Shortlisting PhD Programs

Applying for PhD programs in the United States can be challenging and costly, especially for international students. The application fees average around $100, plus there are additional costs for sending standardized test scores like the TOEFL or GRE, which makes the total expense per application add up to $100-$150. Given these financial considerations, I spent quite some time shortlisting PhD programs when I decided to apply for PhD. A lot of people go through the same issues so I thought I’d share how I shortlisted PhD programs and maybe this might be helpful for others.

I applied to about 10 PhD programs in US. I started by consulting the USNews rankings for top graduate statistics programs in the U.S. Although it was impractical to examine every program, I employed a selective approach to reviewing them.

I was aware of the limitations of my application, so I initially bypassed the top 10 programs. I also had a personal preference for programs located in or near major cities. This led me to focus on programs ranked 11 to 50, further limiting my search to those in urban settings. I then visited each department's website to explore faculty research interests, aligning them with my own and recording potential matches in a Google Sheet I created. This task was spread over a week and it resulted in a comprehensive list of departments and faculty members I was interested in working with.

My initial list included about 20 programs. To reduce this down to my target number of 10, I organized the Google Sheet to prioritize programs with overlapping research interests. I then dove deeper into these 20 programs, examining aspects such as the PhD curriculum, funding opportunities, and alumni outcomes. This enabled me to systematically eliminate options based on my research and preferences.

An essential aspect of my strategy was maintaining diversity in program rankings. My final list included programs ranked across different tiers (11-20, 20-30, 30-40, and 40-50). This diverse approach was intentional to maximize my chances of acceptance while not solely focusing on the highest-ranked institutions.

A snapshot of the programs I shortlisted. Here green represents that I ended up applying to the program.

After finalizing my list, I sought feedback from professors and peers. This included discussions with professors for their professional insights and with other friends also applying to PhD programs. I aimed to minimize overlapping applications, further strategizing to enhance my chances of acceptance.