Undergrad student preparing to apply to Security subfield in CS looking for reality-check/evaluation (Fall 2025)

[TryingBest]

Hi people,

This is my first time here, so I apologize for any improper courtesy.

At the moment, I am a junior trying to best my profile as much as possible given the limited time at hand:

School:

- A TOP 20 school and top 10 for CS
 

GPA:

- 3.5 (can be 3.78 at the time of application) / 4.0 (Honors)

 

Major:

- CS

 

Research interest:

- Network/Computer Security, Anti-censorship internet measurement

 

Research Experience:

- (Potentially good LOR from a very reputable professor) At the lab of a reputable Professor in the field of Computer/Network Security and Anti-censorship internet measurement field during the summer.

- (Ongoing)  A semester of research experience in an IoT-related project, planned to publish at USENIX (top conference for Security).

 

Publication:

- None (for now)

 

Target:

- University of Michigan

- Cornell

- UCSD

- CMU

- Duke

- UMD

- UCB

- UChicago

 

Since I have a time constraint of about a year (with one summer), what is the best course to maximize my chance at a top program?

 

Thank you!

 

Edited December 30, 2023 by TryingBest
(school list)

[Laboni765]

Your profile looks like it is moving in a good direction, especially given that you still have time before applying. The strongest part is probably the research experience that connects directly to your stated interests.

A few things I would focus on:

• Try to make your research experience as substantial as possible rather than collecting many short projects.

• A strong letter from a professor who knows your research work well can be more valuable than a letter based mainly on reputation.

• If the IoT project leads to a publication, that could strengthen your application, but I would not treat publication as the only measure of a successful research experience.

• Your GPA is something worth improving if possible, particularly in core CS and math courses.

For research-focused graduate programs, the fit between your interests, experience, and the faculty you want to work with will also matter a lot. Your current profile seems to have a clear direction, so I would focus on building depth and being able to explain your research interests and contributions clearly.