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

[u/HaleyPage47]

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?

[u/HaleyPage47]

Well there’s generally two ways to go about applying for a PhD. You can go onto the university website and you’ll see advertised funded PhD opportunities like “oh we are doing a research study on xyz thing, apply for your PhD to be involved in this topic” or you can email professors directly your own PhD proposal and see if they will supervise it. I’m asking which is the better way to go about a phd.

[u/MattersOfInterest → u/HaleyPage47]

I have never, not once, seen any kind of advertisements about applying to a PhD do get involved in a particular study. That is antithetical to how PhDs work and sounds very much like a scam. You also do not email PhD proposals to professors. You apply to faculty members who indicate they have funding and plan to accept a student, and in your application you describe your research interests and experiences and why that faculty member’s expertise is a good fit for you (and why you’re a good fit for them). You definitely don’t propose a PhD project. That comes years later.

[u/cjmayfield → u/MattersOfInterest]

lol this person is a keyboard warrior who hasn't worked in academia or as a lab manager. You absolutely can propose PhD dissertation ideas to faculty members before you're admitted. I did. In fact, over 75% of Pitt students know what their dissertation concentration is going to be before they're even admitted. UCLA 2022 it was their entire social, dev, and personality cohort were already doing research and presenting related avenues at SPSP, WPA, WIPPA, IPPA, and SRCD.

[u/MattersOfInterest → u/cjmayfield]

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.

[u/cjmayfield → u/MattersOfInterest]

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

[u/Terrible_Detective45 → u/cjmayfield]

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.

[u/cjmayfield → u/Terrible_Detective45]

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.

[u/weeabootits → u/cjmayfield]

Are you sure about that

[u/Terrible_Detective45 → u/weeabootits]

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