How to get into a PhD at Cambridge (or any top university)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2024
- In this video I give you all the tips and strategies you need to get into a PhD at the world's top universities like Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, MIT etc... This advice is based off my own experience where I started off at my local state high-school in New Zealand and then got 3 full scholarships to do a PhD in Physics at Cambridge.
Although I mostly focus on PhD admissions, most of the advice is also applicable for Masters and undergraduate admissions!
Let me know of any topics you'd like more info on in the comments :) Also feel free to reach out to me if you have any further questions as well!
00:00 Intro
00:54 PhD Admissions Timeline
02:08 Start Early
03:20 Hone Your CV
07:45 Contacting a Supervisor
08:59 How to get Funding
12:30 Successful Scholarship Applications
15:27 Plan B
16:32 Extra Useful Tip
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One thing to add is that when considering where you want to do your PhD, it is worth looking at other countries which may have different processes and may offer more opportunities in your given field. For instance Lithuania has a LOT of opportunities for PhDs in optics. Don't be fooled by the fact the University is not ranked in the top 5 for your particular field, there's plenty of ground breaking research being done at Universities which are household names within the field, but you're probably not going to hear them mentioned in any sort of ranking.
In Germany PhDs are essentially paid research positions, while you happen to be enrolled at a University and after 3-4 years you submit 150 pages explaining what you've been doing. This means you apply for a position as you would any other job, you don't have to worry about scholarships, funding or trying to set up a project. Often your supervisor will have already received the funding for a project, which you can then take over. In my case It took about 3-4 weeks from submitting my application to the first day of work.
I totally agree, and while I think 'top 5 universities' have a high concentation of great research labs, some of the world's leading professors can actually be found in less well-known universities! Doing a PhD at these places may indeed be a better decision for your research career, since you could get more attention, do better research, and publish more high-profile papers!
This brings back mostly good memories from my experiences from 50 years ago. The main difference (at least in the states) seems to be lots more written exams and a lot less costly in terms of money. In my department (Microbiology), all students were fully supported with fees and tuition paid as well as a fairly generous stipend every month. I know this has changed, and not for the better.
Very helpful. Thank you
Thank You Very Much For Share !😇🙏
Thanks for your sharing, your information is useful and encouraged me. And I am wondering as one of the most important part of Phd application, How to prepare research proposal ?
Overrated, it is even stupid them make a lot of people in that educational level to pay just applying for a PhD, PhD is a 'job' you work full-time not something to do for fun. I would reject the offer even if they give me a place without providing me anything financially. There are many universitiesoffer the same even better opportunities around the world that will take you more seriously and help you make a normal living. Be wise and choose them
can't agree more - many people are overwhelmed by the reputation but have no idea of the hellish life ahead. Never do a Ph.D. if you have to finance yourself. Doing a PhD should be like applying to a job not a self-sustaining interest!
hey, how much does undergrad prestige matter? I study in a university ranked around 500 in the world. would that be a problem?
This video was so helpful! I had one question. As you said that one way of getting in touch with your supervisor is by doing a MA/MPhil. Do you think it is wise to apply for both MPhil and a PhD in the same department?
Very nice video! My question is regarding the transcripts bit. In Brazil it's pretty hard for any engineering student to have a great GPA. Considering I've just finished my master's and got only As and one B, can I just ignore my bachelor and leave my master's transcripts instead? Or would they want both?
Hi, thanks for sharing. I wonder whether the designation of reference matters.
The external funding's ddl is in summer before the entrance year? That is to say that I am so late for 24fall phd?!!
Just wondering if I have a Technical skill for me 10 yrs CAD Design does that help on a CV. I'll transfer in eventually.
Thanks for the video. Is PhD in nanotechnology be suitable for the pharmacist who did masters in drug discovery?
Hi, Alexander, I would love to see a similar video for undergrads. I did some research on Oxford and their scholarships but I would love to know if you have any particular recommendations and tips. In my case, being a bit older, do you think that the admissions would prioritise work experience over secondary school? I know they mention A levels, but those don't exist where I'm from. I got a bit discouraged when reading into this, so I would really value your input :) Thank you for the videos!
Hi Rabas, yep my best guess is that they would prioritize work experience instead! I also assume they would use your equivalent high school qualification - it doesn't have to be specifically A-levels. Overall, my understanding of undergrad scholarships is that there is greater emphasis placed on performance in extracurriculars i.e. potential, and less on work/research experience.
I'm afraid I have to disagree with Alex who has NO experience in undergraduate education in Oxbridge (sorry!) - that's a completely different system from postgraduate programmes despite one may be doing a Ph.D. in the same uni. Generally speaking, for undergraduate admissions Oxbridge almost all skewed towards school-leaving qualifications (be it A-levels, IB or any others in overseas system). They would not give candidates offers based on work experience because basically this is NOT objective evidence of a person's academic achievement. Remember, 99.9% of the applicants for undergraduate programmes are all 18-20 years old who have little or almost no work experience outside school. But what they have are grades from recognised qualifications which reflect the potentials of those applicants succeeding in the most demanding education in the world! If Oxbridge would give out offers based on work experience, imagine what would the university turn out be? Full of random 'managers', 'clerks' or 'creators' who have varied or even poor academic qualifications (which is what Oxbridge doesn't want)! That would surely create lots of uncertainties to the university so no tutors in the admission process would favour professional experiences over qualifications, definitely not. However, having said that it doesn't mean your chance is zero. Do look out for any scholarships that cater for older adults who might want to return to education - but scholarships like this are really rare. Sorry for being upfront but that's the reality.
Very good and beautiful video. What is your research ?
Got into Imperial :)
Hello Alexander 😊 I am happy to come across your video.Thank you so much for your tips.I hope to come to Cambridge next year and make collaboration video with you someday 😄 I would be grateful if you could guide me through the process 🙂
Feel free to drop me an email if you want to chat further btw!
@@AlexanderSneyd I don’t know your email but I have followed you on instagram 😊
Thanks sir! I've also completed M. Phil physics and nowadays searching for a scholarship to Crack PhD in energy storage materials for supercapacitors.
Hello,
Thank you so much for the helpful informations, I wanted to ask How to know the supervisors and the suitable laboratory for you?
Great question! This deserves a separate video, but briefly...
When picking a supervisor I would consider:
- How prominent are they in their field (citations, #'s of papers)? If they're big then the papers you publish together are more likely to be accepted by journals.
- How many current students do they have? If they have small number of students, then you'll probably receive more attention and learn more.
- What is their leadership style? Some supervisors give lots of direction, some let their students take the intiative. What style(s) do you prefer?
- Are they are a nice person? This is an underrated factor. I've heard horror stories of professors who don't let their students finish their PhD. My supervisor on the other hand is fantastic, I enjoy working with him, and I've grown a lot as a person.
In terms of picking a laboratory I would consider:
- What facilities do they have? Doing world-class research often depends on having access to good equipment.
- How much money/grants does the lab have? Money is needed for research, publishing, and going to conferences.
- What are the other people like at the laboratory? Are they helpful people you would enjoy working with?
- Where do people who working at the lab go afterwards? Do they go on to have fantastic research careers of their own? If so, then this is probably a great lab to join!
- What is name recognition of the lab? The prestige of the lab/university will affect your ability to get jobs after your PhD.
Hi Alaxendar How are you? Hopefully you will be fine.I am Umar from pakistan.I want to get some information regarding pHD scholarships in the UK. I have done MPhil in linguistics and I want to pursue a pHd. Can I get a scholarship for a PHD at any renowned university in the Uk without IELTS? Please guide me in the light of your experience.
What is your take on joining a laboratory with at the moment only a PhD student and the supervisor? The supervisor is relatively young, and this is his first lab, but supervisor's track record is exceptional (e.g., 5k+ citations and h>30) considering the above. Also, the laboratory is very well equipped. University according to world rankings is ~top 250 (although for research I am not really paying much attention to such metric). Also, what is your take on doing undergrad+postgrad at the same institution (this question is connected with the previous as consideration)? Your answer would be very helpful Alexander. Thank you for these videos!
Another great question! In this case, an advantage to think about is that young PI's are often very hungry and ambitious to publish lots of papers. In some cases like the US for instance, this is an absolute necessity to earn tenureship! So that means they are likely very invested in your success and will drive you hard. In contrast, for more established PI's, there is sometimes less of a drive to publish since their tenureship is already secure. These are of course generalizations and there will be many exceptions.
I would also consider the connections this young supervisor has - do they have collaborations with big names in the field, or do they mostly work by themselves? It is highly advantageous if they have good connections both inside and outside the university. This can allow you to do extra types of experiments/better research, form connections yourself, and have an advantage in publishing papers. Finally, another thing is that this supervisor will likely have a lot of time to teach you stuff since they have few students!
In terms of doing undergrad + postgrad at the same institution - this is totally fine. Probably the main consideration is on the personal level - do you enjoy being at the undergrad place? Being at the same institution is more of an issue after the PhD for postdocs, since its limits your exposure to different types of science. Hope that helps!
@@AlexanderSneyd Thank you Alex!
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I watched it in highschool. Its enough early?:)
now my status is Under review by department ( Phd Engineering 2023) How many percent do I get offer for a Phd from the department ? Do I have a chance my status ?
Not sure about this percentage admission rate specifically, but usually they advertise these numbers online! Best of luck! :)
What is the minimum cgpa required to get admission in Cambridge for phd????
It varies by subject but generally speaking for international students it's a 3.5 GPA, or a good 2:1 for domestic students.
I would like to do a degree in philosophy but I haven't got the brains.
I just haven't got the mind to engage in analytical thinking.
I lived in Wellington NZ as a child . Do you have to be a genius to study Physics at Cambridge or Oxford , MIT . ? Cheers . Stay Safe . ( Remember Einstein failed his College entrance exam . )
For french though as it was a pre requsit haha let's not pretend Einstein devolped genius out of no where, he then went and studied the language and passed. Nz has great physics programs in multiple universities btw
Nope, you certainly don't have to be a genius to study at those places! I would say that on a practical level, to get into those places it is important that you are able to attain good grades at undergrad (or high school level). Once at Cambridge etc, the biggest determining factor for success is usually your work ethic and passion for the subject.
@@AlexanderSneyd Thank You
if you don't get a full-ride to do your PhD and a stipend then what you have is an expensive hobby