Looking Beyond Conventional PhD Programs in Universities

4. Attention

As a graduate student, I wanted mentorship. Most faculty at Hospitals have much less teaching requirements. This gives them a lot more time to give YOU attention!

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The MDB program gives all its students a good, sound mentorship experience. The program is structured into different divisions that work on a particular field of interest, for example, the Heart Institute.

If you are a student working on heart development, you will be mentored not only by your PI, but also other faculty members who are collaborating with him.

• How to select PhD Committee Members

Weekly lab meetings and division meetings keep you abreast of the research being done by your colleagues. Yearly inter-department seminars and symposiums are a lot of good science being discussed with a loooot of fun thrown in!

5. Curriculum

The first year of your PhD is all about choosing a lab and course work. It’s rigorous, but it totally brushes all the rust off your brain. Weekly journal clubs help you learn how to read and critique a paper. I’m in the middle of a grant writing course now where I need to write and defend my grant to pass this class.

A year ago, if someone had told me I would be writing a grant in a year, I would probably have laughed it off.

6. Rotations

Since funding is not a problem, you get to rotate for almost an entire year in different labs before you decide on one for your research.

If you’re confused about your area of interest, you can explore the options during rotations till you are sure of what you want to work on. Can it get any better?

7. FUN!

Faculty socials every Friday! MDB students get discounted tickets to the zoo, baseball games and many other fun events. Cincinnati is a colorful, cheerful place with a lot of diversity.

Here are some answers to questions I was asked about the admission requirements:

1. There are no set rules. There is no ‘cut off’ for anything. Most Universities in the U.S. look at all-round development. However, a GPA of 7 and above is preferred. Build up an SOP that reflects your personality. Be clear about your goals. Participate in as many technical and non-technical activities in college as you can.
2. Take advantage of the ‘preferred applicant program’. This allows you to send in your admission documents WITHOUT paying the fee required. The Director of Admissions office will do a quick review of whether your application is strong enough to be considered for admission.
3. APPLY EARLY – Each year only 11-13 students get a chance from ALL OVER THE WORLD. Approximately 0-4 International students are accepted each year. If you apply early, the probability of getting in increases significantly. By early, I would suggest Oct-Nov of 2012 if you are trying for admission in 2013.
4. Watch these videos to get a sense of the program, the faculty, the students and the atmosphere. I will be happy to help if you have more questions.

Next – Learn about US College Admission Process

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