Re:A PhD should be about improving society, not chasing acad...
by pc86 on Thursday August 09, 2018 @02:39PM
(#17727130)
> > The high level of dropouts is similarly worrying
Why? Some things are hard and those things will by definition have higher dropout rates. The fact that PhD programs have high dropout rates is not necessarily an issue unto itself.
> You're going to need 2-3 years of experience actually doing research to know if it's something you'll enjoy long term.
Is it realistic to expect a college sophomore to know whether or not they want to pursue a PhD program? I wish more undergraduate programs focused on original research but if yours doesn't you may not get any exposure to it until your senior year (if even then).
Why? Some things are hard and those things will by definition have higher dropout rates. The fact that PhD programs have high dropout rates is not necessarily an issue unto itself.
> You're going to need 2-3 years of experience actually doing research to know if it's something you'll enjoy long term.
Is it realistic to expect a college sophomore to know whether or not they want to pursue a PhD program? I wish more undergraduate programs focused on original research but if yours doesn't you may not get any exposure to it until your senior year (if even then).