PhD Applications and things to do

• Starting your PhD applications

Selecting the Universities

• Prepare University list: Based on the area of your work, you will have a list of Universities where you can apply. You need to have a few more details about those Universities in a good document. It should mention the name of the Universities, ranking, application fees, tuition fees, last year cut-offs, language requirements (IELTS, TOEFL with scores) and additional criteria (like few Universities don't tolerate any academic failures).

• Decide application budget: You must have clearly defined paid application budget. You cannot go on spending without deciding the budget. You may end spending too much without actually achieving anything out of it. I believe it should be a wise investment.

• Select Universities for serious applications: Once you have University listing and budget, then the last part is to select the Universities. You must select at least 2 Universities which entirely out of your reach. Even if you don't get the admissions, it will raise your bar. If you get admit from them, then you will above heaven. Please select at least 4 Universities which are within range, and you deserve them. These 6 are your most serious applications.

• Select Universities with free applications: Once the above applications are made, then don't stop, keep listing the Universities with free applications. It is good to get things going. You never know, if you come across any good University, department, centre or professor.

Contacting the professors

• Contact professors working in a specific area of study: You are expected to communicate with your supervisors and get the confirmations beforehand. Even if its not expected in the countries of your choice, its highly recommended to communicate with the professors beforehand. It will be give you some base while taking crucial decision of choosing one admit out of many.

• Read work done by your professors, their published work or book. You also refer their videos and social media accounts. You should do good research about that individual.

• Write a customised email for each professor: Its important that you should mention professors' work in the email communication. It will give the confidence that you have done some background work. Mention what you liked and what you want to explore further. Help professors understand why it is important for you to work with them. How will it take your work to the next level?

• Keep all your reference documents at the shared location: You will not be able to send everything as an attachment to an email. It is better to send a proposal in the email and give a link for additional documents. That shared location may include your professional qualifications, educational background and your writings.

• Keep track of the communication: At times, you send such hundreds of emails, and you tend to forget. You may keep sending emails to the same professors repeatedly. It is highly unprofessional. Make sure that you have a document where everything is listed, and you can follow it from there.

• Close the loops even after rejections: You will get a lot of rejections. Get used to it. But make sure that you will close that loop after receiving the reply from those individuals. If somebody responds, then it means that individual found merit in your profile, but there is a slight miss fit. You should respond that individual by sending a 'thank you' email.

At the time of submitting applications: Once you get the confirmation from any professor, they will ask you to proceed with the University application. Or in case it is not required, then your next step is to start the University applications.

• Compile a document with all required information: Most of the Universities have standard requirements. They need your details, educational qualifications with scores, professional experience, and recommendation details. Keep them listed with you beforehand. It will expedite your application process drastically — otherwise, it's a painful job.

• Keep all required documents at a place: You also need to submit a lot of records like transcripts, qualification certificates, passports, sponsor details and proposal. In a few cases, your academic writings are also required. It would be best if you had all of them nicely segregated in one folder.

• Mind file names: It may sound trivial, but I have seen people sending documents with an absurd file name. Mention your name, and purpose of the document. It will be easier for somebody to find material if downloaded on their machine. Most importantly, you keep improving your proposals or articles and its best to mention the version numbers in the file name. It will be easier for you to find the latest versions while attaching.

• Keep credit cards handy: If you have a credit card then make sure that you have enough credit to pay the application fees. If you don't have a credit card of your own, then arrange for the one and request your help to keep enough credit for you.

After the application submissions

• Reminders to the referee: Immediately after the application submission, automated emails notifications will be sent to your referee. Additionally, you are expected to communicate with them and communicate that you have made the application. Clearly, mention the deadlines of their submissions.

• Additional writings samples: Few of the Universities may request for the additional academic writings on the specific subject to understand more about your expertise in the subject. You should always be ready with a few articles. In case, you don't have something writing on the topics specified by that professors, check if something already written works for them.

• Writing assignments: Few of the top Universities expect you to write the additional piece on the mentioned topic. It is a most difficult tasks, to write something on request in the given timelines. But if this is the University requirements, then you cannot skip it.

• Follow-up after the mentioned timelines: Most of the Universities will communicate expected time of response, immediately after submitting your application. You need to wait for those many days/months and then write a reminder email to admissions team if you don't get the response by then.

• Continue searching for the Universities with free applications: Even though it seems that the applications are done, I suggest keep searching for the opportunities till the time you don't start receiving the admits. Continue with the free applications and writing to professors if you come across any.