2026 PhD Application Cycle
I was in the graduate school application cycle of 2026. I applied to 5 PhD programs. I was invited for 2 interviews but I didn’t get any offers. However, talking to professors was a meaningful experience. I learned a lot and realized that there are lots of aspects that I still need to improve to be successful in the academia, especially in terms of communication.
The following table summarizes the program and the PIs I applied to, the interview status, and the offer status. To protect the privacy of the PIs, I will not disclose the names of the programs and the PIs.
| Priority | Institute | Interview | # PIs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | ❌ | 2 |
| 2 | Virginia Tech | ✅ | 1 |
| 3 | University of California, Berkeley | ✅ | 2 |
| 4 | Yale University | ❌ | 2 |
| 5 | University of Washington | ❌ | 2 |
Fortunately, this is not the last chance for me to apply for PhD programs. I will keep improving myself and try again after I gain more research experience from my master’s program.