Are PhD applicants generally admitted based on their research proposal?

Hi Frances

That's a good question

The answer is that both are important, you must have decent grades (and your grades are certainly that) but your research proposal also needs to be good, It needs to interest the academic reading it. Like you said a really important part of getting a PHD place is finding professors who are actively interested in your specific area so if you do that research well you are well on your way to getting accepted.

The proposal does not need to be a masterpiece (it is usually only 2-3 sides of A4) but it does need to show you have a very specific idea for your research and a general idea about how you will go about investigating it (what methods you will use).

Good luck!

Thanks so much for the response Cozzie. I have another question. I’ve been looking at schools in the US, Canada and UK, although the UK is definitely my first choice (of course funding makes me nervous). In the US it seems as though ranking and reputation is emphasized to a degree I am not used to. You hear about how important it is to go to a ‘top 20 program’ or that if you don’t go to a top 20 or top 50 you can never get a job after at a higher ranked program, etc. In Canada, we have so few schools and I haven’t really experienced that feeling.

So my question is-in the UK, how much do people focus on rankings/reputation. I am really only looking at places where I feel like I can be supervised and where my interest match well with at least several faculty members, regardless of where it may sit in the rankings (and a few are quite low). Is that going to be a problem for me or is that the best approach to take?

Thanks,
Frances

Hi Frances

Your approach is definitely the best one. The UK differs from the US especially at PHD level it is not so important that you attend a famous university. Often universities in the UK will have very particular niches, so although it is not a famous university or even a very famous faculty it can be very well regarded in one specific area.

The most important thing about a PHD is how good your research is upon completion so you should choose the place where you can find the most suitable professor to guide you. If the university has a good ranking then that is great but if it doesn't, don't worry.