Overview:
The purpose of this article is to help you begin thinking the way you need to think before you start pitching yourself to various graduate programs. In addition to providing a set of strategies you should adopt as you research programs and begin writing your cv and statement of purpose, this article discusses the important differences between BA/MA and PhD programs and what that means for your application.
First, a few statistics:
What does this mean?
Differences between PhD programs and BA or even MA programs:
BA/MA |
PhD |
Success is measured through fairly clear metrics: grades, GPA, class ranking, etc. |
Nearly everyone gets good grades (some programs have a policy against giving anything less than a B to PhD students), and once you finish your coursework, they stop mattering entirely. Success in graduate school depends on whether or not you finish your dissertation and how strong that dissertation is when it is finished. |
Your relationship to faculty is that of student and teacher. |
Your relationship to faculty is more ambiguous. While you will find mentors in your PhD programs, those relationships must be cultivated differently. Many programs see advanced PhD students more as colleagues than students and expect them to behave accordingly. |
Supervision is relatively strict. You must do your homework and study for tests in order to pass your classes. Benchmarks are frequent and relatively easily understood. |
Supervision is relatively loose. After coursework, you will have little contact with supervisors that you do not establish yourself, and many advisors will not give you specific deadlines or goals. Success is dependent on your ability to set your own goals and motivate yourself to complete them. |
As a prospective BA/MA student, you must sell yourself based on your strengths as a student. |
As a prospective PhD student, you must sell yourself based on your potential as a scholar, teacher, and colleague. |
Things you should be do right now:
Final Thoughts:
The best prospective candidates for a PhD program (and even an academic job) are able to tell a story that connects their past achievements, their current efforts, and their future plans to create a total picture of how they contribute to the state of knowledge in their field. The art of telling this sort of story requires reflection and careful consideration. Do not leave it until the week the application is due.
Sources:
Cassuto, Leonard. “PhD Attrition: How Much is Too Much?” Chronicle.com. 1 July 2013 http://chronicle.com/article/PhD-Attrition-How-Much-Is/140045/
Stock, Wendy A, John J Siegfried, and T. Aldrich Finegan. “Completion Rates and Time-to-Degree in Economics PhD Programs(with comments by David Colander, N. Gregory Mankiw, Melissa P. McInerney, James M. Poterba).” American Economic Review 101.3 (2011): 176–187.