Opinion

But you’ll never know you had a chance if you never take a chance Honestly, life is a ton of luck. You have the right timing, the right project, the right idea, the person interviewing/reviewing your application was in a good mood…and then you get it. Yes, planning is a big part of it. Writing the right papers. Getting the perfect PhD advisor (for you, see previous post). The list goes on. All you can control is the fact that you tried. My fellowship rejection story: I applied for NSF. Twice. I was in that optimum period of time (I hope you read that as lucky) that I was grandfathered into the old system. The old system that let you try as a first-year and then again as a second-year. The first-year, I did really well. I got an Honorable Mention (and you can bet that’s on my CV). I had a ton of help from previous winners and it was my first time writing a fellowship application. My undergrad institution wasn’t a powerhouse R1 institution with publications coming out of the wazoo. My only publication pre-gradschool was from an REU (research experience for undergraduates) opportunity and I was co-first author. But it had just been submitted when I was applying. And that’s what one of my reviewer’s said: She presented her work at several conferences and co-authored a manuscript that is currently under review. However, there are no publications listed, apart from conference proceedings.REVIEWER #3 The same reviewer also called me “naive” for thinking I could use the technique I was to develop to impact my interest in understanding Alzheimer’s disease. A rude word, but the reviewer gave me a “Very Good” for my Intellectual merit, even though I didn’t seem to meet their high expectations. All Reviewers gave…

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One of the most startling little pieces of truth I ever heard coming into grad school was You can divorce your husband, you can’t divorce your PhD advisor. The shock factor of this statement is why it stuck with me all these years. It isn’t necessarily true, but I think it serves as a reminder of how important this decision is. It is possible to switch research groups or further your career without your PhD advisor, but it also isn’t easy. This decision is as much about you as it is about the advisor and the research. Is there any truth to this statement at all? Well, in my opinion, a bit. The advisor you end up working for has a vested interest in your success. Because of this, they write a letter for nearly everything you apply for. They collaborate with you. They invite you to workshops. They introduce you to their buddies, who, hopefully, give you that position you’ve been vying for. They do a lot. Your success is a reflection of them. These aren’t necessarily good or bad things, but they are worth keeping in mind when you are making one of the biggest decisions of your career. Because it is a balance of so many factors, it becomes one of the most beautiful, nervewracking moments of soul searching in your life. Before we get started, all of this advice is not necessarily relevant based on the university/program you choose. I am focusing on three universally relevant aspects: the advisor, the outcomes, and the coworkers. I realize some grad students join the group before they have a chance to observe the gears in motion, but this can help during the recruitment/interview season as well.