topologicalGod

Thanks for the reply!

Hi Grad Cafe! I am a STEM field PhD applicant looking to get into a top 5 program in my field. I believe that I am a pretty qualified applicant, but recently while filling out my application to Stanford I noticed they required the following: "List non-Stanford Scholarships and fellowships for which you have applied and/or been awarded for graduate study." For various reasons (mainly me not understanding that one could apply for fellowships before acceptance...) I have not applied for any. I wanted to get your opinion on whether or not this significantly affects my chance at admission? Thanks in advance

Hi GradCafe Users! I'm applying to graduate school in a STEM field this semester and am looking to get into a top 5 school for my discipline. I have the GRE scores, the grades, the research, and two really great letters of recommendation from faculty I worked with. However, I am in a bit of a dilemma over who to ask for my final letter of rec. Here are my options: 1). Last summer I worked with a PhD candidate in a STEM field that I am NOT doing my graduate work in. It was essentially a job where I would do a lot of coding for her. I did good work and we had a lot of interaction and discussions over the course of 6 months, but it wasn't the most prestigious research position. She has since graduated and works for a large company. 2). I could also ask her advisor (who happens to be the head of their department). The problem is I only met him once or twice and didn't have much interaction. However, he is faculty. It boils down to this. I know this is my "weak" letter of rec (hoping that won't matter too much...) and I'm just trying to minimize the damage. What do you guys think? Really appreciate the feedback!