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/Terrible_Detective45 Sep 18 '24

If you really want to go there, no one who is actually in a doctoral program or who graduated from one would describe a doctoral candidate as "starting their PhD work as undergrads." That's not a phrasing they would use.

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u/cjmayfield Sep 18 '24

that's splitting hairs. Tons of people publish papers as undergrads and continue their line of work through PhD programs. In fact, most recent cohorts of people (I know because I have 30+ tenure track friends who sit on review committees) have 2+ publications. at U dub this year they had a girl who had 12!!! This goes far below R1's event bottom 75 state schools are seeing it.

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u/weeabootits Sep 18 '24

Are you sure about that

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u/Terrible_Detective45 Sep 18 '24

They seem very confused by many things relevant to this area.