For Prospective PhD Students
If you are interested in pursuing a PhD program, I am happy to answer any questions you may have!
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Should I get a PhD?
If you're here on this page, the answer is very likely to be "yes"! However, it is true that a lot of folks have misconceptions about what it actually means to be in a PhD program, the biggest of which being that it is a sort of "logical continuation" of your bachelor's or master's program, and this just isn't fully true in most cases. In other words, you should not opt to get your PhD solely on the basis of e.g., "looking forward to taking more classes in your area of interest" or "because you are a good student" and so aiming for a more advanced degree seems like the only logical possibility. Of course, there is very often a correlation between those who perform well academically and those who are most successful in a PhD program; however (and fundamentally), a PhD program trains you to become a well-rounded researcher, equipped with the necessary skills to cultivate new knowledge and contribute to a growing body of literature in your field. Of course, you absolutely will have the opportunity to take fun classes throughout your PhD, though this is generally not the principal focus of these sorts of programs, as, in many cases, you may only end up taking one or two a semester (and perhaps only for the first couple years of the program!). Furthermore, at the end of the day, as a PhD student, you will be evaluated based on the quality of your research, not really on your course performance. Of course, grades still matter but only to the extent that you may need to maintain some minimum GPA to remain "in good standing" in the program. The main focus of the courses you take in your PhD program is to equip with skills and knowledge that will be useful to your research, not so much to merely obtain a certain grade. That said, if taking more courses is your primary motivation, I would implore you to ponder this over a bit more and ensure that you're in it for the long haul!
Furthermore, I would also implore you to do a bit of a candid self-assessment before deciding whether or not it is the right time to think about pursuing and/or applying for a PhD program. Ask yourself: Does the prospect of being in a PhD program right now feel genuinely exciting to me? Or does it feel merely tolerable? If the work does not immediately compel or excite you, it is likely not the right moment to commit to its duration, which is absolutely okay! In this case, it may make sense to e.g., find a paid research position in industry or go for a master's degree before you commit to (what is often, at least in the US) a 5+-year program. You absolutely must honestly check in with yourself and ensure that you are in a state of intellectual readiness before deciding to apply in the current cycle!
If you are, in fact, aiming to pursue a career in academia, love research, and are jazzed by the prospect of graduate study, then I would absolutely encourage you to go for it!
Are there prerequisites that I must fulfill prior to applying (or matriculating)?
Minimally, you will need to have a bachelor's degree prior to matriculation, meaning that, naturally, you can absolutely apply to graduate school while concurrently being in, say, the final year of your bachelor's program. (You may very likely know some folks in this exact position!) Other than a bachelor's degree, there really aren't any universal criteria for acceptance into a PhD program. Of course, some programs require GRE scores and/or have a minimum GPA threshold, though these (and especially the former) are becoming increasingly passé. This, in my opinion, is actually an incredibly promising shift, as mandating GRE scores and imposing strict GPA floors both kind of contradicts the very logic of doctoral training, which depends less on course/exam performance and more on intellectual engagement.
In addition to potentially needing to submit GRE scores and/or maintain a certain undergraduate GPA, some programs may require you to have completed a certain array of courses in your undergraduate training. This is especially true for many STEM programs (which often require completion of courses such as e.g., linear algebra, organic chemistry, or statistics) and world languages and literatures program (which often require you to demonstrate a certain level of proficiency in one or more languages). Other programs may not have as strict of curricular requirements. Mine, for instance, is incredibly multidisciplinary and thus attracts folks from a vast array of academic backgrounds, so it doesn't really make much sense to impose these sorts of prerequisites for this program (and, in fact, there really aren't any). Nonetheless, it is, of course, something to bear in mind as you are researching programs!
Other than the above considerations, the main thing that is helpful to have prior to (and/or while) applying to PhD programs is research experience, or, at the very least, a very clear understanding of what research is and why you are sure you are interested in pursuing a career in research. You certainly need not have any publications prior to applying (I didn't, in fact!) or make some sort of groundbreaking discovery in your field; any research experience will help!
For international applicants, of course, depending on where your alma mater is and/or the language of instruction of your undergraduate curriculum, you may also need to submit English proficiency scores on an exam like TOEFL.
Education
2015-2017
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2011-2014
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2007-2010
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