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1. Avoid job hunting – Job hunting is a long process. Especially if you are entering the working world for the first time. Creating your CV is difficult. It should be a short document, but you struggle to think of what to include and what to remove. Either way, your CV seems inadequate. So you fill out a PhD application and you don’t need to look for a job. Yay!
They are not afraid of failure, they learn from it.
Remember when you graduated at the top of your class and went to graduate school and thought you were a rock star doctor with golden hands who could change dates send nature in another. a few weeks? Yes, it didn’t last long. You learned pretty quickly that you had to run experiments 30 times just to get an answer to the smallest question, then run another 30 experiments to get the correct p-value.
You have failed over and over again, daily, without recognition or decent pay. But you woke up the next morning to start all over again. Why? Because you knew that each mistake would bring you closer to the details of one piece that would bring it all together. You woke up to fail again because failure is the best teacher – failure showed you what to do again.
A reason for a PhD: You have a great research idea that could change the world
Another reason to do your postgraduate studies and get a PhD is the fact that a very like to have you want to explore in detail.
Perhaps you already have a research background and would like academics with considerable experience to help you develop this research idea while doing your PhD.
How long does the course last?
A PhD usually lasts three years (four years for a New Way PhD – see below), or any available funding is usually sufficient for that period. Students may take more time to complete their thesis, but this will usually be at their own expense. For part-time self-funded students, it can take up to seven years.
A doctorate usually ends with a thesis of around 80,000 to 100,000 words, based on research carried out during their studies. Research must be original and aim to create new knowledge or theories in its field or build on existing knowledge or theories. Many departments admit students initially on an MPhil basis and then upgrade them to doctoral status after the first or second year, subject to satisfactory progress. Students deemed unsuitable for the thesis level can submit a shorter thesis and be awarded an MPhil.
Tam’ra-Kay Francis, PhD, Department of Chemistry, University of Washington
Dr. Tam’ra-Kay Francis holds a master’s degree in chemistry from the University. Fisk University, after which she began teaching undergraduate chemistry classes at her alma mater. While debating whether or not to pursue a PhD, she discovered her passion for teaching and mentoring underrepresented students. A friend noted that with a master’s degree, she could teach thirty students at a time, but a doctorate could allow her to design educational programs that break down barriers and expand access to more undergraduate students. Dr. Francis went on to earn his doctorate in education from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. “I have no regrets,” says Dr. Francis about his decision to pursue his doctorate.