Write Club Today’s Workshop is:
Getting into a Higher Degree by Research (HDR)
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HDR: Introductions • Who are you • What do you do • What do you hope to achieve by being here
• Try to stick to 1 minute
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HDR: Synopsis • 6 steps • A caveat • An example • Take home messages
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HDR: The 6 Steps 1. What? 2. Where? 3. Whom? 4. How? 5. When? 6. For how long? • Show me the money!
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HDR – Step 1 – What? • A HDR is a research degree. You should show that you are interested in research by having done experimental methodology in your undergraduate degree 1. Write your CV, noting any conference presentations, posters, publications, awards for research 2. In what are you interested? 3. Make a list of key terms
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HDR – Step 2 – Where? 1. Do you want to stay where you are or move? 2. Do want to be at a specific institution? 3. Find the Universities in your target town/city 4. Open the weblink 5. Use your List of key terms to find academics who are interested in the same topics
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HDR – Step 3 – Whom? • Send academics an email – Like a job application
• Personalise it by addressing them – E.g., Dear Dr Hanlon
• Make it topic-specific – E.g., I am interested in your research into social cognition, and I would like to meet with you to discuss the opportunities you listed on your UoN profile.
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HDR – Step 3 – Whom? • In your email, give the academic good reasons for considering you Your CV should highlight your interest and experiences relevant to the role You should include your last assignment to show your writing skills (and hopefully that your interest is relevant) Show your Grade Point Average (GPA) and any other things that make you worth the immediate effort
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HDR – Step 4 – How? • In your email, show what type of HDR you want to do: – Honours – research degree after your Bachelors, sometimes with coursework – Masters – coursework degree after Bachelors, sometimes with research – PhD – research degree after Honours or Masters (with research) that should establish you as an independent researcher
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HDR – Step 5 – When? • In your email, give a time in which you’d like to start your HDR so the academic can get organised – This does not happen overnight (months)
• Can you support yourself? – Do you need a scholarship (only for full-time Masters (research) or PhD)
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HDR – Step 6 – For how long? • Honours = 12 months full-time, no scholarship • Masters = 12 months full-time, negotiable • PhD = 3 years full-time, scholarship may be available
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HDR – A caveat – Show me the money! • Can you support yourself? • A scholarship is only for full-time Masters (research)/PhD • You will need to meet strict requirements to obtain a scholarship – A GPA that meets threshold – Honours Class 1 – Full-time enrolment
• Without it, you could be expected to pay for – Tuition fees (very expensive) – Health insurance – Incidental costs
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HDR: An example • If your interest is psychosis, keywords might include – psychotic illness – Schizophrenia
• A search of these on a university website might yield wet lab, eye tracking, neuroimaging, behavioural, public health researchers and topics – Refine your search
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HDR: An example • “Schizophrenia and neuroimaging” might refine your hits to 2 researchers (may be not all those who are relevant) • Maybe you are interested in – Why a person with schizophrenia might experience referential delusions of communication – Or, how a person knows when someone intends to communicate with them
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HDR: An example – “referential delusions of communication” – “intention to communicate” – Might result in different researchers – Read their biographies, check their recent publications and grants – these tell you if they might be interested – Check their recent supervisions – these tell you if they are happy to supervise (and can get you to ‘completion’)
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HDR: An example – “intention to communicate” • You see on my page that I have “opportunities” • Click the tab – are you interested in anything? • Check my bio – do I offer you an education that would benefit you? • Check my publications and supervisions – am I a ‘good bet’?
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HDR: An example – “intention to communicate” • Maybe you’re really interested in my thesis – read the summary in NOVA. Still a match? • Write the email to me. • Attach your • • • •
last assignment CV (include anything research related) University transcript A copy of your highest award could help too
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HDR: An example – “intention to communicate” • Your email: – Dear Dr Hanlon • I have read through your profile on The University of Newcastle website and am writing to enquire about doing an Honours study with you next year. I am especially interested in performing normative studies of ToMas, because I am interested in what happens to social cognition as we age. • Please find attached, a copy of my CV which shows my experience in a similar research assistant role, my last assignment and my current university transcript. I have a GPA of 5.7 and I can meet with you in person at your convenience. • Thank you for considering me as a potential Honours candidate. • Yours sincerely • …..
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HDR: Take home messages 1. What? 2. Where? 3. Whom? 4. How? 5. When? 6. For how long?
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Best of luck!!
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