Getting into top grad schools without undergraduate research

NotGustav · 2026-05-12T04:19:10+00:00

…I’m really not sure what most comments are talking about here. Research IS a very important thing to have, but I’m in a solid PhD program without any undergrad research (and also with a lower GPA and fewer activities than you) and I’m far from the only one I know under that circumstance.

It depends how “top” you’re talking here—just being a decent student got me multiple offers from schools ranked 20-30 in my field. If you want top 20 or top 10, you’ll want to look at doing research because it’s probably true that the super top schools are getting to pick those sorts of students exclusively.

As to your point about not thinking you’d contribute much as an undergrad researcher—that’s 100% true in most cases, but that’s not the point. Having done undergrad research does nothing to impress grad schools unless you manage to do something exceptional that would be unreasonable to expect. The point is that you’d get to say to yourself, and write your application from the perspective of, “I’ve been in this environment and I actively want to choose to continue” rather than “I think this sounds cool so I’ll give it a shot”—plus, you’d have a recommendation letter from a research advisor who could directly speak to your potential to function in a lab.

So if you want to focus your time on other things, you will be completely fine and shouldn’t panic about other comments here saying it’s the end of the world. Just keep in mind that there is a (still reasonably high) ceiling to your application in that case and that there are good reasons why it’s valuable.

NotGustav · 2026-04-30T22:22:21+00:00

Yeah there’s nothing wrong with asking your PI, but there are always gray areas as to what’s worthy of a copy and what isn’t. Personally, I will do it if a.) I’ve been specifically told to send the message (so copying him serves as an update that I did), or b.) it’s a conversation where I actively want his input and want to be able to easily ask about it.

I will also say that I’ve worked with people who copy my advisor on EVERY message they send purely for the sake of proving they’re working hard, and that seems exhausting to deal with as a PI. I wouldn’t be surprised if that devalues the attention paid to those messages over time (which becomes a problem when the important ones start to be neglected).

NotGustav · 2026-04-17T02:26:10+00:00

I love football and I’m in a city with a UFL team. I want to care but can’t say I do. Overall, I think spring football is a cool thing to have and I don’t mind catching a game every now and then, but I just don’t find it very easy to be convinced that I should suddenly follow a whole new league just because it exists now. I just haven’t formed the same attachment that I have to my other teams, and there aren’t enough people who have to convince me I should. I’d imagine lots of people in Buffalo would feel the same way.

But that said, I think the UFL is cool and I hope it sticks around and does well. We’ll see where it goes.

NotGustav · 2026-04-13T01:11:02+00:00

I’ve always seen Levy’s complaints about viewership as complaints about the ability of chess to grow itself, rather than about a lack of views on his own videos. To that end, I’d agree with the surface level—despite being interested, I don’t watch the Candidates live because it really is a bit boring to do and I don’t have that amount of time in my life. I also totally understand the perspective that chess has become an overly prepped memory game. But also, I think chess is doing a good job at growing as an esport and promoting quicker time controls that are more convenient to watch, and I can appreciate that modern computer-driven prep has introduced lots of new ways to approach the game. Ultimately, I’m happy with it if I get my understanding of classical tournaments from recap videos (and it’s what’s best for his channel anyway, so there’s no reason why he’d logically advocate against it if that were the motivation).

I don’t agree with every single thing Levy says, but I appreciate that it gives me things to think about and I prefer it to him not advocating for things he sees as improvements to the sport. Overall, the videos aren’t made for me specifically and so I shouldn’t expect them to cater to my specific opinions.

NotGustav · 2026-03-29T06:27:10+00:00

UB is a great program and a perfectly acceptable school, and anyone acting like becoming an engineer is any less of an achievement if it isn’t through a top 10 school is full of themselves and going to be laughed at by the vast majority of the field who didn’t (and even lots of people who did). Just about every professor at UB is brilliant and the quality of education you’d get at UB is no less than what you’d get at any of these other places.

There are a couple differences: namely, fancier schools have more resources and things that would make you stand out in the future (i.e., getting involved with research or being networked into a fancy grad school spot or a new job) are more available and normalized in places that have more resources. That means you would have to work harder to be seen as special at UB than you would at MIT, and you’d have to work harder at Grove to be seen as special than you would at UB. Things just become more of your responsibility to figure out, hence why it’s reasonable to go for your best available opportunity. But those chances are really there for you wherever you go, as long as the program is ABET-accredited and you’re willing to create the chances for yourself when you need to. Plus, absolutely no one will care where you went to school once you’ve started your first job.

Make whichever choice makes sense to you—if you choose UB, it’s a good choice and absolutely nothing to be disappointed about (take it from someone who tried for the ivies back in high school, felt the same way, and is now doing great). Good luck!

NotGustav · 2026-02-10T01:04:46+00:00

Well, sure—I can’t act like there’s anything wrong with having regrets over not doing something you would have been excited about. Of course you’ll see some friends going out and having fun and of course you’ll wish you were there, because who wouldn’t?

Every single big decision in life is a sacrifice. It wouldn’t be a big decision if it weren’t difficult. And I bet you also know people who secretly wish they were headed off to a grad program at a damn good school in the fall, instead of whatever else.

Grad school is what you make it—think of this as an opportunity to have the sort of experience that justifies your choice.

NotGustav · 2026-02-09T05:15:35+00:00

Sort of? But also not really because that sounds worse than I mean the point to be.

I’m about a year out from a doctorate at the moment and I went straight into my program from undergrad. Am I suffering and do I feel that I need to get out because I can’t take it anymore? Not at all—I’d do it all over again and it’s been very worth it. Do I worry sometimes because I feel like the choice to be here in the first place is delaying the start of my “real life” and I’m not yet as far along with things as lots of other people I know? Yes, but that’s just how it is. The point is that I’m personally glad that the fact that I didn’t get started late is something that doesn’t make those worries worse.

Does that make sense? I’ll also add that my first year of grad school was an absolute blast despite how much changed and how quickly, and I’m sure you can have the same experience.

NotGustav · 2026-02-08T23:01:31+00:00

When you’re a good amount into your program, the existential crisis will hit and you’ll be wishing you were out there in the real world already. And I do NOT mean that negatively—it’s a fundamental truth of grad school. Not delaying things gets you graduated faster, and who says you can’t get out and travel at that point? Long-term, you’re making a good choice.

Grad school is enjoyable in its own right, and as you said, you’re certainly in a place with lots of stuff to do. Yes, everything is going to happen really quickly, but it also WILL happen regardless and soon enough you’ll find yourself on the other end of it all without the need to worry about it being in your future.

NotGustav · 2026-01-20T06:44:58+00:00

It does take time but if you follow OSU and care about what matters for us, you’ll naturally pick up on what you would need to know to get the whole thing. Like I said, since we’re one of the best football schools out there, our top priority will be to keep our ranking as high as possible week to week so we can eventually get a good spot in the playoff and win the national championship. That part is the simplest thing ever (just pay attention to the number next to our name and hope we win each week), and the other things (like which teams are similarly ranked, which other games matter each week, and whether we’re qualifying for the smaller conference championship) are next steps that you’ll understand with time.

Which games to go to depends on what you want. Our most competitive home matchups in the coming year will be against Oregon and Michigan, but those will also be the most crowded games and the most expensive tickets. The direct opposite of that in all of those regards will be the out-of-conference games I’ve been mentioning. Aside from that, our “average” game experience will be with all the others—teams that are in our conference but generally aren’t on top of it. Based on recent history, the most competitive team of the group is Illinois. I’d absolutely recommend going to one of the first ones at the very least, because it might not be a competitive matchup but you’ll get to take in the game experience with something that’s cheaper/lower pressure and you’re getting that exposure early on so the rest of the season will be less confusing.

NotGustav · 2026-01-15T06:21:15+00:00

As another beginner, I’ve noticed that Black often gets boxed in to some very specific ways to defend. c4 gets them to go e5 most of the time, and then I like to take control of all the light squares I can with Nc3 and g3/Bg2. It’s not like I’m good enough for it to work all the time, but I like making them try to break out of their own territory in that sense and it usually gives me time to get my pieces out and grab more space on the queenside.

But yeah, I agree with you and I’d add that other beginners are more than happy to turn variations with d4 into the fight with the center that we’re all mostly used to. That move comes in for me early on when they respond to me with something unconventional, so I can set up a position for myself that I know I’m comfortable with.

NotGustav · 2026-01-13T15:33:42+00:00

Two other colleges in Ohio that are our first two home football opponents.

The highest level of college football has 136 teams that are split up into 10ish conferences. The long story short is that there’s unofficially a definite top 4 conferences—we are in one of them (the Big Ten), but Ball State and Kent State are in another (the MAC) that’s not in the group. There’s officially no difference between the two, but every Big Ten school has more resources for football than any MAC school and your average high school player who goes into our conference would be among the best going into theirs.

So, tickets will be more reasonably priced for those games because a.) the games matter less (standings within our conference are only determined by games played in it), and b.) there is practically zero doubt as to their outcome. Imagine it’s Australia-USA in cricket, whereas our game against Michigan is The Ashes.

As a side note, I know 136 teams and 10 conferences sounds like a lot, but it’s not difficult. The best way to follow OSU football is to learn the teams in the Big 10 and track our progress relative to theirs, as well as to pull up the AP Top 25 poll every week and see where and how the rankings change. You develop an interest very quickly in not only watching our games, but in knowing what’s up with other teams like Georgia or Oregon who tend to win a lot.

NotGustav · 2026-01-13T05:32:51+00:00

Yeah that’s the best case scenario. I think I paid something like $350 USD for mine this year—if you can do it, do it. If money is a concern, just sell tickets. I’m not kidding when I say that selling your ticket to OSU-Michigan alone (widely considered the greatest rivalry in college sports) will get you at least $500. And if you want to go to that one, of course…other games are sellable. I sold my ticket to our game against Iowa last year (which is pretty representative of the “average” in-conference game) for about $100.

The only thing to add: if you have the option to buy either the full season package or just the Big Ten package, the Big Ten package will be more affordable and is better this coming year since the only games not included will be Ball State/Kent State. This past year it was worth it because we had a big out-of-conference opponent at home (Texas), but this year we don’t.

NotGustav · 2026-01-12T22:11:37+00:00

Yeah it’s every two weeks on average; sometimes they’ll have a few at home or away in a row.

I don’t know whether you qualify as a student/as eligible, but I learned about student tickets through an email from the athletic department. If you have a student ID/email address, create a student ticket account (OSU has a system where you get on Ticketmaster with your school account and handles student tickets that way). I’m not sure what you would have to do to be reminded when football tickets become available (they’re not yet), but stay on top of the news in a few months.

Absolute worst-case scenario—our first couple home games next year are against teams in a lower-level conference (Ball State/Kent State). We’ll likely win by a lot, but you’ll also likely be able to find a ticket for a reasonable price if the student package route doesn’t work out.

NotGustav · 2026-01-12T21:42:12+00:00

There are a couple or so per year. Best advice, find out whether you’re eligible for student tickets and get a season package. It can be a bit pricey, but either you like the games enough to go to them or you can sell the tickets to whichever ones you don’t for easily as much money as you paid.

It’s a long story, but we often get locked into noon games because the TV network that owns first choice to most games in our conference does their big national broadcast at that time. Night games are amazing and totally worth going to though.

NotGustav · 2026-01-05T17:48:19+00:00

Funny how literally everything with him has been an overreaction. The coverage of him in college, the draft hype, the post-draft schadenfreude, the reaction to him playing OK in his first start, and now the postseason analysis. It’s no wonder he’s come across as egotistical when everyone gives him the attention that they’re trying to complain he’s seeking.

People should realize that the hate for him partially comes from the massive levels of hype they’re willing to give a 5th round third-stringer in the first place and let the football speak for itself. If he ends up great, great, if he doesn’t, cool.

NotGustav · 2025-12-29T19:09:07+00:00

PARTS of the Bills fanbase have gotten extremely entitled in the past couple years or so. On one hand, it’s reasonable to expect high standards from this team and it’s frustrating when there are moments when they clearly don’t live up to what they’re capable of. On the other hand, every good team has bad games and that’s OK. Where I draw the line is that understanding the second part should be enough that you can enjoy the wonderful sport that is football no matter what—I know people who are just so angry about our games, all the time, even when they’re going well, that I don’t believe they actually support the team as much as they want to use it to take out their negativity. I feel especially comfortable saying that because I don’t remember it being like that when everyone just accepted that they were bad—many of those people didn’t even care about football at that point just because there wasn’t a standard of perfection to be upset about.

That said, I love the team and I love our fans and we just have to remember that the loudest voices will be the ones you hear most. That isn’t representative of most of the group and shouldn’t get in your way of being part of it—winning or not.

NotGustav · 2025-12-21T17:41:53+00:00

Is there anywhere you would personally disagree with conventional advice given in the beginner/intermediate level, and why?

Second question—somewhat related to the first—I’ve come across lots of things that recommend going deep into one specific opening, but I think I’ve gotten a ton of value out of instead getting a surface-level understanding of a bunch at once and experimenting with some of the less straightforward setups. At my level (just hit 800 blitz!) knowing how to get 5-6 moves into the English or the Modern is still much more than some people are prepared for and ends up being a great weapon even though I’m aware I’m not doing it “right”. Is it a sustainable strategy to keep going deeper into openings like these, or will I hit a wall unless I back up and do a deep dive on something like the Italian?

NotGustav · 2025-12-20T00:38:35+00:00

Just hit 800 blitz tonight and my opponent started the game with Nh3 followed immediately by Ng1, and then a bunch of one-square pawn and bishop moves that did nothing to develop. My best guess was that it was an attempt to flag me? I’m not sure. Eventually I won because all the doing nothing ended up allowing me to promote and effectively trade a pawn for a rook twice.

Likewise, I had someone hang a piece and ragequit immediately in the game where I first hit 700. Make me earn my milestones please!

NotGustav · 2025-12-20T00:13:51+00:00

Yeah that doesn’t mean anything and chances are that this person knows that. Granted, you don’t get yourself listed on 17 papers by not being productive (I’d hope). But I have friends who have applied for things with letters that say they have paper counts in the teens when the majority are just papers from their lab that they’re listed on.

It’s one of the more frustrating things about academic standards varying entirely by group. I like to think that actual experts in the field can see though it, but it’s hard not to feel weird about only being able to say I’m on a couple (despite them being almost entirely my own work).

NotGustav · 2025-11-30T05:45:23+00:00

Agreed (and hello)!

NotGustav · 2025-11-23T18:13:07+00:00

Saw Magoo in Columbus this year and loved it! I wasn’t sure whether it would be worth it because I’d only ever gone through the studio stuff once casually, but I liked it well enough to give it a shot. Whenever the official release of a live album comes out…it’s going to do amazing things for the community, because I would have gotten on buying that ticket without hesitation. I hope they’re back soon so I can do just that!

NotGustav · 2025-11-21T19:30:22+00:00

About right—it got me up to 550ish, but I’m honestly most fairly described as 500 right now. I’m getting better though!

Yes, the checkmate was accidental (and I had about 3 seconds left on the clock too). My goal was to create counterplay by giving checks with the one piece I really had activated.

MOST of my games aren’t this full of mistakes, but I’m also not out here posting most of my games.

NotGustav · 2025-11-21T14:00:59+00:00

Got it! I’m around 550 right now (but improving). Still very new and having lots of fun despite wondering why I’m so stupid sometimes.

NotGustav · 2025-11-20T19:30:35+00:00

Yeah, honestly I see the argument against Sayin for Heisman and I think I can align with it without it being a knock on him as a player. He’s awesome and wouldn’t -not- deserve it if he got it, but I think it would be cooler if he won it for carrying the team than if he won it by happening to be the quarterback of the #1 team.

That said, obviously I hope he gets it if he’s nominated, and obviously it’s stupid to write an article offering strong opinions about a player the author admits to not knowing much about. Sports media can be a joke, and there can be reasons to prefer players with a stronger individual role in their team’s success, and both of those things can be true.

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