PhD from the US with low GPA: Should I take a break to focus on research?

Hi everyone,

I recently graduated with my bachelor’s degree, and I’m really passionate about AI and machine learning. For the past three years, I’ve been studying and exploring this field, and now I want to focus on research, especially in a niche domain of Natural Language Processing (NLP). My dream is to pursue a PhD in the USA.

The challenge is that my undergraduate GPA is around 2.8, and I’m an international student, so I’m worried this might make it difficult to get accepted into good programs. Because of this, I’m thinking about taking a one-year break to build a stronger research profile on my own. I’ve identified a few research topics I want to work on, and I’m hopeful I can publish one or two papers in peer-reviewed conferences or journals during this time. I’m ready to dedicate myself fully to this.

That said, I have a few questions I’d love your advice on:

• Would spending a year building research experience like this significantly improve my chances of admission to US PhD programs?
• Should I also prepare for the GRE during this year to strengthen my application, or would it be better to focus all my efforts on research?
• Are there other ways I can make up for a low GPA as an international applicant?

I know these might sound like basic questions, but I really want an honest reality check and any tips or personal experiences you can share. Thank you so much in advance for your help!