A new guide out this week from the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) at the University of Pennsylvania is giving students a framework to begin their journey to a Ph.D.
The free, “easy-to-use” resource, “A Guide for Minority Serving Institution Students Applying for a Ph.D.,” uses “conversational language” and draws on CMSI researchers’ personal experiences and other resources to assist students attending minority serving institutions (MSIs) as they apply for doctoral programs, said Daniel Blake, the guide’s lead author and a research associate at CMSI.
“There is so much untapped academic potential among MSI students, and encouraging students who might otherwise be intimidated by the process to follow through will result in more diverse Ph.D. enrollment, and ultimately a more diverse professoriate,” added Blake, a current Ph.D. student at UPenn’s Graduate School of Education.
Key areas of the Ph.D. application process that the guide covers include choosing where and when to apply to a program; how to prepare for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE); identifying Ph.D. faculty with similar research interests and understanding their role in the admissions process; information about the writing sample and personal statement components of the application; and funding for a program.
Similar to challenges faced by first-generation students applying to undergraduate programs, some underrepresented students are not aware of the “hidden curriculum” necessary to apply and enter a doctoral program, Blake said.
“In addition to being aware of financial factors such as application fee waivers and the fact there is sometimes room to negotiate stipends, students need to know the importance of reaching out to program faculty well in advance of application deadlines, and strategies for making the most of their communication with them,” he added.
MSI students should begin researching potential programs the spring or summer before they apply to a Ph.D. program. Further, students should apply for Ph.D. programs their senior year of college as applications are usually due the winter prior to the intended fall semester that the program begins, the guide recommends.
