Summary of My Application for Studying Abroad
- 1. Motivation: Why Apply to Study Abroad?
- 2. Preliminary Preparation: GPA, English Exams, Summer Exchanges
- 3. Choosing Schools: How to Determine Which Programs to Apply For?
- 4. Arrangement of Recommendation Letters
- 5. Application Essay Writing
- 6. Application Costs: How Much Do You Need in Total?
- 7. Application Results and Final Destination
- 8. How to Prepare for an Interview? What to Say?
- 9. Application Timeline
- 10. Application Season Course Requirements
- 11. Finally: A Few Life Decisions
This content was automatically generated by gpt-4o-mini (No human review). The original post is in Chinese.
Last Tuesday morning, I received an offer from UCSD NanoEngineering. That afternoon, I emailed the assistant and my advisor to express my willingness to accept the offer. However, the status on the online application system remained “Under Review.” It wasn’t until Sunday night that I noticed the website had updated, so I promptly accepted the offer officially. On Monday evening, I gradually replied to the professors I had previously contacted and formally declined several other offers. With that, my application season came to a successful end.
Therefore, without further ado, I will write a DIY application summary, hoping it can help those who want to study abroad for their master’s degree.
Motivation: Why Apply to Study Abroad?
Let me introduce myself. My name is Zhang Jingning, a 14th-grade undergraduate student from the School of Physics at the University of Science and Technology of China, majoring in Applied Physics - Condensed Matter Physics. I am currently in my fifth year of university. Due to multiple major changes, I have delayed my graduation by a year; you can read more about this in another blog post. As for studying abroad for a master’s degree, it seems that no reason is needed at USTC, as many students choose this path. In the School of Physics, about one-third of students apply for domestic graduate programs, one-third apply to study abroad, and the remaining one-third either take entrance exams, take a gap year, or look for jobs (this is just my impression and may not be accurate).
In the School of Physics, approximately the top 60% of students can secure domestic graduate placements, so it is not particularly difficult. The domestic graduate placement process takes place in May and June of the third year, with formal agreements signed around September of the fourth year. This year, the cutoff for domestic placements in the physics department might be around 3.1, while my GPA is 3.3 (ranking about 50% in the department). For students applying to study abroad, the deadline for submitting applications in the fall is typically between December and January of the fourth year, and admission results are usually known between February and May of the fourth year. According to our school’s regulations, to provide more students with good opportunities, students can only choose between domestic placements and studying abroad. This means that students who choose to apply abroad must give up their domestic placement eligibility, risking the chance of not being admitted anywhere. However, as long as one prepares well during the application season and applies to multiple schools, the risk of not being admitted is relatively low.
I truly decided to study abroad during my third year, and this idea became increasingly firm. Initially, I wanted to transfer to the Department of Science Communication, planning to enter the workforce right after graduation; however, returning to the School of Physics meant I wanted to continue my academic journey. Thus, I faced two paths: either secure a domestic placement or study abroad.
First, securing a domestic placement at my own school is the easiest option, requiring the least extra effort as long as you meet the cutoff and find a willing graduate advisor. However, I clearly did not want to stay at USTC. I wanted to go to a big city; Hefei is not developed enough for me. It is very cold in winter, very hot in summer, has serious smog, chaotic traffic, and sidewalks and bike lanes are often occupied by motor vehicles. There are only two subway lines, and there isn’t even an IKEA. For me, pursuing a master’s degree is not just about academic achievement; if I only wanted to make progress in research, I wouldn’t mind studying abroad or domestically. I hope to live in a city without smog in the future, so I wouldn’t consider securing a placement in Beijing either. Although Nanjing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou are more developed than Hefei, the smog and climate conditions are not much better. If I want a big city with good air quality, it seems that only Shenzhen and Guangzhou are options in China. Thirdly, I also feel that the salaries for graduate students in China are too low; graduate students at USTC earn only about 2000 yuan a month, and the living conditions (four-person rooms) are poor, barely covering monthly expenses, with salaries in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou not sufficient for rent. The final reason that solidified my decision to study abroad is that I do not want my blog posts to be deleted for no reason. I’ll leave it at that.
In summary, my motivation for studying abroad can be distilled into: I want to go to a place with a more friendly living environment to do my own thing. As for how well I can perform in research, I am not very concerned. As long as I can work relatively freely, have enough salary to cover daily expenses, and do things I don’t dislike, that is enough for me. My expectations for future life are clearer and more passionate than my expectations for the research path.
Preliminary Preparation: GPA, English Exams, Summer Exchanges
After determining your goals, what preliminary preparations are needed? This part is something any leap handbook will tell you: boost your GPA + take the TOEFL and GRE as early as possible + apply for summer research to enhance your research experience. For me, I belong to the type of person who always feels that the leap handbook is not applicable and should have mentioned things earlier. When I decided to study abroad, my GPA was around 2.9 (details). After working hard for a few semesters, I finally saw some improvement. In high school, I had no idea what the TOEFL and GRE were, and during my freshman year, I didn’t think it was necessary to study for them. I only started preparing for the TOEFL in the first semester of my junior year and didn’t take the effective TOEFL, GRE, and Subject tests until the first semester of my fifth year (details).
You could say that I had no advantages in terms of application hardware. The only decent aspect (am I a girl?) was that I delayed my graduation by a year, giving me enough time to participate in two summer exchanges at overseas universities. During the summer of my junior year, I went to the University of Pittsburgh (details), and during the summer of my senior year, I went to the Institute of Solid State Physics at the University of Tokyo. I was the kind of student who was overwhelmed with classes at the University of Science and Technology, making it hard to find time for research during the semester, so even though I joined a lab, I didn’t accomplish much. However, the two summer exchanges were incredibly helpful, especially the second one, where I independently completed a project, giving me content to write about in my application essays.
In summary, having a high GPA is certainly good, but if it’s not high, don’t be discouraged. I wouldn’t advise students to just focus on boosting their GPA; as long as you take the courses in the physics department seriously and don’t mess around, a decent GPA should be enough for applications. The earlier you tackle the English exams, the better, but taking them in your senior year is also acceptable; concentrating your efforts at that time can be more efficient. Additionally, I would suggest that students seize the opportunity for summer exchanges and patiently apply for summer research. Although it takes a lot of time, it’s very worthwhile. For information on how to apply for summer research, you can refer to this article.
I also want to mention the issue of costs for summer exchanges. In recent years, the University of Science and Technology has provided many funding opportunities for students for overseas exchanges. In my first year, due to poor grades, I didn’t apply for funding from the academic affairs office and ended up spending a little over 20,000 yuan out of pocket for two months (including airfare, visa, accommodation, and living expenses). However, after returning from the exchange, I applied for post-funding from the New Creation Foundation and received a subsidy of 10,000 yuan. During the second summer exchange, my grades were just slightly below the top 50% in the physics department, and I still didn’t meet the school’s funding criteria. Due to ongoing financial strain at home, I sought funding from the International Cooperation Department of the school. After some emails and face-to-face negotiations, I received Class B funding, which covers international travel expenses plus 50% of living expenses. The reimbursement limit for flights to Japan is 3,000 yuan, which is generally not enough for a round trip, and the living expenses are 50% of what the National Scholarship Fund provides for doctoral students’ exchange living expenses (Class A), which is over 3,000 yuan per month. Overall, by the end of the summer research, I was reimbursed over 9,000 yuan. Therefore, for both summer research experiences, I spent about 10,000 yuan each time, and my parents generally gave me 5,000 yuan each month. You can also alleviate financial burdens through scholarships, teaching assistantships, tutoring, and other means. If you want to receive funding for exchanges from the University of Science and Technology, you must actively strive for it.
Choosing Schools: How to Determine Which Programs to Apply For?
When it comes to schools, the first thing to clarify is whether you want to apply for a Ph.D. or a Master’s program. For me, since my family simply couldn’t come up with more than 50,000 yuan at once to support my studies, I didn’t consider applying for a Master’s. Most schools in the U.S. require students to pay for their Master’s tuition themselves, and there are usually no scholarships available, which adds up to about 50,000 to 60,000 dollars a year (300,000 to 400,000 yuan). Although Ph.D. programs take about five years (while a Master’s only takes 1-2 years), scholarships for Ph.D. programs are relatively easier to obtain, meaning you don’t have to pay tuition yourself and can receive enough living expenses each month, essentially allowing you to be financially independent and even save some money.
Next, you need to decide which country to apply to. Most students apply to the U.S., but there are also some applying to programs in Europe, Singapore, Japan, and Canada. Different countries have different application requirements; for example, to go to the U.S., you need to take the GRE and TOEFL, while in Europe, you might need IELTS, and in Japan, you may only need TOEFL with a lower English requirement. Australia might not allow direct applications for a Ph.D., and Master’s programs also require self-funding. You need to research these requirements in advance. Initially, I wanted to apply to programs in the U.S., but after doing poorly on the TOEFL, I considered applying to Japan and kept wavering.
Third, understand the places you want to go and gradually narrow down your application range. For instance, the past two winters were quite tough for me, so I wanted to apply to warmer climates, like California. Additionally, I don’t like remote rural areas; I prefer developed regions, so most of the schools I applied to are in coastal cities in the U.S. Lastly, I hope my boyfriend can study in the U.S. with me next year, so I tried to choose several potential universities in the same city, such as Los Angeles, Boston, and Pittsburgh, to increase the chances of both of us getting in.
Fourth, based on your situation and the major you want to apply for, refer to rankings to position your schools. For example, when I was applying, my GPA was only 3.3, and my research experience was focused on first-principles calculations. Therefore, I aimed to apply in areas like applied physics, condensed matter physics, computational theoretical chemistry, computational biophysics, computational materials science engineering, and computational nanoengineering. Before applying, I consulted Professor Zhang Zengming for advice on choosing schools. I was quite confused about how to check a school’s ranking. For instance, with the US News rankings, a U.S. university has domestic rankings, world rankings, and rankings for various graduate schools— which one should I look at? Professor Zhang suggested looking at the rankings of the graduate school, specifically for physics and chemistry. He believed that with my qualifications, I should apply to schools ranked around 50 for physics and chemistry, aim for around 40, and have schools around 80 as safety options. He also recommended some schools, like the University of Houston and Brown University. I spoke with a senior from the materials science department, who suggested I apply to higher-ranked schools. In the Feiyue Handbook, I also saw students mention that Professor Zhang’s positioning was not very accurate (more on the lower side), so ultimately, my school rankings were around 20-50 in terms of program rankings. I decided not to apply to the top universities like MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, UIUC, Austin, and UCLA.
At this stage, we need to familiarize ourselves with more U.S. universities. I created a map of U.S. universities to get to know where each school is located and which states have good universities. I kept visiting US News to check rankings, understand evaluations of various schools, and learn common abbreviations, while also looking at BBS and the Feiyue Handbook to see the application situations and admission results of previous seniors.
Finally, after going through the above steps, our school list (which we needed to establish from the beginning) was narrowed down to about 20-30 schools. At this point, we can start visiting each school’s website and department site to check the specific application requirements and potential advisors of interest, then eliminate some schools from the list. For example, if a program’s application requirements are too high, like a TOEFL speaking score of 26, then I would drop it. If a program’s application deadline is too early, like December 1st, and I can’t make it, then I would also drop it. If a department doesn’t have any advisors I’m interested in, then there’s no need to apply. Some students also do a lot of networking before applying and decide based on the responses they get; for instance, if no professors reply to your networking emails, then they won’t apply.
After about two weeks of choosing schools, I finally decided to apply to the following programs:
Since applying to each school requires an application fee, along with the cost of sending English test scores, it adds up to about 1,000 yuan per school. Additionally, filling out each school’s online application system takes time. With limited energy and funds, I only applied to 8 schools, totaling 11 programs. I know friends who applied to over 20 or even 30 schools. Personally, I think applying to 10-15 is more appropriate; applying to too many is a waste of money, and you can’t attend that many schools.
Let me explain the reasons for applying to each program. USC is in a great location in California, and there are many collaborations between their labs and my potential advisor, plus the application fee was waived, so I applied. CMU and Pitt— I had a good impression of CMU from my summer exchange in Pittsburgh, where I spent a lot of time in their gym, so I thought I should send them an application fee; I applied to the University of Pittsburgh because I had done summer research there and felt it might be easier to get an offer. UCSD is also in California, and I initially forgot why I chose this school, but its physics and chemistry rankings are both within the top 20, which I felt might be too high for me. It seems I was recommended UCSD by a senior for a specific computational group, and I found many advisors there that I was interested in. Plus, their application fee of 125 dollars allows you to apply to three programs, and you only need to send one set of English scores— a good deal! Duke University also has many advisors in computational fields, and I remember they have a good MOOC program, so I had a positive impression. Additionally, North Carolina has three universities: Duke, UNC, and Chapel Hill, so I applied. Boston University was recommended in the Feiyue Handbook by an alumnus from my university, Professor Cui Qiang. I contacted him before applying, and he suggested I apply for both physics and chemistry programs. Initially, I was quite hesitant because I thought Boston was very cold, but I realized there are many good universities there, like MIT and Harvard. Plus, my boyfriend mentioned I could run the Boston Marathon, so I decided to apply. Then there’s the University of Tokyo, where I had a summer research exchange and really liked my summer research advisor, who was willing to write me a recommendation letter, so I felt I had a good chance of being admitted, thus I applied. Finally, Rice University is in Texas, which is warm, and it’s in Houston, a big coastal city, so I applied.
In summary, I chose schools quite casually. Since I prepared my applications relatively late, I directly gave up on many programs with deadlines of December 1st and 5th.
Arrangement of Recommendation Letters
Although I have two summer research experiences, I hardly used the recommendation letters from my summer research supervisors. The first time in Pittsburgh, I thought I did poorly in my summer research and didn’t have the courage to ask Professor P for a recommendation letter. The second time at the University of Tokyo, since I told my summer research supervisor that I would apply to his group, I was conflicted about whether to ask him to write a recommendation letter for an American program. In the end, because he took a long time to respond to my email requesting a recommendation letter, after much hesitation and consideration, this recommendation letter was only used for the University of Tokyo’s program, and I felt a bit foolish.
Therefore, apart from the GSGC at the University of Tokyo, the other programs required three recommendation letters: two from professors at the University of Science and Technology: my lab supervisor and my electrodynamics course instructor. The source of the third recommendation letter was quite unusual. I asked Professor B from the University of Virginia for a recommendation letter again. My relationship with him dates back to 2014 when I took his MOOC course and participated in organizing a subtitle group to translate his physics course (mainly video subtitles). He initially said he could write me a recommendation letter, but considering that he didn’t know my physics and research abilities well, he thought the letter might not be useful. However, on one hand, I couldn’t find other professors to write recommendation letters, and on the other hand, I didn’t want to draft the letter myself. I also felt that his recommendation letter might reflect my other abilities, such as leadership skills, English proficiency, volunteer experience, and so on. In the end, I still requested him to write it.
I first contacted the recommendation letter professors via email, then wrote the draft of the recommendation letter myself, and finally wrote the application personal statement and other documents. If a foreign professor is willing to write you a recommendation letter, you don’t have to worry about it. However, if it’s a domestic professor, you generally need to provide a draft of the recommendation letter yourself, which takes a few days. I feel that my recommendation letter writing isn’t great, so there’s not much to say about it; ultimately, the professors submit it themselves, and I’m not sure what it looks like in the end.
Regarding the submission of recommendation letters, you need to ensure that the professors submit them on time. Some systems will send reminders, while others will not. I encountered a situation where one of my professors emailed me to say he had submitted it, but a week later, I noticed something was off. After contacting the secretary, I found out that the professor’s submission had failed, so I was very anxious and managed to resolve it within 24 hours before the deadline.
Application Essay Writing
Regarding the application essays, in the spirit of a girl from the slums saving money by DIYing her applications, I did not contact an agency for help with editing my essays. However, I happened to see the “Leap Guidance” activity on a BBS, signed up, and got a mentor who graduated from my university to help me revise my essays. I think the “Leap Guidance” activity is great and very helpful.
The first CV should have been prepared when applying for summer research. After that, I updated it in a timely manner based on the expansion of my research experiences. I was a bit lazy and directly used Word for editing, got a template from a senior, and made many changes myself. My mentor also gave me a lot of ideas, and in the end, my CV looks like this.
Next is the personal statement (PS) for the application. I wrote it according to the requirements of each project. Different projects have different requirements, but they generally consist of sections like Research Experience, Research Interest, and Personal Statement. For this part, I needed to get some essays from seniors and also searched online for guidance on how to write essays, where I found a lot of English resources. They tell you what the key points are and which aspects you should highlight. The “Leap Manual” also contains this information. It is necessary to have a detailed review and description of your research experiences. After finishing, I basically had my boyfriend look at it several times, along with my mentor from “Leap Guidance,” other seniors, and good friends, and it was almost done. The writing process was definitely quite torturous and slow, and I finally finished it before the deadline for the first project. Then, for the subsequent projects, I would need to make revisions; some content needed to be merged, some had page limits, or I changed my mind. In short, it would keep changing until all my projects were submitted. This is the situation regarding the essays required for my different projects.
Application Costs: How Much Do You Need in Total?
I have to mention the topic of application costs. In the second semester of my junior year, I asked a senior who was about to study abroad how much it would cost to apply. This includes English tests, application fees, and preparation costs before going abroad. The answer was around 50,000 yuan.
Let’s break down how much I spent on my application to study abroad. First, two summer exchange programs cost a total of 20,000 yuan. The TOEFL, GRE general, and GRE Subject tests together cost 11,200 yuan. Then there are the application fees, which totaled 4,800 yuan for 11 programs. Additionally, the fee for sending TOEFL and GRE scores was 1,700 yuan. Altogether, that adds up to: 20,000 + 11,200 + 4,800 + 1,700 = 37,700 yuan. So, it’s about 40,000 yuan.
To save money, one tip is to write down the school codes for score sending in advance when taking the TOEFL and GRE for the last time, as you can get 4-5 free score sends.
After receiving the offer and preparing to go abroad, before getting the scholarship, I still needed to prepare some money myself. For example, expenses for flights, rent, and buying furniture after arriving in the U.S. I estimate that 10,000 to 20,000 yuan would be enough, and during this half-year, I can also earn money by tutoring. Therefore, regarding application costs, generally, 10,000 yuan is sufficient, and another 10,000 yuan is needed for English tests. Summer research is not mandatory, and if the school provides full funding, I wouldn’t need to spend money on it. Basically, if the family can provide 30,000 to 50,000 yuan, it would be enough to cover all expenses for applying to graduate school abroad.
Application Results and Final Destination
The final application results (details: visible on the university’s internal network) were quite unexpected for me. At the beginning of the application season, I was very anxious; whether it was taking the English test, choosing schools, or writing essays, I always felt like I might end up without a school. In the end, receiving full funding offers for a PhD from three schools was still a surprise to me. After all, my credentials are quite average: GPA 3.3, TOEFL 94 (21), GRE 151+170+3.0.
USC Chemistry
This was the first program I submitted an application to, and I spent a lot of time writing the essays for USC. Before applying, I contacted a professor via email and received a positive response. In December, the professor happened to visit my university and arranged a one-on-one meeting. After our conversation, I felt very good about it and was happy to consider joining his group.
However, after submitting the application, I heard nothing more and thought it was a lost cause. On the third morning of my winter break at home, I received an offer from USC Chemistry. I was extremely excited and felt like I was definitely going to this school. But seniors advised me to wait for the results from other schools and not rush into a decision.
In any case, I was relieved from the fate of being without a school and could happily celebrate the New Year. My mindset changed significantly.
UCSD NanoEngineering
On the same morning I received the USC offer, I also received an invitation for a Campus Visit at UCSD, which would reimburse $600 for international travel expenses, and it indicated that the admission results were still pending. Initially, I thought this Campus Visit was strange, but after consulting friends, they said it was quite normal and worth considering. Since I had a 10-year B visa for the U.S., and after enduring the gloomy application season and the cold winter smog in Hefei, I was very eager to travel to a sunny place for a while. I checked the flight prices from Shanghai to Los Angeles, which were not expensive, and the reimbursement could cover it, so I decided to go for a little trip. However, since I was going to visit UCSD, I would have to wait until after the visit to accept the USC offer.
So, I started planning my trip to California, buying plane tickets, organizing the itinerary, and contacting UCSD. I returned to Hefei early for the winter break and then flew from Shanghai to Los Angeles. This was my second trip to the U.S., and I suddenly fell ill with a fever right before the trip, leaving me only one day to prepare my documents and luggage. Ultimately, this trip was very rewarding; not only did I visit USC, but I also successfully received an offer from UCSD (which I probably wouldn’t have gotten without attending the campus visit).
BU Chemistry
On the morning of the day I returned home for winter break, I received an email about the BU Chemistry interview. However, the first interview was a no-show by the Russian girl. After the second interview, I felt I performed quite well, and sure enough, a few days later, I received the offer from BU Chemistry.
So I began to face two choices. I started to seriously consider whether to go to BU. I originally thought it would be strange to discuss research directions with professors after receiving an offer, but senior students said it was normal. Even if you haven’t decided to accept their offer, you can still have a video call with the professors to understand the situation in their group. Therefore, before heading back to Hefei, I had a video call with a teacher from BU, and I was quite satisfied with their group. However, it seemed that I got sick the next day because I wore too little during the interview…
In short, during the long period of receiving offers from USC and BU, I intermittently learned about the situations in their groups and added senior students on WeChat. Sometimes, I felt quite troubled about where to go. Since I was preparing to attend the UCSD campus visit, I planned to make a decision after returning, so I decided not to stress about it for the time being. It should also be noted that while it’s better to make a decision quickly after receiving an offer, there’s no need to rush; after all, taking some time to observe can help you better understand the school and lab associated with the offer. Additionally, it’s worth waiting for other application results. I am very grateful to the senior students who advised me to delay my decision; otherwise, I would have likely accepted the USC offer right away and missed the chance to visit UCSD.
UTokyo GSGC in Physics
Speaking of the results of my application to the University of Tokyo, I must say I was quite shocked, and this was the first rejection letter I received. So far, out of 11 programs, only 3 offered me admission, and only Tokyo University informed me that I was not accepted, although there is still hope, and they asked me to wait until May 20 (which means I am on the waitlist). So I was very sad that day, and I spent the entire day in bed eating snacks and watching shows. It wasn’t until the next morning when I received the offer from UCSD that I managed to pick myself up again.
During the application process, I prayed that at least one school would accept me, no matter which one it was. I would be willing to go to any of the schools I applied to. Just one would be enough, so I could make a decision easily. Therefore, when I received my first offer, my seniors asked me which school was my dream school, and I couldn’t answer. It felt like I hadn’t really considered the possibility of being accepted. I thought I would remain without a school until the semester started, spending the New Year in sadness. However, after participating in the UCSD campus visit, my preference became very clear; UCSD turned into my dream school. Why? Because the beach next to the school is just too beautiful. The thought of living by the beach in sunny California, away from the traffic of Los Angeles, makes me feel like this is the place for my ideal future. To put it simply, I was won over by the Campus Visit event.
Therefore, after receiving the UCSD offer, I felt there was no need to continue waiting. CMU and Pitt felt too cold, I didn’t know much about Duke or Rice. I felt there wouldn’t be a better outcome.
How to Prepare for an Interview? What to Say?
As a PhD dropout in 2021, I am updating this section and strongly recommend reading “Choosing a PhD Advisor: A Few Things to Consider”, which discusses how to choose an advisor and what questions to expect in interviews.
This application season, I had a total of four interviews.
The first was with a professor from USC who came to my university. I initiated the meeting, but I didn’t present a PowerPoint, so my introduction about my previous research experience was quite disorganized. The professor explained the situation of their lab, including the number of people, the topics they work on, graduation timelines, and requirements. I mostly just reiterated some points from my CV. The conversation went okay.
The second interview was a Skype interview with a professor from the BU graduate committee. Since it was noisy at home during the winter break and there was also a time difference, we scheduled the interviews between 10 PM and midnight. For the first appointment at midnight, I waited until 1 AM, but she didn’t show up, so I had to go to sleep. Because it was a committee, she introduced me to a lot of information about their program (I couldn’t catch much due to her accent) and asked where BU ranked on my list, as well as whether I had received other offers, which I answered honestly. I presented my summer research work using a PowerPoint, and it went okay.
The third interview was a Skype meeting with a potential advisor at BU, also scheduled for the evening. This time, I wanted to learn more about their lab, so I prepared some questions in advance. I got answers to all my questions and even obtained contact information for one of his students to gather more information. The professor mentioned he had reviewed my materials and had no issues. I presented my summer research work again using a PowerPoint, but I felt it wasn’t very effective; to explain clearly, you need enough time and ideally to share your screen.
The last interview was during a campus visit at UCSD, where I scheduled a meeting with an advisor I was interested in. Based on my previous experiences, I brought my laptop and used a PowerPoint to give a detailed introduction of my work, which felt effective. I also asked about the situation in his group.
To summarize my interview experiences:
First, I pay attention to my appearance and the interview environment. While formal attire isn’t necessary, I aim for a simple, clean, and professional look. I found that during winter indoor Skype calls, I could take off my coat and just wear a sweater or shirt. Women can also apply light makeup, with lipstick being quite important, as video calls can wash out colors, so there’s no need to worry about being too heavy-handed. Ideally, the interview should take place in a private room. If at home during winter break, there’s no need to worry about the room, but it’s best to tidy up a bit to make the video background look nicer.
Second, test your internet and software in advance. Video interviews typically use Skype, so register an account beforehand, familiarize yourself with Skype’s features, and test the network with a friend. If the Wi-Fi isn’t great, consider using a wired connection. I think the screen-sharing feature on Skype is useful; you can present your PowerPoint while discussing your work, which should improve the effectiveness of your presentation.
Third, prepare your PowerPoint and spoken English. Before the interview, you should prepare an English PowerPoint to introduce your work and think about how to explain it in English. It’s hard to make significant improvements in spoken English in a short time; I’m relatively comfortable chatting in English, so I didn’t prepare too much.
Fourth, be ready to answer the interviewer’s questions. Different interviews have different focuses, so you can search online for common questions they might ask and think about how to respond in advance.
Fifth, ask questions of your own. This is very important, especially when choosing an advisor. You can also find many common questions online in English. I usually check the advisor’s lab website beforehand to understand the lab members and general research directions (of course, if there’s nothing else to say, you can ask about that too). Some lab websites aren’t updated frequently, so the information may be outdated. The questions I care about include:
- How many people are in the lab (including graduate students and postdocs)?
- How often do they hold group meetings? Are there any other activities in the lab?
- How often does the advisor meet with students one-on-one?
- How much time does the advisor spend in the lab each week?
- How many years does it typically take to graduate?
- What are the graduation requirements? How many papers?
- Where did previous students go after graduation?
- What are the sources of funding? TA/RA? How long do you need to work as a TA?
The specific questions to ask depend on what kind of advisor you are looking for; our goal is to gather as much information as possible. After talking with the professor, it’s best to get the contact information of their students to learn more. Personally, I hope to find an advisor who is willing to spend time guiding students, not too hands-off but also not overly demanding. I prefer a lab that isn’t too large, so the advisor can pay attention to everyone. In the end, I chose an advisor with the highest number of required graduation papers… Wish me luck…
Application Timeline
| Date (yyyy/mm/dd) | Event | Remarks (Cost/RMB) |
|---|---|---|
| 2017.02.18 | First TOEFL Exam | 1761 |
| 2018.05.28 | Visa interview in Shanghai | No check, 10-year B visa |
| 2017.06.28-09.01 | Summer exchange in Pittsburgh | 22000 |
| 2018.02.04 | Second TOEFL Exam | 1761 |
| 2018.03.01-03.20 | Apply for summer research | Emailing |
| 2018.05.20 | First GRE Exam | 1456 |
| 2018.06.30 | Third TOEFL Exam | Southeast University, 1761 |
| 2018.07.1-09.03 | Summer exchange at the University of Tokyo | 20000 |
| 2018.10.07-10.14 | Anhui Provincial Games Athletics Competition | Bengbu |
| 2018.10.21 | Second GRE Exam | 1456 |
| 2018.10.27 | GRE Subject Physics | 1020 |
| 2018.11.01-11.07 | First wave of email outreach | |
| 2018.11.06 | Request recommendation letter from Professor A | |
| 2018.11.06 | Consult with Teacher Zhang Zengming | Regarding school selection |
| 2018.11.06 | Register for the fourth TOEFL exam | Later re-prepared for TOEFL |
| 2018.11.13 | Provide relevant materials to Professor A | Transcript, resume, photo, draft |
| 2018.11.19-11.27 | Revise CV | |
| 2018.11.24 | Fourth TOEFL Exam | 1985 |
| 2018.11.27-11.30 | First wave of school selection, online application system registration | Second wave of outreach emails |
| 2018.11.30 | Request recommendation letter from Professor B | |
| 2018.12.01 | Write Research Experience statement | USC project |
| 2018.12.03 | Interview with USC mentor | Location: University of Science and Technology |
| 2018.12.09 | Write draft of recommendation letter for C | |
| 2018.12.10 | Write Research Interest statement | USC project |
| 2018.12.11 | Write Personal Statement | USC project |
| 2018.12.11-2019.01.01 | Fill out online applications, submit first wave of applications | Repeatedly revise statements |
| 2018.12.25 | Second wave of school selection | Finalize application projects |
| 2019.01.02-2019.01.10 | Cramming for final exams | Also had TA problem-solving sessions |
| 2019.01.11-01.15 | Submit second wave of applications | Revise statements |
| 2019.01.23 | USC Chemistry Offer | End of being out of school |
| 2019.01.29 | BU Admission Interview | A Russian girl |
| 2019.02.01 | BU Chemistry Offer | |
| 2019.02.09 | BU Mentor Interview | Surprisingly chatted for nearly an hour |
| 2019.02.13-02.20 | Second trip to the U.S., California | Playing in LA and SD |
| 2019.02.14 | Visit USC lab, group meeting | Introduced my previous work |
| 2019.02.15 | Attend UCSD recruitment event | Interview with UCSD mentor |
| 2019.03.04 | UTokyo GSGC rejection | Wait until May 20th |
| 2019.03.05 | UCSD Financial Offer | Email from Department |
| 2019.03.05 | Accept UCSD Offer | Reply email |
| 2019.03.09 | UCSD Admission Letter | Email from Grad Apply |
| 2019.03.10 | Accept UCSD Offer | Officially in Grad Apply |
| 2019.03.11 | Decline offers from USC, BU | Withdraw GSGC |
| 2019.03.13 | UCSD Physics rejection | First rejection of the application season |
| 2019.03.13 | CMU MSE rejection | Second rejection |
| 2019.03.27 | Duke MEMS rejection | Third rejection |
| 2019.03.28 | BU Physics rejection | Fourth rejection |
| 2019.04.05 | UCSD MSE rejection | Fifth rejection |
| 2019.04.12 | Rice AP rejection | Sixth rejection |
| 2019.05.20 | UTokyo GSGC rejection | Seventh rejection |
If students look at the Leap Handbook, they will find that the suggestions above are to finish the TOEFL and GRE before the application season starts (before September), then start selecting schools in the summer around July-August, begin outreach in September, and start drafting statements, contacting recommendation letter writers, etc. However, after returning from summer vacation, I was busy training for the provincial games in September, exhausted every day, and with pressure from other aspects, I ended up delaying everything until the end of October. So when I finished reading the Leap Handbook, I felt very hopeless; I was running out of time. Even when my GPA was poor, the Leap Handbook suggested that freshmen and sophomores should focus on improving their GPA and studying English, but by the time I saw it, it was already too late. Most of the students sharing their experiences had GPAs much higher than mine, and there were very few students like me with such poor credentials, so there were limited reference cases, leaving me uncertain about what kind of results I could achieve. Therefore, I was extremely busy and chaotic before the application deadlines, with a lot of things to handle, but I managed to get through it. My view is that the Leap Handbook provides an ideal plan, but everyone has their own situation. Not everyone is determined to apply abroad when they enter college, so there’s no need to panic about falling behind in certain areas; there are always ways to remedy the situation. Don’t give up.
Application Season Course Requirements
The application season is undoubtedly the most important time for applications, and the grades from the first semester of senior year will not be included in the transcript for applications. Therefore, most students, whether they are applying for graduate school, taking entrance exams, or studying abroad, are busy with their own matters and choose to give up on attending classes properly. Thus, my requirement for courses during the application season is: do not fail any courses and do not affect graduation. Last semester, students majoring in condensed matter physics had three courses: Frontiers, Fundamentals, and Experiments. Except for Frontiers, which often takes attendance and has a risk of failing if you miss too many classes, the other two courses are relatively easy to pass. I usually attended classes, met the minimum requirements, and crammed for the final exam for a week, successfully achieving my goal of not failing any courses, with a GPA of around 3.2 last semester.
Finally: A Few Life Decisions
In fact, most people’s lives are usually calm and uneventful, with not much significant happening. Only occasionally do we face major choices and changes, and the decisions made during these times can greatly impact our lives for the next few years.
For me, a memorable moment was when I chose a high school in middle school. At that time, I was determined to be recommended to Fuzhou No. 1 Middle School, but my parents did not want me to study away from home alone. After various pressures and temptations, I gave up my Dream School from three years of middle school. On the other hand, I also yielded myself because I thought that being recommended to Ningde No. 1 Middle School would be easier and I could be free sooner. The second time was during the college entrance examination. I won the first prize in the Fujian Province Physics Competition and was signed to the pilot college of the University of Science and Technology of China, so I gave up the independent recruitment exams for Peking University and Tsinghua University and did not fully prepare for the college entrance exam. At that time, I thought USTC was good enough, and preparing for the exams for Qinghua and Beida would require several more months of effort, and I wanted to be free sooner. In both of these school selection experiences, I chose to back down at the last moment, opting for a decent but not the best school because I did not want to continue striving, as effort does not guarantee success.
This time, for my undergraduate graduation application for graduate school, I chose a relatively difficult path. I could have chosen to apply for a recommendation, and my parents and family hoped I could be recommended to Tsinghua or Peking University. I gave up the recommendation, risking the chance of not being able to study, and applied to study abroad. At one point, my mindset was very poor, and I lacked confidence. My dad had previously asked me what I would do if my application failed, and I said I would work in Shanghai or Hefei for a year and then continue applying, or if my boyfriend succeeded in his application, I would go abroad with him. In short, even if I failed, I would continue to strive. Perhaps my deep-seated dislike for the smoggy weather in Hefei firmly strengthened my determination to apply abroad, which ultimately led to the gratifying admission results.
The application season is indeed a lot of work, and I am very grateful to many people for their help. A friend specifically asked me how I would express my gratitude to the professors who wrote recommendation letters for me. I said I would send an email to thank them and inform them of our future plans. Giving gifts seems inappropriate, and it feels like there’s no way to truly “repay” their help, as well as those seniors who patiently answered my questions and helped me revise my documents. Therefore, I believe what we can do is share our experiences with juniors, and when they apply in the future, we should try our best to help them if they have any questions. Moreover, during our graduate studies, we should conduct research well, achieve some results, and take our opportunities seriously, not wasting time and living up to their trust and recommendations.
