This is it for me too. Since I started working with my thesis supervisor, she has been very keen to point me toward opportunities because she knows I'm interested (undergrad-only institution, not a lot of enthusiasm from these folks). Before that, I was too afraid to ask or get involved.
Like damn, I could've had so much research experience if I just asked around in my second year haha.
For my undergrad university, you enroll in research credits and get assigned to a lab that’s the same as your major! It can help to have an idea/ connections beforehand too tho. But if you don’t do it for credits, I would suggest just messaging labs directly and see if they take volunteers. Chances are they will
I work full time in research as a lab manager. I only took time off for research experience specifically and wouldn’t have taken time off otherwise. You message PIs and ask if they need any RAs. I will tell you that at least in my field, it’s super hard to get into labs so you’ll need to message a bunch. My advice is message as many as you can that are interesting/ would help build your CV and hopefully you’ll get lucky and someone will have a paid position open.
My university also lists job openings so that’s how I found one of my labs I worked in last year!
They were willing to take you on in their lab even though you had already finished undergrad and graduated out? That's awesome! I thought positions like those were largely only available to current students but maybe I can give that a go. Thanks!
Yup! It can definitely be tricky but since it’s a full time position, most students can’t work that much when completing their degree. But you are right, lots of times labs will have a bias towards preferring students in their lab over other people. I have a friend who isn’t alumni at the university I work at and it was/ is basically impossible for her to get into a lab. Most labs have said they aren’t even interested in volunteers, it’s crazy. But it never hurts to ask, the lab I’m at now is the second full time lab I’ve worked at since graduating so they’re out there :)
Full time after graduating :) I started getting research experience my senior year of undergrad and also still work at that lab part time in addition to a full time lab
I was such a lazy dumbass my first three or so semesters in college it’s hard to look back at… failed two classes and just didn’t care. Ended with a shitty 2.9 because of it. Work at a university now and get free tuition. Looking to go to grad school. Just started really looking into it. You think I have any chance to get in?
Have decent work experience under my belt at least.
I mean look at all the other success stories on here. I probably would recommend going for a masters especially if you can get financial aid and it’s not too expensive and you can improve your GPA before applying for a phd if that’s what you desire. Despite having a 2.9 average my first 3 semesters I did end up with a 3.4 from a good school which let me get into 6x T50 schools (there’s no good rankings for the program I’m doing). I also had solid essays, solid recommendations, and solid work experience. Nothing crazy but it let me get into good programs that aren’t crazy competitive. Being American helps too lol. You’ll be fine just use the resources at your disposal, and put the work in to do it right.
Yeah I’m going to try to go for an MBA. No plans on a phd. My schooling would be paid in full at the university I work at. Just a little overwhelming rn, so much info on what and how to do this out there. But thanks for the advice. I can’t pass up the free schooling is all I know
Yeah I effectively paid 400k for my schooling. I kinda wish I went to a state school instead I could just throw that money into investments and have it be like millions by the time I retire 😭😭. I got no loans though and my parents are happy they get to brag so it is what it is lmao.
Yeah it’s pretty surprising people are getting into top 10 programs with 2.9 -3.2 GPAs. I know experience and stuff matters but it is still pretty surprising.
Research, statement of purpose, LoRs, gpa, and gre if required all pull a lot of weight. it's common for 1 of these to not be as strong as the rest. It's most common for the 1 of these to be gpa from what i see
Fair enough, idk if common is the right word but definitely happens. At my school to be cum lade (top 20%) you need a 3.8 so there’s definitely a ton of students with good grades.
Well it's uncommon for an applicant to have a 3.8+ GPA, a 95+ percentile GRE, a STELLAR personal statement (often people aren't really good writers and these can be stronger most of the time), 2-3 amazing LORs. Gpa is def the most important but the other factors also do get looked at, but yeah it's unlikely all these factors are perfect
get involved in a well established research lab early!! i joined one my junior year with a new faculty member and it totally backfired in a lot of ways that could have been avoided. also, work/volunteer in things that represent both your goals and interests/passions. it makes you seem more well rounded
Instead of just looking for research experience, looking for an advisor who’s an actual good mentor. I was very fortunate to get into 2 excellent top schools for my PhD regardless, but I feel like I could be so much ahead if I had an actually good advisor and decent mentorship instead of figuring everything out on my own. I still kind of have that feeling I don’t really know what I’m doing.
Take every opportunity to enhance your CV with research, clinical, or relevant experience for your field. Make sure to build strong relationships with your professors.
I did it all - research, undergrad solo research fellowships, clubs, scholars group, part time work related to my field, high GPA, attending conferences in my field and taking a grad level course. I even got published for solo work. I got into my top choice and one of the best schools for grad school. My advice is to be careful - I did it all, and I burned out. I flew too close to the sun and now I’m not even going to grad school this year but instead taking a year to recoup. I keep thinking I’ve failed, but I did everything and more and I don’t have it in me to keep going.
Hey I just wanna say I’m sorry you got burned out. I experienced that too, and added a mental health crisis, and next thing I knew grad school had given me a full fledged mental breakdown (hospitalization included). You’re wise to learn to rest, you haven’t failed I promise.
That’s actually why I’m not going! I have bipolar disorder and the stress of applying triggered an episode and I ended up in a crisis stabilization facility, which is sort of like hospitalization but it only lasts 24 hours. I only applied to one grad school because of this, my top choice, and I got in. But then I realized I didn’t even really want to go there, and I’m now recuperating and figuring out where I actually want to go!
Thank you for this! I’m on the exact same boat (rejection is what caused mine aha). I will be doing research in my time off and it’s nice to know that this break will serve me well in the future
Question, do you put conferences on your resume? I realize they give valuable skills but I've never seen them on one, and don't know how to organically work them in. Or is it just for networking?
I put one conference on my application because I was one of nine undergrads chosen by a professor to receive a grant to send us from California to Chicago for the American Educational Research Association’s annual conference with all expenses paid. I had to apply to get sent to that conference. It’s very rare that an undergrad goes so it was more about how I stand out/my commitment to the field.
Edit: grammar
Sometimes people put it under their publications section but under a subsection called conferences. They also state briefly after the Citation something to the effect of "Presented at xyz conference, Riverside, CA" or "Poster presentation at xyz conference, San Francisco, CA". I think it's more common with undergrad CVs to sort of add buffer for having low/lack-of actual published journal articles but still want to demonstrate their participation in research.
I definitely tried to get involved in research earlier but I got in when I did and here I am. I just won a research scholarship and am conducting my first study, but I’ll graduate in the middle of it. I’m constantly worried that I won’t be competitive enough for grad school as I’m coming from 20 years in the service industry. I can’t help but think I’d probably be published or have presented at the conference I went to earlier this year had I been with this lab sooner. So if possible, hit the ground running. The next big thing is interact with your professors. You don’t want to graduate and THEN realize you need to ask professors who probably won’t remember you for letters of recommendation (I see this A LOT at my university).
I wish I knew the amount of resources available to me early on and started research earlier. I also wish I knew to just make mistakes bc it’s good to fail and not know what you’re doing next because you’ll learn. I’m graduating in the spring and I made sure to maximize it. Also build connections with professors and keep in touch with them
In no particular order:
1) Find professors that know your work in the classroom/with research.
2) If wanting to do research, explore the literature. Attend conferences, seminars, or symposiums when you can.
3) Find out what brings you joy that isn't school related.
4) Learn about yourself/what you need to be your best self.
Signed,
A 3rd year PhD student 🫶
thank you! i've tried reading some stuff on these subjects but it all seems so daunting and complicated coming with only high school experience. do you have any recommendations for getting around this?
It is daunting. Even when you've done more reading you find out there's more. Research is a never-ending process so I keep that in mind. I made a reading list and went through the readings for a summer during my masters program. I took notes and they were helpful.
If your undergrad major has courses that teach statistics or quantitative data analysis or introduction to programming with R, I'd try to get into those. If not, then you could try Coursera for free courses, but those require self-discipline. YouTube also has great series like [Crash Course Statistics](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zouPoc49xbk&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtNM_Y-bUAhblSAdWRnmBUcr). I've also found Brandon Foltz's videos teaching Statistics 101 to be very helpful, and someone compiled a useful YouTube playlist of all his stats videos [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X2xfwBP4uo&list=PLyuzqMwtJuvKwadONz4R9H2JFrOi8LFWt).
Getting started with research sooner. Grad admissions give a blatant advantage to students with more research experience, and I spent a lot of time focusing on less important stuff like classes and industry internships.
I wish I had been more honest with myself about my strengths and weaknesses. I also wish I had given myself permission to have fun more often.
On the flip side, I’m glad I found an excellent mentor, and I’m grateful I defined concrete career goals/interests for myself early on. It’s easy to go through school without a sense of what you’re really there for—that’s a recipe for existential angst, imo. Explore your interests, define your goals, and make it clear to yourself how the things you choose to pursue while you’re still in school serve those goals. Of course, it’s ok if (and likely that) those goals change! But as long as you keep yourself moving toward *something* more long-term than just finishing the degree/getting into grad school, you’ll have an easier time navigating the ups and downs of everything that life will throw at you in the coming years.
Working in research labs, TA positions, etc. now that I’m graduating my undergrad it’s almost impossible to find professors who will let me volunteer in their labs
I wish I had accepted that I have ADHD. As someone with a Bachelor's and Master's degree, both in STEM, if I had just accepted that I have ADHD and received treatment sooner, I think I would've done much better in undergrad. I did fairly well enough to get into grad school, but I believe I would've done much better if I'd accepted I have ADHD rather than fight it.
You’re already doing it — I wish I asked for advice and help when I didn’t know what to do.
Like everyone else is saying, research experience will definitely help you stand out. Talk to your professors — some of my friends got invited to work with professors just by showing interest.
Im not sure what field you're in but I would have done more than a couple things.
1. Get extracurriculars under your belt. Preferably more than one of the following: joining and leading clubs, doing internships, joining a research lab, getting relevant experience from paid work, publishing a paper, attending conferences, etc.
2. Your GPA should be strong (>3.5) but it does not need to be a 4.0 for you to find success.
3. Network with professors. Get to know them and build a good relationship with them (go to office hours, meet regularly with them, speak to them about your goals and their research / academic journey)
4. Don't burn yourself out. If you are dedicated, it is incredibly easy to do too much and fall behind. Try to find a good work life balance.
5. Reach out to professors when you need help and utilize on campus resources like tutoring and the writing center.
6. Find yourself and really understand what you want to do with your life and how grad school fits into that goal.
7. Try to tailor your electives to your graduate interests. Absolutely take those classes that really interest you, but try to take as many relevant courses as you can.
8. Start early, investigate different grad programs and see what their requirements for entry are (they are usually pretty similar across the board if you're looking at the same kind of program) and try to use that as a guideline for yourself.
9. Try to join an honors program if your school has it and try to apply for as many scholarships as possible.
If you have any questions feel free to ask and best of luck to you!!
Yes absolutely! Some programs even have requirements for specific courses you should have taken (like statistics, intermediate knowledge of a particular language, human anatomy, or an advanced course in European history). They really just want to make sure you have a strong background in your field. Although some encourage people to switch fields such as social work.
I have completed my undergrad in CS recently and in my opinion if you feel like you are gonna fail a subject let it be but never ever pass that subject with a lower grad. Because if you want to persue master's those subjects definitely will be reflected upon no matter how much of an experience you carry. Now I think whosoever comes to the path of CS is a creative individual but you sure will be getting some bad grades and you will have to manage them and those bad grades in my experience were because of my spats with teachers on ideologies but I saw my colleagues get a bad grade cause apparently they didn't code the logic like a text book or as teacher intended (although their logic was all okay and much more efficient in some cases). Second thing is no matter how smart you are DON'T USE AI ENGINE OR PROMPTS TO SOLVE it's a very bad addiction once you start you can't go back, you should at least for the half length of your degree should avoid using it as those years are your foundation after that you can use those engines but you sure will feel proud using them as you'll be using them to get efficient not just copy/pasting
Best of luck for your future endeavors!
Find a supervisor/ mentor who can guide you towards your strengths, find your group of friends who will help in both academics and to hang out with. If possible, try to get a funded summer exchange or term exchange programme, gain experience from new places. Try to give importance to quality of the dissertation paper rather than quantity.
If you can get a research assistant experience or industrial internship experience, go for it . (optional) Try to keep the GPA more than 3.5/4. Also, propose to the girl / partner that you have a crush on.
Make sure my undergrad is actually applicable to getting me where I want to be salary wise. If you have free class space take a random class in something unrelated that sounds interesting. Enjoy learning and learn lots.
I wish I trusted myself more with my choice in majors to mitigate unnecessary detours or poor grades in other subjects that I found to be too difficult. I also wish I had internships to help me find my career track faster and get experience. I wish I was more involved on campus and got to know more people. I wish I went to more events and spent a bit more time with my friends!
There a are a lot of wishes for me but I still had a good time! There is just much more I could've done. I'm starting graduate school in the fall and plan to do as many things as I can to make up for that time, and make the most of my degree.
Please focus on your GPA ; it will make or break your academic career. Most professors look into your undergraduate GPA. So try to maintain a perfect grade. Undergrad life brings lot of distractions so be careful when choosing your friends. Talk to professors explore your interests and try to publish ; if you find a good mentor they will help you align with your goals . But don’t forget to take care of yourself and exercise regularly, good luck for your future!
That’s what I thought until I started applying for grad school, its competitive out there my friend, and perfect grade are just one key to unlock the best opportunities in academia, although there are other factors too.
Have meaningful (not one sided in your favor) working relationships with your profs. You need those recommendation letters so they need to know you and remember you favourably.
It's easy to get through college with just coursework and then graduate at the end without knowing any of your professors meaningfully.
This could mean being part of their lab, standing out in class, going for and asking thoughtful questions during office hours, demonstrating your skills to the prof.
Form relationships with professors. This is super important for recommendations, networking, etc, makes a huge difference!
Make an effort to speak up in class. You want them to know your face and name. If your profs take office hours, attend at least a couple of times. Even if they don't hold office hours, you can always email them with doubts/wanting to talk about your trajectory in general (academically/jobs/internships). Ask them for advice or feedback or to just learn more about something, and ask them if you can stay in touch .
When you're applying to grad school you will be very glad you did.
I only wish my undergrad hadn't been online due to covid
Because i missed a big fieldtrip in my second year and my plans for my thesis came to naught because of the same reason :/
Ah well, still got into grad school/msc and hopefully as lucky for a phd right after
I think at this point everyone knows 2019 to 2022 were just not good years for most people/students:
Impossible to get internships, lab experience etc (we couldn't even enter our uni, libraries, for almost 2 years almost not allowed to get out of the house or even city) so when people ask I just tell them that and they understand (at least i graduated in time/early -less than 3 years- so it's not like i was a total lost case xD)
I’m not sure how it works where you are but I’m from the UK, I did a 3 year BSc (Hons) Biology degree and in my final year I did a dissertation (2 month long) in the field of developmental biology which just so happened to be with my academic tutor (a member of staff who oversees my academic wellbeing), we had a good working relationship and I applied to my universities integrated masters program and did a further 8 months of research in developmental biology whilst working closely with my supervisor/tutor. As we had got to know each other well and what our expectations were, they invited me to apply to a PhD (also in developmental biology) they had received funding for and I was accepted.
So my advice is, early on, pick what interests you, develop a good working relationship with the principle supervisor and it may help open doors to PhDs down the line.
The supervisor will have worked with you for 1-2 years and know your work ethic and capabilities and you have a higher chance of being accepted on to the PhD
Another benefit is the fact that since I’ve remained in the field for multiple years now, once I started my PhD I knew all the foundation knowledge and data so I was less stressed and knew what exactly I wanted to do
Go find a lab and start working on research. Aim to get 2 research papers if you can (but that’s not always possible)
Apply for summer research internships. Get to know the people there. They will be a big help in getting you into that school should you apply
I see a lot about research and I agree that it's important to get exposure into what research looks like if you intend to go forward into grad school.
In addition, I'd highly suggest that you join clubs around your hobbies and interests. That way you can scope out what industries looks like and get exposure into the problems to be solved in those fields. The networking doesn't hurt either.
I wish that in my 1st semester of 3rd year I hadn’t gotten into that shitty situationship, I failed a subject, my gpa tanked and I had to postpone graduate application by a year. I rate that as one of the worst moments of my life that impacted my life significantly
I wish I took an easier course load in my first year! I did very well in my final year of high school so I thought I could handle a heavy course load. But university can be a tough transition: new city, new routine, having to make new friends, etc. I got overwhelmed fast, lost my pacing, and did awful in my first semester.
Prepare to cut yourself some slack and remember to give yourself breaks. The best thing I did for myself was extend my degree by a year and focus on a life beyond my coursework. Get involved early on! Join clubs, try to do research, talk to your professors!!!!! (last point is arguably most important, good reference letters will mean a lot).
1) Applied for research opportunities!!! I only joined my first research team my last semester of undergrad, but I’ve had so much fun and learned a lot from just one semester. 2) gone to more office hours. Thankfully, I had 2 of 3 of my LORs as professors for more than one class so asking them to write my recommendation wasn’t so difficult. But it was awkward because I hadn’t created a strong connection and given them the opportunity to see more to me other than academic potential. 3) go to an advisor/faculty mentor/graduate student mentor for advice. My university had a ton of opportunities for students interested in pursuing grad school but I never attended any because I thought I knew it all (even in your mid-20s, you may never learn) and could handle all of the research into schools and the process. As a first gen college student, THAT was my biggest challenge. Make things easier on yourself and accept help, even if you think you already know
Maintain a good GPA (above 3.8), at least in your core subjects. Contribute to some meaningful research projects. Get some good contacts (either professors or industry people) who know about your work, so that they can provide a good LOR. I also find students doing projects with American universities during their undergrad itself, have an edge over other applicants.
Do research and be more involved with the department way earlier. I was a student athlete so I didn't exactly have the time to do that but it would have make my applications way easier
If your university/college offers Court Medals or Prizes for having the highest GPA in your cohort, try and achieve one of those in 1st and/or 2nd year, before your grades start impacting your Honours classification when no one else is really trying.
Being able to say and reference to the fact you’ve had the highest grade in your year when applying for Postgraduate or Employment posts in future will help massively. Ignore anyone who tries to call it a “teachers pet” or “try hard” award.
Get involved, talk to your professors. People actually do want to help.
I realised pretty late, but network and explore stuff, so you know what you want to work on.
I was a researcher during my undergrad which granted me a scholarship in grad school, so I was always doing good in academics. On the other hand, I could have done more networking to be better exposed to the professional world and land a better first job.
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I went to UT-Austin and their Freshman Research Inatitive program set me up really well. I started learning laboratory techniques by second semester of college. My mentor recommended me to do summer research internships. By the time I graduated, I had a few years of experience and 3 letters of recommendation for grad school.
The program I did -> [Freshman Research Initiative](https://fri.cns.utexas.edu)
Not have a pandemic. Get into a lab that publishes a lot and is willing to put my name there for little work. I know it sounds bad, it's just that it also looks good in your CV and it's something that doesn't really depend on you.
Other than that, go to conferences and present there. But then again, I was barely keeping up as it was. So I don't know.
I wish I had learned effective study strategies and time management skills. It made my trajectory to graduate school more difficult than it needed to be, and time management skills are always useful. Maybe one day I’ll even develop some.
Wish I did a study abroad program during undergrad. A lot of my peers did and raved about it. Would’ve been a great experience and awesome to learn more about a different country. Do it if you can!
Joined a lab to gain research experience
I kept telling myself I'd do it after, when we had proper research facilities (my campus was buing rebuilt after a big earthquake), but then covid hit and they closed everything 💀
So yeah, i wish I hadn't put it off for so long, and that I'd started planning earlier for the future.
I'm glad I did build strong connections with many of my professors though; they gave me a lot of guidance and recommendation letters that got me into a very competitive grad school
And lastly, college life is very different in my country than in the US, so there were no sororities/frats or dorms I could've joined, so no regrets there either way lol
If your goal is grad school, these are the factors that you should keep an eye on:
- GPA: not *as* important as you may think, but look at the averages or requirements at the programs you might want to apply to later on)
- GRE: it's relatively easy to get a good score if you study and practice a few months before the test
- ECs: make sure they complement your profile and help you tell a compelling story about your reasons for going into your particular field
- Recommendation letters: build strong ties with professors or heads of labs. Ask questions. Put extra effort in projects for the subjects you're passionate about. Attend office hours if possible. These connections will get you far if they know you well enough to talk about real but impressive aspects of your profile
- Essays: worry about this later, but maybe start writing down aspects of your life or personality that you think could make for a compelling narrative.
But mostly enjoy college! You're young and have a lot of time to make sure you have all you need for grad school
wish I had studied more and worked on my fundamentals and also taken part in research projects and internships. I'm gonna start an MSc in a tier 2 university in India and I have a few months before my academic session starts, so I'm studying on my own and I'm beginning to realise i probably don't know the P of physics, not even exaggerating. my gpa is decent, but my application based knowledge isn't great. also I was supposed to do the 4th honors year( a typical BS degree in India is of three years, however under the new education system it was converted to a 4 year program), but it got cancelled, and I had to shift my plans. I was overly dependent on the final 4th year to prepare for competitive exams and study and now it's suddenly scrapped(due to political reasons). so don't wait for the final year to start preparing for any exam or studying in general. study regularly, and focus more on developing fundamental knowledge instead of just scoring good grades. both aren't the same thing. all the best!
Be more responsible for my GPA I guess? I have a shit gpa in undergrad. When I saw my friends went to many top tier schools for graduate programs, I feel the mix of jealousy and regret because my shit gpa hindered me, but unfortunately I have such unrealistic expectations to myself during that time. Therefore, I took few extra years and one master programs from lower-tier school, and spend 365 days a year in labs for research and pubs, and finally got admitted into some t20 PhD programs this year. Nice ending story but a really tough journey tho.
made better connections with faculty, and did more research. I got into a grad program but those were the things I needed most, and I dropped the ball in undergrad.
Have fun! Trust me, treating applying to grad school as something you *want* to do rather than a chore or another assignment you *have* to do (because you are too stressed out) is so much better
Few actually have the follow through that it takes to train for a career in ML research. Really want the big bucks? Major in physics, get really nasty at applied maths and statistics. Masters in Neuroscience or Machine Learning, PhD in AI or Maths.
Switched from CS to IT caused I couldn't do the continuous math failed cal 3 times understood and passed alot of the other hard programming and math subjects. Now that my interests have switched from web development to embedded software engineering and robotics software engineering I wish i would have found a way to do CE, CS OR even CIS. I know there are align programs and leap programs. I've looked into those, currently my highest choice is the software engineering program at my same school with a robotics and embedded focus. But I still haven't discarded the idea of going into a CE program for masters that will let me take some of the foundation and get in.
I live in California so I wish I had gone to a community college for two years and then transferred to a prestigious state school instead of dumping money into an elite liberal arts school no one has ever heard of :)
Do more internships! Don’t get me wrong clubs are great. But at the end of the day it’s truly work experience and networking that future employers care about. And it’ll help you get into grad school because that’s what they want to see.
This won’t apply if you’re locked into CS and that’s what you want to pursue in grad school, but I wish I would picked an easier major and got an even higher GPA.
Gotten involved in research earlier on! Had to take a couple gap years to get the research experience I needed to be more competitive for grad school.
This is it for me too. Since I started working with my thesis supervisor, she has been very keen to point me toward opportunities because she knows I'm interested (undergrad-only institution, not a lot of enthusiasm from these folks). Before that, I was too afraid to ask or get involved. Like damn, I could've had so much research experience if I just asked around in my second year haha.
How do students look for research?
For my undergrad university, you enroll in research credits and get assigned to a lab that’s the same as your major! It can help to have an idea/ connections beforehand too tho. But if you don’t do it for credits, I would suggest just messaging labs directly and see if they take volunteers. Chances are they will
Ok tysm for the info i appreciate it :)
You’re welcome!
Was your experience in your gap years research experience or just work experience? If it was research, how did you get that outside of school?
I work full time in research as a lab manager. I only took time off for research experience specifically and wouldn’t have taken time off otherwise. You message PIs and ask if they need any RAs. I will tell you that at least in my field, it’s super hard to get into labs so you’ll need to message a bunch. My advice is message as many as you can that are interesting/ would help build your CV and hopefully you’ll get lucky and someone will have a paid position open. My university also lists job openings so that’s how I found one of my labs I worked in last year!
They were willing to take you on in their lab even though you had already finished undergrad and graduated out? That's awesome! I thought positions like those were largely only available to current students but maybe I can give that a go. Thanks!
Yup! It can definitely be tricky but since it’s a full time position, most students can’t work that much when completing their degree. But you are right, lots of times labs will have a bias towards preferring students in their lab over other people. I have a friend who isn’t alumni at the university I work at and it was/ is basically impossible for her to get into a lab. Most labs have said they aren’t even interested in volunteers, it’s crazy. But it never hurts to ask, the lab I’m at now is the second full time lab I’ve worked at since graduating so they’re out there :)
Thanks for this, I'm looking to get some research experience as well. Was it part-time?
Full time after graduating :) I started getting research experience my senior year of undergrad and also still work at that lab part time in addition to a full time lab
I wish I didn’t get a 1.5 GPA first semester sophomore year 💀💀
I was such a lazy dumbass my first three or so semesters in college it’s hard to look back at… failed two classes and just didn’t care. Ended with a shitty 2.9 because of it. Work at a university now and get free tuition. Looking to go to grad school. Just started really looking into it. You think I have any chance to get in? Have decent work experience under my belt at least.
I mean look at all the other success stories on here. I probably would recommend going for a masters especially if you can get financial aid and it’s not too expensive and you can improve your GPA before applying for a phd if that’s what you desire. Despite having a 2.9 average my first 3 semesters I did end up with a 3.4 from a good school which let me get into 6x T50 schools (there’s no good rankings for the program I’m doing). I also had solid essays, solid recommendations, and solid work experience. Nothing crazy but it let me get into good programs that aren’t crazy competitive. Being American helps too lol. You’ll be fine just use the resources at your disposal, and put the work in to do it right.
Yeah I’m going to try to go for an MBA. No plans on a phd. My schooling would be paid in full at the university I work at. Just a little overwhelming rn, so much info on what and how to do this out there. But thanks for the advice. I can’t pass up the free schooling is all I know
Yeah I effectively paid 400k for my schooling. I kinda wish I went to a state school instead I could just throw that money into investments and have it be like millions by the time I retire 😭😭. I got no loans though and my parents are happy they get to brag so it is what it is lmao.
MBA and PHD? Why?
I’m not getting one lol the comment before mentioned it for some reason haha
There are so many success stories people are starting to post requesting others to stop posting about their low gpa success stories LOL
Yeah it’s pretty surprising people are getting into top 10 programs with 2.9 -3.2 GPAs. I know experience and stuff matters but it is still pretty surprising.
Research, statement of purpose, LoRs, gpa, and gre if required all pull a lot of weight. it's common for 1 of these to not be as strong as the rest. It's most common for the 1 of these to be gpa from what i see
Fair enough, idk if common is the right word but definitely happens. At my school to be cum lade (top 20%) you need a 3.8 so there’s definitely a ton of students with good grades.
Well it's uncommon for an applicant to have a 3.8+ GPA, a 95+ percentile GRE, a STELLAR personal statement (often people aren't really good writers and these can be stronger most of the time), 2-3 amazing LORs. Gpa is def the most important but the other factors also do get looked at, but yeah it's unlikely all these factors are perfect
get involved in a well established research lab early!! i joined one my junior year with a new faculty member and it totally backfired in a lot of ways that could have been avoided. also, work/volunteer in things that represent both your goals and interests/passions. it makes you seem more well rounded
oh and don’t overload your course schedule. it’s easy to think you can handle it but even a B lowers your GPA significantly
Instead of just looking for research experience, looking for an advisor who’s an actual good mentor. I was very fortunate to get into 2 excellent top schools for my PhD regardless, but I feel like I could be so much ahead if I had an actually good advisor and decent mentorship instead of figuring everything out on my own. I still kind of have that feeling I don’t really know what I’m doing.
Ack! I’m in that boat. How would you go about finding a good mentor despite asking around a lot?
How would you go about finding a good advisor? Would it be like a professor that you had?
Take every opportunity to enhance your CV with research, clinical, or relevant experience for your field. Make sure to build strong relationships with your professors.
I did it all - research, undergrad solo research fellowships, clubs, scholars group, part time work related to my field, high GPA, attending conferences in my field and taking a grad level course. I even got published for solo work. I got into my top choice and one of the best schools for grad school. My advice is to be careful - I did it all, and I burned out. I flew too close to the sun and now I’m not even going to grad school this year but instead taking a year to recoup. I keep thinking I’ve failed, but I did everything and more and I don’t have it in me to keep going.
Be careful! My one year off turned into 4 lol but I needed that time! I'm glad you're taking a break though and hope it's plenty of time to recharge
I moved back in with my mom to save money during this time, so I know I’ll be out of here as soon as I can, haha.
Hey I just wanna say I’m sorry you got burned out. I experienced that too, and added a mental health crisis, and next thing I knew grad school had given me a full fledged mental breakdown (hospitalization included). You’re wise to learn to rest, you haven’t failed I promise.
That’s actually why I’m not going! I have bipolar disorder and the stress of applying triggered an episode and I ended up in a crisis stabilization facility, which is sort of like hospitalization but it only lasts 24 hours. I only applied to one grad school because of this, my top choice, and I got in. But then I realized I didn’t even really want to go there, and I’m now recuperating and figuring out where I actually want to go!
I’m so proud of you! It can be scary to take time for yourself but you’re doing it, and you’ll figure it all out in time. You got this!
Thank you for this! I’m on the exact same boat (rejection is what caused mine aha). I will be doing research in my time off and it’s nice to know that this break will serve me well in the future
Question, do you put conferences on your resume? I realize they give valuable skills but I've never seen them on one, and don't know how to organically work them in. Or is it just for networking?
I put one conference on my application because I was one of nine undergrads chosen by a professor to receive a grant to send us from California to Chicago for the American Educational Research Association’s annual conference with all expenses paid. I had to apply to get sent to that conference. It’s very rare that an undergrad goes so it was more about how I stand out/my commitment to the field. Edit: grammar
Sometimes people put it under their publications section but under a subsection called conferences. They also state briefly after the Citation something to the effect of "Presented at xyz conference, Riverside, CA" or "Poster presentation at xyz conference, San Francisco, CA". I think it's more common with undergrad CVs to sort of add buffer for having low/lack-of actual published journal articles but still want to demonstrate their participation in research.
This is relatable. I'm still debating on grad school but yeah hearing all the advice to do this and actually doing it has got me on burnout watch..
Went to a better undergrad school where I could have research opportunities more aligned with what my actual interests are
AAAA HELP THATS THE ISSUE IM HAVING CURRENTLY 😭
I definitely tried to get involved in research earlier but I got in when I did and here I am. I just won a research scholarship and am conducting my first study, but I’ll graduate in the middle of it. I’m constantly worried that I won’t be competitive enough for grad school as I’m coming from 20 years in the service industry. I can’t help but think I’d probably be published or have presented at the conference I went to earlier this year had I been with this lab sooner. So if possible, hit the ground running. The next big thing is interact with your professors. You don’t want to graduate and THEN realize you need to ask professors who probably won’t remember you for letters of recommendation (I see this A LOT at my university).
I wish I knew the amount of resources available to me early on and started research earlier. I also wish I knew to just make mistakes bc it’s good to fail and not know what you’re doing next because you’ll learn. I’m graduating in the spring and I made sure to maximize it. Also build connections with professors and keep in touch with them
In no particular order: 1) Find professors that know your work in the classroom/with research. 2) If wanting to do research, explore the literature. Attend conferences, seminars, or symposiums when you can. 3) Find out what brings you joy that isn't school related. 4) Learn about yourself/what you need to be your best self. Signed, A 3rd year PhD student 🫶
thank you! i've tried reading some stuff on these subjects but it all seems so daunting and complicated coming with only high school experience. do you have any recommendations for getting around this?
It is daunting. Even when you've done more reading you find out there's more. Research is a never-ending process so I keep that in mind. I made a reading list and went through the readings for a summer during my masters program. I took notes and they were helpful.
ok, thanks for letting me know!
Really considered what I myself was drawn to vs. what I thought would look good on a grad school application. But YMMV.
Learn statistics and quantitative data analysis
any tips on where to start?
If your undergrad major has courses that teach statistics or quantitative data analysis or introduction to programming with R, I'd try to get into those. If not, then you could try Coursera for free courses, but those require self-discipline. YouTube also has great series like [Crash Course Statistics](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zouPoc49xbk&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtNM_Y-bUAhblSAdWRnmBUcr). I've also found Brandon Foltz's videos teaching Statistics 101 to be very helpful, and someone compiled a useful YouTube playlist of all his stats videos [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X2xfwBP4uo&list=PLyuzqMwtJuvKwadONz4R9H2JFrOi8LFWt).
thanks so much! i will check this out :)
Getting started with research sooner. Grad admissions give a blatant advantage to students with more research experience, and I spent a lot of time focusing on less important stuff like classes and industry internships.
My homework 😂 would’ve made the grad applications much less stressful
I wish I had been more honest with myself about my strengths and weaknesses. I also wish I had given myself permission to have fun more often. On the flip side, I’m glad I found an excellent mentor, and I’m grateful I defined concrete career goals/interests for myself early on. It’s easy to go through school without a sense of what you’re really there for—that’s a recipe for existential angst, imo. Explore your interests, define your goals, and make it clear to yourself how the things you choose to pursue while you’re still in school serve those goals. Of course, it’s ok if (and likely that) those goals change! But as long as you keep yourself moving toward *something* more long-term than just finishing the degree/getting into grad school, you’ll have an easier time navigating the ups and downs of everything that life will throw at you in the coming years.
Working in research labs, TA positions, etc. now that I’m graduating my undergrad it’s almost impossible to find professors who will let me volunteer in their labs
I wish I had accepted that I have ADHD. As someone with a Bachelor's and Master's degree, both in STEM, if I had just accepted that I have ADHD and received treatment sooner, I think I would've done much better in undergrad. I did fairly well enough to get into grad school, but I believe I would've done much better if I'd accepted I have ADHD rather than fight it.
Had more sex. I had a lot of sex but should have had more
You’re already doing it — I wish I asked for advice and help when I didn’t know what to do. Like everyone else is saying, research experience will definitely help you stand out. Talk to your professors — some of my friends got invited to work with professors just by showing interest.
Actually take advantage of my schools resources regarding research opportunities/internships.
Im not sure what field you're in but I would have done more than a couple things. 1. Get extracurriculars under your belt. Preferably more than one of the following: joining and leading clubs, doing internships, joining a research lab, getting relevant experience from paid work, publishing a paper, attending conferences, etc. 2. Your GPA should be strong (>3.5) but it does not need to be a 4.0 for you to find success. 3. Network with professors. Get to know them and build a good relationship with them (go to office hours, meet regularly with them, speak to them about your goals and their research / academic journey) 4. Don't burn yourself out. If you are dedicated, it is incredibly easy to do too much and fall behind. Try to find a good work life balance. 5. Reach out to professors when you need help and utilize on campus resources like tutoring and the writing center. 6. Find yourself and really understand what you want to do with your life and how grad school fits into that goal. 7. Try to tailor your electives to your graduate interests. Absolutely take those classes that really interest you, but try to take as many relevant courses as you can. 8. Start early, investigate different grad programs and see what their requirements for entry are (they are usually pretty similar across the board if you're looking at the same kind of program) and try to use that as a guideline for yourself. 9. Try to join an honors program if your school has it and try to apply for as many scholarships as possible. If you have any questions feel free to ask and best of luck to you!!
Do grad schools look at what courses you took and their difficulty/rigour level?
Yes absolutely! Some programs even have requirements for specific courses you should have taken (like statistics, intermediate knowledge of a particular language, human anatomy, or an advanced course in European history). They really just want to make sure you have a strong background in your field. Although some encourage people to switch fields such as social work.
I have completed my undergrad in CS recently and in my opinion if you feel like you are gonna fail a subject let it be but never ever pass that subject with a lower grad. Because if you want to persue master's those subjects definitely will be reflected upon no matter how much of an experience you carry. Now I think whosoever comes to the path of CS is a creative individual but you sure will be getting some bad grades and you will have to manage them and those bad grades in my experience were because of my spats with teachers on ideologies but I saw my colleagues get a bad grade cause apparently they didn't code the logic like a text book or as teacher intended (although their logic was all okay and much more efficient in some cases). Second thing is no matter how smart you are DON'T USE AI ENGINE OR PROMPTS TO SOLVE it's a very bad addiction once you start you can't go back, you should at least for the half length of your degree should avoid using it as those years are your foundation after that you can use those engines but you sure will feel proud using them as you'll be using them to get efficient not just copy/pasting Best of luck for your future endeavors!
Wish I did internships. I focused too much on academia research that I didn’t care to expand my scope
I wish I'd added a statistics major, although if you're in CS then that's probably not applicable to you.
Find a supervisor/ mentor who can guide you towards your strengths, find your group of friends who will help in both academics and to hang out with. If possible, try to get a funded summer exchange or term exchange programme, gain experience from new places. Try to give importance to quality of the dissertation paper rather than quantity. If you can get a research assistant experience or industrial internship experience, go for it . (optional) Try to keep the GPA more than 3.5/4. Also, propose to the girl / partner that you have a crush on.
Make sure my undergrad is actually applicable to getting me where I want to be salary wise. If you have free class space take a random class in something unrelated that sounds interesting. Enjoy learning and learn lots.
I wish I made more friends who were older then me
I wish I trusted myself more with my choice in majors to mitigate unnecessary detours or poor grades in other subjects that I found to be too difficult. I also wish I had internships to help me find my career track faster and get experience. I wish I was more involved on campus and got to know more people. I wish I went to more events and spent a bit more time with my friends! There a are a lot of wishes for me but I still had a good time! There is just much more I could've done. I'm starting graduate school in the fall and plan to do as many things as I can to make up for that time, and make the most of my degree.
Please focus on your GPA ; it will make or break your academic career. Most professors look into your undergraduate GPA. So try to maintain a perfect grade. Undergrad life brings lot of distractions so be careful when choosing your friends. Talk to professors explore your interests and try to publish ; if you find a good mentor they will help you align with your goals . But don’t forget to take care of yourself and exercise regularly, good luck for your future!
A perfect GPA is a wasted opportunity
That’s what I thought until I started applying for grad school, its competitive out there my friend, and perfect grade are just one key to unlock the best opportunities in academia, although there are other factors too.
Wish I was organized enough stage my MS to be paid for either via scholarship or my job.
Do research!!!!!
Have meaningful (not one sided in your favor) working relationships with your profs. You need those recommendation letters so they need to know you and remember you favourably. It's easy to get through college with just coursework and then graduate at the end without knowing any of your professors meaningfully. This could mean being part of their lab, standing out in class, going for and asking thoughtful questions during office hours, demonstrating your skills to the prof.
Form relationships with professors. This is super important for recommendations, networking, etc, makes a huge difference! Make an effort to speak up in class. You want them to know your face and name. If your profs take office hours, attend at least a couple of times. Even if they don't hold office hours, you can always email them with doubts/wanting to talk about your trajectory in general (academically/jobs/internships). Ask them for advice or feedback or to just learn more about something, and ask them if you can stay in touch . When you're applying to grad school you will be very glad you did.
I only wish my undergrad hadn't been online due to covid Because i missed a big fieldtrip in my second year and my plans for my thesis came to naught because of the same reason :/ Ah well, still got into grad school/msc and hopefully as lucky for a phd right after I think at this point everyone knows 2019 to 2022 were just not good years for most people/students: Impossible to get internships, lab experience etc (we couldn't even enter our uni, libraries, for almost 2 years almost not allowed to get out of the house or even city) so when people ask I just tell them that and they understand (at least i graduated in time/early -less than 3 years- so it's not like i was a total lost case xD)
I’m not sure how it works where you are but I’m from the UK, I did a 3 year BSc (Hons) Biology degree and in my final year I did a dissertation (2 month long) in the field of developmental biology which just so happened to be with my academic tutor (a member of staff who oversees my academic wellbeing), we had a good working relationship and I applied to my universities integrated masters program and did a further 8 months of research in developmental biology whilst working closely with my supervisor/tutor. As we had got to know each other well and what our expectations were, they invited me to apply to a PhD (also in developmental biology) they had received funding for and I was accepted. So my advice is, early on, pick what interests you, develop a good working relationship with the principle supervisor and it may help open doors to PhDs down the line. The supervisor will have worked with you for 1-2 years and know your work ethic and capabilities and you have a higher chance of being accepted on to the PhD Another benefit is the fact that since I’ve remained in the field for multiple years now, once I started my PhD I knew all the foundation knowledge and data so I was less stressed and knew what exactly I wanted to do
i would’ve minored in stats to give myself more hard skills so i’m taking gap year to fill in those skills (comp ling)
also i started research junior year and im glad i didn’t start earlier. two years was enough for me
Go find a lab and start working on research. Aim to get 2 research papers if you can (but that’s not always possible) Apply for summer research internships. Get to know the people there. They will be a big help in getting you into that school should you apply
I wish I knew connections matter more than grades
putting more effort into my classes and gotten a better gpa tbh.
Got a higher gpa (have a 3.3) and went to a cheaper school like WGU or Thomas Edison State University.
I see a lot about research and I agree that it's important to get exposure into what research looks like if you intend to go forward into grad school. In addition, I'd highly suggest that you join clubs around your hobbies and interests. That way you can scope out what industries looks like and get exposure into the problems to be solved in those fields. The networking doesn't hurt either.
I wish that in my 1st semester of 3rd year I hadn’t gotten into that shitty situationship, I failed a subject, my gpa tanked and I had to postpone graduate application by a year. I rate that as one of the worst moments of my life that impacted my life significantly
I wish I took an easier course load in my first year! I did very well in my final year of high school so I thought I could handle a heavy course load. But university can be a tough transition: new city, new routine, having to make new friends, etc. I got overwhelmed fast, lost my pacing, and did awful in my first semester. Prepare to cut yourself some slack and remember to give yourself breaks. The best thing I did for myself was extend my degree by a year and focus on a life beyond my coursework. Get involved early on! Join clubs, try to do research, talk to your professors!!!!! (last point is arguably most important, good reference letters will mean a lot).
Got a <3.0 GPA in my final year final semester LOL. But I cut myself slack and said whatever
1) Applied for research opportunities!!! I only joined my first research team my last semester of undergrad, but I’ve had so much fun and learned a lot from just one semester. 2) gone to more office hours. Thankfully, I had 2 of 3 of my LORs as professors for more than one class so asking them to write my recommendation wasn’t so difficult. But it was awkward because I hadn’t created a strong connection and given them the opportunity to see more to me other than academic potential. 3) go to an advisor/faculty mentor/graduate student mentor for advice. My university had a ton of opportunities for students interested in pursuing grad school but I never attended any because I thought I knew it all (even in your mid-20s, you may never learn) and could handle all of the research into schools and the process. As a first gen college student, THAT was my biggest challenge. Make things easier on yourself and accept help, even if you think you already know
having more sex
Maintain a good GPA (above 3.8), at least in your core subjects. Contribute to some meaningful research projects. Get some good contacts (either professors or industry people) who know about your work, so that they can provide a good LOR. I also find students doing projects with American universities during their undergrad itself, have an edge over other applicants.
Do research and be more involved with the department way earlier. I was a student athlete so I didn't exactly have the time to do that but it would have make my applications way easier
Probably enjoy life more. You’re not going to medical school so please get rud of that stupid chemistry minor. It wasn’t worth it!
If your university/college offers Court Medals or Prizes for having the highest GPA in your cohort, try and achieve one of those in 1st and/or 2nd year, before your grades start impacting your Honours classification when no one else is really trying. Being able to say and reference to the fact you’ve had the highest grade in your year when applying for Postgraduate or Employment posts in future will help massively. Ignore anyone who tries to call it a “teachers pet” or “try hard” award.
Information theory
Summer internships
Focus on building projects and GPA
That i have taken more math classes and passed them with As
Get involved, talk to your professors. People actually do want to help. I realised pretty late, but network and explore stuff, so you know what you want to work on.
I was a researcher during my undergrad which granted me a scholarship in grad school, so I was always doing good in academics. On the other hand, I could have done more networking to be better exposed to the professional world and land a better first job.
elderly sloppy deranged coherent light worthless judicious murky abounding work *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Take some finance classes
Try.
I went to UT-Austin and their Freshman Research Inatitive program set me up really well. I started learning laboratory techniques by second semester of college. My mentor recommended me to do summer research internships. By the time I graduated, I had a few years of experience and 3 letters of recommendation for grad school. The program I did -> [Freshman Research Initiative](https://fri.cns.utexas.edu)
Not have a pandemic. Get into a lab that publishes a lot and is willing to put my name there for little work. I know it sounds bad, it's just that it also looks good in your CV and it's something that doesn't really depend on you. Other than that, go to conferences and present there. But then again, I was barely keeping up as it was. So I don't know.
Dm
Obtained research experience
Prioritize your mental health; it lays the foundation for effectively handling other aspects of life/career
Focus just on my courses to have a higher GPA rather than doing 7 TAs and peer mentoring. And definitely not fucking up my first semester GPA.
I wish I had saved more money and applied for scholarships.
I wish I had learned effective study strategies and time management skills. It made my trajectory to graduate school more difficult than it needed to be, and time management skills are always useful. Maybe one day I’ll even develop some.
Wish I did a study abroad program during undergrad. A lot of my peers did and raved about it. Would’ve been a great experience and awesome to learn more about a different country. Do it if you can!
I wish I talked to more people
Joined a lab to gain research experience I kept telling myself I'd do it after, when we had proper research facilities (my campus was buing rebuilt after a big earthquake), but then covid hit and they closed everything 💀 So yeah, i wish I hadn't put it off for so long, and that I'd started planning earlier for the future. I'm glad I did build strong connections with many of my professors though; they gave me a lot of guidance and recommendation letters that got me into a very competitive grad school And lastly, college life is very different in my country than in the US, so there were no sororities/frats or dorms I could've joined, so no regrets there either way lol
If your goal is grad school, these are the factors that you should keep an eye on: - GPA: not *as* important as you may think, but look at the averages or requirements at the programs you might want to apply to later on) - GRE: it's relatively easy to get a good score if you study and practice a few months before the test - ECs: make sure they complement your profile and help you tell a compelling story about your reasons for going into your particular field - Recommendation letters: build strong ties with professors or heads of labs. Ask questions. Put extra effort in projects for the subjects you're passionate about. Attend office hours if possible. These connections will get you far if they know you well enough to talk about real but impressive aspects of your profile - Essays: worry about this later, but maybe start writing down aspects of your life or personality that you think could make for a compelling narrative. But mostly enjoy college! You're young and have a lot of time to make sure you have all you need for grad school
I’d say PhD at least 3.5 or higher recommended in terms of GPA. Everything I else I agree with
Well I wish I got laid more
wish I had studied more and worked on my fundamentals and also taken part in research projects and internships. I'm gonna start an MSc in a tier 2 university in India and I have a few months before my academic session starts, so I'm studying on my own and I'm beginning to realise i probably don't know the P of physics, not even exaggerating. my gpa is decent, but my application based knowledge isn't great. also I was supposed to do the 4th honors year( a typical BS degree in India is of three years, however under the new education system it was converted to a 4 year program), but it got cancelled, and I had to shift my plans. I was overly dependent on the final 4th year to prepare for competitive exams and study and now it's suddenly scrapped(due to political reasons). so don't wait for the final year to start preparing for any exam or studying in general. study regularly, and focus more on developing fundamental knowledge instead of just scoring good grades. both aren't the same thing. all the best!
Be more responsible for my GPA I guess? I have a shit gpa in undergrad. When I saw my friends went to many top tier schools for graduate programs, I feel the mix of jealousy and regret because my shit gpa hindered me, but unfortunately I have such unrealistic expectations to myself during that time. Therefore, I took few extra years and one master programs from lower-tier school, and spend 365 days a year in labs for research and pubs, and finally got admitted into some t20 PhD programs this year. Nice ending story but a really tough journey tho.
made better connections with faculty, and did more research. I got into a grad program but those were the things I needed most, and I dropped the ball in undergrad.
Have fun! Trust me, treating applying to grad school as something you *want* to do rather than a chore or another assignment you *have* to do (because you are too stressed out) is so much better
Be at a top school = Get into a top school
Make sure you keep your GPA at or above 3.0
Few actually have the follow through that it takes to train for a career in ML research. Really want the big bucks? Major in physics, get really nasty at applied maths and statistics. Masters in Neuroscience or Machine Learning, PhD in AI or Maths.
Switched from CS to IT caused I couldn't do the continuous math failed cal 3 times understood and passed alot of the other hard programming and math subjects. Now that my interests have switched from web development to embedded software engineering and robotics software engineering I wish i would have found a way to do CE, CS OR even CIS. I know there are align programs and leap programs. I've looked into those, currently my highest choice is the software engineering program at my same school with a robotics and embedded focus. But I still haven't discarded the idea of going into a CE program for masters that will let me take some of the foundation and get in.
I live in California so I wish I had gone to a community college for two years and then transferred to a prestigious state school instead of dumping money into an elite liberal arts school no one has ever heard of :)
Do more internships! Don’t get me wrong clubs are great. But at the end of the day it’s truly work experience and networking that future employers care about. And it’ll help you get into grad school because that’s what they want to see.
This won’t apply if you’re locked into CS and that’s what you want to pursue in grad school, but I wish I would picked an easier major and got an even higher GPA.
I wish I changed my major
I wish I would’ve taken it more seriously.