
Ask HN: How many published papers should you have when applying to PhD programs? - hsikka
Hey HN,<p>I&#x27;m thinking about applying to PhD programs focused on Theoretical Neuroscience and Deep Learning this fall, and quite frankly I feel like I&#x27;m not good enough.<p>I&#x27;m finishing two Master&#x27;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.<p>I just started doing research in the past 6 months, and I feel like I&#x27;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&#x27;t know how I can compete with that :&#x2F;<p>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&#x27;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.<p>Do you have any advice for a nervous kid?
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TheRealSteel
I have no special knowledge of this field or of academia but it sounds like a
classic case of Impostor Syndrome to me. You sound very accomplished - two
Master's!? Most people only have one or zero when they start a PhD. I'm sure
you're more than qualified.

