Applying for Graduate Schools

Apr 30, 2026

Applying for graduate schools was a stressful experience for me, but it was also an experience where I learned a lot of about how academia works and also about myself. I hope what I am sharing here could be useful for people thinking about graduate schools.

Getting your foot in the door

Your approach will depend on whether you’re applying for an M.S. or a Ph.D. For an M.S., a secure financial background tends to matter more than research experience or stellar recommendation letters. For a Ph.D., the reverse is often true: strong research experience and stellar letters of recommendation carry far more weight than your ability to self-fund.

Most people don’t have $100,000+ USD to fund an M.S.

This will depend on whether you are trying for M.S. or Ph.D. If the former, having research experience and stella recommendation letters won’t matter as much as having secure financial background or scholarships. If the latter, it will be the converse that matters.

Firstly, I think PhD program is an extremely difficult place to get your foot into, unless if you have great connections or a lot of money. Great connections matter because PhD positions in academia is gained through people vouching for you. I do believe that what determines the tie between equally strong candidates is stronger recommendation letter from a well-known academic who you have done research with. Having a lot of money matter because if you don’t have great connections, then you will have to get your foot in the door, either by volunteering to work for free with an academic (since internship/visiting oppertunities are rarely funded), or by applying for Master’s programs, where recommendation letters don’t matter as much (unless if you are applying for places like MIT Media Lab) but you will have to fund yourself through the program, which can cost a lot of money.