If you're interested in a specific study topic, one way to start is to list the most highly regarded researchers in the field, as well as anyone whose work you especially admire, and find out where they teach. Then narrow down that list by criteria like affordability, where you want to go, etc.
(I only know about applying ot schools in Europe - and that varies a lot by where in Europe you're looking. I found a ton of differences between the Netherlands and the UK in terms of visa requirement, etc. but for actual applications it's not so different.)
I was going to recommend the same - see where the people whose writings and research you most admire work. Also look to see where they trained. Be sure when you start approaching the programs to ask to see if they have statistics about graduating grad students and the sorts of jobs and such their graduates go on to do. You can also ask to be given the contact info for current grad students to get insider information on working with brilliant Dr. Whatshisface and how supportive the department is for independent research and the like.
Be sure to check out their facilities as well to make sure the appropriate equipment you'll need is there.
You might also want to see if you can attend some sort of international conference. It's a great way to network and to see firsthand people you may only know through their writing and research.
one way to start is to list the most highly regarded researchers in the field, as well as anyone whose work you especially admire, and find out where they teach. I do keep track and all that. BUT there's one hitch - many, many, many... people do really great research in my field. So the list is quite long. I found a ton of differences between the Netherlands and the UK in terms of visa requirement, etc. but for actual applications it's not so different.) How did you find all of this stuff out? Online? Where? And how did you do with programs with websites not in English? Be sure when you start approaching the programs to ask to see if they have statistics about graduating grad students and the sorts of jobs and such their graduates go on to do. By approaching do you mean e-mail? You might also want to see if you can attend some sort of international conference. It's a great way to network and to see firsthand people you may only know through their writing and research. Are you kidding? There is no way in heaven or on Earth my adviser
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yes, by approaching I mean email. It's not uncommon for grad applicants to email professors they want to work with and ask if they're accepting new grad students and to offer brief introductions as to their research and background. Once you've determined if this particular program is a viable option, you can ask for information like the email addresses of current students and perhaps a brief overview of some of the positions their graduates go on to take.
Why wouldn't your department or advisor let you go to a conference? Is it that they wouldn't help fund the trip or that they really and truly wouldn't want you to go?
Ask some of your current professors for idea on where you might want to apply. They probably have connections to some researchers in the ncRNA field, and if they write a letter of recommendation for you that says, "myrtilus would be a great addition to Mystery U's biochemistry program because her research interests match well with my colleague and friend, Dr. So-and-so," you're more likely to get in
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Ask some of your current professors for idea on where you might want to apply. They probably have connections to some researchers in the ncRNA field, and if they write a letter of recommendation for you that says, "myrtilus would be a great addition to Mystery U's biochemistry program because her research interests match well with my colleague and friend, Dr. So-and-so," you're more likely to get in. Oh, trust me, I've done that. Trouble is, no one here works in ncRNA/is happy to provide that kind of guidance to students (they're really jealous of good students). And, yeah, they DO NOT have contacts with anyone who works in the field and do not keep track of the literature. Because, drumroll, this is a "hot" topic, which they believe means that there is no serious science, just hype... And, oh yeah, very few of our profs have contacts outside of Russia. And NONE in the fields I'm interested in... Why? Because in terms of science, we do what we can, NO collaboration of any sort, especially not with someone not from Russia
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I only know how grad school works in the US, so take that into account when reading my comment, though I would assume things work similarly in other countries
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Many people start grad school thinking they want to work on one thing, and then change their mind when they get there (either they find something they like better, or realize the topic they thought they liked isn't all it's cracked up to be or they can't stand doing that kind of research). Oh, trust me, I know what I want to do. In the US equivalent, I'm currently completing my Masters Degree, by an odd twist of fate working on a pretty odd version of ncRNA research. I've been doing this for about a year, 24/7, and am still happy and excited with the field. Just not my lab, adviser and the direction this project is going. So look into who else is in those departments and see if you'd also be interested in them just in case things don't work out with your dream lab Of course! I'm lucky since I do have a topic I'm interested in, but I'm not absolutely rigid about it and there is a whole bunch of stuff I can switch to and still have the motivation to go to the lab every morning. It's like choosing a bagel: I want the one with cheese
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It's great news that a lot of people are working on your topic of interest, it means that you have a lot of options! I think it's more important that you have a great research adviser whose interests really match yours than to be at a school that has a very recognized "name", so I based my search on people's work, not their institution. Though a lot of people are working in your general field, it's possible that not that many are working in your really specific field of interest (for instance, my boyfriend is going for a phd in immunobiology and, though there are many people working in this field generally, there were not that many researchers doing what he's really interested in
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Though a lot of people are working in your general field, it's possible that not that many are working in your really specific field of interest (for instance, my boyfriend is going for a phd in immunobiology and, though there are many people working in this field generally, there were not that many researchers doing what he's really interested in). Oh, the ncRNA thing is a pretty specific field all right, it's just so "hot" right now that everyone's trying dabble in it.
If you have the time to do this, actually go through the faculty lists for all of them - usually schools have a little paragraph about each researcher that sums up their research in a few sentences without having to read papers. This is a good way to start and allows you to see how much of a presence your area has in a particular department. You can also take into account whether you like schools' areas geographically and socially.Other than locking myself in my room for 6 months, there is no WAY I could possibly do this! That's why I'm writing this post! I'd need
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Yeah, unfortunately, if there really are that many people in the field, the only way is to keep an eye out for publications. If you think you have the resume, I guess you could look into the most prestigious schools in the US (that would be the schools in the Ivy League), though, to be fair, they're not always best in all fields. I know my boyfriend is very happy with University of Arizona's immunobiology and that he had been admitted to University of Texas at Austin for Cell and Molecular Biology and they have a good program (if you want to try somewhere maybe a little easier to get into than an Ivy League in the US). Since I am in a different field I can't help much more. :( I would say try to get in contact with a professor that knows something about schools outside of Russia or look for some sort of ranking of schools in molecular bio. Good luck!
Yes, that's one of the reasons I'd like to go there instead of the US (Russia also has a coursework-free PhD program, since our undergraduate degree is much more specialized than in the US and is basically 5 years of biology non-stop, in my case) Actually, there is A DREAM LAB in Australia that I am considering, It's at the University of Queensland. How much in advance? What exams (if any) should I take (for example, how useful would the MolBiol GRE be, as a demonstration of my scientific "competence"? ) It can be extremely difficult/competitive for international students to receive scholarships How difficult is difficult?
And thank you for the link! Offtopic freaky question - are you currently a student at an Australian Uni? Could I occasionally send you random stupid questions (via LJ) about the way thinks work down there? *I promise I'm not a nut or anything. Just someone desperately trying to figure out how to do some real science and get a PhD in the process.*
"cold" is 15 degrees celcius Totally my kind of place!!! because in Russia we swim in 15 degrees Celsius and no one considers it "too cold". Except me... Then I had to attach a research proposal (mine was incredibly vague), a writing sample (most people use their Honours thesis or similar, I think) Who writes the research proposal? The prospective adviser? Because I can't exactly understand how I'd be coming from heaven knows where to ncRNA superlab with a paper saying "THIS is what I'm going to be doing!" So check the scholarship deadlines. I think it's usually sometime in May, the year before you want to start. So> I should be doing this now, well over a year in advance? OH GAWD!!! (I have some pretty tough exams/thesis defense till the end of May. I was hoping to start over the summer.Is that a very unwise idea?) At my uni it seems as though there are a lot of international PhD students in biomedical sciences, so they must get funding somehow! That sounds nice -where do you go?
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(I only know about applying ot schools in Europe - and that varies a lot by where in Europe you're looking. I found a ton of differences between the Netherlands and the UK in terms of visa requirement, etc. but for actual applications it's not so different.)
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Be sure to check out their facilities as well to make sure the appropriate equipment you'll need is there.
You might also want to see if you can attend some sort of international conference. It's a great way to network and to see firsthand people you may only know through their writing and research.
Reply
I do keep track and all that. BUT there's one hitch - many, many, many... people do really great research in my field. So the list is quite long.
I found a ton of differences between the Netherlands and the UK in terms of visa requirement, etc. but for actual applications it's not so different.)
How did you find all of this stuff out? Online? Where?
And how did you do with programs with websites not in English?
Be sure when you start approaching the programs to ask to see if they have statistics about graduating grad students and the sorts of jobs and such their graduates go on to do.
By approaching do you mean e-mail?
You might also want to see if you can attend some sort of international conference. It's a great way to network and to see firsthand people you may only know through their writing and research. Are you kidding? There is no way in heaven or on Earth my adviser ( ... )
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Why wouldn't your department or advisor let you go to a conference? Is it that they wouldn't help fund the trip or that they really and truly wouldn't want you to go?
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Oh, trust me, I've done that. Trouble is, no one here works in ncRNA/is happy to provide that kind of guidance to students (they're really jealous of good students). And, yeah, they DO NOT have contacts with anyone who works in the field and do not keep track of the literature. Because, drumroll, this is a "hot" topic, which they believe means that there is no serious science, just hype...
And, oh yeah, very few of our profs have contacts outside of Russia. And NONE in the fields I'm interested in... Why? Because in terms of science, we do what we can, NO collaboration of any sort, especially not with someone not from Russia ( ... )
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Oh, trust me, I know what I want to do. In the US equivalent, I'm currently completing my Masters Degree, by an odd twist of fate working on a pretty odd version of ncRNA research. I've been doing this for about a year, 24/7, and am still happy and excited with the field. Just not my lab, adviser and the direction this project is going.
So look into who else is in those departments and see if you'd also be interested in them just in case things don't work out with your dream lab
Of course! I'm lucky since I do have a topic I'm interested in, but I'm not absolutely rigid about it and there is a whole bunch of stuff I can switch to and still have the motivation to go to the lab every morning. It's like choosing a bagel: I want the one with cheese ( ... )
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Oh, the ncRNA thing is a pretty specific field all right, it's just so "hot" right now that everyone's trying dabble in it.
If you have the time to do this, actually go through the faculty lists for all of them - usually schools have a little paragraph about each researcher that sums up their research in a few sentences without having to read papers. This is a good way to start and allows you to see how much of a presence your area has in a particular department. You can also take into account whether you like schools' areas geographically and socially.Other than locking myself in my room for 6 months, there is no WAY I could possibly do this! That's why I'm writing this post! I'd need ( ... )
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the most prestigious schools in the US (that would be the schools in the Ivy League), though, to be fair, they're not always best in all fields. I know my boyfriend is very happy with University of Arizona's immunobiology and that he had been admitted to University of Texas at Austin for Cell and Molecular Biology and they have a good program (if you want to try somewhere maybe a little easier to get into than an Ivy League in the US). Since I am in a different field I can't help much more. :( I would say try to get in contact with a professor that knows something about schools outside of Russia or look for some sort of ranking of schools in molecular bio. Good luck!
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Actually, there is A DREAM LAB in Australia that I am considering, It's at the University of Queensland.
How much in advance? What exams (if any) should I take (for example, how useful would the MolBiol GRE be, as a demonstration of my scientific "competence"? )
It can be extremely difficult/competitive for international students to receive scholarships
How difficult is difficult?
And thank you for the link!
Offtopic freaky question - are you currently a student at an Australian Uni? Could I occasionally send you random stupid questions (via LJ) about the way thinks work down there? *I promise I'm not a nut or anything. Just someone desperately trying to figure out how to do some real science and get a PhD in the process.*
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(The comment has been removed)
Totally my kind of place!!! because in Russia we swim in 15 degrees Celsius and no one considers it "too cold". Except me...
Then I had to attach a research proposal (mine was incredibly vague), a writing sample (most people use their Honours thesis or similar, I think)
Who writes the research proposal? The prospective adviser? Because I can't exactly understand how I'd be coming from heaven knows where to ncRNA superlab with a paper saying "THIS is what I'm going to be doing!"
So check the scholarship deadlines. I think it's usually sometime in May, the year before you want to start.
So> I should be doing this now, well over a year in advance? OH GAWD!!!
(I have some pretty tough exams/thesis defense till the end of May. I was hoping to start over the summer.Is that a very unwise idea?)
At my uni it seems as though there are a lot of international PhD students in biomedical sciences, so they must get funding somehow!
That sounds nice -where do you go?
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