This, I’m answering a question I get every year: How do you actually get into a PhD program?

PhD applications, especially in the humanities, can feel like a behind closed doors process. So, I’m sharing the advice people were generous enought to share with me when was applying and what I’ve learned from helping others through the process.

We (me, myself, I, and you) get into how to identify programs that are actually a good intellectual fit, why I strongly recommend looking for fully funded programs, and why undergraduate reputations don’t necessarily translate to the strongest PhD program in your field. I also talk about navigating interdisciplinarity and figuring out whether a department really supports the kind of scholar you want to become.

Then we get into the MAKE OR BREAK part: you have to reach out to people. Cold emailing current graduate students and potential faculty advisors can completely change your application process.

Finally, we talk personal and research statements, including why you do not need to know exactly what your dissertation will be. What you do need is a clear research question, a sense of where you might look for answers, and an ability to explain why that particular program and its faculty can help you pursue it.

Basically, this is the PhD application primer I wish everyone got before application season.

Chapters:

00:00 — Teaser: How to Get Into a PhD Program

00:42 — What I’m Finding Grounding In: Intellectual Play

06:29 — How TF Do You Get Into Grad School?

08:37 — How to Identify the Right PhD Program

14:56 — How Interdisciplinarity Works in Grad School

20:08 — You HAVE to Cold Email

25:23 — Writing Your Personal + Research Statement