Going back for a Ph.D.? 5 Tips I'm Glad I Knew!
Demystifying the overly ~mystical~Ph.D. application process with some quick and easy tips!
Happy New Year or really Happy Capricorn Season, which makes us all feel quite motivated to restart our entire lives and be “better”.
I, too, fall for this trap every year! Even through my best efforts not to.
However, we are taking this inertia and bringing back some productivity with my first post of the new year - PhD applications demystification.
In this post, I will be discussing 5 ways to make your application process way smoother, not nearly as daunting, an actually attainable. None of these tips can guarantee entry into a program, or that you’ll pick your perfect school, but they are what helped me!
*large disclaimer that I am in no way a professional PhD advisor, nor a career professional or counselor, I am only sharing what worked for me*
My Story/How I Felt Before Applying:
As a the first person in my immediate family to keep going past a master’s degree, I was quite lost. It was big enough that I had a master’s and in my family’s eyes, a master’s was good enough, it was time for a salaried job lol.
This …was the plan. However, I’m a mercurial girl….a life long learner if you will! I still had questions, I still had more I wanted to know about nutrition. I had things I needed to know about.
This leads me to my first tip…
Tip #1: KNOW YOUR WHY.
A PhD program is not light work, it will take several years, the application process is intensive and costly, and it’s not like you’ll be making tons of money when you get in.
Choosing to go down this path should be done with intention and excitement, NOT to check off a box. I think it’s very important to have a passion for learning, for teaching, and even a little bit of writing.
Not only will knowing your “why” help with the dedication, it will also help you with writing your statement of purpose and helping professors and program staff see why you should be in their program.
Tip #2: Reach Out to Professors Directly and ACTUALLY Research Their Work
Now, this recommendation is one I often get interesting feedback from, but I stand by it. This was advice given to me by a friend who is completing her PhD at Duke, and it is 100% why I got into the program I’m in today.
A PhD is not like undergrad, and unlike most master’s programs, it’s centered more about you as an individual and who is mentoring you. It is a very specific concentration and niche, if you will. You want to be in a program that supports your intended research focus, and also be with a mentor who is doing work you’re interested in, and can teach you new skills.
To use myself as an example, Nutrition is vast field, meaning there are tons of schools that offer PhDs in it. However, I made a concerted effort to only apply to schools and reach out to professors who did work in food access, food justice, or food security because I knew that’s what I wanted to study.
By reaching out, I was able to create connections before even being accepted into a school, it also allowed my professors to advocate for me in the application process. It showed them that I was serious, intentional, and also super cool and awesome (obvi ;))
Aside from the application process itself, it helped me narrow down where I wanted to continue applying and get a sense of the programs and the vibes without having to travel around the country or waste money applying to a place that I didn’t actually match with.
*quick note on how/when to reach out*
Always reach out via email or check their website or school page to see how they prefer to be contacted
Never email on weekends, holidays, or late in the day Fridays
Always email within business hours (9 AM - 5 PM)
Refer to them with their titles
Mention why you like their work/why you’re interested in the potentially applying
Ask whether they would be open to discussing over the phone or zoom soon
Tip #3: Do Not Be Afraid to Reach out to Current PhD Students
In the digital age, it often feels like the act of authentic connection and earnestness is hard through a computer. Reaching out to strangers for guidance is probably the most earnest it gets, and that is not often practiced enough in academia in my opinion. Students are the best way to get an honest opinion of what it’s like to live off a stipend, or in a specific city, or how certain professors operate.
It’s also nice to talk to people doing research that you’d be interested, not only for future connections, but just to get an idea of the path you could potentially take.
So be earnest! Check those Linkedins! Send a cold email! You never know what could happen!
Tip #4: Think About Where You Want To Live for 4-5 Years
I am not a winter girly, so I knew most of the Northeast was an absolute no for me. This was not done lightly as there were several programs with my exact niche, however, with the reality of what a doctoral stipend looks like and how far that could stretch, and my current quality of life….. the Northeast was not a place I saw being a happy time lol.
Now, this is not to say doctoral students don’t do it all the time, many people sacrifice a lot for funding, or a program, or even a mentor. However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized preserving my sense of self and quality of life is most important to me.
Think about where you can live comfortably, do you have connections in the city already/family there?, think about safety, affordability, do you need a car?, what will community look like for you?
This helped me to narrow down schools very quickly- in addition to my next tip…
Tip #5: Apply Where You Are Guaranteed Full Funding for the Majority of the Program
Now, this advice can obviously vary depending on the type of PhD program you’re applying to, but a general rule of thumb is that YOU should never be paying to get a PhD. Get funding - or take a beat, and apply next cycle.
As I mentioned, as a PhD student, we already get paid very little, so to imagine being a full-time student, a TA, and then having to worry about how to finance your next semester… no, thank you!
YOU are the prize here, remember that! These schools should be excited to have you, fund you, and have you conduct research in their “name” (though your name should always be associated with your work).
Know your worth, and make sure wherever you are going knows it too!
This concludes my 5 Tips on PhD apps, I hope it was helpful! If you’d like more PhD specific posts, let me know!