I'm currently an undergrad in Statistics from India, with a keen interest to pursue higher studies in Biostatistics/Bioinformatics. Is getting a PhD position in US easier for students who did their degree in the US, because the admission committees are more likely to trust a degree from the US itself? I intend to complete my Master's here before applying for a PhD.
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I doubt it matters. – Sean Roberson Feb 26 '18 at 07:14
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1I don't know about trust, but US researchers are probably more familiar with NA institutes, which probably won't help you. – Azor Ahai -him- Feb 26 '18 at 18:22
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Yes and no. In principle, the admissions committee doesn’t care where your previous studies were. However it is easier to evaluate qualifications from a university or system that they are familiar with.
US PhD admissions committees will be more familiar with US universities in general. However, it really depends on the specific institution. Non-US universities like McGill, Oxford, Cambridge, ENS, ETH-Z, Tsinghua, Shanghai Jiao Tong, Sharif, IIT-K, etc. all have established reputations for producing strong students. So a degree from them is probably better for PhD admissions than from a weak US university.
Of course, more important than where you studied is what you individually did! A degree from Stanford won’t help you get into a PhD program if your recommendation letters are terrible.
Thomas
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