Hi everyone, I'm an international student(Asia) interested in applying for PhD in theoretical cosmology or HEP theory in general. Most universities require applicants to mention past research in their SoPs but I barely have any.
I only did a summer-long research in material science and a semester-long project on Higgs decay(probably doesn't even count as research) and is currently working on my 4th year thesis related to topological field theories. I have no publications.
What I do have is decent GPA, my position is top in my home university which has decent reputation in my country. My GRE is 95%+ and got perfect scores on all sections of TOEFL except for the writing part. I also did a 1 year exchange program in an almost unknown UK university(but I heard their best can get into Oxford or Cambridge) and ranked #1 in most of the courses I took. The professors really liked me and will write LoRs for me.
I'm aiming for universities that rank 30-60 in the US(not the world) and feel like my lack of research experience might really hurt my chances. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I should explain/cover this on my SoP? Or am I aiming too high?