How to apply for a PhD?

Every now and then, someone asks me the question, “How do we apply for a PhD?”. This week I had to answer this question a few times. Usually, I find it hard to give single-sentence answers to questions (which I have come to acknowledge as one of my character flaws 😊), and it is harder for these questions that depend on many out-of-control variables. However, there is a set of actions you can follow to find a suitable PhD for you. Of course, I am talking about one that comes with a scholarship 😉.

Disclaimer: The content here is based mostly on my experience. Being a PhD student myself at the time of writing this and having many friends, batchmates and colleagues who have done PhDs and are currently doing one or secured scholarships, I have seen different approaches people use to secure PhDs. I am trying to combine that experience into a generic approach you could take when looking for a PhD. In addition, this article’s content is influenced by the processes in Australia and the field of Computer Science Engineering.

First and foremost, you need to know that getting admission to a PhD degree and securing a scholarship will depend on many factors. The country, the university, the school (or department), the supervisor, your research, your country of residence, your English language skills, your profile (education, industry, research), your previous universities, the time of the year you apply etc. Seems like a lot, right? Don’t worry! Most of the time, you have to consider a set of these factors together rather than individually. Before getting to the specifics, I need you to consider the answers to the following questions.

“Do I want to do a PhD?”. If the answer is No, you need to ask yourself, “Do I need a PhD?”.

If the answer is yes to any of the above questions, then you should ask yourself questions such as “Why do I want to do a PhD?” and “Am I ready to commit to a PhD?”. I will not bore you with different answers you can think of for these questions. If you search these questions on Google, you might find many answers with different perspectives, especially on community platforms such as Quora, Reddit, and sometimes even Twitter. After answering the above questions, if you think you are ready to do a PhD, this article will be helpful to you. In this article, I will try to give some concise information on some generic steps you can take to find a suitable PhD for you. If I think some steps need to be elaborated, I will try to write a separate article on that (not a promise, though 😊).

Factors to Consider

Since you have decided to do a PhD now, let’s have a look at some aspects you should know.

1. The Country: The country you select for your PhD is extremely important because there is a chance that you may select this country to live in for the rest of your life. Even though you don’t need a degree to be successful in today’s world, a PhD is still recognised as a remarkable achievement in many first-world countries. They have taken many approaches to attract bright and talented students for their PhD programs. Then there are different pathways those students can take to apply for permanent residency and later citizenship in those countries. If you have done your PhD in the same country you are planning to settle in, it might be an advantage for you in certain cases. Also, countries that do focus on research and spend more money on it have more opportunities available. Here are a couple of links that give some stats on countries with high research output and countries that are popular among international students. The reason behind the popularity will usually depend on the support available for international students and the availability of pathways for permanent migration.
2. The University: The university is the next important thing you need to consider. There are several ranking systems for Top universities around the world. Times Higher Education and QS World University Rankings are two widely recognised ranking systems. If the university is a high-ranking university, you might get additional perks such as access to more resources and more opportunities, international recognition, a better network of high-achieving colleagues, preferences in graduate jobs etc. However, this does not necessarily mean the low-ranking universities don’t provide them. Certain aspects can change from one university to another. It is also worth noting that you may want to look at how well the university is doing in your field of study. For example, a university that excels in Medicine, Business and Arts and has a high overall ranking may not be well recognised for Engineering. Therefore, if you are trying to find an Engineering PhD, you may want to consider it elsewhere. Please note that the higher-ranked universities may have more competition for scholarships. So make sure you have a strong profile if you plan to apply to one of them.
3. The Supervisor: Your supervisor is going to be the most crucial factor in your PhD (at least that is my opinion). There is a general notion that “No two PhD experiences are the same”, and I have come to realise this to be quite true. I find three main reasons to be causing this; the PhD student, the supervisor, and the research project (which I will describe in the next point). People have different qualities and ways of working, communicating, approaching problems, etc. Suppose your qualities synchronise with your supervisor’s qualities well. In that case,n most of the time, you will have a very smooth journey in your PhD (make no mistake, numerous other factors can affect your PhD other than the supervisor relationship 😊). Your potential supervisor may have a great research profile, which you can find on their home pages or the university website. A very senior researcher who is well known in the field may bring you more opportunities and funding, while an early career researcher may have more time on their hands to help with your work. Although the most important thing is to identify whether your supervisor’s method of supervision complements your way of working, most of the time, there is no way of finding that until you commence your PhD (I guess this is somewhere you might need some luck 😉). Sometimes you can reach out to any prior students or colleagues of the supervisor and inquire about them, although I suspect it may not be much helpful. Most people would not want to bad-mouth their supervisor or colleague to an unknown person. However, most academics will be quite understanding and with clear communication and being honest and upfront, I believe you can come to a common understanding with your supervisor most of the time.
4. The Research: To graduate with a PhD, you must create new knowledge. Most of the time, this is going to be as difficult as it sounds but never impossible. Also, you can’t get your PhD by passing some exams as with most other degrees. You need to submit a thesis, and you need to do it before your scholarship and funding run out. This timeline can be affected by your research topic, your experience and knowledge of the topic, your supervisor’s knowledge of the same topic etc. Sometimes your topic may be novel and easy to publish, and sometimes it may be a widely explored research area with difficulty in coming up with breakthrough techniques. Moreover, it can be an area where many people work, and as a result, you may have many resources available, including public datasets. Other times it can be a less popular area where you have no community support (but it will make your research more worthwhile once you complete it 😉). All these factors will affect your research; hence, I believe you should focus on them when drafting your research proposal. You will probably need to write a research proposal and submit it to get admission to any PhD degree.
5. Scholarship: In countries with a high research output, we can see many government and non-government bodies, including universities, allocating a certain portion of their budgets for research. Using this money, the universities can offer a number of scholarships to attract the best and brightest people from everywhere on the planet. There are two main components of a scholarship.

• The Tuition Fee Scholarship (TFS): If you are going to pay and get a PhD, you may need a large sum of money (the amount may differ from university to university). However, this fee will be waived if you get a TFS.
• Stipend: The PhD can take 3+ years almost all the time. In some countries and some situations, this can be even 5+ years. During this time, you will need some money to cover your day-to-day expenses, pay the bills, go on a vacation etc. If the PhD is part-time, you might be able to work in parallel to your studies and earn some money. However, for international students, part-time studies may affect Visa status, and in some cases, it may not be an option at all. Therefore, some TFSs come with a Stipend, which you can use for your expenses. Other times your supervisor or the school may find you a stipend scholarship in addition to the TFS. If you have a very generous supervisor or funding body, you may even get a top-up scholarship which will completely reduce your financial burdens. Some Stipend scholarships may come with certain conditions, such as working as a Research Assistant (RA) or a University Tutor. Moreover, some funding organisations need you to complete several milestones during your PhD. Sometimes these milestones can guide your PhD, while at other times, they become a burden.

Many more facts and scenarios come to my mind about the factors I mentioned above. However, not to make this article any longer, I will quickly mention a list of action items you should do to find a PhD position.

A checklist for you to follow

1. Decide a country and select a few universities at which you would like to do your PhD. Find out the scholarship application deadlines, different types of scholarships available, etc.
2. Find a list of researchers (with their emails) in your field you would like to select as a supervisor. List them in the order of your priority.
3. Write a cover letter. Mention your research interests and ask them about available opportunities. Make sure to highlight your research experience along with any publications, awards and other accomplishments.
4. Prepare other documents such as your CV and transcript. If you have done any Language Requirement Tests (e.g. IELTS), you can also use that.
5. Start sending emails to potential supervisors. Make sure you modify the cover letter for each supervisor and try to address it with a personal touch. Also, don’t send to multiple supervisors of the same university at once. Send the emails in the priority order and wait for a response at least two days before sending an email to the next potential supervisor. Sometimes professors can be busy and may be on leave. In such cases, it may take a day or two to get a response.
6. If the supervisor asks you to send a research proposal, consider the facts I have mentioned and write a good proposal with quality references. The supervisor may propose the topic sometimes as well. Make sure to send it as soon as possible. First impressions matter 😉.
7. If the supervisor requests a meeting, ensure you are well prepared to discuss your past projects, experiences, and the proposed research.
8. If the professor/lecturer agrees to supervise you, they will discuss the potential scholarship options, and in any case, you will need to apply officially to the university.
9. You may then have to wait until you hear back about the outcome of your application.
10. If you are unsuccessful in getting a scholarship, keep trying again and also keep applying to other universities.

If you are a strong candidate, you will receive the good news sometime or other. If not, make sure to improve your profile by writing a few research papers, doing a master’s (if you haven’t already done one) etc.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you will successfully get a PhD offer and have a nice PhD experience someday.