Diversity

Paths to PhDs

Helping diverse students learn about graduate opportunities in psychology, neuroscience, and related fields

Graduate school should not be just for the privileged few. If one is interested in pursuing a research career, is intelligent, and willing to work hard, then a graduate education should be within reach. However, far too many undergraduates -- particularly those from minority backgrounds and those who are the first in the families to go to college -- are unaware of higher education opportunities, or find it hard to see themselves attaining a graduate degree. To address this issue in the San Diego area, I have organized the Paths to PhDs panel workshop series at UCSD for the past two years. At each event, a panel of five or six graduate students from different areas of psychology/neuroscience research discuss and answer questions on topics such as:

Why did you decide to go to graduate school?
Did your family support your decision to go to graduate school?
Is your chosen profession in alignment with the expectations of your cultural background?
Did you have research experience, and what kind of experience was that?
Did you take a break between undergrad and grad school? How did you manage finances at that time?
How did you pick which programs to apply for?
How did you prepare for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or other required tests?
What was the interview experience like?
...and many more considerations.