One thing I’d emphasise is that there’s a pretty big overhead to submitting a single application (getting recommendation letters, writing a generic statement of purpose), but it doesn’t take much effort to apply to more after that (you can rejig your SOP quite easily to fit different universities). Given the application process is noisy and competitive, if you’re submitting one application you should probably submit loads if you can afford the application costs. Good luck to everyone applying! :))
I’ll have to push back on this. I think if there’s one specific program that you’d like to go to, especially if there’s an advisor you have in mind, it’s good to tailor your application to that program. However, this might not apply to the typical reader of this post.
I followed a k strategy with my PhD statements of purpose (and recommendations) rather than an r strategy. I tailored my applications to the specific schools, and it seemed to work pretty decently well. I know of more qualified people who were rejected from a much higher proportion of schools who spent much less time on each application.
(Disclaimer: this is all anecdotal. Also, I was applying for chemistry programs, not AI)
It’s very field-dependent. In ecology & evolution, advisor-student fit is very influential and most programmes are direct admit to a certain professor. The weighting seems different for CS programs, many of which make you choose an advisor after admission (my knowledge is weaker here).
In the UK it’s more funding dependent—grant-funded PhDs are almost entirely dependent on the advisor’s opinion, whereas DTPs/CDTs have different selection criteria and are (imo) more grades-focused.
Strong upvote!
One thing I’d emphasise is that there’s a pretty big overhead to submitting a single application (getting recommendation letters, writing a generic statement of purpose), but it doesn’t take much effort to apply to more after that (you can rejig your SOP quite easily to fit different universities). Given the application process is noisy and competitive, if you’re submitting one application you should probably submit loads if you can afford the application costs. Good luck to everyone applying! :))
I’ll have to push back on this. I think if there’s one specific program that you’d like to go to, especially if there’s an advisor you have in mind, it’s good to tailor your application to that program. However, this might not apply to the typical reader of this post.
I followed a k strategy with my PhD statements of purpose (and recommendations) rather than an r strategy. I tailored my applications to the specific schools, and it seemed to work pretty decently well. I know of more qualified people who were rejected from a much higher proportion of schools who spent much less time on each application.
(Disclaimer: this is all anecdotal. Also, I was applying for chemistry programs, not AI)
It’s very field-dependent. In ecology & evolution, advisor-student fit is very influential and most programmes are direct admit to a certain professor. The weighting seems different for CS programs, many of which make you choose an advisor after admission (my knowledge is weaker here).
In the UK it’s more funding dependent—grant-funded PhDs are almost entirely dependent on the advisor’s opinion, whereas DTPs/CDTs have different selection criteria and are (imo) more grades-focused.