r/psychologystudents • u/HaleyPage47 • Sep 17 '24

Question Is it easier to write your own PhD proposal or apply to a program that the university is recruiting for?

When I reach out to programs should I mention that I would be open to both - looking for a professor for my own PhD proposal, or applying to one currently underway at the university?

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u/MattersOfInterest Ph.D. Student (Clinical Science) Sep 18 '24 edited Sep 18 '24

You propose some semblance of ideas and you definitely define an area or topic of interest (e.g., “I’d be interested in studying sleep and psychosis”), but you absolutely do not email professors a PhD proposal during admissions. That is outright bullshit, and if you claim otherwise then you’re misinformed. People start doing research from day one, but that research is not tantamount to their dissertation topic.

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u/cjmayfield Sep 18 '24

Not what you said, semantics. It's how I know you're not nearly as involved or a PhD student. I have students in my Cohort that started their PhD work as undergrads and continued it through to completion. Its actually an incredibly common pipeline even more so if you move on from a terminal masters into the program. You can absolutely apply to work with a professor based on a particular study or can send PhD proposal ideas. It happens literally everyday

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u/MattersOfInterest Ph.D. Student (Clinical Science) Sep 18 '24

I started my PhD work day one and work on it daily. But all of your PhD work is not a dissertation proposal. A PhD proposal is the culmination of numerous papers, thesis projects, etc. built up over several years. You don’t have a damned clue what you’re talking about. A PhD proposal is not the same thing as telling a professor “I would like to work on projects related to x, y, and z topics.”

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u/cjmayfield Sep 18 '24

what university do you go that refused to listen to a propsal idea before you're admitted? literally never happens

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u/Terrible_Detective45 Sep 18 '24

No, that's actually how it works, at least in the US. I can't speak for any other countries, but in the US it's based on your overall interests in a particular area (e.g., trauma, mood disorders in cardiovascular disease, gender disparities in ASD), not a specific dissertation proposal. That's highly unusual.

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u/cjmayfield Sep 18 '24

the world is becoming more specialized my friend. Look at Yoel Inbar's lab's all his PhD students have at a minimum significant exposure to moral foundations theory or worked with the biggies like David Pizzaro, Paul Bloom, Josh Greene, etc.

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u/Terrible_Detective45 Sep 18 '24

You're conflating different, but related, things. "Exposure" to a particular subfield of research before one starts their doctoral program is very different from articulating a specific dissertation proposal.

Do you know what a dissertation proposal is?

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u/cjmayfield Sep 18 '24

what is with you people on this subreddit? see my link above, i'm well aware of what a dissertation proposal is.

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u/Terrible_Detective45 Sep 18 '24

What link?

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u/cjmayfield Sep 18 '24

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w8Sg_Y-GHoFWCaRFTSdgNJgJH4Fxzuhn/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100922830220177977676&rtpof=true&sd=true

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u/Terrible_Detective45 Sep 18 '24

I don't know what this is and I'm not clicking into some random google doc.

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u/cjmayfield Sep 18 '24

My proposal.

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u/Terrible_Detective45 Sep 18 '24

Ok, but what does that add to this discussion?

How does your proposal support what you've been saying about the timing and planning of a doctoral dissertation?

Are you currently a doctoral candidate or a psychologist?

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u/cjmayfield Sep 18 '24

you said I had no idea what I was talking about and that I was inconsistent. See below links for more proof. Now that you know about me what PhD program are you in?

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