Where to Find A PhD#
Now that you have decided that you want to do a PhD, you have to decide where you should apply to. Similar to undergraduate college applications, you should have some options, but unlike college Its WHO not WHERE that matters. What I mean by that is that who your advisor (Principle Investigator or PI) ends up being the most important piece, at least 70% of your decision should be based on whether you like the PI or not. This can be tricky as you do not always know who your PI will be when you apply (see the section below on emailing potential advisors), but it is still the most important part of your decision. People will ask you Who did you get your PhD with before they ask you where. Additionally, You are going to be working with this person, largely one on one, for 5ish years. If you choose the right PI, your PhD will be fine at worst. If you choose the wrong PI, no amount of other benefits will make up for it.
Given this, you should look for people who are doing interesting work. think about the research you may want to do and start there. Don’t let the work cloud your judgement, again you want a to work for a good person, but you have to narrow the field somehow.
Email and Talk to Potential Advisors#
This is more for when you get closer to submitting your application, but I highly recommend you email and try to have a phone call with potential advisors. Some will respond while others won’t, but your goal is to try to answer 2 questions.
First, does this person seem like someone you want to work for? You will be tied to your advisor at the hip for the next 6 years of your life and your advisor will be your go to reference for the rest of your career. If you doubt me, check out sites like The Academic Family Tree and see if you can look up your professors. You can trace the lineage of advisors back a hundred years. You want to choose someone who will be a good mentor and who you get along with. 70+% of your grad school decision should come down to the advisor, not the school or the research project.
Second, does this advisor actually have room/funding in their lab for you? Graduate advisors often are limited in how many PhD students they can support (as you are getting paid) and there will be times when they just are not able to take a student. The last thing you want to do is to end up at a school because of one advisor and not be able to join their lab. So ask, they will tell you.
For general guides on what to say in your email, check out these resources:
Look for PhD Advisors that are actively recruiting Graduate Students#
Some advisors will advertise that they are recruiting students by posting on social media and various list servs. These can be a great way to get an idea of who potential advisors could be as well as get a sense for what type of research is out there. Similar to the passive job search described later, this can be a great way to gain exposure to different projects and help figure out what you are truly interested in.
Some places to look for open PhD positions include:
Society listservs are great for these