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Originally Posted by devin_mm /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I am in my first year of computer science and I have been thinking what is the process like to get your PhD? So I put it out to those whom have their PhDs or in the process of getting one:
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Just a point of clarity- you said you are in your first year of computer science- do you mean you're a 1st year University student, or are you in your first year of the program? When I was an undergraduate at the University of Toronto during your first year your major/honors specialty wasn't specified, and you were just a general science student.
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1) Was there anything special you did or recommend doing to just get in to graduate school (over and above marks)? Eg. volunteering, groups, undergraduate research |
Getting good marks is important, but it's not everything. They are especially important for getting into really prestigious schools, but even then, there is a lot to it. Getting good grades will help you get scholarships in graduate school, but having tremendous grades (i.e. 3.7+) definitely isn't a requirement for getting into grad school. Second, different grad schools will evaluate your grades differently. They'll look at your overall GPA, they'll look at the trend of your yearly GPA, they'll look at your GPA in your final two years, and at your grades in specific courses. Even if your overall GPA is low, if you showed significant improvement over the years that then that can be as important, if not more so, than your average GPA over all years. For example, a student who maintained a solid B average through all four years would probably be less interesting than someone who started out with lower grades (say a C), but ended up getting solid As in their last years and in courses that had particular relevance to your program.
Doing undergraduate research- especially if you are able to get it published- is extremely important. It can really separate out the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. The other major benefit of doing undergraduate research is that you will get to know your professors really well, and they'll get to know you. That means they'll be able to write you much better letters of recommendation than if you only knew them through classes, and they have connections to faculty at other Universities that you can maybe then make use of.
I can't say much about volunteering- I don't think that graduate programs probably care that much about it- at least not in the sciences, but I really don't know. I didn't do any volunteering- other than being an unpaid research assistant.
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2) What's needed to go from a masters program into a doctoral program? |
This really depends on the school and the discipline. Masters programs in the US and Canada are treated very differently. In Canada if you apply for a masters program, then you are usually given the option (at some point) of transfering into a PhD program without finishing your masters, or you can decide to finish it. If *I* were to do it again, I would probably complete a masters first, and then go and do a PhD, if for no other eason than it gives you an early escape. If you decide part way through that this isn't what you want to do, you can finish your MSc and go on into the real world. In Canada, once you start your PhD, you won't be able to switch back down to a Masters. That is different in the US. Many schools in the US will allow a PhD student to transfer down into a MSc program if things aren't working out well for them. In short- you can't know the answer to this question without talking to specific schools and departments about their procedures.
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3) Was it worth it? Would you have gone through all the blood, sweat, and tears again? |
That's an extremely hard question to answer. I'm making a lot less money now than I would've had I not gone through and got a PhD- although, I wouldn't be working in this field either. On my worst days, I like to say that the best thing that happened to me in graduate school was meeting my wife and getting married. On good days, it's definitely worth it. Generally I really enjoy what I do, and I have a hard time imagining what I'd be doing instead- but that doesn't really mean anything.
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4) Any general advice to someone thinking about pursuing that goal? |
I think it's a good idea to have a goal, as long as you don't get too caught up in it. I like to say 'by all means pursue your dreams, but don't necessarily pursue your dreams at all costs'. I think it's a good idea to stop every now and again and re-evaluate what you want from life. I've had a few friends who just went head long into research, only to decide years later that they hated it, but they had got on the treadmill, drank the koolaid, and never re-evaluated how their life and priorities had changed.
I'd also say, if you're in 1st year- allow for the possibility that things will change. Your interests will change. Try not to stay beholden to a single dream. Don't give up on it, but make sure it still fits with what you want from your life.
Another important point is that getting a PhD doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to get a better job than you would've otherwise. In computer science, getting a PhD probably means that if you went into industry, you'd get a much higher paying job than you would without it- but it might mean you're background is overly specific- so companies may not want to hire you, because your degree would entitle you to higher pay, and maybe they don't need someone with that skill set to complete the job. It doesn't ensure that you're going to become a professor. People won't be any more (or less) impressed by you with, or without it.
On to the topic of becoming a professor: I'm a biologist, so I can only speak here about biology- so take this with a grain of salt. I've read that the average biology professor trains 5 PhD students in their career. That means that there is a *lot* of competition from other highly trained people for a relatively small number of professors jobs. Some fraction of those people won't want to be professors, or stay in science at all- but many of them will want to.
If you want to become a professor, then you really need to get into a prestigious program, and you really need to generate a lot of publications. If the average professor produces 5 PhD graduates, then you've got roughly a 1 in 5 chance of landing a faculty job. Better grades and better research during undergraduate work gives you the opportunities to work in better labs, with better funding, and better scientists, which further increases your odds of being able to become faculty yourself. I'm not saying it's the only route- I'm just going by the numbers. How many professors at the University of Calgary have a PhD the University of Lethbridge or Laurentian?