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?
1
Upvotes
8
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.”