By Yehia Massoud
Your doctoral studies will soon separate you into a league of professionals and experts whose opinions are highly sought throughout the academic and industrial world. As you continue down the road to achieve your Ph.D., keep these tips in mind.
Your GPA
Please do not focus on graduating with the highest GPA possible. While this might look good on paper, you should be focused on taking the classes that will compliment your success and push you forward in your research. You will not be asked about your GPA after you graduate. Instead, most of the questions you will be fielding in interviews will be regarding what you have been able to achieve in your research.
Read Papers Early and Often!
Industry moves faster than classes are able to keep up. Not to say that classes don’t provide excellent knowledge bases for practices used in your research, but they take time to catch up to where the industry is in terms of the latest advances. Where you’ll gain the state of the art knowledge is through scholarly publications, professors both within and outside you university, through conversations with industry professionals, and through your own investigations, curiosities, and research
Always Be Learning
In keeping with the previous point, talk to your professors and other professors around your university, and watch seminars that might not be about your research area. You’ll be able to gain new skills through these actions and develop new perspectives on your own research that you may not have previously considered.
Pick The Right Advisor
A Ph.D. advisor is not just your class advisor, but someone who will guide you in your research and provide valuable contacts and information throughout your studies. If you choose successfully, you will have a long-term relationship with them. Pick someone you enjoy working with and who you respect their accomplishments and ideas, and aspire to be like.