am_Unition and I are both starting our first year in a PhD program and we were wondering if there's any other Hubskiers in the same boat :)
I'm feeling so excited yet nervous. I just met with my advisor today and we have a game plan for my first year! I'm feeling ready to go even though I don't officially "start" until the end of the month. But I'm also afraid of failure. What if all my ideas are terrible or don't work out?! hyperventilates
So, new PhDs, how do you feel? And those of you in the middle of a PhD or who have finished one, what's something you wish you had known/done when you started?
Ah yes, and my advisor gave me the following essay as reading material a while back, which I just remembered:
Ten Lessons I Wish I Had Been Taught
It's short and it's not about how to handle the start of grad school. But it is good advice in general for academic careers, and in particular for careers in math.
For an essay quickly approaching 20 years of relevance.
As I near the end of my PhD, I would add the following advice. Don't undervalue your creative time or your sleep. By creative time, I mean hiking, dog walking, making a bird house, etc. Make time for our mind to wander. My research direction became clear to me while I was daydreaming on a family vacation. Subsequent dog walks have set me up for a good five years of material.
As far as advisors go, I quote Arthur C Clarke: When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
Thanks for the advice!! It never fails to astound me how clearly you're able to think when you're not putting any pressure on yourself to think clearly :).
And that quote is awesome! I just realized my advisors are actually pretty diverse age-wise. My primary advisor is early-mid career (got tenure a couple years ago), one of my secondary advisors is a brand new assistant prof, and my other secondary advisor is close to retirement.
I've got this thread saved.
Can't answer those questions yet, but in a year I could start chipping away at them.
I am also starting a PhD in... a week! I have to mention thought that its my second attempt >.<
It sounds bad, as if I spent 4 years and then dropped out but it is actually less dramatic. I studied molecular medicine in ma BSc and MSc and joined a lab last year in November. After some drama I decided to leave the lab and look for something better. A few months later and with some uncertainty I found a new lab that I am going to intern at for 3 months, starting the 17th of this month.
I got accepted into their "prestigious" PhD-program. I am not sure if I will join it though. They expect their students to finish their PhD in 3-3.5 years. My project would not be finished in that time. At least 4 years. Which is why I will probably have to join their normal program, which is not a real program as it only offers a journal club once a week, no classes, nothing.
First I have to pass those 3 months. IF they still want me, I could think about the rest :)
I am excited but also worried. Worried I am not good enough for this young/motivated boss. Is he expecting too much? Am I just not fast/good enough? I never had doubts in my abilities, until somebody questioned my motivation and framed my ability to be excited about any subject to be a negative trait. As in, I lose focus if I get excited and motivated by many things. We have to see, I guess :)
Cognitive Science! I use psycholinguistic methods to get at how people represent language structure, and how they flexibly use these representations during processing and production.
Good luck applying! Writing and submitting the materials is the hardest part. After that, it's nothing but tons of fun with interview visits! If you have any questions at all don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks, I've got a few:
Any tips for the application process in general? I'm finishing up my GRE prep at the moment, but I need to write my statement still (will get on that ASAP after the GRE).
Also, what made you decide to get your PhD? I am confident that I want to go for one, but I realize it's a big life decision.
- Any tips for the application process in general? I'm finishing up my GRE prep at the moment, but I need to write my statement still (will get on that ASAP after the GRE).
Get ready to take a hit financially. My schools ran between $50 and $90 per application, in addition to two GRE's; one general and one subject, I think those were around $100 each? I can't remember, because I've been trying not to, and I guess it's worked. Also, you'll likely move, unless you commit "academic inbreeding", i.e. getting your PhD from the same institution as your undergrad. Moving costs money too.
Find some clever way to deal with all of the passwords and usernames you're going to accrue. There're many different online application systems with varying degrees of brilliance, but most often, very little. PAY ATTENTION to mailing addresses, I sent two out of my five transcripts to the wrong address, and wasn't guaranteed that those two would be received. It's worth calling the office of every grad department you apply to for confirmation of the correct mailing address. In my case, transcripts from one of my undergrad schools cost money (ten bucks each!), while the other school sent them free of charge.
Take your GRE relatively early in the year (sounds like you're doing this). When I got my score back in late November and knew it was competitive, it was a whirlwind process of applying before the application deadline, which is typically around the year's end. And don't forget that the registrar's offices are totally dysfunctional after the students leave for winter break, for transcript sending.
For your statement, lay it all out there. Tell them what made you decide to go for your PhD. Give a brief history explaining what led you to this moment. Don't hesitate to brag about all the cool shit you've done so far. Was there a rough patch for you? I wasn't shy about my lack of focus and conviction for the first couple years, as reflected in my undergraduate grades. lil helped me a lot with my statement, and was "badged" accordingly, which was nowhere near compensation enough for the trouble of analyzing a clumsy 1.5 page wall of text and providing excellent feedback. If you want, I can PM you my statement of purpose as an example, even though it would still probably make lil cringe, were she to read it. Edit: Both caeli and lil have both said it, and I agree; if you tailor your letters to each individual school, that can be powerful. For example, "I have always been interested in ____, and Dr. ____'s work in that area fascinates me." That's actually a terrible template, and you should only target things that genuinely DO interest you, but you get the idea. If you have interests and especially come from a background aligned with something that their department excels at (or wants to excel at), that's a huge bonus in your favor.
Edit 2: Letters of Rec. Edition. You're going to need at least two people in academia and a third person who is of note in your community, or even involved in professional work related to your field. And as was noted elsewhere, the more the author is known in the field you're interested in has serious sway.
- Also, what made you decide to get your PhD? I am confident that I want to go for one, but I realize it's a big life decision.
The selfless component is that I passionately want to contribute to the knowledge base of our species. The selfish component is that I'll hit a glass ceiling in both salary and opportunity if I don't do this. The outcome is that I get smarter (good for me), and I become a greater asset to humanity (good for everyone).
There are some systemic problems with academia and the university system in every country, sure. But in its most simple expression, education/educated = good.
- For your statement, lay it all out there. Tell them what made you decide to go for your PhD. Give a brief history explaining what led you to this moment. Don't hesitate to brag about all the cool shit you've done so far. Was there a rough patch for you? I wasn't shy about my lack of focus and conviction for the first couple years, as reflected in my undergraduate grades. lil helped me a lot with my statement, and was "badged" accordingly, which was nowhere near compensation enough for the trouble of analyzing a clumsy 1.5 page wall of text and providing excellent feedback. If you want, I can PM you my statement of purpose as an example, even though it would still probably make lil cringe, were she to read it. Edit: Both caeli and lil have both said it, and I agree; if you tailor your letters to each individual school, that can be powerful. For example, "I have always been interested in ____, and Dr. ____'s work in that area fascinates me." That's actually a terrible template, and you should only target things that genuinely DO interest you, but you get the idea. If you have interests and especially come from a background aligned with something that their department excels at (or wants to excel at), that's a huge bonus in your favor.
Thank you for this. I am also preparing to apply this fall and my SOP has been a terrible terrible pain point for me, I need as much advice as possible.
Yeah, it seemed oddly hard to find good information on the SOP anywhere online except forums specific to my discipline. And keep that in mind, the exact tone and structure may slightly vary from discipline to discipline. If you know a professor in the field you'd like to go into, try to have them read it and offer advice.
If specific questions arise, just reply or shout out. Hubski did this once for me and paying it forward is the least I can do.
- Any tips for the application process in general? I'm finishing up my GRE prep at the moment, but I need to write my statement still (will get on that ASAP after the GRE).
GRE advice: Study so that you can get a score that's not too low, but don't waste time studying to get a perfect score because it doesn't matter. Also don't panic! When I took the GRE a girl in the room literally had a panic attack and had to leave. Unfortunately for her that's $200 straight down the drain. Just remain calm and remember that the GRE is not the most important part of the application, and probably not even in the top 4 most important things. Speaking of the most important things, this is what I think they are (not in any particular order):
1. Statement of Purpose. Focus on the 3 F's: Focus, Fit, and Future. What are you interested in and why do you know it's what you want to do? What does this program in particular have to offer that fits your needs, and what do you have to offer that fits their needs? And what are your plans for the future? My SOP was by far the thing faculty commented on the most during the interview process. In email interview invites they said things like "I enjoyed reading your research statement" or "Based on your statement of purpose you seem like a great fit", etc. Given that this was the thing I got the most positive feedback on, I'd say it's very important to nail this!!
2. Letters of Recommendation. Nailing the SOP is great, but they've only got your word. What do scholars in the field (your research advisors and professors) think of you? Approach the professors you know best (ideally, in the next month or two so that it's not right before applications are due) and ask them if they can write you a strong recommendation letter. Ideally these should be either from research advisors, or professors you've taken a class or two with and chatted with a lot.
3. Research Experience. The whole point of a PhD is to become and independent researcher, and as such you'll be doing a lot of research. So potential advisors are looking for someone who already has a bit of experience doing research in the field (or in any field, at least). There are two primary reasons for this: 1) If you've done research and liked it, you're less likely to drop out of the program. If you don't know what research is like you're at risk of figuring out you don't like it and leaving the program, which is a waste of time and not good for either party. 2) It's easier to train someone to do research in a particular field if they already have some experience. EDIT, there's another reason, 3) having research experience also benefits YOU! Doing research on a number of different topics helps you figure out what you do and don't like. This in turn helps you craft an excellent statement of purpose, and also leads to meaningful relationships with professors which means awesome letters of rec.
4. Some Sort of Connection (this looks really awkward with capitalization anyway--). You want your potential advisors in each department to sort of know who you are. There are many ways to accomplish this. One is by getting lucky and having an undergrad research advisor who happens to be ultra-famous. A letter from someone your potential advisor respects and trusts is a HUGE advantage. Another, more realistic, way to form connections is to reach out to your "professors of interest" (POIs) in the form of an email a couple months before the application deadline (looking through my past emails, the first time I did this was end of August last year and the last time was mid-October). You should do this anyway because you want to make sure your potential advisor is actually taking on a new student for the next year, because otherwise applying there is a useless waste of time and money. BUT, it's also a chance to introduce yourself and give them an impression of what kinds of topics you're interested in and why you think you're a good fit for them and the program.
- Also, what made you decide to get your PhD? I am confident that I want to go for one, but I realize it's a big life decision.
I had my first lab research internship my junior year of high school and never looked back. I LOVED the process. I used to slice rat brains every day and it was so cool that I was laying the groundwork for (eventually) understanding how alcohol addiction influences the growth of new neurons in the hippocampus, even if the groundwork was grunt work ;). I've done just a teensy bit of a field change since then but the passion for the research process and the thirst for a deeper understanding of the world around us never left me. It calls to me every day, I am never happier than when I'm doing research. I cannot imagine doing anything else all day, every day for the rest of my life.
(translation: I'm unhealthily obsessed with research)
Whew, I didn't expect this to be such a long post. I hope that helped somewhat!
Not applying for a science degree, but my Secret Plot to Amuse Myself and Make Potential MFA Program Directors/Teachers Know My Name is that I have sent some of them submission packets to consider for the lit magazines each school publishes. None of them have been taken by those schools, but I know that if the professors who work on the literary magazine also have any insight on admissions (and MFA programs are usually small so they probably do) then my name will already be a little familiar to them, even if I'm not remembered, and best case is they will remember either me or the poems I already sent them, and have a positive impression.
There was a ton of booze at every graduate student open house, and I partied with a lot of the current grad students, as well as the prospectives. At one school, the faculty had beer brought to the poster session. It made taking my GRE's worth it.
Anything neuro is awesome. You could potentially get a job someday related to AI speech programming, if you wanted.
Apparently most people looking to survive graduate school drink heavily, at least occasionally.
This is an interesting subject! I had the chance to listen to a talk by Dr. Neiloufar Family. It was about the change in language structure under psychedelics like LSD and Psilocybin. If it interests you, I could send you the link to the talk when it gets uploaded.
I'm just starting a PhD too! In a somewhat related field, too, . I'll be studying second language acquisition, and I plan to focus on language assessment.
I share your excitement. I wouldn't say I feel nervous, though... the negative feeling I have would be insecurity, I guess. Insecurity even though I'm really happy with how my applications turned out and the program I ended up choosing. I've started meeting more people in the program, and seeing how smart everyone is and the cool work they're doing feeds the excitement and the insecurity, haha. But I've had this problem for the past year or so where I compare myself (not yet started a PhD) to friends/colleagues in their 2nd+ year in a program. Even though I tell myself that's just silly to do, it's hard to shake.
From what I've read, though, academic insecurity may never go away: (the article focuses more on women, but men are susceptible as well)
- From what I've read, though, academic insecurity may never go away: (the article focuses more on women, but men are susceptible as well)
This is another one of those things that, if kept in check and in moderation, can benefit you. It can motivate and push you through final exams or whatever hurdle you're up against. Edit: I'm not at all trying to justify the additional pressure on women, because I do believe it to be real and unfair.
I'm having a tough time with it right now, truthfully. My inadequacies feel like a pack of wolves gaining on me fast. I've been reviewing textbooks to prepare for my imminent bitch slap from calculus in just a few days.
Congrats on starting! I'm technically about to be a first-year PhD student, but I'll be in the UK, which splits up the Master's a PhD portions of the US combined MS/PhD. Meaning I'm actually in my third year of a PhD program. :)
The number one thing I'd say is: If there's something you think is important to understand, sign up for a class in it your FIRST semester. You won't be a super productive researcher then, so it's your best shot at understanding all that really hard stuff you're dreading. I put off filling serious gaps in my math background -- gaps I knew I'd have to tackle eventually -- until my second year, and I really regretted it! I got to learn WAY cooler stuff once I had that extra background. Your first year is for filling in gaps and exploring. :)
This is excellent advice, thank you.
In undergrad, I got shortchanged with a teacher who'd never taught before on a relatively fundamental topic. Guess it's time to jump into the deep end.
My problem is that I'm already researching. I have a poster session and paper due for a conference in December. Classmates will be primarily focused on coursework, which should definitely take priority over research.
I'm skipping an MS and going straight to PhD.
- My problem is that I'm already researching. I have a poster session and paper due for a conference in December.
This is common! (I had presented some posters by the time I started grad school.) But I assume that you're switching schools, in which case your research will be interrupted. This process of getting into a project that your advisor is excited about is a good opportunity to get the groundwork you're missing, because soon you'll be expected to prioritize research over coursework even more.
- Classmates will be primarily focused on coursework, which should definitely take priority over research.
At least in my field, this philosophy is pretty roundly rejected. It was even common to hear advice to first-years like, "If you're getting all As in coursework, you're not focusing enough on research."
- I'm skipping an MS and going straight to PhD.
In the US, going straight into an MS/PhD is common (at least in my field). In most European countries, students have to start with an MS, and a PhD is a three year program with no coursework at all. I went straight from undergrad into a combined MS/PhD program, but because I'm following my advisor to the UK, I'm entering a PhD program that assumes a Master's degree background and has no coursework.
More great advice, thanks.
My advisor told me that I needed to get all A's. Then asked me to do research too. He sleeps 4 hours a night, I've found out, and I'm worried that I will eventually have to develop this superhuman skill.
The better you hone your speaking/presenting skills, the faster your name will spread in your field.
Sounds like you're doin' it right. Congratulations! :)
I was so confused at first because I thought you were already like halfway through your PhD and then I read the rest of your sentence :). Are you doing your Master's and PhD at the same institution?
Thanks for the advice! All the courses I'm taking this semester are very foundational, and I'm super excited about it. Plus I might (crosses fingers) be in a program where I take a couple extra courses and collaborate on projects with comp sci students over the first year. I'd love to make connections with CS people regardless, but this would be an easy way to do that :)
What program are you entering and why did you choose to study it on that level?
I am hoping to go to grad school next year. I know the workload might be significant but I am greatly reassured by the fact that I will be studying my area of passion. Lots of reading, writing, and work do not feel so much like it when they all clearly tie into what you want to be doing.
Do you think this is an overly optimistic viewpoint? (Or maybe I just am that passionate about English/writing/etc.) I know it'll be hard and it won't all be roses but I just really think that, unless the sheer volume of work is so high it is unmanageable, my passion will help me to succeed because I will want to do the work. It won't be like undergrad breadth requirements.
How many programs did you apply to and what was your acceptance rate?
Open ears, though I doubt anyone has much specific insight on CW MFAs I'm afraid.
- What program are you entering and why did you choose to study it on that level?
PhD in Cognitive Science. I love research and want to do it forever! I want to be a professor eventually so PhD is the only way to go.
- Do you think this is an overly optimistic viewpoint? (Or maybe I just am that passionate about English/writing/etc.) I know it'll be hard and it won't all be roses but I just really think that, unless the sheer volume of work is so high it is unmanageable, my passion will help me to succeed because I will want to do the work. It won't be like undergrad breadth requirements.
This is how I feel as well. I guess we'll see how it works out ;)
- How many programs did you apply to and what was your acceptance rate?
I applied to 8, was interviewed at 7, and accepted to 4. The funny thing about the whole admissions process is you usually end up getting into the places you really want to go and that feel like a great fit for you. (This is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to decision time!). The most revealing part of this whole thing is the visit weekend. I'm not sure if MFA programs do this, but pretty much all PhD programs pay for you to come out to an interview weekend. I had a couple of visits where I really wasn't that crazy about it: I didn't like the city, or didn't feel like I connected with other grad students, or didn't click with my potential advisor that much, etc. And obviously this went both ways -- students and professors at those programs weren't crazy about me! Those were the places where I was rejected or waitlisted, even when I was the only applicant my potential advisor was still considering. Note that this doesn't mean the visits were unpleasant; I had a blast at all of my visits and am still in contact with potential advisors at schools I was rejected from, in case we work together in the future!
We do got this.
I'll be an old man on campus at the soured age of 28.