Applying to CS Ph.D. Programs

Computer Science is one of the fastest-growing fields of study. Everyone has a different motivation for applying to graduate school, from progressing in their careers, learning advanced topics, and conducting research to exploring new places and opportunities. If you have decided to apply for CS Ph.D. programs, then you are in the right place. In this blog, we will talk about the process of application, tips to ace your application, and finally useful resources.

Disclaimer: The content of this blog reflects my opinion and may not be directly applicable to everyone. This is because people from diverse backgrounds and different stages of life apply to Ph.D. programs. I applied as a final year undergraduate CS student from India. My research area is ML and NLP and I applied to schools particularly in the United States.

Basic Pre-requisites

Here we will discuss the basic pre-requisites that one is expected to have accomplished for being eligible to apply for a Ph.D.

1. Standardized tests: Different programs across the world may prescribe a different set of tests as an eligibility criterion for applying. However, from the perspective of the US, the GRE and TOEFL are considered the most popular.
   • GRE: The GRE typically contains three parts to it, verbal, quantitative, and AWA (essay writing section). The verbal and quantitative parts are each scored for a total of 170 points and the AWA section is scored for 6 points. Most schools in the US do not require GRE for Ph.D. programs however, they are mostly mandatory for MS programs.
   • English Proficiency Test (TOEFL/ IELTS) : For most international students, an English proficiency test is required to prove that they can sustain academic life in the US. I took the TOEFL, and I believe that it is more popular than IELTS. The TOEFL has 4 sections, reading, listening, speaking, and writing each scored 30 points. Most universities set a cut-off value typically around 100 for the combined score to be eligible for applying. Also, several universities set special threshold scores for the sub-sections (for example UMass prescribes 26 in the speaking section).
   • The standardized tests are merely used as a filtering criterion for Ph.D. students and do not play a major role in the application unless a candidate performs very poorly in it.

2. Undergrad Academic Records: Most universities take the undergraduate CGPA seriously while evaluating a candidate. Universities typically ask the students to provide both their overall CGPA and their major CGPA along with their class standings. Having a strong academic record (example top 5/10 in the class) can increase the chances of getting into the program, especially for students directly applying for their bachelor’s. A Master’s CGPA will be given more importance as compared to the undergrad CGPA for those students applying for Ph.D. positions after their masters. In all, if you are reading this blog in the early stages of your undergraduate studies, then it is recommended to maintain a great academic record.

3. Research Experience: Research experience is the most important part while evaluating Ph.D. candidates. Ph.D. is a research degree, and CS being a very competitive field, universities expect you to have a good amount of research exposure before the application. Research experience can be gained by either working in academic settings under professors or working in industrial research laboratories. Your experience will shape the kind of work you do in your graduate studies and help the university to match your profile with current professors working there. Having publications as a first author in reputed conferences/ journals is a huge plus point in the application. Having great research experience can be used to overcome any deficiencies in the application.

Process

Having known the basic pre-requisites for applying, let us look into the process of application.

1. Networking: Contacting Professors and Ph.D. students - You must be wondering why a separate section is required on this. Academia is a small community and most researchers know each other working in their domain. So, how is this going to help you? Having an idea of which place to apply and under which professor is very important. Basically, as a Ph.D. applicant, you are applying to that school to work particularly under 3-4 professors working in your area of interest. It is very important to know if the professors you are aiming to work with are hiring students this year. If yes, what has been their hiring pattern over the past few years, do they prefer students straight out of undergrad or more experienced candidates out of residency programs, etc? All of this can be known by either emailing the professor or their Ph.D. students. Most professors who are looking for graduate students will respond to your email indicating your chances of getting into their program and may even set up an interview to know you better. So, what are the ways of networking?
   • Networking through conferences: Have you recently published a paper at a conference that is also attended by other members of the community? If so, make it a point to introduce yourself to your target professors and their students. Professors give huge importance to students who have already published in the venues where they generally publish. If you haven’t yet published at that conference but still have good research experience, you can work as a volunteer in the conference and get to talk to the grad students/ professors.
   • Networking through mutual connections in the academia: If your current guide/ manager already knows professors in your area, then you can request them to introduce you to their connections who are hiring Ph.D. students. Again, this method is going to be very effective as direct recommendations within academia are considered very seriously.
   • Networking on social media sites: Lastly, if none of the above points apply to you, you can still reach out to grad students on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter with your questions. Most people would be happy to help.
   • It is very important to know about the professor under whom you will be applying. Sometimes the professor of your choice may not be hiring graduate students for that year and you mentioning their name in the application may not help much.

2. SOP: Statement of Purpose is another important part of the application. Typically, universities allow students to write an SOP worth two pages of content with a font size of 12Pt. The SOP is your chance to talk to the admissions committee. You must elaborate on your motivation in your area of research. You must talk in detail about your past research experiences and how they have shaped your decision to pursue a Ph.D. It is fine for the Ph.D. SOP to have details and technical jargon - research-dense SOPs are generally given a preference. It is also very important to describe how your current research and plans align with the professors working in the university and the academic community in general.

3. LOR: Letters of Recommendation are one of the most important parts of the application. This is the part that you have the least control over. Most universities ask for a minimum of three LORs. For PhDs, it is recommended to have at least two LORs from academia. The third can be from the industry (preferably from someone in a research position). The LOR writers vouch for your ability as a researcher, mention the challenges you overcame while working with them and your soft skills. Strong LORs from your advisors highly increase your chances of consideration. In general, the academic standings of the LOR writers are considered seriously while evaluating their recommendations. Getting a strong letter from someone well-known in the community gives a huge boost to the application. However, it is generally recommended to go with recommenders who know you well and can give you a strong recommendation as compared to asking for a LOR from a well-known person who does not know you much.

4. Interviews: Most professors interview potential students after reviewing their application. The interviews typically happen after the application deadline has passed i.e. during January. Based on my experience, interviews are mostly an informal conversation about your research. Interviews serve as a purpose for the professors to generally gauge your research aptitude and understand if you are a genuine candidate. It is important to do background study about the professor and know about their current projects and publications. This will help you to connect your projects with theirs which shows greater research fit and hence higher chances of acceptance.

General Tips

Now, we will see a few tips for acing the application process.

1. Start early: University portals start accepting applications from as early as September when the deadline is typically mid-December. Do not leave anything for the last moment. Start networking about 6 months before the application season i.e. the beginning of the year. Utilize the summer to finish any mandatory tests (GRE/TOEFL) and prepare the first draft of your SOP. Also, do let your letter writers know in advance (during the summer) of your plan to apply for a Ph.D. This will have them mentally prepared to give you recommendations on time.

2. Be organized: Maintain an excel sheet containing the program details you are applying to along with other information like the deadlines and the requirements. Also, keep a note of two-three professors from each school with whom you have already networked/ with whom you would like to work. This will help you in writing the “fit” part of your SOP where you describe why you are a right fit for the school.

3. Get SOPs reviewed by seniors: Graduate students with whom you have contact/ your advisors will be happy to review your SOP and provide suggestions. This can help you correct mistakes that went unnoticed.

4. Help your recommenders: Some letter writers may ask for a short draft or a bullet-wise summary of your work with them. They do this generally to save them time and to make sure they include every good point about you. Apart from this, send your letter writers an excel sheet consisting of the program details you are applying to along with the deadlines. Also, make sure to remind your recommenders to submit the recommendation as the deadline approaches.

5. Participate in the Pre-application review program: Some universities like UMass, Brown, and Columbia have a separate program which pairs applicants with current Ph.D. students. The current students provide valuable advice about different parts of the application and also the school in general. Do check them out!

General Resources

Here are a few resources (blogs/ videos) that I found personally useful while applying:

1. Repository of advice:
   • Exhaustive set of advice procured from various sources by Shaily Bhatt
   • Kalpesh Krishna’s blog
   • Student perspectives on applying to NLP programs
   • 5-minute Guide to Ph.D. applications (Philip Guo)
   • Krishna Murthy’s set of blogs
2. Standardized Tests:
   • Kalpesh Krishna’s GRE Guide
   • Kalpesh Krishna’s TOEFL Guide
   • GregMAT service
3. SOP:
   • Krishna Murthy’s advice
   • Nelson Liu’s Ph.D. SOP
   • Nishant J. Kumar’s SOP
4. LOR:
   • Krishna Murthy’s advice
   • Prof. Shriram’s advice
5. General Videos/ Podcasts:
   • UMass Ph.D. application support program
   • Podcast - Roma Patel and Nathan Schneider
   • Pre-Application Review Programs List
6. After Getting Admits:
   • Questions to ask your advisor on visit days

Summary

Applying for a Ph.D. program can be a daunting task. From deciding which schools to apply for to managing the SOPs and LORs is surely a stressful process. Having said that, approaching systematically by preparing well before the application can help ease the tension and guide you in the right direction. Hope the blog’s content and the resources linked here are useful to you. All the best for your application!