Hello, my name is James Arvanitakis and I'm the Dean of Graduate Research here
at Western Sydney University.
This is a short video to tell you about applying for a PhD or Master of
Research. We get lots of enquiries about
what's the best way to apply, so we thought we'd put this video together to
talk about what should you do,
and we've got seven tips we're going to put together for you.
The first tip is to do some serious research, some internet research.
You should really research the institution and possibly the supervisor
that you want to work with.
There is no point just sort of sitting there and picking any institution
randomly, you should really identify who you want to work with and at which
institution.
The second point is to start putting your ideas on paper. What you should do is
actually sit down and put together three or four paragraphs about your research
interest, a little bit about yourself and also why you want to work at that
institution or that specific supervisor. That is, you should be saying "look I've
done this reading, I understand what you work on and this is how I'm related to
it".
This is a little bit about me and this is my broad research area. Putting
together something like that actually shows that you're serious and really
interested in the topic that you picked.
Ok, the third thing is once you have this written down is to actually then
send an email or contact your supervisor or your potential supervisor. Now, don't send
a generic email. I get dozens of emails every month saying
"Dear sir, can you supervise me?" Most of those emails you basically delete. Every now
and again I get an email that says "Dear Professor Arvanitakis,
I've read this paper that you've written and it fits in with this research interest
of mine and I want you to supervise me to undertake this topic". It's a very clear
email, it specifically describes what the student wants to do and why they want to
work with me.
That is a really powerful thing and actually will separate you from other
people who are looking at applying for a PhD.
The fourth thing: so you sent the email,
now follow up. Follow up with a phone call or another email.
What you want to do is you actually want to organise a time to speak to your
potential supervisor or at this university, we actually have Higher Degree
Research Directors. You're going to make a time to have a bit of a chat.
It's almost like an interview. In a way they'll be interviewing you
but you should also be interviewing them. Make sure that you're comfortable
talking to them.
Make sure that you're comfortable with the way that they're talking to you and the
board approach that they're willing to take.
So begin a conversation. This dialogue is really important in actually knowing
that you're going to the right place and then beginning the process of applying
for a PhD.
The fifth thing: so you've identified a possible supervisor
you've now written down some of your ideas. The fifth thing is actually to go in with a
really good idea of your research interest and your research area.
One of the things that often happens is we get emails that says "Oh what do you
think I should research?" That is not a way to approach research, especially
within the Australian context. What you need to do is actually know what you
want to research, discuss it with your potential supervisor and then begin to
refine it.
This is a really important thing about actually going into a PhD or a Master of
Research project with a clear idea and a clear direction and it'll definitely
help you in the long run.
So number six. This is probably the most boring piece of advice I can give you
and it's not particularly interesting, but you would be surprised at how often
we get incomplete paperwork. So
advice number six is make sure you fill in all the forms properly
and provide all the information required.
Often, when you've got say one hundred and twenty applications for say ten
scholarships, those people who don't actually fill in the stuff properly
often will get looked over.
So make sure you you fill in the forms properly, provide all the information you can
access, and if you can't access something, let people know when you can access it and
when you can get it to them. Point seven, and this may sound weird at the beginning of your
PhD or your research project, but start thinking about your career.
We know now that only about 50% of students who complete their
PhD
go on to become academics. The other 50% go in to other areas
such as policy work, working for non-government organisations including
things like the United Nations or private research and entrepreneurship
exercises. So it might seem a long way away but just be prepared and be
flexible for a changing work environment. And that's the
other thing about your PhD,
it doesn't guarantee you a certain location. It's a great journey but where
you end up really will be up to you.
So, good luck in your application. I hope you apply at Western Sydney
University, but if not, wherever you apply
good luck and I hope you do really well.