Hi everyone,

I've completed my studies in CS with first class Hns. I want to go to PhD but the problem is I'm afraid that I might not be able to catch up with all those new stuff. I'm sure there're many people done their PhD here on this forum. I need a bit of advice from those who has experienced in this kinda situation and how ya guys managed to come up with a decision of whether to give it a go or not. I'm thinking of working a year or two first and then go for PhD. Umm any sort of input would be appreciated since i'm pretty blur here. Thanks all in advance.

i think this thread belongs in education essentials

yes it does.

do phd because you like learning new things. dont do it because you think it will get you more money or better future.

phd must be able to learn for the sake of learning.

do also get some experience outside of academia. dont confine yourself in the university. sometimes the way people think inside research labs does not match with rest of the industry.

and yes, this belong more in education essential. and this subforum should be renamed to something else. i'm pretty sure most of us dont have phd despite acting in general like smart asses

thread moved.

Anyways, out of curiosity, any idea as yet on what topic you want to do your PhD on?

Also, if you're to go out and work first how sure are you that you'll return to do your PhD later?

Thanks I was trying to figure out how to move my post to somewhere it belongs. Well I don't think I can do it anyway. Yeah thanks for pointing that out. I wish to continue some research based Ph.D in computing. Good point. That's what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid that I might not wanna do Ph.D again if i were to go to work but I need to work first to save up some money anyway I think. Just one thing which makes me a bit confused. Some universities say it's required to take GRE general test in order to do Ph.D and some says it's ok as long as the candidate is a first and second upper class student. a bit confused about those stuff too. Any suggestions would be much appreciated

Usually those intending to pursue Ph.D,will work and gain exposure to ensure better understanding and learning and plus,it'll definitely help in your thesis.Unless you're planning to take part time and willing to endure strict balancing with work and studies,then go ahead.

As per my earlier question, have you got any idea as yet on what topic you wish to do your PhD in? A PhD is a research based degree, hence you cannot just enroll into it like you do for a coursework based degree. You'll need to already know what your thesis is going to be in, and most times you will need to submit this information together with your application.

Its actually very seldom that people do their PhD fully self funded, due to the sheer cost of it. Most times is either under a full scholarship or a partial scholarship, depending on whether the university has got the funds or not, and also depending on the topic of the thesis as well as if your thesis topic can attract a supervisor who can help you get the funds for a scholarship or not. This is also why I had asked you the question above, on if you've already finalized on what your thesis topic is to be.

There are also those who purposely opted for a partial scholarship instead of a full scholarship due to the sheer pressure of the need to finish their thesis in the time specified, or face the risk of their scholarship funding being terminated. And I've seen a lot of very smart people buckling under such pressure too.

Its kinda like what you had just said, some universities say this, others say that. In other words, it very much depends on the university, as different universities has got different requirements.

Some universities may accept you based on your 1st class undergrad degree, others may require you to take a research based masters degree first, also depending on what your honors thesis is on, and also what university your undergrad is from also.

1st class bachelor degree holders can opt to pursue PhD directly in most local public universities. the fees will be around the range of 2k for 1st semester and 1.8k for subsequent semesters.

rather than trying to come up with your own research topic with limited exposure to the current research activities in a that field (assuming u decide not to work first), it would be advisable to choose your supervisor instead. narrow it down to lecturers in your interested field of study with good research record (publications/patents) and of course the grants he/she has for that particular research.

I don't see why you would need a PhD other than to become a professor ... that's almost the only reason.

Thanks for shedding light on me. It appears that I need to do a lot of preparations before going for PhD. After reading all the posts, I think I must have a draft idea about what my research is gonna be before I actually go ahead and enroll the course. Since, I'm currently pretty blur about it, I think it's better for me to go after a year or two after I gained some working experience. Just one last question. What do we mean by research in PhD ? Does that mean we must come up with some new ideas ? I mean something like a human like computer or a computer which can actually play football . Would that be ok if I were to do something based on the current available projects like teaching OS or something like that which has already been done ? Thanks all for helping me out this far.

A good starting point for research topics in PhD is often an extension of the work you've done in your Honours thesis. As you obtained First Class Honours in your undergraduate thesis, I believe it should be a topic worth pursuing a PhD in, assuming your interests are still aligned to that domain. Publication is essential, so your topics should be novel and interesting enough to gain acceptance into conferences, workshops, journals, etc. PhD is not a coursework-based degree.

I think you should only do a phd if you want to be a professor. If you intend to work in the market, getting a phD might actually backfire because you'll be spending a long time in the academia while your peers build up market experience.

most ppl today in Comp Sci or Engineering or Sci (Biostatistic/Chem/Bio) do Phd to go into the industry to do research not stuck in academia.
its certainly better to work 2yrs of so b4 embarking on your Phd. of course U do find many Phd candidates going for internship/coop.
those PRC/Indians that I come across graduating with their Phd some start working as a Senior Engineer others start off a program/project manager/researchers in Labs. when times are good Phd Biostat researchers in the US are making ~US$100K today.. more like US$70K.

U don't really need to have concrete idea to go to do Phd. many ppl I know just get into a program after a yr or 2 then start looking for topics.
again depending where u go. UK no qualifying exams to do ppl just focus on research topics. US do have qualifying exams on top of coursework. some Uni attrition rates are as high as 90%! others more like 50%. in most cases fail the exams twice and u are out of the program.

This post has been edited by patryn33: Feb 16 2010, 10:18 AM

WOW Thanks all ya guys. Well I think it's better off to do PhD after I've earned some working experience. I feel it's better in that way. Again thanks all for helping me to make up my mind. cheers !

go forum phd school lowyat ba .

PhD ...

some says , Permanent head Damage..
others say, Philosophy Doctorate...

btw, PhD s about research. Have you tried doing research before?
Bsc and PhD is totally different league, while during Bsc you might go to class, fed by your lecturers however PhD -all is on you! Your supervisor won't give a damn whether you pass or not.. I'm talking about good supervisors, not the kiasu type..

Bsc taken at a Real good school.. rest assured your Prof isn't there to spoonfed U, going thru textbook materials.
Its extremely common to find pop quiz b4 lecture. Lecture can be conducted in the from of Q&A.

anyhow, Good Advisors actually care U pass or not!!!!
Phd isn't all on U.. Advisors and your fellow mates do help u out alittle. of course u need to mantain good relationship with them.

Kiasu type, are generally new prof.. they need U to clock numbers of paper publish.
I have met some that stick with their students in the lab into the wee hours.

anyway, depends where TS wanna go.. Phd in OZ may not be that hard to get.. 3+yrs after bach.. no qualifying exam.
head to US/Canada and its easy 6-8yrs!
I have met a few Singaporean (rejects from their local system) getting a Phd in OZ.

what is OZ ? btw, can anybody tell me what is a big difference between longer period to complete PhD and shorter one. Like patryn33 mentioned some takes 3+ yrs and some takes 6-8 yrs ? Well I absolutely not planning to do sth that takes an awfully looong time . That sounds almost boring just by hearing it but wanna know if there's any difference or not.