Hi,
A brief background about me:
- International student (not from China, India, or any other major international pool)
- Computer Engineering bachelor's degree from a top 10 U.S. engineering school
- 3 years of relevant/reputable industry experience
- Applied to Master's and got admitted to a top 20 C.S. school (I did not apply for PhD directly due to my lack of research and low undergrad. GPA)
So I'm in. What should I focus on to raise my chances at top EECS PhD programs? Sure everything counts but given my profile what should I focus on? GPA/GRE/Research/LOR? What about average research under tenured prof. vs great research under unknown or assistant professor?
Lastly, when would I ideally apply for PhD? I anticipate finishing the program in a year but feel like applying this Fall would be too early for me to obtain enough research experience and letters of recommendation
Thanks