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Another PHD thread (it rhymes with dread)


HairGrowsBack

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Hello all,

I've graduated last year from a bachelor of arts (Chinese language and civilisation), and is currently undertaking a second, similar degree in English. However my studies have sharpened my already growing interest in sociology (and to a lesser extent, its sister anthropology). So far I've applied for two master's degree in sociology at Trinity college Dublin and the University of Copenhagen, hoping against hopes that I will qualify. Yet, it doesn't stop there : I am hopeful I will be able to enroll at a PHD programme after the first or second year. My aim is to work in the academia, as a professor (if that is indeed the right title). So let me break this down in two questions :

1) Am I insane ? That is, how likely am I to achieve this goal ? I have had a few sociology and anthropology courses in both my bachelors, and have been reading as much as I can social theory-wise, but will that ever be enough ? However, I know that it's nonsensical to ask strangers to evaluate my abilities and knowledge, so what I mostly want to inquire about are the external factors : how competitive / "dog-eat-dog" is this particular field ? What are the main drawbacks ?

2) For those who are familiar with one of the two universities cited above : how is the sociology department ? Are the students well tutored ? What about funding ? I was under the impression that the University of Copenhagen has an impressive amount of measures to ensure the PHD students' success (systematic funding and obligatory teaching as well as courses), but could someone confirm any of it ?

 

Thanks.

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10 hours ago, HairGrowsBack said:

I was under the impression that the University of Copenhagen has an impressive amount of measures to ensure the PHD students' success (systematic funding and obligatory teaching as well as courses), but could someone confirm any of it ?

1) Yes, you are insane. But that is a prerequisite. The real question is if you are qualified. I cannot evaluate that. 

2) Copenhagen U follows the very strict guidelines that the Danish Ph.D. programmes have to operate under. (I recently governed a Ph.D. programme in Denmark, though not at Copenhagen U.) You can read up on the details at phd.ku.dk. (Some details are handled differently at the faculty or programme level, so you need to follow some links.)

In particular, Danish regulations enforce a very strict deadline, and there are strict funding requirements. This is not as pleasant as it may sound. (It means that the system will strongly encourage you to hand in your thesis on time, and make sure you take the necessary courses. Half-yearly reports make sure of this (by kicking you out.) The system itself is strongly incentivised to make you pass (by giving the University money when you graduate), so the incentive structure is kinda weird.

Because of the funding requirements, it is almost impossible to start a Ph.D. in Denmark without external funding. The department needs to guarantee your funding (in particular, your salary) for the entire duration (typically, 3 years). From the perspective of the prospective student, this is very bad news, unless you are among the select few who has secured such funding. Danish Ph.D. salaries are very high compared to other places, so basically somebody needs to provide funding for a comparatively very well-paid employee. The department will not have that kind of money floating around. The main source are individual researchers at the department who have won the funding lottery and can open a project to operationalise the money in connection with their project. This would typically be announced on the departmental web site or the faculty’s Ph.D. School.

To sum this up: Ph.D. studies are about securing funding.

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My aunt went back and earned a PhD in sociology at Trinity, graduating just a couple of years ago (she was in her early fifties). 

Although a very accomplished CPA, she had no background in humanities but still found it easy to get a place in the program.  There may very well be some special accommodation for older people returning to academic studies. 

She enjoyed the experience hugely and wrote her doctoral thesis on the experiences of lower socioeconomic level people in criminal court cases.  Unfortunately her post-doc research project did not secure funding.  The EU was a major source of funding for those but has tightened budgets in recent years.  And Trinity did not offer her a teaching role post-doc -- publish or perish seems very much alive.

I think post-doc employment is a tougher proposition than success as a PhD student, so make sure to look far enough downstream. 

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All I know about Danish academics is that my thesis supervisor spent some years teaching in Denmark and is a highly alarming and focused individual compared to the lackadaisical, finish-it-when-you-feel-like, I'll get back to you six months after that, approach of Israeli academia.

With regard to finding funding for a social science PhD in Europe, I think you need to find a project, as HE says. PhD postions are generally advertised rather like job offers. So you need to know what you're interested in within the field and be able to show that yiou have some relevant background and skills. Googling will find you some stuff, but more is tucked away on various lists, groups and good old personal contacts. Subscribe to some mailing lists and facebook groups on things that interest you (i've got https://www.facebook.com/groups/30614536012/, for refugee and migration issues, or https://www.facebook.com/rc21.young/ for urban sociology stuff, for example, both of which are useful) and even more, talk to a supervisor/adviser/faculty member, particularly someone who does the same sort of stuff you want to do, because they'll have better facebook groups and mailing lists and things.

Thats all I know about Europe.

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Hello everyone.

I'm about to apply for a PHD myself. I have a bachelor degree in history and I have just completed a master's degree. Honestly, I don't know what to expect from it. I just like studying and I'm not good at pretty much anything else. Also,, I just want to clear my mind before I make a decision about entering theological seminary and becoming a priest. I reckon a couple of years working on a project could help.

I'don't post very often in this forum. What prompted to do it in this thread was that I'm also applying in Trinity College, Dublin as HairGrowsBack. I just thought it was a funny coincidence. Also I did my Master there last year, if you want to ask something about the campus I might help :),

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4 hours ago, Iskaral Pust said:

My aunt went back and earned a PhD in sociology at Trinity, graduating just a couple of years ago (she was in her early fifties). 

Although a very accomplished CPA, she had no background in humanities but still found it easy to get a place in the program.  There may very well be some special accommodation for older people returning to academic studies. 

She enjoyed the experience hugely and wrote her doctoral thesis on the experiences of lower socioeconomic level people in criminal court cases.  Unfortunately her post-doc research project did not secure funding.  The EU was a major source of funding for those but has tightened budgets in recent years.  And Trinity did not offer her a teaching role post-doc -- publish or perish seems very much alive.

Tell her to write a textbook. It worked for a couple of my professors. 

It's encouraging to know that there may be a way to PhD studies for older adults. I'd like to go back but if I do, I'm totally switching gears and getting an earth sciences degree, which more or less means starting over unless they give me credit for my bachelor's and all the science courses I've taken (25+ years ago). The math could be a problem because it's been so long, but I'll get through it. If I do this, I'm going all the way and not stopping like I did the first time around (due to family obligations that made it very difficult to continue). 

The problem is that I've reached the age where I can't seem to keep my mouth shut. If some snarky adviser pisses me off or tries to treat me like a slave, he's going to get more than he bargained for. I'm not a 25 year old kid desperate to finish and I won't hesitate to tell them so. 

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For Sociology at KU, the web site is here: http://www.sociology.ku.dk/phd-studies/application/. As you can see, there are no openings—I don’t know that department, but I’d be surprised if there are many per year. If an opening appears, expect hundreds of people to apply per position. Unless you are an exceptional student with stellar grades from a top university, have a solid research plan, and preferably a peer-reviewed publication or two underway, you do not stand a chance unless you have already made yourself visible to the grant holder (who will be your supervisor). You’ll just disappear in the other applications.

(I could be wrong and only speak from the experience I have from managing another ph.d. programme in Denmark, which also includes sociology studies.) 

Also, think of the process from the POV of the department/supervisor. Every single failed ph.d. student is a very strong demerit for the school and the grant holder. They get measured on failed students (which translates to a failure for the school/supervisor). It is a major career problem to have a student fail (not to speak of the very uncomfortable report to be written about the failed project to the original funding source, which was secured in cutthroat competition. “Dear science council. I screwed up. I know you gave me millions, and I spent the money to hire a student who never finished. What can I say?”

If you can secure your own funding, maybe just half of it, from abroad or some other funding agency, the game typically changes completely. Universities are measured by the amount of external funding they can secure, so if you come with half a position (say, half a million Danish kroners), the ph.d. programme is strongly incentivised to supply the remaining money.

To summarise: Either (1) be unquestionably and demonstrably brilliant so as to secure a position using meritocracy, (2) hook up with the potential supervisor so that they know they can trust you with their project funding, or (3) find your own funding.

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Thank you for all your answers.

Regarding KU and what HE said :

 I was drawn to it partly for their more focused, "get-it-done" approach, to be fair. I am very prone to procrastination, and I think someone slapping me in the face from time to time might be for the better. Most of all, though, I wanted to apply for a PHD there because they have a research group focused on Asia (particularly China), which is my main object of interest (and what I'm most familiar with, as well). But again, if I need to wait for the right proposal at the right moment, it might prove difficult.

As for funding, hopefully I will get a clearer idea when I do my master's degree. I am working in China atm, not really an ideal place to get familiar/ in touch with potential funding sources in Europe.

William_Tell : Thank you, will do, when the time comes ;)

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7 hours ago, HairGrowsBack said:

I was drawn to it partly for their more focused, "get-it-done" approach, to be fair. I am very prone to procrastination, and I think someone slapping me in the face from time to time might be for the better.

Let me carefully suggest to leave that observation out of a letter of intent or interview.

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