Steve Tippins explains why PhD applications fail: misaligned research interests, poor faculty fit, and overlooking financial details like assistantships. He walks through what matters most: contacting potential advisors before applying, tracking deadlines, and writing a strong research statement that matches your actual long-term goals.
Hi, I'm Steve Tippins from Beyond PhD Coaching, and today what I really want to talk to you about is getting into a doctoral program. There's a number of things to consider, and one that a lot of people don't think about that they really should. So what is it that you should be thinking about? Well, Obviously, the first one— it may not be obvious, but I think the first thing is you want to enter a program that has a degree in an area that you want. You don't want to spend 3, 4, or 5 years adapting to them, your interest to them. You want to go into a program that has what you want. So if you're going into a program on mental health counseling and you want to get a doctorate, you may not want— A A degree in sociology, for example. Maybe you could change it over, but it's not what you're interested in, so it's going to be harder to keep going. The next thing you want to think about is location. You can do it online, so it can be anywhere, or a traditional brick-and-mortar school. Well, if you're living in Kansas City and it's a really good program in Eugene, Oregon, and it's a know, traditional program, you got to show up for classes, you have to move. And if you can't move, you don't want to be applying there. Okay, another thing you want to consider is what the school tells you they're looking for. Some schools will say, we want transcripts, we want recommendations, etc. That's great, they're all going to want those. But there are also schools that will come out and say, look, it's really important that you have connected with people on the faculty ahead of time and found people you can work with And your ideas go along with them. So you want to be looking at the faculty and what they do their research in and what they're interested in when you're applying. Because if there's nobody at the school who does research in areas that you're interested in, then your likelihood of acceptance is much lower because they just aren't going to create something for one person. Now, whether they give assistantships and health insurance, those are the financial considerations to think about. Many traditional schools do. Many online schools do not. So, you know, how are you going to be able to pay your way through school is important. So definitely be looking at that. You want to look at their timing as well. Most schools have— traditional schools have application deadlines somewhere towards the end of the calendar year, maybe even mid-January, and then there's notifications somewhere around mid-March. So just be aware of that timing so that you can be applying. Now, if you're thinking of applying, you want to be thinking that I'm going to need references. So start lining up your references. Start lining up your material like your CV/resume, like accomplishments you've had, professional experience. If you've done teaching, they might be interested in your teaching evaluations. And then a research statement is going to be important at a lot of schools. Now, I said there's one thing a lot of places people don't think about when they're getting ready to enter graduate school, and this is the other end. And by that I mean, why are you getting a doctorate? Is your goal because it's personal growth or something you've always wanted, or your Aunt Matilda always said you should get a doctorate or something like that? Great. Wonderful. Just be aware of that. But if your goal is to teach at a university, and especially at what are considered higher-tier or research institutions, or Research 1 is the technical term that they use, you want to get a degree then from a school that those schools will recognize. And they don't recognize a lot of institutions where people get degrees. So think about the other end because you don't want to spend all this time and money having a goal, going through a school, getting your degree, and finding out it doesn't get you to your goal. This is a really important thing to be thinking about very early. And if you're ever looking for help along the way, please reach out to BeyondPhD Coaching. Use the link provided here to join our free dissertation support group. And good luck.
