Ask HN: How many published papers should you have when applying to PhD programs?
I'm thinking about applying to PhD programs focused on Theoretical Neuroscience and Deep Learning this fall, and quite frankly I feel like I'm not good enough.
I'm finishing two Master's degrees, one in Biology and one in Computer science, from Harvard and Georgia Tech respectively. I previously did my undergraduate studies in Cognitive Science from UCSD. My GPA in my masters is a 4.0.
I just started doing research in the past 6 months, and I feel like I'm so far behind my peers its not even funny. I have a paper accepted for a small conference in the fall, but after talking to some folks at Phd programs at places like Stanford or MIT, I hear that students often come in with multiple first author publications. Is this true? I don't know how I can compete with that :/
I want to do research, I love it and have been working 80 hour weeks juggling two RAships and a research internship this summer, but I just feel like I won't be able to get into a solid background because of my non traditional background. My undergrad was non technical, and my research record is short, if a little intense.
Do you have any advice for a nervous kid?