Resources

I completed my undergraduate studies in Chemistry at IIT Guwahati in 2024 and applied for a CS PhD (focusing on NLP and RL) in 2023 for the fall 2024 application cycle. The process of applying to graduate school can be quite stressful and is often unknown for many. To assist others, I am sharing the resources I found invaluable during my application journey. This curated list covers almost all the necessary materials, with a slight bias toward PhD programs, as that is what I applied for. All the credit goes to the brilliant minds who crafted these resources.

I am always available to support students from underprivileged backgrounds and those shifting from non-CS disciplines, especially if you’re from IIT Guwahati ❤️. Feel free to reach out via email at khan1069@umn.edu.

Rankings
CS Rankings - CS Topicwise rankings of schools by Emery Berger

FAQs on the application process
FAQs on PhD application process by Noah Smith

Guides
Applying to Ph.D. Programs in Computer Science by Mor Harchol-Balter
Guide by Soham De. Explained the timeline of MS/PhD application process that every student must follow.

Other lists of resources
Advice by Shaily Bhatt. This the most complete list of resources.
Grad School Resources by Kalpesh Krishna
Grad School Admissions Resources by Kartik Singhal
Awesome CS PhD application advice by Jianing Yang

How to write SOP
How to Demonstrate Potential, Passion and Purpose in SoP for MS-PhD by Sanya Jain
How to Write a Statement of Purpose for Grad School by Swapneel Mehta

SOP Examples
Azal’s CS PhD SOP
CS PhD Statements of Purpose

LOR
How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation by Gautam Kamath
How to write good letters of recommendation (In case your letter writer asks for a draft)

Fee Waiver
CS PhD Application Fee Waivers by Kaiser Sun
You should also check the GradAdmission subreddit for fee waiver codes.