Statement

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Personal Statement

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Additional Advice

Fall 2025 was particularly challenging in terms of funding. Many well-deserving candidates were unfortunately rejected from top programs due to the ongoing financial crisis. In my case, a strong publication record and compelling letters of recommendation played a crucial role in my admission, despite applying through centralized systems.

Publishing even a single arXiv article can be impactful—if your research demonstrates exceptional depth and clear potential for publication in a top-tier venue. Admissions committees are usually perceptive enough to recognize such promise.

While a high CGPA is often just a basic cutoff for top programs, it's ultimately your research experience and recommendation letters that help you truly stand out.

It’s also worth noting that, despite the uncertainty of recent Fall admission cycles and the highly competitive (and often toxic) landscape in AI/ML systems research, I come from a non-CS background—Industrial & Production Engineering—and have not pursued a Master's degree. Even so, I’ve been able to demonstrate a consistent track record of impactful, long-term research.

If you want to stay ahead of the curve for the top 20 CS-AI PhD programs, publish some first-authored A* conferences and take LoRs from someone who is well-regarded in your domain and who can attest to your research potentials with specific examples or story highlights.