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I was wondering about how can one apply for a PhD program in a top ranked university. I can tell you about a namely accomplishments and skills which is labelled as 'very good' for a graduated M.Sc student in an average university so that you can consult me and the people who almost have a similar accomplishments and skills.

To be more precise I would like to know:

  1. How can one be accepted and get the scholarship for a very top-ranked university like Berkeley, MIT. For example are the following accomplishments and skills satisfactory?
  2. If not, which points should be added or improved generally?
  3. How much is it matter how old are you for applying for PhD at these places?
  4. What features differentiate the CV of someone admitted to a top school (MIT)versus someone admitted to an average school (Calgary Canada).

P.S. I have B.Sc and M.Sc in Electrical Engineering.

SAH
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    I would hope that one includes the same content when applying to a top university as opposed to one that is an average university. – Compass Dec 05 '14 at 21:28
  • I just edited the question and added your comment as question 4. Thanks for improving the post. @Compass – SAH Dec 05 '14 at 21:37
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    I think you misunderstood. A CV or resume should be consistent, i.e. you should not really be tailoring it to an individual institution. You should be tailoring it to be a representation of you regardless of what school you are applying to. – Compass Dec 05 '14 at 21:45
  • Sorry, I didn't get your point. @Compass – SAH Dec 05 '14 at 21:52
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    If I were to apply to MIT and Calgary today, I would use the same resume for Calgary as I would to MIT. MIT doesn't get additional treatment because it's a higher tier school than Calgary. If a change applies to MIT in the CV, it would also apply to Calgary. – Compass Dec 05 '14 at 21:55
  • Sure you are right sir. My professor told me that my CV is ok for average universities like Calgary(CA) or Adelaide(AU). But I would like to know is it still fine for MIT or Berkeley? Or Should I still work more to improve? @Compass – SAH Dec 05 '14 at 22:01
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    You mean the form of the CV or your actual accomplishments and skills? – Vladimir F Героям слава Dec 05 '14 at 22:12
  • I mean my actual accomplishments and skills. @VladimirF – SAH Dec 05 '14 at 22:17
  • It is not very clear from your question. So you are thinking about additional period of getting experience somewhere before applying or something else? – Vladimir F Героям слава Dec 05 '14 at 22:19
  • Yes that's right. @VladimirF – SAH Dec 05 '14 at 22:21
  • You should probably edit your question to make it clear. – Vladimir F Героям слава Dec 05 '14 at 22:21
  • Sure, I will do it tomorrow, It's late now. Thanks for your assistance, @VladimirF – SAH Dec 05 '14 at 22:23
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    There's no magic "good enough" level. You're competing against the other applicants for a limited number of spaces; a CV which is good enough one year might not be good enough the next depending on who else applies. Also remember that MIT is a relatively small school, which means the competition is that much tougher. I'd suggest you run your COMPLETE CV past your professor and ask his opinion; this isn't something the Internet can really answer for you. – keshlam Dec 06 '14 at 04:11
  • @Compass CVs and resumes are not the same thing. A CV is mostly a list of your achievements so won't change very much depending on where you're applying to. But a resume is very much intended to be tailored to a specific application since it's essentially a document saying "Why you shoud hire me." A resume should detail how your skills are appropriate to the position you're applying for. – David Richerby Dec 06 '14 at 08:51
  • The question is edited and more clarified based on your comments. @VladimirF – SAH Dec 06 '14 at 10:46
  • The question is edited and more clarified based on your comments. @Compass – SAH Dec 06 '14 at 10:47
  • what is it that you want to do with a PhD from MIT? what are your career goals? academic? R&D? – robert bristow-johnson Jul 24 '16 at 04:05

1 Answers1

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Although your question doesn't specify it, I assume you're looking for admission to a top-ranked PhD program in electrical engineering. I'm one step away, in a top-ranked program in computer science, so take my answer with a grain of salt.

Two ISI papers Including one 'Power systems, IEEE Transactions on' and 'Electric Power Components and Systems'.

Since you already have a master's degree, having a couple of publications is a minimum requirement for admission to a top PhD program. Where the papers were published is of secondary importance (although your emphasis of "ISI" over "IEEE" is a little worrying). What really matters are the actual results in the papers. Are they good results? Are they well-known to people in your field? Are your papers likely to be highly cited?

IELTS and GRE meet the minimum requirements.

"Meet the minimum requirements" is not what top programs are looking for, on any axis. Fortunately, test scores don't really matter all that much (except, at public universities like mine, the spoken English test).

Having a very good recommendation letter as my supervisor professor is one of the top guy (top 50) in his field.

The fact that a top guy in your field wrote the letter matters far less than what the letter actually says about you. A weak letter will kill your chances, especially if it's written by someone well known in your field.

Two years teaching experience in a small university as a lecturer.

Hmm. Okay. can't hurt.

If not, which points should be added or improved generally?

You really haven't given enough detail to point out anything that needs to be improved. What matters most is the quality of your actual research contributions, and that's just not deducible from the information you've given.

3) How much is it matter how old are you for applying for phd at these places?

Not at all. Age discrimination is illegal in the US.

4) What does a namely CV should contain when applying to a top university as opposed to one that is an average university (like Calgary Canada).

I assume you mean "What features differentiate the CV of someone admitted to a top school versus someone admitted to an average school?" (No matter where you apply, your CV should accurately and honestly reflect your accomplishments. Don't add bloat. We can tell.)

You may be able to gain admission to a lower-ranked school on the basis of grades and test scores. But the competition for admission to the very top ranked schools is absolutely fierce. (My department gets 2000 graduate applicants per year, from which we admit about 100 PhD students and about 50 MS students.) If you want to be admitted, you really have to manifest like a successful PhD student already. You don't just want papers. You need high-quality, high-visibility, well-written results, ideally which would not have been possible without your contributions. You need the beginnings of a well-reasoned and compelling research vision. You need to display intellectual strength, depth, maturity, and taste. Well-known leaders in your field must sing your praises in technical, personal, and credible detail.

If you have all that, your CV will take care of itself.

JeffE
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  • Dear @jeffe Are you In MIT? How many ISI papers you had? and where did you get your M.SC? (Plz, don't take it personally I'm just asking to know more about a namely PhDstudent condition). Although your emphasis of "ISI" over "IEEE" is a little worrying Ididn't understand. You may know that IEEE trans on power sys is the highest rank (flagship) journal in Electrical eng. isn’t that enough? I live in Middle East. Iknow that's every year one or two papers from our country are Accepted in this journal .Ihope it will be cited someway well, but it has just got accepted so we should wait toget more – SAH Dec 06 '14 at 11:06
  • citations. The results are good; we improved an earlier method, which was published in the same journal few years ago (IEEE trans). Also, It was written very well as the reviewers commented on our paper. I heard from my prof that’s in US they say the deal is transaction (meaning the IEEE trans on power sys) IS it true? Hmm. Okay. can't hurt. what do you mean? Thanks a lot for your attention and precise answer @jeffe
  • – SAH Dec 06 '14 at 11:07
  • @Electricman JeffE's profile will give you the information you are asking for. – StrongBad Dec 06 '14 at 15:56
  • Thanks you sir, I've got that part of information already. @StrongBad – SAH Dec 06 '14 at 16:04
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    Are you In MIT? How many ISI papers you had? — No, I'm at Illlinois with a PhD from Berkeley. I have no idea how many ISI papers I have, nor how many ISI papers anyone else in my department has, despite serving on admissions, hiring, and tenure committees and grant review panels for several years. Nobody in top departments cares where papers are indexed. – JeffE Dec 06 '14 at 16:40
  • I heard from my prof that’s in US they say the deal is transaction (meaning the IEEE trans on power sys) — Yes, IEEE Transactions papers are highly valued in EE departments. But you won't be the only applicant who has one. – JeffE Dec 06 '14 at 16:45