Вебинар ведет Виктория Коржова, рассказывает про свой опыт Антонина Куртова

1. PhD in the US: the good, the
bad, the ugly
Antonina Kurtova

2. Initial thoughts
2001 2005
B.Sc.
2006 2007
M.Sc.
Real science
in Russia - ???
Initial requests Interview Graduation
Departure

3. What you can do
 Know your heroes
 Read the top papers
 Do not hesitate to contact people
 Network aggressively (conferences, former colleagues, seminars)
 Initiate the inquiry process early

4. Work before PhD vs start right away
Pluses Minuses
Experience real life in American lab TIMEEEE
Get recommendations from local people
Get introduced to local schools
Can potentially publish a paper
Improve you English, better test scores
Paid travel for all interviews
Network
Understand much better what you need

5. Strategic planning
www.gradus.org

6. Timeline for application
USA EUROPE
Strict annual deadline: Dec.15-Jan.1 Less strict enrollment
Standard tests (GRE, TOEFL) IELTS (UK)
Need to apply to school Can contact professor
Need to pay for each application Mostly not

7. What is important
Important Not that important
GRE (general/subject) scores!!! Area of research
TOEFL Previous research topics
GPA Undergraduate school
Letters of recommendations Deep knowledge of science
Lab experience
Good verbal English
Communication skills
Apply to many schools!!

8. What can increase your chances
 Good test scores (REALLY important)
 Somehow outstanding motivation (“the hook”)
 Previous research experience in the US/abroad
 Clear statement of why you are particularly interested in this program
 Well written statement of purposes (write and edit several times)
 Having recommendation letters from various places

9. How to choose the school
 Stipend vs. cost of living
 How many research groups are available
 Other places for collaborations?
 Total funding situation in the state (CA, TX are good)
 Geography! East Coast is expensive; West Coast is even more
expensive; South+Florida, Central Regions - cheap

10. How to choose the lab
 Use all your rotations (3 or 4)
 If especially interested in certain labs – contact professor well in advance
to reserve the spot
 ASK PEOPLE AROUND (choose wisely whom to speak with)
 Young PIs can be helpful but very stressed and demanding
 Old PIs often neglect PhD students
 Better to be in a lab with several postdocs
 Ask about current funding situations in advance (!)

11. Important to remember
 If you don’t like the lab – switch early
 Think strategically when choosing your thesis committee
 Collaborate to increase your chances for publication + networking
 Always think about how to improve your CV (methods, skills, conferences,
talks, trainings)
 Nobody really cares about your grades in PhD program – don’t kill yourself
 About 60% of the students will get depressed at certain point: everyone
feels the same

12. What is next
10 students
2 MD/PhD – continued medical school
1: academic postdoc
1: industrial postdoc
1: postdoc in government organization (NIH)
1: medical science liason (MSL)
1: patent lawyer
1: genetic counselor
1: clinical trial coordinator
1: associate scientist in industry

13. What you should know in advance
 Finding a postdoc is not a problem – finding a professor position is a
BIG problem
 The sooner you can get permanent residency (Green Card) – the
better
 MDs should remember about 10 years post-graduation rule for FMT
 Leaving academia does not mean failure
 Industrial postdoc is the easiest way to get into industry

14. Your questions