[PROFILE EVALUATION POST]
[TL:DR: Need suggestion on graduate school selection]
Hello good people,
Hope you are doing well. I have found the resources available in this site really helpful and am on the verge of applying to graduate schools for PhD in CS.
I may have a below than the average profile due to a lack of publications or a slightly concerning GPA. I have prepared a VERY LONG list of programs that are aligned with my interest. However, most of the programs I found are from the top 50 universities and it seems their acceptance rates are very low.
I will try to apply to some of those ambitious schools.
But what I am stressing about is actually finding at least 2 or 3 safe or moderate programs. The deadlines are closing in and I would really appreciate it if anyone can give me any suggestion.
My profile:
CGPA: 3.48/4.00, (institution is in top 10 of my country) GRE: 324 (Q165, V159, A4.0), Toefl: 104 ( R30, L: 25, S20, W:29), Research experience: Undergrad thesis on phylogenetic trees( relevant to computational biology) Publication: NONE, Job: 2 years in the software industry, Research Interest: Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Advanced Algorithms, Theory of Computation.
LoR: 2 from university professors, 1 from former employer
Some universities I found aligned to my interest: (with their usnews ranking)
1. Rice University [20]
2. Johns Hopkins University [25]
3. Pennsylvania State University [30]
4. New York University [30]
5. University of California--Irvine [30]
6. University of Virginia [30]
7. Virginia Tech [40]
8. University of California--Davis [37]
9. University of Colorado--Boulder [40]
10. Stony Brook University--SUNY [40]
11. Michigan State University [55]
12. Indiana University--Bloomington [55]
13. Iowa State University [61]
14. University of California--Riverside [61]
15. Case Western Reserve University [68]
16. George Mason University [68]
17. Florida State University [82]
18. University of Central Florida [82]
19. CUNY Graduate School and University Center [82]
20. University of Connecticut [83]
21. University of Texas-San Antonio [119]
I have got only a few generic replies from some professors of these schools. But could not decide any. Some programs ask for a Master's degree for PhD admission and I only have BSc. Also, TOEFL speaking score is making me omit some programs from this list too. My Queries: [1] What usnews ranking ranges could be considered as ambitious, moderate and safe based on this profile? [2] Could you suggest any safe schools for this profile?