4 ms·
One anecdote about increasing competitiveness: some paths to phd sciences involve now “post bac”. You spend a few years after your bachelors working in a resear
by j7ake 4y ago
One anecdote about increasing competitiveness: some paths to phd sciences involve now “post bac”. You spend a few years after your bachelors working in a research lab to get your name on a paper and a reference letter to get you into a top PhD program.
This postbac, coupled with longer postdocs and tougher tenure track, mean the academic path is getting harder and harder to realise.
- junofan 4y agoIt’s a lot easier if you have a relative who’s walked that path. Therefore it’s becoming hereditary at competitive programs.
- scaredginger 4y agoI think 'nepotistic' is a better description
- bongoman37 4y ago
- atemerev 4y agoThat’s because there is no shortage of new entrants to the academia. Everyone still wants their PhD (myself included) for some mystical reason.
- j7ake 4y agoOne reason is that a bachelors degree in many sciences (eg life sciences) does not lead to many good jobs. In life sciences, getting a job after your PhD is an entry level job.
- atemerev 4y agoGetting a job right after your PhD is by definition an entry level job — it will be a first one (and it will pay poorly, unless you are going to quant finance — and you can go there without a PhD too). So getting a PhD to get a better job makes nearly zero sense. You only need one if you plan to stay in the academia (I do, but it will be extremely hard).