I am often asked questions about applying to PhD programs (especially Marketing PhD programs). This is a short FAQ that reflect my personal opinions and advice. The tone is deliberately direct and blunt (though I hope not rude). My aim is to focus on the method behind the madness and share what I know about the process. While I empathize on how painfully uncertain the process is, there is no point beating around the bush when it comes to life changing decisions: better to take the bull by the horns.

Here is Hod Lipson's take on PhD applications.

There are differences across fields in what professors are looking for in PhD students. For views on PhD applications in Cell and Molecular Biology, go here.  Point (f) on writing the SOP, is particularly important.  Google "PhD Application Tips", or some thing similar, to learn more.

Q1. What does the PhD applications committee look at?

A1. In no particular order: academic track record, GRE score, research background, fit/interest with departmental research, recommendations from faculty. Departments weight these components differently.

Q2. What’s the secret sauce?

A2. There isn’t one. Different departments weight different components differently. No one can give you one clear cut answer of what drives the decision process.

Q3. What can I do to improve my application?

A3. In the short run: almost nothing! Take the GRE/GMAT, do as well as you can. Write a clean cogent statement of purpose. No fluff. This is a serious research degree. I want to study consumer behavior may be specific enough. Or you choose to be more specific: depending on how much you know about the field, and how far you have thought it all through.

In the long run: research! If you have the time, find relevant faculty in a local university. See if you can work for him/her. Probably for peanuts or even for free. The work may be utterly uninteresting in the beginning. Typical projects involve data cleaning. But over time, maybe a few months, he/she will see your drive and direct you to the right PhD programs. Ask them for relevant papers in your area of interest, even if you are “only the RA” on the project. Your goal is not insidious or unfair. Be there to learn, grow and show your interest. And you will see the difference in your understanding of the “research process”.

When it comes time to write recommendations, the faculty member will then be able to fairly and honestly assess you, and vouch for your competence and drive. The best leg up on the competition is having a faculty member write a great recommendation.

In the even longer run,  a relevant master’s program (maybe in statistics if you want to do quantitative marketing) from a great school will improve your application, and provide you a chance to talk to faculty.

Q4. What is your general advice if you have some time prior to writing your application?

A4. Contact faculty. Don’t waste time trying to find a secret angle to the process. The applications are considered by the entire committee. No professor is going to spend too much time working with you (unless you have some skill set that is tremendously desirable). Instead ask them for a few papers they can recommend in your area of interest. Read the papers, and think about them: are you really interested in what they have to say. If you are: great! Weave that into your statement of purpose. You did the research and now you know what you want to do. Showing purpose and drive (independence) is much appreciated in graduate school. If not: find research that interests you and apply to that program.

Q5. How do I get talk to professors? How do I read the papers? I don't have access to the journals. Which papers, how? Etc.

A5. It is daunting, and difficult at first. But the answers are reasonably simple.

Find a random professor in the sub-field of interest. Say Marketing Strategy. Start with a random paper written by him/her. Most universities have access to the major marketing journals. If you don't, shoot an email to the professor, and ask for a reprint. They should be able to send you a copy of the paper. Read it. See what part of it makes sense. Look at the citations. Follow the links and read more. Read a few more papers by the professor. You don't like their work: no problem. Find another professor, and read that person's work. Repeat ad infinitum.

If you can not get a paper or book, send mail to the author and ask. They will really try to help you. If you still can not get access, ask anyone in academia to help you get access. (If you are really stuck, send me a note).

Bottom line: find some one's work you do "really like" (how ever silly the reason might seem to you). Send that person an email. Explain your interests and particularly what you liked of their work. Be sure to mention that you have read their work: what you like, what you did not like, and what are your thoughts on what is missing.  Feedback is what academics live for. And then ask them, what you should read and do to build the interest towards doing a PhD. If you are genuinely interested and have done the work to figure out why/what/how, they will work with you regardless of location/university etc.

General emails may get ignored. But no one ignores a motivated intelligent student asking great questions.

Q6. How many schools should I apply to?

A6. If you have someone specifically recommending you to a particular program, geographical limitations, or are short on time/money, limit your applications to whatever makes sense. In general, it is very hard to know a priori who will like you and who will not. Options are always desirable. So bite the bullet and apply to more rather than fewer. Do not restrict your applications to only the top 20 business schools as defined by MBA rankings. There are many top 20 business schools with placement records much worse than lower ranked schools.

Q7. I still want to do more. How do I guarantee that I get into …?

A7. Sorry, you really cannot do much more/else. I have been there and the uncertainty of it truly sucks. There is a paucity of information on what programs wants what kind of doctoral student in which year. (This may sound confusing. Consider that marketing has different sub-areas. In different years, different sub-areas tend to choose the incoming graduate students, as a function of current graduate students, faculty interest, etc. Sub-areas weight backgrounds differently and hence choose different students.) Just focus on the applications and enjoy the year before graduate school. That is the best you can do. I really do sympathize ... 

Q8. But the research work I can do pre-PhD is so boring. I want to …

A8. Imagine you want to be a chef. Making a sauce requires training. If you start at your mom’s kitchen that is what you probably started with. Chopping onions requires less training. In a professional program that is what you will start with. The professional kitchen has to keep performing regardless of your training. Priority is dinner, not what you learn. A messed up sauce is a disaster in that setting. And the training is more complicated than your mom’s kitchen.

Incoming graduate students join the “faculty team”. You will work with a faculty member. As in the professional kitchen, everyone earns their stripes. While the hope is that you are not always going to be doing the dirty work, initially expect dreary work. Data cleaning is boring. But in time, life changes and you get to more interesting things. But in the beginning, the priority is keeping the research engine going, and not your training.

Q9. Why do a marketing PhD? What do people do after they get their PhD? Faculty jobs? Post docs?

A9. Very short answer: either stay in academia, go to related industry or else change fields. Specifics depend on the field. The vast majority of marketing PhDs (from the better business schools) enter business academia/schools. But there is tremendous variance in who goes where.

If you really don't know the answer to these questions, take the time to find out more. The PhD is too long and too painful a degree to do as a placeholder or another line in the vita. Further, the PhD, unlike undergraduate programs, does not have a template. Depending on your aims, you will (and should) change your plan of study and research to work for you. To do that, you must know what you want to get out of the PhD: what you expect to do with it.

For marketing: here are three DocSIG surveys with more information.

NEW (2009) Surveys:

Labor Market Survey for Marketing (including 2009)

Who Went Where & Salary Survey 2009

Last words:

The most successful applicants (I would not count myself in that group), in general, planned early to join a PhD program. They took appropriate coursework, interacted with faculty and did some research projects. There is no substitute for that. No short cuts. Academia is littered with smart people who did not make the cut. It takes patience and determination to make it through: keep perspective and remained focused on improving yourself.

Hence the general theme of my advice has been: do whatever research work you can get your hands on prior to applying. A large number of graduate students lose interest and focus. Only the determined ones are successful. The first project is just that: the first project. Do what you can get your hands on, and do it well. Your reward will be a great recommendation, and a faculty connection that will provide you with resources for a long career.

But few of us realize when we are 10 that we want to be marketing researchers. If there is no time to do research, don’t despair. Write a good application, and let the chips fall where they might. If you did well in your academic program and in your GRE, you will be fine. If not, then consider doing a master’s program to train yourself and bolster your credentials. And in that program, consider doing research with a faculty member.

Good luck!

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