Archives for May 2022

I’ve previously written about applying to a Ph.D. program, where I talk more about the logistics of the application.  In this post, I’ll write about a few things people try that are a bad idea, in my opinion, and my suggestion for how to apply if you’re really serious about it. Spamming Many students will send […]

Pursuing a Ph.D. is a big undertaking and it’s worthwhile to consider WHY you want a Ph.D.  One of my friends referred to our having gotten Ph.D.’s as “financial suicide”, which I certainly don’t agree with.  HOWEVER, I think there’s some merit in the perspective that you should only pursue a Ph.D. if you want […]

People’s relationship with their supervisors during their Ph.D. is a complex issue.  There are elements of teacher / student, boss / employee, friends, and sometimes even quasi-parental.  Every pair seems to have its own dynamic. Dysfunctional Relationships It isn’t hard to find graduate student / adviser relationships that don’t work.  One man I know from […]

A big part of academia involves making a case for yourself, I hesitate to say selling, when you apply for a graduate program, grant, job, or submit to a conference or journal.  Eventually, this comes down to someone saying “yes” or “no”.  For many people in academia, who have been quite successful in their life, it can […]

It’s very common, once a thesis is written and submitted, to start thinking about finding an academic position.  Oftentimes, while waiting for committee members to read the work and for the defense to happen, doctoral candidates will have more free time than they’ve had in years.  So, why not start job hunting? I don’t think it’s […]

For the nuts and bolts of what you have to do to apply for graduate school, do a google search on the name of the school you’re interested in attending, the name of the department there, and the word “admissions”.  It should bring you to a page that details what the expected background is for students […]