Through this series, we will be sharing first-hand advice on applying for postgraduate courses. Here, Ailie McWhinnie questions why you want to study, what is the right programme for you, and how to bring it all together into a successful application.
Why are you applying?
Making applications is hard. Doing a postgraduate course is hard. Before rushing to apply, you need to know why.
An undergraduate degree can be somewhat of a default path to trudge forwards onto from school, and that is perfectly fine. It is great for your personal and social development and the education is still relatively broad, giving you a rounded preparation for wherever life takes you. A postgraduate degree is much more focused, preparing you for a specific future and so you should only pursue one if it fits your future goals.
This does not necessarily mean academia - there are plenty of good reasons to pursue a Master’s or PhD besides becoming a professor. A Master’s can divert you from one field to another or tip you into a specific niche if you have had a broad undergraduate – it lets you explore your interests and gives you a more focused, technical preparation for a given field. A PhD is for those who already have a clear research interest and enough passion to commit themselves to it for the next few years. It gives you a competitive edge for many jobs and may even be a requirement for some, but you must be motivated for the PhD itself as well as for what comes after. Whatever the reason is, make sure you are confident in it and are aware of the alternatives.
Which programme style suits you best?
Following on from this, you need to choose the appropriate type of programme for your goals or experience. Inconsistent branding across countries and institutions overcomplicates a system that can be distilled down to research vs taught Master’s and doctoral training programmes vs traditional project PhDs.
Master’s
Looking to deepen your knowledge, move fields or narrow down your interests? A taught Master’s is for you. Akin to the final year of an undergraduate, these courses will give you a strong theoretical background in a topic with structured classes, coursework and a part-time research project/thesis. This is useful for, for example, transitioning into neuroscience from chemistry or a broad biology undergraduate.
If you are already set on pursuing a PhD and are looking to boost your CV ahead of the application, consider a research Master’s. This will see you work full time on a research project, giving you much more independence and project management experience, closer to the reality of life as a researcher. This is useful if you already have clear research interests and are looking to build practical research skills.
PhD
In the UK, there is an increasing prevalence of doctoral training programmes. These aim to bring more structure and standardisation to the PhD process. Many take a 1+3 format, in which the first year is spent rotating around labs, and throughout the programme you will follow structured training alongside your research with a small cohort. Such programmes are ideal for those who are not exactly sure what research niche they would like to occupy yet, or for those without a Master’s degree, because they let you explore different techniques, topics and lab cultures before settling down for the thesis project itself.
A more traditional project PhD will see you join a lab right from the get-go, so requires you to apply with a project proposal. You need to be sure of your interests and find the lab which aligns best with them before getting started - this includes making sure the supervisor and lab culture are the right fit for your working style. This format doesn’t mean you cannot access any training outside the lab, but unlike the structure of a doctoral training programme, it will be up to you to organise yourself (don’t worry - departments will make it easy for you to browse and access these opportunities and if a certain amount of training credits are required, it will all be made clear). This pathway is ideal for those with strong research interests and reasonable experience, for whom a whole year of structured training would be overkill.
Course structures can vary from country to country so do take this into account when considering where to apply. For instance, a PhD in the US will typically take several years longer than in Europe. Most EU programmes will strictly require a Master’s degree, whereas UK recruiters will want to see research experience but not necessarily a Master’s. Many people move abroad for postgraduate studies for these reasons and more – certain institutions or countries have different research focuses, for example. Postgraduate study is a fantastic opportunity to travel and experience other cultures, but it of course makes life more complicated too.
How do you prepare for the application?
The pre-application process can be just as important as the application itself. This is where you do the assessing (to select a project and your supervisor) and gather all the information you can to prepare for your application. You should shortlist your programmes of interest so that you can invest properly in each application. Unlike applying for undergraduate degrees, each application may have a unique structure and should be specially tailored. Generic applications will be discarded, so focus your efforts!
With labs and programmes narrowed down, bear in mind that the supervisor and lab members are a mine of insider knowledge - use this if you can. The input they are willing to give will vary from supervisor to supervisor. Some may give you feedback on your application or project proposal whereas others may expect you to do everything independently after your initial meeting. Most should at least be willing to explain the application and funding options to you, even if this is by email (if they are not happy to direct you to this basic information, it may be a red flag about them as a supervisor). In many cases, there will be multiple ways to join their lab as a PhD student (e.g. via a DTP, via departmental funding or via university scholarship) which could all require separate applications, so it is important to make sure you research this thoroughly and have all avenues covered. If you meet with existing lab members, feel free to ask for their personal tips on applying – after all, they were successful going through the same process.
What makes a successful application?
You will be ranked based on your academic record, your references, and against a whole grid of criteria including relevant research experience, independent working, technical knowledge, motivation, troubleshooting, management, organisation and learning potential. Everyone knows that this is what recruiters are looking for and so everyone puts these trigger words into their applications. The battle is over proving it.
For every skill or experience you claim, give hard evidence. Proactive researcher? Explain which aspects of past research projects were driven by you. Motivation? Demonstrate how you have actively sought opportunities outside the default educational experience to pursue these interests already. Remember that examples do not necessarily have to be purely academic – you can prove that you have a good capacity to understand new topics through experience editing articles for your university’s science magazine or your proactivity through a campaign you set up yourself. Mention the skill, tell the relevant story and explain what aspect of postgraduate life that experience has prepared you for. – it is about explaining it right.
Also remember that this should not just be a repetition of your CV – the recruiters will have that already. Select key experiences to expand on to prove your skills and prove why you would be a good candidate.
Equally, any research experience you mention should not read as a methods section. There is no need to explain technical details. Mention the project question and techniques then focus on wider skills you exhibited through that project. How independent were you, what problems did you overcome, what did you learn about the research process?
Don’t forget that as a postgraduate student you are joining the science community, you are not just there to work on an isolated project alone for four years. Research life is not just about lab work – teaching, leadership and communication are all crucial. Dig around the lab, department and programme websites to see what they value, and demonstrate how you fit with that culture. This should come naturally as hopefully, by this point, you have already narrowed down your top programmes based on not just the project, but the wider context of the supervisor and the life you would have in that lab, department and city. If you feel yourself having to force the motivation and fit, it's probably not the right programme for you.
Choose the right style of course for your experience and goals
Use the insider knowledge of the supervisor and lab members
Your statement should expand on your CV, not repeat it
Don’t claim to have certain skills, share moments in which you have used them
Explain why you are the right fit and wider contributions you can make, not just your technical skills
A successful application depends on the why. A postgraduate course should serve a specific purpose for your future or be driven by a deep and genuine interest in the subject, and recruiters will expect you to be able to explain this as well as your competency.
Why study further, why that type of programme and why that particular project. If you can answer these questions, the application should come somewhat naturally. This means you need to explain your goals and how this course will prepare you for them; how you have pursued this interest already; and why the project and wider lab environment is the right fit with your experience and working style.
Then, choose key moments in your past experience - both in research and in your wider life - during which you have used those all-important transferable skills like resiliency, problem solving and management and be ready to storytell rather than list.
Good luck!
Women in Neuroscience UK are holding an online event, Decoding the Application Process, on Wednesday 13 December to guide future applicants through the intricate paths of academia and industry in the UK. Visit our event page for details and registration.
This article was written by Ailie McWhinnie and edited by Rebecca Pope. Interested in writing for WiNUK yourself? Contact us through the blog page and the editors will be in touch!
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