Top Tips for Successful PhD Applications

Although I’m attempting to keep this discussion/post as broad as possible, some of my opinions stated here will be geared more towards PhD applications for American universities (from personal experience).

Tip 1: Start the application process early

Know what is expected

• Prepare the material required for the application even before the actual application opens. You’ll generally know what a typical application requires for your particular field, so familiarize yourself and prepare all required documents. I’d recommend actually thinking about your applications, choice, and options about 6-9 months before they are due.

Standardized tests

• Starting early gives you sufficient time to prepare for and take the required standardized tests for your field, it could be the GRE, the GMAT, or any other required tests. You may not get your desired score on the first attempt, and starting early will give you sufficient time to schedule a follow up test or two in order to push your score up.

Tip 2: Decide what you want to do

Motivation

• A PhD is often an isolating process, and you’ll need to depend on your motivation for pursuing one in order to pull through. A strong part of being able to push through is working in a field you like.

How do you decide on your research area or narrow down your interests?

• Explore research areas during your time as an undergraduate student. Many universities may have funding for summer research projects, others may even do summer research exchange internships with different universities (both locally and internationally). Explore these options early. If your major has both experimental and theoretical research, explore both options, too!

Tip 3: Spend time researching potential supervisors/schools

Importance of research area

• Once you’ve narrowed down your research interests, spend time researching schools that have strong/established research in your field of interest. Although the prestige/name of a given school might be tempting, often times the research area/professor sometimes outweighs the importance of the school, especially when looking for jobs that your require you to apply the skills that you might have gained.

Stay on the lookout for openings or job postings

• Split your list of potential schools into “safety schools”, which are those that you are most likely to get into, “competitive schools”, which are those that you think you have a 50/50 chance of getting into, and “dream schools”, which are those that you might get into if luck does work in your favor. A PhD is often your last degree, and you may want to know that you gave it your all. It is advisable to maintain a spreadsheet, where you can track the status of all applications, and ensure that you’ve submitted all documents for a given application.

Networking

• You can network and get introduced to potential schools and supervisors through two methods. If you are fortunate enough to travel to a conference during your undergraduate career, you can use this opportunity to speak to faculty and students from potential schools that you might apply to. You can also network through your undergraduate faculty research advisor, or even your academic counselor, as they might have contacts at different schools. Some schools might also send out emails regarding their programs/research to your university.

Tip 4: Spend time on your actual application

Ensure that your application stands out

• In order to do this you’ll need to make sure that your research statement and/or personal statement standout, while being clear and concise. Make sure your statement not only answers questions, but asks them, too. Describe your enthusiasm, i.e., why the particular research field interests you, your motivation, and the problem you hope to solve in the future. Refrain from focusing on teaching, as research will be a major part of life as a PhD student, and departments will be interested in seeing if you have what it takes to succeed, i.e., publish original scholarly work. It goes without saying that you need to ensure that your undergraduate, and/or masters's GPA needs to be sufficiently acceptable for the school that you are applying to. The Grad Cafe (https://www.thegradcafe.com/) is an excellent resource, where applicants from previous years/semester post about their profiles, and whether they got accepted to a certain school or not, and this can be used in order to narrow down your list of "competitive" schools.

• Your CV/resume also needs to list any relevant information, earlier in the document if possible. Speak the language of the department when drafting your documents. This shows that you’ve spent enough time reading their website, and becoming familiar with their lingo, while exploring the possibility of pursuing/continuing your academic career at a particular school.

• Some schools may require an additional diversity statement. This is often used to demonstrate that you’ll be a good fit, and are able to fit in with the general student body. If you are a person of color, first generation student beating the odds, draw on these experiences. Additionally, you may draw on your broad technical skills and experiences as well. These may include volunteer/service experiences/trips as well. The diversity statement is often used to see who you are as an individual. Proofread and edit your documents multiple times, and if you have time get a second opinion from a friend or colleague, as they may be able to provide valuable feedback and cover points that you might have missed.

Request reference letters early

• Most applications for graduate schools in the US are due in December/January, when professors might be traveling for Christmas or for conferences, therefore it’s crucial to give them enough time to draft and submit a reference letter. If possible, share your essays with the individuals who are writing your recommendation letters, and discuss the document, your interests and passion with them so that they can write a recommendation letter that is consistent with your plan.

Tip 5: Make informed decisions

Should you pursue a graduate degree right after your undergraduate degree?

• Although this would be after you get acceptances, it’s important to make an informed choice. Should you consider doing a Master’s first, should you enter the industry and work for a few years expanding your skillset first? I have two posts discussing this if you’re interested:

• https://thegradstudent.wixsite.com/home/home/is-grad-school-the-right-thing-for-you-part-i

• https://thegradstudent.wixsite.com/home/home/is-grad-school-the-right-thing-for-you-part-ii

Consider non-academic life activities as well

• If you have choice between multiple schools, do spend some time considering your non-academic life as well. Does the city you might be moving to have the leisurely activities that interest you? Will you be able to call that place home for a few years?

Prepare alternative options

• You’ll have to acknowledge that luck plays an important part of this process, too. If you’re short on time, and unable to submit applications, use the year in between to think about what you actually want to do, possibly intern or work, and come to a more comfortable/informed decision about your life choices. Do keep in mind that certain industries might consider you overqualified with a PhD, and you’ll need to be prepared to change the way you market yourself when looking for jobs in the future.

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