By putting more and more weight on UG or pre-doc research experiences in grad admissions, Phd programs are (1) compounding role of luck and structural inequities in access to RA positions and (2) creating incentives for students to specialize too early and become narrow thinkers.
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@WeedenKim
Surely UGs have some agency in this and their subsequent grad decisions? Feels paternalistic to tell someone they've chosen to become a narrow thinker because of their early research pursuits.
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@SashaGusevPosts
Sure, students have agency, but UG RA slots are scarce, and much luck goes into securing one, esp. in the area or topic of most interest to student, under a good mentor.
Problem is that admissions committees' criteria & process tends to create path dependence.
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@WeedenKim
The same goes for med schools. I was shocked to learn some of my students went to pre-med high schools!
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@WeedenKim
+1
Signed,
A graduate of a small liberal arts college (who had many privileges, including research experiences, but nothing like what we see in PhD applications today.)
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@WeedenKim
FWIW my undergrad research experience was so eye-opening in terms of realizing that socially relevant research can't usually be undertaken from the perspective of one single discipline🧐 if anything it steered me away from a narrow specialization
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@WeedenKim
But if we stop prioritizing per-doc research experience, how will some of academic factories carrying our major research programs find smart and motivated full time employees who accept poor pay and long hours for recommendation letters?
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@WeedenKim
100% agree. Risk is not just within-field specialization but general specialization.
Maybe a CS grad student with a double-major in sociology is a better admit than someone who basically spent everything 300-level and above mainlining CS.
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@WeedenKim
How? I was advantaged by an emphasis on research because I did a lot of research at my public university. The alternative would be an emphasis on UG credentials and school ranking which buries students who want to public unis and privileges rich private school kids.
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@WeedenKim
As a student, I wish I had more chances to conduct or participate in research project so that I know if I like doing research or not, if I like some research topic or not.
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@WeedenKim
This is especially true for those who have connections to faculty through family or friends. I applied a few times before I was even seriously considered by a research lab.
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