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The excellent thread by @fadeladib got me thinking me about grad admissions. There is no doubt that students in big NA schools have a strong advantage while those in the rest of the world, especially at places where research doesn't happen suffer. What can we do to combat this?
I would argue that by the time of application, it's already too late to do anything in that admission cycle. There are limited things students can do to stand out, and for profs to pick them out of the hundreds or thousands of applications.
Like they say: all the magic happens behind the stage. We need to help students have a competitive application by the time they submit. One way to help is mentor under-represented students remotely. @scottniekum did this at @UTCompSci and it had a lot of impact.
I've done this in the past too, and it can help applications significantly.
Another way to help is via research experiences for undergrads. Paid gigs like the CMU REU ones matter a lot, as they get folks who may not have thought about research into thinking about a phd.
Another way to help is via research experiences for undergrads. Paid gigs like the CMU REU ones matter a lot, as they get folks who may not have thought about research into thinking about a phd.
A number of companies have a pre-doc research gig where the student does research alongside established folks for a couple of years before applying for grad school. I'm most familiar with the one from @MSFTResearch India, and it is gamechanger for the students involved.
Finally, I think hiring a more diverse cohort of faculty helps a lot. When they are on admissions committee, they recognize good schools and students other might miss. I have no doubt @fadeladib's background plays a big role in how diverse his group ended up being.
So in summary: there is no magic bullet, but the answer seems straightforward: invest in programs that pay undergraduates around the world for doing research. This is a long game: if we create something like this today, we can expect a more diverse cohort in 3-4 years.
