[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – August 17, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
Interests & goals:
Grade & location / time-zone:
Relevant skills / experience:
Time you can commit:
How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

reddit.com
u/gradpilot — 3 days ago
▲ 15 r/MSCS

Career fairs in USA - Who are they really for, what does it optimize and how to leverage them

Career fairs in USA are a totally different beast and this post is specifically for current & future international students who may benefit from some backdrop and strategy. I'll write this from the pov of an Indian international student since thats the large majority of this sub anyways.

American Career fairs are a free market, Indian placements are Socialism 'for-the-greater-good'

If you're coming from India one big shift you need in your thinking is that American career fairs are not designed for the benefit of the student or to brag about placement rates or to be an instrument of social good to make sure everyone/most get a job. Indian placement systems are exactly this. The goal of an indian university's placement system is to ensure that a high ratio of graduates have a job , some job, any job. Of course it helps to show off some premium tier-1 companies hiring from a university but the goal of a high placement ratio is much more important. Dare I say even the IITs would prefer a 90% placement rate if that means 50% in IT service companies over a 10% placement rate where everyone got into OpenAI or Google exclusively. This shows up in their rules like limiting the number of interviews a student can take or not letting you even attempt another interview if you already got an offer from a tier 1 company. Basically it means you need to step out of the competition ring and let others get a shot at a limited opportunity pool. It doesnt matter if you're not happy with the location of the job or the pay or the medical benefits , work life balance, project , manager, team, yada yada. In a free market you can attempt 100 jobs, 1000 jobs - it all depends on your scheduling availability, time and you can negotiate as many companies against each other. Its common in USA that student B has only 1 offer - say Google - is waiting on them , hoping they just give him the offer, any offer, while Google is instead trying to hire student A who's got 5 other competing offers and playing hard-to-get trying to get the best deal for himself. Its entirely possible student B even drops out of the race because he ran out of time and Google couldn’t win student A. This happens all the time.

The way this shows up in career fairs is that American Universities are not assuming any responsibility of placement ratio or your job. Their deal is over when they provide you an education and a strong degree

Career fairs in USA are designed for Employers

When employers show up at career fairs in USA they come with a lot of swag. Students are usually excited to score an OpenAI shirt or an Anthropic cap or a Google laptop sticker. Companies are doing this for an entirely different reason though. American tech companies have realized that the best way to hire the best of the best is to be loud, visible , front & center but also have an incredibly high bar. If 1 million students across america are wearing your t-shirts , 10 million students might believe they work there and have a shot too and will apply. If the interview process and bar is sufficiently high only the best will make it in. The goal is to make sure everyone knows the gates are wide open but only a few can make it in. The best part of this strategy is, if its infact hard to get into the company and crack their interview, students are even more willing to wear your tshirt anyways since there's still some other pride associated with that despite not being an employee.

So when a university announces a career fair the ones excited are not hiring manager or other engineers - their work just increased since they have to sit in the interview loops which doesnt usually account for their loss of time in getting the day-to-day work done. Its the marketing team thats incredibly excited. And they get to work printing tshirts, coffee mugs, caps etc and then go around asking teams who wants to visit the university for a career fair

So who shows up at the career fairs?

The principal engineer is definitely not showing up to these. The eng managers are usually not either. In most cases you'll have Marketing & HR for sure and some alumni junior engineers . If career fairs are a marketing engine for recruitment it makes sense to send alumnis because they can signal the 'if i can do it so can you' vibe that is necessary for this strategy. Alumnis, especially juniors, are also excited to go back to campus, this time not as a student, and revisit their joints and haunts where they spent many late evenings with pizza & beer, after the day of career fair. The whole thing is sponsored by the company so this makes it a decent break away from work , a mini vacation of sorts and a chance to get some more photos , memories where you went to school

At the career fair

So at the career fair you'll join a long line of students, resume in hand and then have a 5-10 min chat. For most of you the resume will be politely accepted and you might have some brief chat about company culture , what they are working on , what they are looking for, interview process, visas if they sponsor or not etc etc. The same thing really - every student conversation is incredibly similar and a good way to break it is to offer some swag and talk about how the line is so long so you need to give everyone a fair shot. In the end the resume has to travel a very long distance for it to meaningfully convert. I've covered this in another post titled Resumes are moved, sorted, ignored but hardly read .

Have a conversation that you can use

So thats the lay of the land - the universities set up the event for employer benefit , the employer is there for marketing , the student hopes to find a job but from the POV of the junior alumni engs manning the booth the conversations are incredibly similar. How do you use this?

My suggestion is to use the conversation as a way to determine what you can be doing next which shows up in the resume. Here's the gap that most students struggle with: Companies are always working on things that are not obvious , esp to students - once you're in the industry you'd start seeing the current paradigms and what everyone is trying in their teams but if you're a student you have no idea what frameworks, tools, paradigms, problems companies are solving internally. You'd know it vaguely - for example you can say that Voice AI is something some group of companies would be actively building - either infra or apps or the pipeline around it - analytics etc. But you wont know deeper than that - like what specific problems are currently true that everyone is struggling with or what best practices have emerged that everyone is building around and what frameworks have specific pros & cons. These are the real industry inside information that doesnt come out not because its a secret but because its deep in the trenches. Your goal would be to get a smidgeon of this in your resume via some project or OSS work.

If I was a student here's how I'd be approaching a career fair to differentiate myself. I'd hover around till I know the name of the engineers manning the booth and then look them up in linkedin. I'd also read some eng blogs quickly if there's any. Obviously using chatgpt to quickly distill the basics down. Then I'd go with a specific plan to find out either a framework or a problem or some best practices around their work. Really the goal would be to get the engineer talking more than me asking him stuff and given he's having the same conversation over and over i think it would be a welcome break for him to talk about something else , maybe something thats exciting at work or what he's built etc. The idea is to get specific paradigms and keywords out of him so I'd then go back and find OSS projects or projects I can publicly build and talk about in public as well as add to my resume. Then I'd use those to find internal roads like recommendations or direct DMs to eng managers on linkedin to break in.

reddit.com
u/gradpilot — 7 days ago
▲ 20 r/MSCS

You're applying to Academia, not Industry

Some of the profiles I read on here sound more like Job applications than University applications. If you're applying for professional programs (non mscs) that might be fine but wont work in most top MSCS applications. The debate if professional programs are valuable is different before you ask or comment - afaik top startups and top big tech / big ai labs still prefer a top mscs degree if given 2 candidates of equal caliber and they are hiring engineers.

When you're applying for top MSCS programs you'll need to shape the narrative atleast in some form or the other to what Academia can do for you or what you can do for Academia or both ideally.

Think about it - if you're applying to top MSCS programs they must be world class at something? They would clearly have very strong faculty, infrastructure that gives them the reputation and elite ranks ? If you cant explain why that would help you in your greater purpose/ambition/vision/mission or what you can add to that environment your application is dead in the water. if you dont do this and instead talk about stuff outlined below , its just blowing air and has no substance to your application

- YOE

- the funding your startup raised where you were an eng

- patents

- awards in the workplace

- proficiency in some tech stack

Any bragging points you have in employability or industry relevance should either shift towards relevance in academia or merely serve as a supplementary addition and not the primary thing.

reddit.com
u/gradpilot — 8 days ago

[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – August 10, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
Interests & goals:
Grade & location / time-zone:
Relevant skills / experience:
Time you can commit:
How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

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u/gradpilot — 10 days ago
▲ 31 r/MSCS

Faculty Layoffs at multiple US universities

Just a news update, and an unprecedented one at that - multiple Universities in USA have been laying off faculty due to reduced enrollments and loss of revenue.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/business/cost-cutting/2026/08/06/campus-cuts-hit-even-wealthy-institutions

This is unprecedented because a faculty position in higher ed, esp in American Universities is among the most secure and respectable positions one can attain. I dont think you can point at a time in recent history when faculty positions were getting chopped.

There's two things going on here, at the same time. No its not AI

  1. Demographic Cliff - this is is known population statistic outcome. The number of Americans eligible (18-24 yo) for even attending higher education institutions is dropping because of falling fertility rates. Fewer people have kids, so fewer young adults need to attend universities. The customer itself is vanishing.
  2. Therefore the reliance on international students increases, but the current administration is not exactly immigration friendly either. As many of you are facing F1 visa slot availability issues and random unexplained rejections, on the other hand, Universities are asked to limit international enrollment or provide data on admissions if they want federal funding.

The takeaway for this community - I keep harping on the fact that its only worth going to USA if you have a very strong admit but additionally I think students continue to believe they'll get funded with RAs/TAs/GRAs etc. Most of the sources of these funds are the same and if faculty positions are getting cut, Phd programs are getting cut, funding for MS students is likely the first thing that was cut.

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u/gradpilot — 13 days ago

[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – August 03, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
Interests & goals:
Grade & location / time-zone:
Relevant skills / experience:
Time you can commit:
How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

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u/gradpilot — 17 days ago

[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – July 27, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
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Time you can commit:
How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

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u/gradpilot — 24 days ago

[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – July 20, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
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Time you can commit:
How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

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u/gradpilot — 1 month ago

[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – July 13, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
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How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

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u/gradpilot — 1 month ago

[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – July 06, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
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Time you can commit:
How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

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u/gradpilot — 1 month ago

[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – June 29, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
Interests & goals:
Grade & location / time-zone:
Relevant skills / experience:
Time you can commit:
How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

reddit.com
u/gradpilot — 2 months ago

[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – June 22, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
Interests & goals:
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Relevant skills / experience:
Time you can commit:
How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

reddit.com
u/gradpilot — 2 months ago

[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – June 15, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
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Relevant skills / experience:
Time you can commit:
How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

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u/gradpilot — 2 months ago
▲ 151 r/IndianInGermany+4 crossposts

Reality of most Indian students in Germany

Hi guys, not sure how many times this has been shared but I’m highlighting this once again, it is very important to watch these videos carefully and make an informed decision about your future, especially if you’re taking loans or any sort of a financial risk. Stay safe and do your best!

https://youtu.be/Uv5luvQ3Mtg?si=sNYjLvTPRGO2myRe

https://youtu.be/g9f2Yqm9AIo?si=swsZq4A6FnWOOHf7

u/ThE_rEaL_FaBuLoUs — 2 months ago

[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – June 08, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
Interests & goals:
Grade & location / time-zone:
Relevant skills / experience:
Time you can commit:
How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

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u/gradpilot — 2 months ago

[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – June 01, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
Interests & goals:
Grade & location / time-zone:
Relevant skills / experience:
Time you can commit:
How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

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u/gradpilot — 3 months ago

[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – May 25, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
Interests & goals:
Grade & location / time-zone:
Relevant skills / experience:
Time you can commit:
How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

reddit.com
u/gradpilot — 3 months ago

[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – May 18, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
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Grade & location / time-zone:
Relevant skills / experience:
Time you can commit:
How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

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u/gradpilot — 3 months ago
▲ 10 r/MSCS

The collapse of job opportunities in T20+ Univs

This is, right now the talk among undergrad majors but applies very much for MS and Tech as well.

Here are the key points, links to this stuff below as well:
- It used to be the case that > T20 schools there was a measurable difference say between a T30 and a T350 ranked school with respect to the opportunities. However that has now collapsed and the opportunities available for a T30 and T350 is basically the same even though there is a measurable difference in quality and quality bar
- For T20 the filters established by Universities are still working for employers - although they wont admit it if you look at the data of who gets hired after graduation this remains true
- The above data is coming out for USA Undergrad but my bet is this holds for MS programs as well. The core question is remaining which is the cost and risk of a degree for a T20+ school is not worth it. For undergrads this matters because they can as well take a much cheaper much lower ranked admit and still be fine with respect to access of not-great-opportunities
- Some arguments were made that this is not related to tech but tech works like every other field esp big tech, when it comes to hiring heuristics
- the wild card for this community is does an MS-X degree from T20 schools matter. My thesis is MSCS will still be better than an MSX from a T20 however its hard to say if MSX from T20 is also better than MSCS from T20-T40. I've always maintained its not given the kinds of jobs MS-X gets wont be evergree SWE jobs in most cases. I'd be paying attention to see how this shifts over the next few years. In general the risk for international students is higher and so is the competition.
- the conservative advice remains - only a T20 MSCS degree is worth it at the moment

Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-cannot-find-job-todays-market-your-fault-auren-hoffman--osake/

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7460752177683349505/

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7460752177683349505/?dashCommentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_comment%3A%287460792088318615552%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7460752177683349505%29

u/gradpilot — 3 months ago

[WEEKLY] EC Opportunities & Collaborator Requests – May 11, 2026

What This Thread Is For

Post your request for extracurricular (EC) opportunities or collaborators here.
Anyone offering an opportunity can reply in-thread. This keeps the main feed clean and focused.


Student Template (optional)

Copy what you need, delete the rest.

Seeking: (e.g., research mentor / nonprofit internship / hackathon teammate)
Interests & goals:
Grade & location / time-zone:
Relevant skills / experience:
Time you can commit:
How to reach me: reply / Reddit chat / DM / other …


Provider Template (optional)

Post as a top-level comment or reply to a student.
If it costs money, list the exact price up-front.

Opportunity:
Type: volunteer / paid / competition / research / startup ✧ specify
Who it’s for: grades, prerequisites, skill level
Duration & weekly hours:
Cost (exact amount or “free”):
Proof / reviews: link to website, testimonials, past student outcomes, press, etc.
How to reach you: reply / chat / DM / form …


⚠️ Quick Advice for Students

  • Aim for impact & depth. Admissions teams care more about genuine commitment than shiny price tags.
  • Free can be fantastic. Self-run projects, local volunteering, or leadership roles often impress more than costly programs.
  • Vet before you commit. Search for reviews, ask in the sub, or DM past participants when money is involved.
  • Guard your info. Share personal details only in DMs or off-platform once you’re comfortable.
  • Report red flags. If something looks like a scam or violates r/ECAdvice rules, hit “report” and it’ll land in the mod queue.

Sort by new to see the latest posts. Happy hunting & collaborating!

reddit.com
u/gradpilot — 3 months ago