u/Initial_Taro_5441

Hi everyone,

I’m finishing my undergraduate studies (integrated M.Eng.) in Computer Science at a Greek polytechnic university. My GPA is decent but not exceptional.
I’m currently working on my diploma thesis in medical image analysis (deep learning on MRI), and my supervisor and I are preparing it for submission as a first-author paper (targeting a Q1 journal like Expert Systems with Applications).

I’ve also been accepted for a research internship at Karolinska Institutet, where I’ll be working on computational pathology (deep learning on histopathology / whole-slide images), with potential involvement in a publication.
My goal is to apply for PhD programs in areas like biomedical sciences, precision medicine, or computational biology (ideally in the US).

My questions are:
How much does an internship at a place like Karolinska actually matter for PhD admissions?
Does a first-author Q1 paper significantly offset a non-top GPA?
Is it realistic that strong performance during such an internship could lead to a PhD opportunity in the same lab, or is that uncommon?

Thanks a lot!