This is the final post in our series, Choosing the Best PhD Program. I’ve discussed some important criteria for helping you to select a grad program: your goals/research interests, and evaluating whether you’ll be a competitive applicant. Those are big ones. But as a classic PhD Comic reminds us, you’re not just a “brain on a stick”—you…
Are You a Competitive PhD Applicant?
In the first post in this series, we discussed the role of your goals and circumstances in choosing the best PhD programs to apply to. Now we are ready to move on to the next step… Doing an honest evaluation of your credentials and considering where you will be a competitive candidate is the next step in…
Are You Ready to Apply to PhD Programs?
PhD programs are extremely competitive, with some specialties at top schools accepting only one or two students each year. Not only does your application have to be strong – it has to be very well thought out. To help you on the path to PhD success, we’ve put together a free guide to PhD admissions….
Can a Grad Consultant Help You Succeed?
Whatever your field and interests, when you’re applying for a masters or PhD, the process can be challenging. Top masters programs in competitive fields are extremely selective – and PhD programs might accept as few as two to three people in a given specialty. Your grad school application needs to be both strong and strategic….
Reapplying to PhD Programs
What if you did apply and were unsuccessful? How can you strengthen your candidacy for re-application? The first step is to conduct an honest assessment of your candidacy. Did you apply to too few programs? To the wrong programs? (Applying only to Harvard is not a great strategy!) Consider broadening your list of schools. Were…
Obtaining Graduate Assistantships
Assistantships are a way of funding your graduate education. They are more often awarded to PhD students than to master’s students (though a department may sometimes have funding available for exceptional master’s students). You may be awarded a Teaching Assistantship (meaning you help teach a class, teach a section of a larger class, teach a…
Deciding Who Should Write Your Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation are a key part of your application. Strong ones provide meaningful support, but a lukewarm one can really hurt you. Who should write in support of your PhD application, and how can you make sure your letters are as good as they can be? For your PhD app, you need LORs that…
Minimizing Technical Jargon in Your SOP
Frequently, applicants in STEM fields are working on projects that are quite technical in nature. Field-specific jargon might show that you know the language of your field—which is important– but using too much of it can also make your SOP very hard to read. Aim for a middle way: you want to demonstrate your knowledge,…
Choosing the Right PhD Program
Choosing the right PhD program is key to your success—not just in getting admitted, but in having a successful grad school experience. What makes a program the right one? First, it needs to fit your needs: you need to have access to a mentor who can oversee your research and guide you as you develop…
PhD Applicants: Strengthening Your Candidacy
The previous post in this series addressed some of the issues an informed PhD applicant should be aware of and consider prior to applying (such as the state of the academic job market). Once you’ve made the decision to apply for a PhD field, how can you prepare effectively and strengthen your candidacy? Your research…
Understanding the Job Market for PhDs
The job market for PhDs – across all disciplines – is continuing to tighten. That’s one finding of the most recent NSF Survey of Earned Doctorates. According to Inside Higher Ed, the survey found that US universities awarded over 54,000 research doctorates in 2014 – the most ever. But fewer of those newly-minted doctorates are…
Acing Your Interview
While not all PhD programs require interviews, some do (including many overseas). If you’re invited to interview, take full advantage of the opportunity you’ve been given by preparing effectively—review your research on the department, prepare to talk about your PhD research goals, etc. (a mock interview can be helpful!). Here’s some advice to help you…
How to Write About Your Research Interests
“How to Write about Your Research Interests” is taken from our free guide, Get Your Game On: Prepping for Your Grad School Application. To download the complete guide, click here. The most common challenge that my clients face when writing a statement of purpose (SOP) for a Master’s or PhD application is how to describe, in concrete…
Choosing Among Multiple Grad School Offers
Whether you’re applying for a Master’s or a PhD, entering April with multiple offers in hand is a terrific position to be in. Now you need to evaluate which program is the very best one for your needs. Here are some important things to think about as you make your choice: 1. Location Can you…
Enrollment Down In Humanities PhD Programs
We’ve posted before about the challenging job market for humanities PhDs and the disparities in funding between doctoral programs in the humanities/social sciences and those in fields like business and engineering. A new article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, citing research by the Council of Graduate Schools, reports that new enrollment in humanities PhD…
Does UCI’s 5+2 For PhDs Add Up?
It’s no secret that the academic job market for humanities PhDs is, euphemistically, challenging— and PhD programs are beginning to make some tough choices, including limiting program sizes at some institutions. With the average time-to-degree in the humanities stretching to nearly a decade (and many students taking much longer than that), UC Irvine has a…
PhD Funding Disparities
The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that unequal funding for PhD students across disciplines is leading to an “unequal education,” where students in relatively flush disciplines (such as business and the STEM fields) enjoy more comfortable stipends, while those in the humanities and social sciences are left scrambling to find jobs off campus or take…
PhD Applicants: Show, Don’t Tell
When I was Admissions Director at Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, I asked my colleague and friend, Dr. Robert Bloomfield, who led our Ph.D. program, “What characteristics do you seek in the Ph.D. candidates you invite to interview?” Rob’s answer sounded oddly familiar. A few weeks earlier, I had asked my brother Mark, who…
Should You Pursue a PhD?
In honor of the holidays we’ve decided to repost one of the most popular podcast episodes of 2014. If you didn’t hear it the first time, or if you just want to review, now is the perfect time to listen to our highly informative (and super-popular) interview with Dr. Karen Kelsky, founder and consultant at The Professor…
Is a PhD a Good Idea?
If you dream of living the rest of your life in the world of academia, this podcast is for you. Listen to the recording of our conversation with Dr. Karen Kelsky, founder and consultant at The Professor is In for some important insights into the very hot topic: Is a PhD a good path? Warning:…
