The Ph.D. Process: A Student's Guide to Graduate School in the Sciences

The Ph.D. Process offers the essential guidance that students in the biological and physical sciences need to get the most out of their years in graduate school. Drawing upon the insights of numerous current and former graduate students, this book presents a rich portrayal of the intellectual and emotional challenges inherent in becoming a scientist, and offers the informed, practical advice a "best friend" would give about each stage of the graduate school experience. What are the best strategies for applying to a graduate program? How are classes conducted? How should I choose an advisor and a research project? What steps can I take now to make myself more "employable" when I get my degree? What goes on at the oral defense? Through a balanced, thorough examination of issues ranging from lab etiquette to research stress, the authors--each a Ph.D. in the sciences--provide the vital information that will allow students to make informed decisions all along the way to the degree. Headlined sections within each chapter make it fast and easy to look up any subject, while dozens of quotes describing personal experiences in graduate programs from people in diverse scientific fields contribute invaluable real-life expertise. Special attention is also given to the needs of international students. Read in advance, this book prepares students for each step of the graduate school experience that awaits them. Read during the course of a graduate education, it serves as a handy reference covering virtually all major issues and decisions a doctoral candidate is likely to face. The Ph.D. Process is the one book every graduate student in the biological and physical sciences can use to stay a step ahead, from application all the way through graduation.

Table of Contents:
1. Deciding to go to Graduate School ; 2. Selecting an Advisor: Whose Lab is Right for Me? ; 3. Stages of Graduate School ; 4. Classes, Journal Clubs, Lab Meetings, Seminars ; 5. The Absent Professor ; 6. How You Learn ; 7. Deciding on Research Projects for Your Dissertation ; 8. Networking ; 9. The Scientists as a Specialist ; 10. Picking a Dissertation Committee/Defending the Proposal (The Preliminary Oral Exam) ; 11. The Life of a Graduate Student ; 12. Lab Notebooks ; 13. Lab Etiquette ; 14. Competition ; 15. The Role of Luck ; 16. Do I Belong Here? Insecurity and Stress ; 17. Foreign Students: Unique Problems and Stresses ; 18. On the Art of Scientific Writing ; 19. What Should Your Goals Be While in Graduate School? ; 20. Times They Are a'Changing ; 21. The End's in Sight: Writing the Dissertation

About the Author :
Dale F. Bloom, PhD, received her graduate degree from the Behavioral Neuroscience division of the Department of Psychology at UCLA, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at the University of Rochester, and is a full-time author. Jonathan D. Karp, PhD, received his doctorate in Psychology from Vanderbilt University and his postdoctoral training in Psychoneuroimmunology at the University of Rochester. He is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Rider University. Nicholas Cohen, PhD, received his doctorate in Biology from the University of Rochester, and his postdoctoral training in Immunology from UCLA. He is a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Psychiatry, and Oncology at the University of Rochester.

Review :
"Graduate school . . . is the only established route to advanced study of the nature of the universe. It culminates in the award of a doctoral degree but requires some advanced and very specialized courses, an 'independent research project,' a thesis or dissertation, passing very intense exams or other requirements, and, last but not least, interactions with other students, faculty, both on and off campus at conferences and other relevant sites. Bloom, Karp, and Cohen have gone into considerable and realistic detail about this 'life experience' and have taken a viewpoint as an advocate of the student. No graduate school catalog I have ever seen has given a list of disclaimers, disclosures, hidden hurdles, barriers, possibilities for disaster, the culture of science and the sociology of scientists, and stress generators, let alone any hints on how to over come any of these problems. This book goes a very long way to helping to fill in those gaps and omissions."--scientistlifeboat.com "[T]he most comprehensive guide to date about graduate school in the sciences. . . . The Ph.D. Process marches through all aspects of the grad school experience, from application through dissertation defense, and includes some excellent topics not covered in other books, such as advice to foreign students. . . . In addition, the book includes the voices of graduate students themselves, discussing, and in some cases qualifying, the authors' advice. The combination of authoritative summaries along with anecdotes from students themselves help lend substance to what otherwise might be a daunting litany of do's and don'ts about grad school. The book is organized in a more or less chronological sequence of major events and issues in the grad school process. Interspersed with these subjects are chapters on more strategic and issues-related subjects . . . Together the chapters work both to explain how things work and also how to make things work well for you."--Science's Next Wave