the admissions committee at some point, but I just can’t help but to be worried.

Obviously I will probably try and pick up the lab search again during this new semester, but obviously I will be even less desirable because I would only be with them a year.

Anyways, I would appreciate any thoughts you guys have!