How to prepare for Grad School admission?
As a current PhD candidate who has been TA for some years and still active in different social circles, I often got asked about graduate school issues (even in my kind of idled LinkedIn profile xdd). After last answering a new friend’s question today on text about how to get into an MPhil position, I feel I could post it out for anyone interested a̶n̶d̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶o̶w̶n̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶v̶e̶n̶i̶e̶n̶c̶e̶̶ ̶n̶e̶x̶t̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶w̶w̶w̶
Know you want it
Here I first assume you already knew you want to go to grad school for an MPhil or PhD degree. You may want it to expand career options, such as landing onto certain research or consultant posts of big companies like Google and McKinsey, be attractive to startups, or stay in the academia — to go for the steepest faculty track, or have a more stable job as a research associate that aims as publishing than ones in the industry often aiming more at releasing products. You may find yourself keen to think and drill deep to questions. You may see a lab working on something you are really interested. You may even want it for migration opportunities.
Of course, you may not need to decide all these right away now, but make sure you know you want it, and anything done well will land you somewhere nice. Deferring a career choice itself may not be so fatal, but shredding the responsibility of consequences off your shoulders a few years later can be. Remember, everything is after all your choice.
1. Know what you want
- Identify a list of preferred labs, maybe by research areas and locations
Locations
- If the place matters, start there as a filtering criteria. Living style, quality, language, social and economic factors may matter
Institute
- Again, you may have preferences for institutes by ranking, culture, location, social ties, etc.
Research area
- Great if you are prioritising the research quality of your already interested field the foremost. In any case, list a few interested topics you came across in life or when browsing through institutes and labs, and read to understand more about them. You may start from general articles and forums for some brief ideas. You should then read some reviews on academic journals. (Remember that you should eventually get used to reading academic papers as a researcher.)
- Read publications of your potential supervisor(s) to understand what they are doing. Many labs have a publication list. Sites like Google Scholar and ResearchGate are nice places to find their top / featured publications.
Miscellaneous factors
Preliminarily feel the culture from website and even whatever information you can find ̶o̶r̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶l̶k̶ ̶l̶o̶l̶ (research skills!)
2. Read the admission details of the corresponding school
You work with the lab under your supervising professor, but you also follow rules from the faculties and institutes they are in, especially for admission. Make sure to know
Things will be easier if the professor wants to take you. He or she may help you a bit and with the process and there might even be workarounds such as for accommodation for admission time if there are special reasons. Still, you should still check the inform yourself thoroughly and try to make things smooth for yourself and everyone.
3. Write to the professor(s) to express your interest to work with them
Include CV
Just as most other occasions, it’s among the first quick ways to present yourself to let your potential supervisor know who you are, what you did and why they should take you. For GPA, some professors may care more as it may reflect your general attitude and ability, while others are more willing to give chances as long as you show these qualities otherwise. While MPhil and PhD are degrees, research work is more much work-like than just scoring high in exams. Qualities such as proactiveness, independent problem-solving skills and teamwork are very helpful in research.
There are many CV writing tips out there so I don’t go into details. Here are a couple I just found that you may have a look.
Cater your cover letter and/or email to the corresponding opportunity
To be frank, I followed my supervisor right from undergraduate research and didn’t apply for others, so my experience are mostly from peers, but you do gain insight when you mingle more with people in the field.
Yes, you may have a number of choices in mind, but please make sure you take each one seriously by delivering why you are interested in and suitable for the opening correspondingly. Even if you make a template, at least make sure to remember to change the salutations. It is a common mistake at any settings.
You don’t always need a cover letter. For emails, you may not always need to write a long prose for the first communication, e.g. when you are not even sure if the professor is recruiting new students, but basic professional manners are always to be kept.
4. Meet with the professor
After some anxious wait, you received a feedback from the professor. It’s possible they tell you a straight no, their places are filled, etc.
If they are are interested in you, he or she will arrange a meeting with you.
When and where
As a preliminary meeting which may even be overseas, it would probably happen online first especially during tight border times. You may also be meeting your potential supervisor in person if you are in the same city. Always ask and reserve a timeslot instead of just popping up at his or her office. In some cases, it may be via a secretary. The professor will let you know.
Is this an interview?
A short answer, yes. Take this meeting as both an interview and chat. As teacher and mentor, professors are usually kind and encouraging to students. As within the academia and a student, your professor don’t usually expect to see you in full suit and tie, but you should present yourself as someone with good attitude and looking forward to get the opportunity to work with them (as you should be!)
What should I say?
As in other interviews, you will expect to introduce yourself, especially on relevant experience, explain interesting points in your CVs and any questions your potential supervisor may like to know when asked, and most importantly, communicate each other’s expectations — which is the whole point of the interview. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, before they become your concerns.
What will I hear?
Some common things you might hear might be
- introduction and reminder of their current research topics
- their working style and expectations of publications and duties
- if there are more places for MPhil or PhD
- some coming plans, eg if they do need manpower to work on and publish something with preliminary data obtained.
Your potential colleagues and the environment
If you are meeting the professor in person, he or she might take you to greet the lab members. This is important. You likely won’t want to work in a place you feel intimidated at first sight, or let your future colleagues see you as a headache right up front. Not to mention sometimes your potential colleagues may have a say in your admission. It’s okay to feel a bit odd as you’re in a strange new place and people are meeting a stranger the first time however they would want to and are trying to be nice with you.
Relax.
Yes, relax. You may feel you make a lot of mistakes as you feel nervous about taking care of all the above. Just know that your potential supervisor and colleagues have all went through these, and it’s a matching game. The point of the process is that it should land you in a place you feel more comfortable*. So don’t pretend.
(*By comfortable. This does not mean a guarantee of the absence of struggle. In fact, there must be struggles and be prepared. Read more PhDComics for academic humour helps whether or not you aim for the PhD degree.)
6. Fix admin procedures
If the professor basically want to take you, congratulations! You will then move on to handle all the remaining paperwork required by the faculty and institute.
While cover letters are often not required, many graduate schools include personal statement among their application requirements. Sometimes you may also need a general interview by the department. If the professor is interested in you, this interview is often a loose screening. Yet, as the competition becomes more competitive and the department may not have enough places to take in all choices from all professors. This will also determine if you can enter the lab. Be sure to prepare for visas early and know about accommodation options if you are from overseas.
Nice resources
- StackExchange Academia: All kinds of scenarios being asked there. Sure to add yours if not already covered.
- Quora: Similarly, a Q&A platform. Personally feeling it’s better for industry
- PrepScholar: Just came across quite some nice info when writing this essay
- PhD Comics: They are jokes, but not just jokes ;)
- PGSG — The Post Grad Survival Guide
- Your teachers and friends: Seeking advice and different views within own connections are often very helpful
What do you think? Do you have your own tips to share? Feel free to comment below.
Hope these help! All the best and good luck!
