A Ph.D.
is a research degree

At the bachelor’s and master’s levels, you study what is known about a given subject. As a doctoral candidate, you contribute to that knowledge.

A Ph.D. or D.phil. is a research degree. You cannot just sit back and suck down information. Your doctoral dissertation will be an original body of work that takes account of what people have published in a given field—and then presents and explains your original contribution to the scholarly discussion.

That’s what distinguishes a doctoral degree from a bachelor’s degree.

What’s different about an application to a Ph.D. program?

Your application to a Ph.D. program typically includes an essay detailing your research interests, which often arise from your undergraduate studies, and outlines a direction of research. That’s right. Even though you will not begin your dissertation until two, four or even more semesters of coursework, you must begin with at least a guiding idea of the research question you plan to address. This will help you choose your courses and your professors with your goal in mind.

Your application must also make a case that your research interest can best be pursued at the department to which you are applying. There is no point in applying to a department that does not have strengths in your chosen field.

Where should you apply?

Plan to spend considerable time researching the work done by faculty members in your field. They may be at universities you were not expecting to add to your list. Conversely, you may think you want to apply to Harvard—and you may find out that no one in the Harvard Department of Whatever does the kind of work you want to do. This point will not elude members of the graduate admissions committee.

Yes, you may find that two or more years of coursework causes you to rethink your plan—or even to change your plan altogether. It would indeed be odd if two years of study with people who think a certain way did not make a dent in your own thinking. Still, it is better to present some indication of a plan. At the very least, it will suggest to the committee that you know how to construct a research proposal.

Who can help?

Contact Dr. Corcoran, the Director of Athena Mentor, who personally advises our Ph.D. and D.phil. clients. She brings to the table years of experience reading hundreds of research and grant proposals. Also, she has extensive knowledge of the character of many graduate departments. Dr. Corcoran can help you understand what graduate school is all about.

She is happy to help you brainstorm, structure and proofread your essays. Nevertheless, it is especially important for applicants to doctoral programs to present independent-minded essays that serve as evidence of ability to do graduate-level work. In other words, she will not write your essays for you. She is however an excellent coach! This is an exciting adventure. You will learn a lot by writing your grad school application essays! At the end of the day, the responsibility for the final text is yours alone.

Dr. Corcoran will also review with you the issue of fit with specific departments to which you plan to apply. Your undergraduate advisor and professors are the best source of advice on which graduate schools would be appropriate for you.