SBabaJ: A Genius Does Not Need A PhD....

What is your definition of a genius? Einstein? Newton? Heisenberg? Schrodinger? All these people have phds, so I don't know what you are talking about.

SBabaJ:
Some Professors Complain....The Only Reason They Did A PhD Was Because They Were The Brightest/Smartest In Their Undergrad Days...Not That It Was What They Would Have Done If They Had Entire Freedom Of Will.

What kinds of people are you meeting? yes there are people that go into a phd because they are incredibly smart and that seems like what they smartest kids from undergrad go on to do, but these people tend to be in the minority in my opinion, and if they don't have passion for research they all almost end up not completing it. There is so much misinformation on this thread. I am not really arguing that a phd is great, am just saying there are tons of people that actually go into it for the right reasons. You people and your phd bashing sef. If you are going to bash something get your facts right at least.

Ok. I am probably late to the party, but I think a lot of the views on this forum are wrong. Before I say anything, I'd just like to add that I am saying this from the perspective of someone in the US(did primary and sec school in naija tho) and someone who actually got into a couple of Phd programs and decided not to enroll yet. I am still exploring/working on research though.

Most people I know don't go into a Phd because they didn't get a job. They go into it because they are excited about studying a particular field and answering fundamental questions in that field. A phd is a 4-6 commitment and people going into it for the wrong reasons almost never make it through. It's just that hard. Looking at a lot of the policies implemented in Africa, in general, in areas like international development, economics, and fundamental science, it is clear that these policies are authored by foreigners who might not necessarily have any clue what the culture and overall dynamics are in Nigeria, and other developing countries. It is becoming increasingly clear that we need more scholars of African origin to develop theories, perform research and execute on models that target and solve problems in our part of the world. This is probably the bet approach for us. One way to achieve this is by encouraging Africans interested in pursuing research that way they might at least come back to contribute. It is ridiculously hard already, and I don't think the best thing to do is to ridicule or disparage them.

This part is for AJANLEKOKO. Before now, my goal was to get a phd and then establish like a think thank/research institute in naija that tackles specific problems and develops solutions to those problems and actually creates companies or ways to market the solutions to these problems in areas like agriculture, infectious diseases, and computer science. I know what I just said is vague, but how feasible is that kind of a goal? Studied science and engineering in college and did research in the areas listed above in college. ATM I am putting the phd idea on a hold, and would probably go get a masters in cs and move to silicon valley to get involved in startups. If that doesn't workout, I'll come back to the PHD idea, but that's the plan for now. Any ideas/advice? I know my question was somewhat long and open ended.

I know Nigerians have strong opinions about this issue. What do you think! I am fascinated to see what people would say about this issue.

cezeozue:

I can't tell you what makes an SOP win but I could send you some of mine

I like how ceceozue is trying to humble lol. After showing how it is done, he is now acting like he doesn't know anything about the process. I like the humility thought. One thing that still bothers me is the fact that you did not get into Columbia and Johns Hopkins. When you posted your profile, I thought you'd be a shoo in at these places. Maybe your interests didn't match theirs or something weird just happened. It's not like you need to worry about it though. you already have something better.

Sintame:

Cezeozue, thanks for your responces. Can you give me an idea of what a winning S.O.P should contain?

If you go to the link I posted in my previous comment, you'll see that they discussed SOP in detail. I am not a guru in this area, but here are somethings that I can say:

Don't let it be too long. 1-2 pages.
Have a goal in mind. Don't just blab. The sop you tell a 'story', highlight your strengths and explain anything that might be a little off in you profile.
You also need to show that you understand that school's program and why it appeals to you.
If Phd, you also want to show that you understand and have an idea of what you are going into. Here, you can highlight some classes, projects and other technical experiences that have reinforced your interest in this area.

Here are some quotes about sop that I found somewhere.
"Applicants should discuss educational objectives, career plans, how their past experience contributed to future goals, why the particular program interested them, and how they will relate to the program. The applicant should show that she/he has researched the program."

Finally, PROOF READ! I can't count the number of times that I have turned in something that I thought was perfect only to later discover that it had grammatical errors. Profs tend to think the person is lazy or has problems with their English. As an international student, you probably want to reduce this perception as much as possible.

oyewolejos:

Which drug do u use?
Meth or crack?
[b]Watch as Heat will finish Boston on Sunda[/b]y

Which Heat are you talking about? Prince James and his followers? Heat isn't a complete team yet. They can't survive a tough opponent in a playoff seven game series. there are a lot of holes in their game. Even if the beat the celts for just one game, they still have to make it count during the playoffs. I still think the Bulls are the team to beat in the east. They have thibs, who is celts former assistant coach. That guy is a really good coach.

With the way derrick rose and the heat are playing right now, I don't think miami has a chance. They need more pieces. I need my celtics to get healthy!

Can someone give the results for Kogi state? That's my state and I am very curious as to what is going on there results wise.

Sintame:

Hi folks,

Great one you guys have done here! Was introduced here by a very good friend.

Well, i'v just begun to take action on my grad -school plans, but as it is, i'll be writting the new Revised GRE in view of fall 2012 admission. What prep approach do you guys advice?

Secondly, I'm applying to MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley and Gatech. What application-package stategies do i adopt to aid acceptance?

Pls, cezeozue, flo-path, VPersiee, tabarity, SEFAGO, et al. respond.

Thanks for your responses.

I am probably not the best person to answer this but I'll give it a try. I think Ceceozue would do a better job giving you advice, given that he has just gone through the process. I am sure you know how competitive it is to get into the schools you are applying to. You also need to work on your statement of purpose because you need to be able to show that you know what you are doing.

GO to the school's websites, look critically at the research going on. Look at the Lab websites and check out the profile of the people working in those labs. If they have people with background similar to yours, you'll want to point that out in the application. You should also know the core courses that the department you are looking at requires. Highlight your grades in those courses to show technical proficiency.

Here is a link: If you have 1 hour or so, watch the videos and you should have answers to a lot of the questions you might have.

http://web.mit.edu/msrp/myMSRP/dinner_seminar2.html

What area are you planning on going into? did you do your undergrad in naija or somewhere else?

Celtics fan in the house!!! However, derrick Rose is the MVP for this season. So stoked for the playoffs to begin.

VPersiee:

@flo_path

The folks at MIT are just organizing our travel. After that they will tell us which professor we will be working with and from there we will know what we will be working on. What are you working on? What is your IM or email? You said you need to approve your CPT; I took part in a research program last summer and I did not need CPT. The folks at MIT have also not mentioned CPT. I hope I am not forgetting anything i.e. CPT.

And yes I am international. You sound like someone I will like to talk to more.

@tabarity

ok, this is interesting. I had always thought that I needed a cpt approval for it. anyway, I would check again. do you only need it for employment? were you getting paid for the research gig?
I haven't done summer research at another school before, so I don't know the process. I'll do some research on it and get back to you. I was also not sure that I needed to get the cpt thing, but I just wanted to be on a save side. the international folks in my school can be a bit paranoid. so did you just go for the research stuff the last time?

As for what I am working for on. I have a vague idea. The postdoc I'll be working with sent me like 5 papers to read last week and I haven't even opened it. From prelim knowledge, it is going to be on Bayesian learning applied to biological systems. In general, I'll probably be doing more on applied math/control theory in relation to biology. I don't have a specific area set in mind for now, I just want to go over there and explore opportunities. I am a little nervous. Hopefully things would go well.

My email is sojourn2greatness@gmail.com(I know the id is a lil egotistical but oh well, it is my pseudo-anonymous email). email me man, I'd definitely like to chat about stuff. do you know anyone in cambridge/boston area. I had a friend in high school(dint go to the same high school) who is at Harvard now, but the boy don bone my side, so I don't really know too many people over there.
time period is early june to late august. Am looking forward to it though because I am a big fan of the boston celtics.

It is getting a little quite here. where is everyone lately?

tabarity:

Hey flo_path1, what do you think might be the consequences if the school gets to know that the person in question in planning to go to another school. Perhaps you want to share the story of a similar recent case you were aware of and what the end result was. I have a friend already in a graduate programme in the[b] US already but intends to leave to another programme in another school in the US[/b]. He's even secured an admission. He once said he feels so bad that he might have to suddenly announce to his research supervisor that he is leaving. He is also skeptical about what might be the reaction of the school that has thus far supported him financially (tuition and stipend).

I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I am not personally aware of someone that has done that before, however, I'd imagine that it is possible to withdraw from the program and just leave. I think/pretty sure that this can be done. However, because it can be done doesn't mean it is the right thing. I don't want to judge, but to just carry go like that is not the best thing, because it is probably the research supervisor that is paying for all the expenses.

Here are the repercussions thta I can think of:

If the relationship goes south, he can't ever get a good rec from that prof. If he is in a small feild where all the major profs know each other then the guy is in yawa. The prof can also start to cultivate a bad opinion about naija students in general and just see them as people that come in and use them as stepping stone to other things. If it is a no name school that'll not affect him at all. He can probably do it.

The best way is probably for him to discuss it with his adviser, so that they can both come up with a reasonable way of working it out. It won't be easy but things like this are never easy fro anyone. If the adviser is correct guy, he'll help him as much as possible.

Physicall:

Guys,glad to be back.I have just accepted two different offers-though with reasons.Anyone knows what consequences this is going to generate?

some schools can be very lenient with that, and just let you get off, but if they know that you are going off to another school it gets tricky. That's because they know you essentially played them. It's better to get off as soon as possible to prevent too much problem. Before accepting the second offer, why did you not sort yourself out with the other school?

VPersiee:

@flo_path

You are going to be in an harvard summer program? Thats great. I will be in one at MIT. Perhaps we will meet each other in Boston. And you have Goldman Sachs too? na u biko. In my experience, nigerians usually choose the research track or the corporate track, but you have doors to the two areas open. kudos to you and best of luck.

Yeah I should be going to the harvard thing as long as the international office approves my cpt thing. going to MIT. That's awesome dude, nice job!. do you know what you'll be working on? that internship is kind of a big deal . are you international too? I read your other post about going to a mediocre school. Truth is, your school is probably not even close to mediocre. The fact that you have had these opportunities means that it is still a good place to go to school. We can't all go to top publics or ivy leagues.
As for goldman sachs, I was really torn about that, but ultimately I have decided that finance is not for me, at least not now anyway. I talked to a guy recently and he really inspired me. The big thing I keep hearing over and over again is that I shouldn't go into anything for money. It's difficult not to think about money, especially for pple like me that don't have rich fathers, but I have decided to pursue somethin that is more fulfilling atleast.

My goal is to maximize my advantage so that if I eventually change my mind, it'll be easy to switch between programs.

@stzero1: The research program has free housing so that's good. However, the stipend is decent, and you have to get food yourself, but I figured the sacrifice is worth it. I am deciding between that one and a goldman sachs internship actually. it is the classic money vs purpose, but I think i'll chose the reserch thing. if I go there and i see that the research isn't really my cup of tea, then we'll proceed to other things.

So a couple of questions for you, do you have 3.9 and a 42 mcat? is 42 mcat not like top one percent or something. I don't know a lot of people with that kind of score. the things you've listed are daunting and would require absolute focus. As for publishing, I am actually getting close to submitting a paper. My research is in applied math/ systems biology, so it a little different. Here is what I am saying, the md/phd at harvard is really really difficult. I talked to some naija guy that was doing his phd at mit and they wouldnot even let him transfer to md/phd.

Anyway, columbia, and wustl also take international students for md/phd. I have a list of schools that take international students, but I am too lazy to post. Stanford and cali schools are no go zones. They like money too much. Anyway, if you don't mind, are you attending a top ten school? seems like you have already taken the mcat, how did you study for it? I am an engineering major, so I hope they'll give room for gpa slack. I should end up with 3.85-3.9 range. Mcat I haven't taken yet. Basically, this summer would determine things on that end.

Have you heard of hst? That is another viable option, but that one only takes superstars, as in people that are just freaks of nature. One naija guy made it a couple of years ago though. Actually, md for international students is not that bad, you just need to have your money or apply to private schools.

So what made you decide md/phd. is the 7/8 years schooling not affecting you? what is your goal after?

Oh, I forgot to add this. Harvard and all these md/phd schools like oxford and cambridge, another shortcut is doing a 1 yr masters there, with a stellar record you would

@cezeozue: MIT has to fund you oh. That your profile is too good for them not to get you an RA or TA position. correct me if am wrong, but you are going for the TPP right? you can easily do a dual masters with that say in tpp and cs or even aero and astro. Did you look into their media arts program? the mit media lab does amazing things. MIT is just a land of opportunity abeg. anyway, did apply to cambridge again? I just wanted to know about that. One more question, do you intend on taking it all the way to phd? if so why? and what do want to do afterwards? I just like to hear/get a feel for what other people reasoning is for getting a phd?