Choosing a grad school

Mar 28, 2009 22:01

Question (esp. to science majors): how do/did you go about finding the right grad school? Where did you start? ( Read more... )

searching for a school

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tisiphone March 28 2009, 19:21:46 UTC
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.)

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hkmercredi March 28 2009, 19:48:25 UTC
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.

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thanks myrtilus March 28 2009, 22:22:59 UTC
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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Re: thanks hkmercredi March 28 2009, 22:39:58 UTC
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?

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Re: thanks myrtilus March 28 2009, 22:51:40 UTC
Why wouldn't your department or adviser 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?
1) Funding is not available in these parts of the world. Heck, with this crisis the grad students in our lab are being paid a stipend of only $120/month.

2) They really wouldn't. Because I'm a "good" student they don't really want to let go of. And if I do get their permission, it'll be quite the living hell when I get back. And i still do need to complete my diploma!

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Re: thanks tisiphone March 28 2009, 23:47:51 UTC
Most programs have their requirements listed online these days. It does take some work figuring out where there are programs, but a lot of countries have academic communities on lj that can help you with that (nor_am_uk_ac is a useful source for UK admissions topics). I haven't been bothered much by sites that aren't in English, I'm multi-lingual and am obviously focusing on countries where I already speak the language, but you could use Google to get a rough translation. Also, a lot of universities have English sites for at least some of their programs.

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Re: thanks endxgame March 30 2009, 03:59:19 UTC
"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 ( ... )

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