I've been running PhD admissions for @cuinfoscience, so here are a few pieces of advice (with a strong Your Mileage May Vary caveat because every program and person is different). First: Good luck! FWIW I was rejected form a lot of PhD programs & turned out okay. :) [Thread]
(1) In computing (inc. HCI and a lot of InfoSci) it is common and often desirable to reach out to individual faculty members you might be interested in working with. Not every professor expects or wants this, though if you're respectful it's rarely a negative thing!
Tip for writing this email: be clear about why you are writing to THIS professor. No form letters! Also don't just copy & paste paper titles. If you really do want to work with them, you should know why! Also we are very busy, so if you don't hear back don't take it as a slight.
(2) Personal statements are hard because you need to walk a line between showing that you can come up with your own ideas, but also that you are not too rigid. It's typically better to write about general areas of interest with examples rather than to explain a concrete project
If you have research experience, talk about it! In part because if you're going to spend the next 5 years of your life doing research, I want to know that you understand what it is and love it. (This could be class-based research too if you haven't had other opportunities!)
Mention specific faculty members in your personal statement when you talk about your research goals - more than one! Again, don't be too rigid, but showing how you can see yourself fitting into specific research agendas can be really helpful.
Both (1) and (2) come with the caveat that this advice is particularly important for programs were PhD students are tied closely to individual faculty (in a "lab" model of research, often driven by grant funding) and may not apply to more humanities-style programs, so also...
(3) For many programs, acceptance can be dependent in part on whether there is an appropriate advisor for you and whether that person can take new students (either because of funding or the size of their lab). In other words: It might have nothing to do with how great you are!
For this reason, if it's logistically possible, always apply for a number of different programs! The best case scenario is that you have options, and then you get the awesome experience of getting to find out more about why you'd be a good fit for different schools and faculty.
And finally, (4) If you end up striking out, you can always try again. If you're coming straight out of undergrad, consider applying to Masters programs to get more research experience. Or sometimes you just need to try again next year when there are different opportunities!
I actually applied to a number of PhD programs before deciding to go to law school (in part because, well, it looked like the PhD thing might not be for me). One of the schools that rejected me later offered me a job as a prof. ;) Things work out!
P.S. SHAMELESS PLUG don't forget that you can take this advice with you on your way to applying to our PhD program in particular. ;) colorado.edu/infoscience/ph…
Addendum: Also know that it’s ok if you DON’T reach out to profs. Not doing so won’t count against your app; just a way to get useful info, including things like ‘I’m all full up on students but you should talk to X prof instead!’
Also this is such a good example of A Tweet Thread That Should Have Been A Blog Post but I’m very busy!!! :D
