What do phd

Feeling like the Only Choice Sometimes, pursuing a PhD can seem to be the only available choice after undergrad. Already featured in my previous article , she happily accepted my second interview, this time on why she pursued PhD. So I just followed suit. Later I got into Harvard, which was the best outcome I could have hoped for. During her time at Harvard, Clubs actively tried out different careers, including venture capital, biotech, and management consulting.

So why do you want to pursue a PhD? I should note that I am not issuing personal judgments on anything or anyone above. After all, everyone has his or her own personal reason to pursue a doctoral degree as well as a unique expectation out of the program experience.

Skip to main content. Student perspectives on the value of a graduate degree. MAY A typical answer would be: I am interested in your PhD program because I want to do research in my area. Many students who undertake a PhD get an academic job or become an industry researcher, possibly following the PhD with postdoctoral study, then a fellowship or lectureship.

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PhD study. On this page What is the meaning of PhD? How long is a PhD in the UK? Do I need a Masters to do a PhD? What does a PhD involve? How do I find a PhD? What other types of Doctorate are there? How much does a PhD cost? How do I apply for a PhD? What can I do next? View all PhD opportunities. The PhD population today is very diverse and not made up entirely of 21 to year-olds who have stayed in educational settings for the majority of their lives.

Others may be considering a return to education in order to change your career or as part of your professional development within an existing career. Some of you may be considering coming to study in the UK independently or with support from an organisation in your home country.

Whatever your situation it is very important that you take time to recognise and understand why you are making this commitment and what it entails. Broadly, the positive reasons can be classified into:.

This is having a real passion for your subject and an area of it that you want to investigate further. My colleagues also offered some interesting comments on the reality of making a decision to do a PhD even when you have this passion. Some commented on the need to consider doing the right PhD for you and not just any PhD, and I think it is important that you take this seriously as it can be dangerous to compromise too far and embark on research that you are not interested in just because it will lead to a PhD.

Academic colleagues also wanted you to look ahead and consider where your PhD may take you? Do you want to continue in an academic career or apply for jobs in industry or other organisations where a PhD is a requirement or will help you to work at a different level?

Interestingly, research on the career intentions of PhD students, undertaken by Vitae revealed that less than one third had firm career ideas even in the latter stages of their PhD. This statistic is concerning as it may mean that PhD students miss opportunities to add to their range of experience.

For those already in a career and undertaking a PhD as part of their professional development, or those who are viewing a PhD as part of a career change into academia, they should also look ahead and ensure that plans for the future are realistic and achievable.

A decision to undertake a PhD involves the same steps as any other career decision, you need to find out as much as possible about what a PhD really involves? Alongside considering where your passions lie and where they might lead to you need to research such things as:. These points and others are covered in more detail in 7 PhD Application Tips.