If you’re in the process of applying to graduate school, by now you’ve either submitted your applications or are gearing up to do so. After clicking the “submit” button, you may feel a wave of emotions - exhilaration, dread, anxiety, or relief. I distinctly remember that when I submitted my applications, the principal emotion I(...)
Graduate School
Tips for Writing a Standout Personal Statement
Posted by | A Day in the LifeIf you’re planning to apply to Ph.D. programs this fall, hopefully you’ve — at the very least — thought about starting to write a personal statement. For many students this is one of the most daunting aspects of the application process; however, having a strong personal statement can really set you apart amid a thick(...)
Quick Tips for Applying to Graduate School
Posted by | A Day in the LifeTwo years into graduate school at Johns Hopkins, it’s still hard to believe that I’m here. After a year of undergraduate research at the University of San Diego and a summer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, I remember entering my senior year of college more positive than ever that a Ph.D. program in the biomedical(...)
4 Things to Ask before Joining a Rotation Lab
Posted by | A Day in the LifeAs the new school year approaches, incoming graduate students will face their first big challenge: choosing their first rotation lab. For graduate students, the lab they join to perform their thesis research will be chosen from the different labs they rotate through in their first year, making these preliminary rotations massively important. Many programs in(...)
Dissertation and Defense: The Victory Lap
Posted by | A Day in the LifeI used to daydream about my thesis presentation. I would be sitting at someone else’s defense, listening as they dazzled the room with science they understood better than anyone else in the world — science they had discovered themselves. And at the end, they would launch into this involved series of acknowledgments, almost as many(...)
International Students Offer Unique Perspectives on Graduate School
Posted by | A Day in the LifeThe most recent survey from the Council of Graduate Schools found enrollment for international graduate students still on the rise. Data from fall 2015 show an international enrollment of 85,000 students. Of that cohort, 80 percent were from either China or India, with Europe coming in next, supplying 10 percent of applications. Overwhelmingly, these international(...)
Depression in Grad School: What You Need to Know
Posted by | Did You See This?While graduate research is often stimulating, fulfilling and rewarding, most graduate students will also experience periods of high stress and frustrating experimental failures or obstacles. Lifestyle choices, such as a healthy diet, exercise, sufficient sleep or meditation, can help students manage stress. However, many graduate students also have symptoms of clinical depression, a serious medical(...)
Graduate School Interviews: It’s All About ‘Fit’
Posted by | A Day in the LifeThe holiday season in Baltimore sees a flurry of activity on campus as graduate programs prepare to welcome prospective students for interviews in early 2016. Interviewees have not yet been accepted into a graduate program, but they have been selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, and as many as half will ultimately be(...)
Four Tips for Writing a Personal Statement
Posted by | A Day in the LifeIt’s the season of graduate school application deadlines, and, for many applicants, writing a compelling personal statement can be unexpectedly challenging. How can you make your application stand out among hundreds of qualified candidates? Two first-year graduate students at Johns Hopkins were happy to share their top tips for a successful personal statement: 1. Don’t(...)
Getting a Ph.D.? Consider “Alternative” Careers
Posted by | Did You See This?It’s fair to say that the majority of us who come to graduate school have a similar career goal in mind: a faculty position. The Ph.D. is viewed as the gateway to academia and deciding to venture away from that is taboo. We go as far as to call nonacademic jobs “alternative,” which carries a(...)
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