PhD Admissions
Pursuing a PhD is one of the most rigorous choices you can make as an academic. We're here to help.
Interested in learning more? Get in touch
How it works
We believe that a tailored program is a basic prerequisite for any effective tutoring relationship.
Coach spotlight
We are dynamic coaches who think strategically about helping our students gain admission into the most selective graduate schools. As a prerequisite, we only work with coaches who have attended the top institutions. But, we also look for experienced editors, smart project managers, and tactical thinkers.
Meet everyone
Susan
Susan studied English at Rice and graduated summa cum laude. After serving in Teach for America, she earned her PhD in English at Harvard. She has held faculty positions at Wake Forest and Yale and currently lives in London.
Elliot
Elliot earned his BS in Biology at MIT, and his MSc by Research in Clinical Medicine on a Rhodes Scholarshop at Oxford University. Currently, he is an MD/PhD student in the the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program.
Rehana
Rehana holds a PhD in Mathematics (Wesleyan). She has been faculty at several institutions, including Olin College and Harvard, where she recieved the Mentor of the Year Award from the Harvard Graduate Women in Science & Engineering.
Anna S.
Anna holds a PhD in Slavic Languages and Literature (Harvard), an MA in Slavic Languages and Literature (MA), a BA in History and Philology (Russian State University) and a BA in Fine Arts (Pushkin State Museum Art College).
Amulya M.
Amulya is an Anthropology PhD candidate at Harvard University. She earned her Bachelor's in Anthropology from University of Chicago, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Ash
Ash earned a BA in Social Studies (Harvard), an MPhil in Intellectual History and Political Thought (University of Cambridge), and a JD (Yale). He is currently a PhD candidate in Political Science at Columbia University.
Daniel Be.
Daniel is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and author of 5 books of literary nonfiction. He holds an MFA in Fiction (Columbia University), and has taught at Saint Ann's School, Columbia University, and elsewhere.
Sarah Y.
Sarah graduated from Brown with a BA in History & International Relations. She holds a PhD in History from the University of Hong Kong and the University of Pennsylvania.
Mariam R.
Mariam Rahmani is a writer and translator. Rahmani holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from UCLA and an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University, as well as degrees from Princeton and Oxford. She currently serves on the faculty of Bennington College and is a postdoctoral Fellow with the American Council for Learned Societies in 2023-24.
Meghan M.
Meghan an MPhil student in Islamic Art and Archaelogy at Oxford. She holds an MA in Buddhist Art (Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London) and a BA in Art History and International Affairs (George Washington).
Avery W.
Avery holds a BA in Public Policy & Global Health from Duke, and an MPH from Johns Hopkins. After working for Clinton Health Access Initiative, she's now earning her MBA at the University of Michigan.
Ellen S.
Ellen majored in English at Williams College and received her PhD in English from Duke University. She teaches American Literature in the History & Literature department at Harvard University.
Morgan B.
Morgan holds Masters' degrees in Maritime Archaeology (University of Southampton) and European History (University College London). She is a member of the Oceangate Titanic Expedition scientific team.
Adrienne
Adrienne received her English PhD from Harvard University, her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and her BA from Princeton University. She is a nonfiction writer and poet, and teaches in the Writing Program at Princeton University.
Daniel Fr
Daniel is a PhD candidate in Chinese History at UC Berkeley. He holds a BA in English & French literature and Chinese language (University of Texas), a JD (Yale Law), and an MA in Sinology (University of London).
Gus
Gus is currently in his fifth year of pursuing his PhD in Clinical Psychology at Columbia University. He is currently conducting psychological research using experimental and survey methods and serves as the doctoral student leader of the Internet, Disclosure & Psychotherapy Lab.
Grey A.
Grey received his BA in English from Reed College, and his MA in French and his PhD in History from Yale. His dissertation, published in French in 2018 and under contract in English with Verso Books, examines the military coup that returned General Charles de Gaulle to power.
Trinh T.
Trinh holds a BA in Political Science from Yale and an MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford. She is an incoming JD candidate at Yale Law School.
Emily F.
Emily is a PhD candidate at Columbia University in Religious Studies. She teaches Western and East Asian philosophy classes at SUNY Purchase, where she earned her BA in philosophy.
Wyatt S.
Wyatt holds an AB from Kenyon College and an MA from NYU, both in English. He's currently a PhD student in Harvard's English department.
Udodiri
Udodiri is a PhD Candidate in History of Science at Harvard University; she previously earned a BA in the same field at Harvard College. Her honors thesis on the biomedicalization of Civil Rights Protest in the 1960s and 1970s received the Thomas T. Hoopes Prize.
Nathan B.
Nathan is a lecturer in The Writing Seminars, the creative writing program at Johns Hopkins University. He earned his MFA at Hopkins, and also attended Emory University in Atlanta, majoring in English literature and creative writing and graduating summa cum laude.
Faith L.
Faith graduated magna cum laude from the Honors Program at American University with a BA in Environmental Studies and Economics and a minor in International Studies. Faith is also an alum of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Now a second-year student at Yale Law School (YLS), Faith is an NAACP Legal Defense Fund Earl Warren Scholar and a YLS Connecticut Bar Foundation Fellow.
Camille
Camille attended UChicago to earn her BA in Psychology and Economics. She's currently pursuing a dual Master in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School and Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business.
Kaitlin S.
Kaitlin completed her undergraduate studies at Swarthmore College, where she majored in Sociology and Anthropology. She later completed a MSW at Smith College and is now pursuing a PhD at Harvard in the History of Science, with an emphasis on the history and philosophy of psychology, critical theory, and African American Studies.
Ubadah
Ubadah is a neuroscientist at MIT. He immigrated to the US and started community college when he was 16 years old. After spending three years there, he transferred to the University of Missouri, where he earned his BS in Biology. Ubadah then earned his PhD in Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health at Virginia Tech.
Sam C.
Sam graduated with a degree in Physics from Princeton University. After graduation, she taught physics at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She's currently pursuing her MFA in fiction at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.
Sasha
Sasha earned her BS in Physics and Mathematics from MIT and her PhD in Materials Science & Engineering from MIT. Her PhD research focused on engineering new energy-efficient magnetic nanomaterials. While at MIT, she completed two research internships in France, worked as a visiting scientist in a German physics institute, and pioneered a new physics education program in Chile.
Miki
Miki received her PhD in Anthropology from Johns Hopkins University and is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at UIUC. After receiving her BA magna cum laude from Macaulay Honors College at Lehman College, CUNY, she completed a U.S. Fulbright grant in Nepal, worked at the Harvard School of Public Health and NIH, and did MA studies at Universität Heidelberg in Health and Society in South Asia.
Rakeeb
Rakeeb graduated summa cum laude from Cornell University with a degree in Biological Engineering. He then pursued a research position at Johns Hopkins University, where he discovered a passion for immunology that has since led him to become a PhD candidate in the Immunology program at Harvard.
Max Sh.
Max holds a PhD in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies from Columbia, an MA in Near Eastern Studies from NYU, and a BA in Philosophy from Vassar. An experienced classroom teacher, he currently teaches World History at Poly Prep Country Day School.
Michae O.
Michael holds a BA in Mathematics and American Studies at Wesleyan University, and a PhD in American Studies at Harvard University. His studies focus on 19th century US history and the history of the life sciences.
Akhil
Akhil holds a BA and MA in Political Science from Yale University. He is currently pursuing his MS in Comparative Social Policy from the University of Oxford as a Marshall Scholar. Following his time in Oxford, he will begin studying for his JD at Yale Law School.
Connor M.
Connor is a PhD Candidate in Religion at Columbia University; his dissertation focuses on the relationship between religion, science, and technology in contemporary America. He also holds an MPhil and MA in Religion from Columbia, an a BA in Religion from Vassar College.
Courtney P.
A recent JD and MSW graduate from the University of Michigan, Courtney currently teaches at the University of Michigan Law School in a human trafficking problem-solving and social innovation lab. She received her BA in Sociology and Religious Studies from Grinnell College with Phi Beta Kappa honors.
Kiran
Kiran holds a PhD from the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. She also holds a Master’s in Latin American Studies from the University of Oxford, and a BA in Political Science from Barnard College.
Kendall G.
Kendall is a doctoral candidate in Politics at the University of Oxford with a specialization in political theory. Before moving to the United Kingdom as a Marshall Scholar, Kendall attended Tulane University, where she graduated summa cum laude in two degrees – a BA in Political Science and a BSM in Legal Studies in Business.
Isaac Jf.
Isaac is a doctoral student at Yale University in the Departments of African-American Studies and American Studies. His research interests include black studies, phenomenology, psychoanalysis, queer theory, and sound studies. Previously, Isaac earned his BA from Columbia University in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, graduating cum laude.
Alexandra F.
Alexandra holds a BA in Social Studies Education from Miami University and Master of Arts degrees in History from Miami University and University of Reading (UK), where she was a 2019/2020 Fulbright Scholar. She also holds a Master of Arts degree in History of Science from Harvard University, where she is pursuing a PhD in African American Studies.
Anneclaire
Anne Claire is a Clinical Psychology PhD candidate in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research focuses on how to use technology to improve youth mental health.
Hannah L.
Hannah earned her BA from Yale University, where her undergrad poetry thesis won her Yale’s Frederick Mortimer Clapp Fellowship. Hannah got her MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2015 and is currently an English PhD candidate at the University of Virginia.
Darja
Darja earned her MD/PhD from Harvard/MIT, graduating cum laude. She was a resident in general psychiatry at Yale and is presently a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow at LIJ/NUMC in New York.
Kaitlyn L.
Kaitlyn played D1 softball at Stanford, where she majored in Computer Science (3.8/4.0 GPA). Presently, she is an MD-PhD student at Harvard working on her PhD in Bioinformatics.
Elizabeth Be.
Elizabeth received her PhD in English from New York University, where she specialized in eighteenth-century British literature and Romanticism. Before NYU, she received an MA in Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a BA in English from the University of Central Florida.
Yurigrace
Yuri-Grace is presently a Clinical Science PhD Candidate & NSF GRFP fellow at Harvard University. Originally from Peachtree City, GA, she graduated from Harvard College in 2021 with a BA in Psychology (highest honors) and a secondary in Classics.
Lauren J.
Lauren graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Dickinson College with a BS in Environmental Science and a minor in Biology. She obtained her MS in Marine Microbiology from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and is now a PhD candidate in Environmental Molecular Science and Technology at the University of Maryland.
Natalie P.
Natalie holds a PhD in English from Yale and a BA from the University of Maryland in English and LGBT Studies. She has served as a graduate instructor at Yale, as a visiting assistant professor at Bard College, and as a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton.
Rob F.
Rob holds an MFA in Fiction from New York University. Previously, he worked for Bain & Company and graduated from Stanford with a major in Political Science. He currently writes poetry, fiction, and art criticism.
Kirsten M.
Kirsten is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and PhD candidate at Harvard University, where she studies Psychology with a minor in Data Science. Previously, she earned her BA in Psychology and Cognitive Science at Swarthmore College.
Danielle J.
Danielle majored in English modified with African and African American Studies at Dartmouth College, where she graduated cum laude with high honors. She is currently a PhD candidate in English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago.
Jamie M.
Jamie is a PhD Candidate in the History of Science at Harvard University. She also holds an MA in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago and a BA in Communications from the University of Portland.
Johnson E.
Johnson holds an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, a Master’s in International Trade & Finance from the Harvard Kennedy School, and an MBA from MIT. He has worked for Goldman Sachs, the Federal Reserve, and Harvard Business School.
Shae
Shae holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Chicago and an MA in History from Harvard University. She is currently a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of History at Harvard University.
Frances
Frances holds a PhD from Harvard in the History of Art and Architecture and a BA in Art History from Bard College. Her research focused on imperial and late Roman memorial art and the “afterlives” of these types of objects.
Brian P.
Brian holds a PhD in English Literature at Rutgers University, where his research was supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Modern Language Association, and the Folger Shakespeare Library. His prize-winning personal essays have appeared in Avidly, Literary Hub, TriQuarterly, and Electric Literature.
Tom S.
Tom earned master’s degrees in economics and statistics from the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford. Previously, he completed four undergraduate degrees in mathematics, economics, statistics, and philosophy at Indiana University.
Claudia
Claudia is a PhD Candidate in biological anthropology the CUNY Graduate Center. She has taught human evolution and anatomy at Harvard, NYU, CUNY Lehman College, and CUNY Hunter College.
Albert A.
Albert holds an MPhil in Economics from Oxford, an MFA in Fiction from NYU, and a PhD, focused on the theory of comedy, from the University of New South Wales. He is a published novelist and a playwright.
Karina
After graduating from UCLA with triple honors for her BA (summa cum laude, college honors, and departmental honors), she took a gap year, during which she trained in the rigorous Columbia Publishing Course in New York City. She is a fiction writer and PhD candidate in English at Harvard University.
Maddie El.
Maddie is currently pursuing her PhD in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences department at MIT. Previously, she earned a BA in Neuroscience and Psychology from Smith College, graduating with Highest Honors.
Alina
Alina graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor’s in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. She is currently a Biology PhD candidate at MIT studying chromosome pairing and segregation in reproductive cells.
Nick Ma.
Nick graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a perfect 4.0 GPA from Harvard College. After graduating from Harvard, he attended Tsinghua University as a Schwarzman Scholar, earning a Master’s in Global Affairs. Now, he is a student at the University of Oxford, reading for a Master’s in Criminal Justice and Criminology.
Emma Mcl.
Emma is a PhD Candidate in Physics at Columbia University. Previously, Emma completed her undergraduate degree at Providence College and completed two masters degrees at Columbia University.
Maryam
Maryam graduated summa cum laude with a BA in History and a Minor in Arabic from Princeton. After her Master’s in Early Modern European History at Oxford, she went on to pursue her PhD in in History and Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard.
Marc
Marc is a PhD Candidate in Anthropology at the University of Chicago. Previously, he earned his MA in South Asian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania on a full merit scholarship and his BA in Philosophy at Kalamazoo College.
Zain
Zain holds a PhD in History from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD from Yale Law School. She has held academic positions at Berkeley, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania, and is a barred attorney in Pennsylvania.
Ishita
Ishita (she/her) is a PhD Candidate at the University of Washington Information School. Ishita also has a Master's degree in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Duke University, where she graduated cum laude with distinction.
Ilana
Ilana graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Middlebury College with a Bachelor’s in Psychology. Currently, she is a fifth-year PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she is actively involved in research and clinical work.
Jordan Z.
Jordan is a second-year PhD student in Harvard's Clinical Psychology program. She previously earned her BS from Vanderbilt, where she majored in Cognitive Science and Educational Studies, with a minor in Spanish.
Juliet B.
Juliet is a PhD candidate in Biology at MIT. She also holds a BA in Molecular and Cellular Biology with Honors from the University of California, Berkeley.
Talia
Talia holds a BA in Visual Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and an MS in Quantitative Economics from UCLA. She will next pursue a PhD in Cultural Economics.
Eugenia
Eugenia is a PhD Candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is completing a dissertation on contemporary capitalism and dystopian fiction.
Henry L.
Henry is an MPhil Candidate in Latin American Studies at the University of Oxford. Previously, he earned his BA in Spanish and History at Yale.
Nathan L.
Nathan graduated from Iona University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and minors in Neuroscience and Drug & Alcohol Abuse Studies. He is currently a PhD student in clinical psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Elle
Elle pursued a Writing Seminars and History double major and a French minor at Johns Hopkins University, graduating with honors for her history thesis and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Currently, she is a student at the London School of Economics pursuing her MSc in Global Media and Communications.
Karen
Karen attended Cornell University, where she majored in Environmental and Sustainability Science and graduated cum laude. She also holds an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University. Karen currently works as an Environmental Consultant for the financial and manufacturing sectors.
James F.
James holds a PhD in History from the University of St Andrews, an MPhil in History from the University of Cambridge, and an MPhil in Classics from Trinity College. He is the co-founder of the Institute for the Study of International Expositions.
Shaan
Shaan is an advanced PhD student in Clinical Psychology at Harvard University. She previously completed a BA in Psychology at San Diego State University.
Giuseppe
Giuseppe received both his MA and PhD in Classical Archaeology from the University of Texas at Austin (2016 and 2019) and his BA in Classics from Columbia University (2009). He won the Jean Willard Tatlock Prize in Latin Proficiency and the Douglas Gardner Caverly Prize in Classics for best undergraduate thesis, as well as several awards and honors during his graduate education.
Rienna
Rienna is pursuing a PhD in Epidemiology and MS in Biostatistics at Harvard. Previously, she attended Johns Hopkins University, where she majored in Public Health and Cognitive Science.
Plans
We've created a structured, yet flexible plans that offer everything you need to succeed throughout the admissions process.
Hourly Rate
1 HourAll of our coaching is available on an hourly basis. If you're not sure how much coaching you'll need, you can enroll in our "pay as you go" option.
$ 140
$ 180
$ 260
$ 340
$ 550
First Time Package
3 HoursThe is an opportunity to meet your coach and get started on your applications. Depending on where you are in the process, we may cover your school selection, recommendations, strategic positioning, and/or statement of purpose outlines.
$ 420
$ 540
$ 780
$ 1020
$ 1650
Basic Package
20 Hours 5% OFFThis package is specifically geared towards the applicant's statement of purpose and CV. It generally allows for regular meetings throughout the process, as well as remote feedback and editing on application materials by your coach. Represents our best estimate; students may need more or less time with their coach.
$ 2660 You save $140
$ 3420 You save $180
$ 4940 You save $260
$ 6460 You save $340
$ 10450 You save $550
Comprehensive Package
40 Hours 10% OFFFor applicants who want to go through the process in the most efficient, effective way, this package represents our comprehensive approach to PhD admissions. Your coach will manage your process start to finish, including dialogue about your research agenda and tactical advice around professional positioning. We can also customize this package for you based on your specific needs.
$ 5040 You save $560
$ 6480 You save $720
$ 9360 You save $1040
$ 12240 You save $1360
$ 19800 You save $2200
Tutor Tiers
We have 4 tiers of coaches. The coach’s tier is based on the experience level of the coach with our team. All coaches begin working with Cambridge Coaching at the Standard tier.
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Standard
0-150 hours
$140/hour -
Senior
150-200 hours
$180/hour -
Guru
250-300 hours
$260/hour -
Master
350+- hours
$340/hour -
Leader
- hours
$550/hour