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HomeShop at BookSurgeBusiness & EconomicsThe Smart Way to Your Ph.D.: 200 Secrets From 100 Graduates |
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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 13 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 The right source-book for grad students in the US Feb 09, 2009
By F. Janos
If you want to get your degree in the US this is the right resource-book for you! Its approach is very down-to-the earth: through interviewing 100 graduates in a variety of fields and universities the author successfully tipifies the problems which one can encounter during the many years of gradutae studies, offering possible solutions for each of them, and all this in a very enjoyable style. If you are just thinking about entering a graduate program this book helps you to compare your expectations with reality and make a wise decision. If you already are tackling problems in the middle of the fight for your Ph.D. degree the author helps you to take a step back, analyse where the problem lies and how to solve it. Given the broad basis of interviewees it is hardly possible that you cannot find a case similar to yours so that you can see what had worked for others when looking for a solution.
The very thorough Appendix, which includes a wealth of information about financial aid, research databases and job-searching resources, makes it even more worth the money.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 One of many... Mar 23, 2009
By Don
This book is similar to others in the genre (e.g. "Getting What You Came For"). Its primary distinction is that it's new. It is well-written and organized, and easy to skim. I do recommend getting a treatise like this, as opposed to spending hours collecting various articles on the Internet.
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Super insightful introspective Oct 10, 2009
By Elliot Kleiman
"technophilic"
This is the most insightful book on graduate student life that I have ever come across. Its way more than a guide. Instead, it is more of a treatise on how to deal with issues that come up during graduate school. In particular, the author provides relevant personal accounts about students who encountered difficult situations and discusses how they chose to react to them. In addition, the text also showcases stories of happy students, and elaborates on what they did to be successful.
The strength of this book is that it systematically breaks down graduate school into modules, so that you can see the forest for the trees and hopefully not get lost. Its also written in such a way that is both entertaining and useful and not just anecdotal such that you can apply the material presented immediately.
My favorite chapter was chapter 5, "Master Your People Skills". It was my favorite chapter because it remarkably describes strategies for dealing with difficult people, and categorizes difficult people by personality type. Although chapter 5 was my favorite, the most useful for me was chapter 6, "Write and Defend Your Thesis". I recall during the "10-15 hour-sleep-deprivation-100m-dash-thesis-writing-phase" of my life being most stressful, and this chapter really helped me stay focused.
Finally, I would like to share that this book really helped me during some really stressful times during grad school. There were times when I felt totally abandoned, and super isolated from the world, and it was because of the encouragement I received from this book, that I was able to stay focused and graduate.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Book Review Dec 16, 2009
By Everything of Interest
"JW"
This book was a great tool to help me determine if I wanted to pursue a PHD. I would recommend this reading to anyone who was interested in going this route to see if they really wanted to do it.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
"In Their Own Words" Sep 11, 2009
By Elizabeth Bussiere
"professor and mentor"
What I found most valuable about "The Smart Way to Your Ph.D.: 200 Secrets from 100 Graduates" is the fact that the advice is conveyed in students/former students' own words. Graduate students, in my experience, are much more apt to "hear" advice given by people for whom the doctoral experience is very fresh in their minds than by a dissertation advisor who may be many years out of a Ph.D. program (and who is a superior to his or her graduate students).
Additionally, I appreciate the concreteness and practicality of the advice contained in this book. There are tangible strategies that are offered -- questions that graduate students can ask themselves, exercises they can perform, and ways of tapping into their abilities rather than fixating on their insecurities or guilt over feeling behind. The book treats the individual as a full human being, not a disembodied brain. Thus, it deals with issues like anxiety and time-management and not just the nuts and bolts of a dissertation [proposal].
Finally, the book is comprehensive in scope. It is useful not only for current doctoral students but also for individuals who are considering applying to doctoral programs. I intend to share the book with my serious undergraduates (and former students) who know they wish to pursue a Ph.D. as well as those who are contemplating it.
See all 13 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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