Essayvision

I second the columbia choice given its prestige and I know that they are relatively more generous when it comes to funding. The combination of TA/research opportunities at columbia far outweighs any benefits of being at columbia. Congratulations and best of luck!

I would aim for everything on the list except for NYU Polytechnic, USC, and U of T

which countries are you talking about? In the UK obvious choice is LSE (London school of economics)) but not sure about the funding. In the US, there are big range.. i would say top three are U of Chicago, Wharton @u of Penn, Columbia Univ.

I agree with previous post, you would be wasting a lot of money and effort doing extra masters for Ph.d. What you might want to do is get to know key people in your area of interest in research and see if you can get to work with him on his research. This is a great way to get noticed in the academic community and to build credibility. Best of luck.

Getting your paper published will definitely help especially if it is published on a notable journal. but it is not a prerequisite for landing a job. I know people who got scouted out even before graduation just because they got their paper published on a very notable journal.

There are increasing number of applicants coming from Iran and a lot of them do have superb grades. What would make you distinguish between them are your reseach experiences and notable journals you can publish. Other than that, you might want to look into canadian schools, UBC is a good choice and might be suitable for your profile but if you can get more notable research experiences, top schools in the US could still be on the table. Best of luck

I disagree with the score standards, you definitely still need at least 600 on V to get considered for top schools in engineering. I know many who got great scores and still denied. I would consider re taking the exam just to lift the verbal score a tad higher.

You clearly need to evaluate what's important for you between saving money vs. academia. Doing masters isn't necessary for you to get into top PHD programs while it may help if you do well in the Masters program. But that's considering you get into top masters and actually graduate top notch. That in itself is also a risk you need to consider. I would rather work on more notable research to get published and get more work experience and apply for PHd.

I think you are eligible to apply between top 20 to top 50 bracket. Your verbal score on gre a bit on the lower range to qualify for top 20 and it also all depends on whether your work experience and research project has had an impact in your area of academia. Your grades and scores and important but phd programs give heavy weightings for your research experience and whether you've had sufficient contribution for its work. Also, do not underestimate the power of your SOP (statemenet of purpose) as this could be a game changer for admission to get to know you. Don't forget to have it reviewed by multiple readers and get professional help if you can. best of luck

While your GRE math is good, you should consider taking it again just to improve on your verbal. you should aim for above 600 to feel comfortable for aiming at those schools.

I like how you structured your essay, it is very clearly written and your motivation for further studies well defined. There are however, some issues here. First, when you mention "I’ve always known I belonged in Human Resources”, you should avoid saying "because I haven't always known" as your reason. This is better left out. This reason does nothing to really explain why you are saying the statement. There are many other grammatical errors and other content related issues. You should seriously consider asking a professional to help you revise your SOP as this some of these even simple errors can make a difference between an admission and rejection.

i also think your profile is not adequate to be applying for top programs in the US. although you've had steller experiences, you exam scores are with all honesty, sub par relative to majority of applicants applying for top tier schools in the US. I would consider retaking those exams if you think you can improve it with some time. Cheers and best of luck

Hi, your profile is definitely impressive, having been educated in the US, I can't comment on how you compare to US standards although you claim 29/30 for your undergrad scores. As for your GRE, if you want my honest opinion, I don't think it is top tier score. I know candidates who had 800Q and 750 on verbal who didn't get into top schools. Of course there are other variables as well but if you have to improve on your exam scores i would definitely consider retaking them. More importantly, it is important that you have very unique work experience that deals with current events in management that you can bring to the faculty.

I agree with most posts here, your chances of landing top tier phd program in the US is unfortunately quite slim. Although your exam scores aren't too bad, the case for transferring to another PHD program requires a unique case... such as publishing a notable paper etc.. or working with a reputable professor to assit in his research/paper. It doesn't hurt to try to apply for them, but to be honest, your effort may be better served in applying for some of the reknowned programs in Europe. Best of luck. Cheers

Most phd programs end in minimum 5 years.. 4years is very tight although i know people who's done it. That requires finishing courses in one year (depending on type of program) and if you start on your thesis right away and be able to get your paper published by your 3rd or 4th year, you can definitely aim to finish within 4 years.