Area of interest and POI

[KKint]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Yes its turning out to be a daunting process

Deciding what i would like to take up for PhD .As am checking profiles of faculty its getting worse . To add to this is the "geographical limitations" for selecting universities .

Yes i do have some fields in my " don't want to take up " .

Finally how to decide POI from same department when the area of interest differs .Is it a wise decision to select multiple POI

😕

 

[bpsydme]

Yes its turning out to be a daunting process

Deciding what i would like to take up for PhD .As am checking profiles of faculty its getting worse . To add to this is the "geographical limitations" for selecting universities .

Yes i do have some fields in my " don't want to take up " .

Finally how to decide POI from same department when the area of interest differs .Is it a wise decision to select multiple POI

😕

Not sure exactly what you're asking...but when you apply, you don't apply to just the department. You can apply to one POI or 5 POIs within that department if they match your interest. If their interest differs dramatically, you should probably stick to a common theme. For example, dont' say you want to work with someone who does Alzheimers and another person who looks at depression in children. If you don't want to take up a certain field...then don't apply there. If you have geographical limitations, then don't apply to those outside of your limitations.
When I first started looking at schools, I went from the hundreds that are in existence to 40+ schools I may apply to. After looking at POIs and locations and other things, I narrowed it to 20. Afterwards, I ended up applying to only 7. Out of those, I got 3 interviews.
Some people apply to 20, others apply to 1 or 2. It's all up to you.

 

[dumbledoresgirl]

Not sure exactly what you're asking...but when you apply, you don't apply to just the department. You can apply to one POI or 5 POIs within that department if they match your interest. If their interest differs dramatically, you should probably stick to a common theme. For example, dont' say you want to work with someone who does Alzheimers and another person who looks at depression in children. If you don't want to take up a certain field...then don't apply there. If you have geographical limitations, then don't apply to those outside of your limitations.
When I first started looking at schools, I went from the hundreds that are in existence to 40+ schools I may apply to. After looking at POIs and locations and other things, I narrowed it to 20. Afterwards, I ended up applying to only 7. Out of those, I got 3 interviews.
Some people apply to 20, others apply to 1 or 2. It's all up to you.

This. The POIs you're selecting within the same department need to make sense--they either have to match your previous experiences (and if you have experience doing research on both anxiety and depression, it's ok to apply to two different professors with those two research interests) or you need to really explain why the professors are a good fit with what you want to do (aka have a clearly articulated research interest). If the professors have similar interests, it makes sense to list both as people you want to work with. Otherwise, I would just choose one professor from that department to apply to. Yes, it might narrow your chances of getting an invite from that school, but I think that's better than coming off like you just want to get in and don't care who you would be working with.

 

[KKint]

Not sure exactly what you're asking...but when you apply, you don't apply to just the department. You can apply to one POI or 5 POIs within that department if they match your interest. If their interest differs dramatically, you should probably stick to a common theme. For example, dont' say you want to work with someone who does Alzheimers and another person who looks at depression in children. If you don't want to take up a certain field...then don't apply there. If you have geographical limitations, then don't apply to those outside of your limitations.
When I first started looking at schools, I went from the hundreds that are in existence to 40+ schools I may apply to. After looking at POIs and locations and other things, I narrowed it to 20. Afterwards, I ended up applying to only 7. Out of those, I got 3 interviews.
Some people apply to 20, others apply to 1 or 2. It's all up to you.

Thanks ..

And yes , am new to whole application thing .If am correct , than the faculty who is open to take up students for this year would have it written on their profile or something or i have to ask them before assuming .

 

[KKint]

This. The POIs you're selecting within the same department need to make sense--they either have to match your previous experiences (and if you have experience doing research on both anxiety and depression, it's ok to apply to two different professors with those two research interests) or you need to really explain why the professors are a good fit with what you want to do (aka have a clearly articulated research interest). If the professors have similar interests, it makes sense to list both as people you want to work with. Otherwise, I would just choose one professor from that department to apply to. Yes, it might narrow your chances of getting an invite from that school, but I think that's better than coming off like you just want to get in and don't care who you would be working with.

Thanks .Could get what you indicating at

 

[bpsydme]

Thanks ..

And yes , am new to whole application thing .If am correct , than the faculty who is open to take up students for this year would have it written on their profile or something or i have to ask them before assuming .

Don't just go by the websites. One school didn't update their website until November (apps are due in Dec) and I applied to a POI that wasn't taking students.

If there's a person you are interested in, email them and make contact. Ask if they are taking students (but make sure this isn't already obvious on their website). Some may respond, others may not. Some may ask for a CV, others won't. A lot of people keep contact with these POIs, but a lot also end up not getting interviews after all that correspondence.

I emailed almost all my POIs, and most of them responded. One even responded and said that my interest doesn't match with what he's working on, so I ended up not applying. Another said she's not taking students.

You still have a year (I assume), so you have plenty of time.

 

[KKint]

Don't just go by the websites. One school didn't update their website until November (apps are due in Dec) and I applied to a POI that wasn't taking students.

If there's a person you are interested in, email them and make contact. Ask if they are taking students (but make sure this isn't already obvious on their website). Some may respond, others may not. Some may ask for a CV, others won't. A lot of people keep contact with these POIs, but a lot also end up not getting interviews after all that correspondence.

I emailed almost all my POIs, and most of them responded. One even responded and said that my interest doesn't match with what he's working on, so I ended up not applying. Another said she's not taking students.

You still have a year (I assume), so you have plenty of time.

Thanks for this wise (much required) advice

good luck