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Why you'd want to pursue a doctoral degree (Ph.D.)? |
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Lots of articles from inside writers, addressing the question why or why not to pursue a PhD. Link (at Helium.com) |
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What makes a good PhD student? |
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Some tips for PhD students. Doing a PhD should be fun and rewarding, because you can spend all your working time discovering things and pursuing ideas — and getting paid for it, without any administrative responsibilities. Those who stick with a career in science do so because, despite the relatively poor pay, long hours and lack of security, it is all we want to do. Unfortunately most new PhD students are ill-prepared, and as a consequence very few will fulfil their aspirations to be independent scientists. Link (Nature Jobs, 05/2006) |
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Mastering Your PhD: Science Papers that Shine |
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It's a big day when you have enough results to publish a paper. Not only is it great to see your name in print, but a published paper is also tangible evidence of your hard work and an important step in your career. But first you have to sit down and write the thing. Link (Science Careers, 04/2007) |
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Internships Offer Ph.D.s Early Leap Into Job Market |
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Work placements can offer Ph.D. students some experience applying their skills in the real world and give them extra credibility and insight when they go on the job market. Link (Science Careers, 12/2007) |
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Mastering Your Ph.D.: Countdown to Your Thesis Defence |
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For a couple of years, you have been doing research, research, and more research. But now the final deadline for your Ph.D. is in sight, and it's time to transfer your research results into a thesis. Where do you even begin? Link (Science Careers, 11/2007) |
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A Doctor of Philosophy degree, abbreviated Ph.D., is the highest academic degree anyone can earn. Because earning a Ph.D. requires extended study and intense intellectual effort, less than one percent of the population attains the degree. Society shows respect for a person who holds a Ph.D. by addressing them with the title ``Doctor''. To earn a Ph.D., one must accomplish two things. First, one must master a specific subject completely. Second, one must extend the body of knowledge about that subject. Link (D.E. Comer, Purdue) |
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Evaluating PhD progress both highlights accomplishments and suggests daunting challenges ahead. Link (Nature Jobs, 2006) |
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Structuring Academic Careers in Europe |
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Each country has its own academic job titles and--often unwritten--career paths, making an international job search thorny and opaque. "If we had a unified career structure, that would revolutionize European science. It would just start to draw everybody in." Link (Science Careers, 05/2008) |
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The PhD journey: how to choose a good supervisor |
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Your supervisor will be a mentor, friend, confidante, adviser and also a voice of reason, so make sure it's a voice you'll want to hear. Link (New Scientist, 02/2008) |
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Special Feature: Getting Published in Scientific Journals |
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Without good publications, you stand little chance of winning the fellowship, research grant, faculty job, or other scientific prize you're competing for. Link (Science Careers, 06/2007) |
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Straight Talk about Graduate School |
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This is a must-read for potential PhD students. The essential tag-lines are listed below, but be sure to read the full article. Misconception 1: Anyone who starts a graduate degree and does not finish it lives the rest of his or her life permanently embittered, resentful, and with a sense of personal inferiority.
Misconception 2: All academics are smart people, and all smart people are academics.
Misconception 3: Everyone who deserves a Ph.D gets one.
Axiom 1: There are plenty of jackasses with Ph.D's, and plenty of brilliant people without them.
Axiom 2: Most people without graduate degrees live perfectly contented, fulfilling, and successful lives.
Axiom 3: Graduate school is not fair. It does not necessarily reward intelligence, preparation, perseverance, and ambition with the hoped-for degree.
Corollary 2.1: A Ph.D doesn't necessarily make its holder happy.
Tip 1: Before you sign your first graduate school application, decide how much you are willing to give up for your Ph.D.
Tip 2: Always have an escape route from graduate school planned. Link (Webpage Dorothea Salo) |
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Mastering Your PhD: Strength in Numbers |
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Much of the time, especially after a string of long nights in the lab, you may feel as if you’re navigating the dark and stormy waters of research all alone, with a broken compass and no land in sight. But help is at hand, and you don’t have to go it alone if you don’t want to. Take advantage of the experience and creativity of the others in your lab by asking them to try an experiment in parallel thinking. Link (Science Careers, 06/2007) |
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Ph.Dollars: Does Grad School Make Financial Sense? |
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When Laurie Earls started graduate school at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2001, a Ph.D. looked like a pretty good deal from a financial point of view: no tuition and she'd even receive a stipend. Link (Science Careers, 2008) |
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Graduate Special: Success |
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Fame, fortune and happiness await those who are successful in life. But you're a scientist, so can you really expect the same rewards? The answer is yes, and we're here to show you how. Link (New Scientist, 05/2008) |
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MentorDoctor: Is There an M.D./Ph.D. in My Future? |
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I am currently an undergrad at Howard University, and my long-term career goal is to do research as well as clinical work. At first I thought I could do that by just getting an M.D., but I've heard it's more advantageous to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. Link (Science Careers, 08/2006) |
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