Thread by @chinwemadubuike

I’m humbled & happy to see that my tweet, along with tweets from my new #BlackintheIvory allies, has reached such an engaged audience! While I had a short cold intro to academia, here are some tips from my experience getting into a PhD program. A thread:

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I’m still navigating my path but maybe sharing the following can encourage people on their own academic journey. This is based on my experience and in no way am I trying to minimize or represent anyone else’s experience. FYI: I'll try to keep it light!

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1. First, get some work experience before you apply to a PhD program. Doctoral research starts with a question, then you answer that question for several years. I’d worked in #globalhealth so I’d tangoed with research, fallen in love & was ready to commit.

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But I noticed that there were very few people in the field who looked like me. When I travelled to certain countries, I was often the first black person to grace the place. I was asked if I knew people like Lauren Hill, Beyonce, etc.

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Wherever I was in the world, I was always excited to see another black person in a meeting where decisions were being made about fellow black people. I was just a young professional, so I believed getting a PhD would help me become a decision-maker.

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I also had a desire to answer a question in my field. When dev agencies spoke about empowering African women, which women were they talking about? Christian? Sex workers? Market women? Married? Single? Aaaalllll of them?? Which power? You get the idea.

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I had this question because I noticed that the women they were referring to as disempowered were FAR from it in many ways. Plus, the same type of women were the targets of these programs yet very little seemed to change.

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Fortunately, I worked with a few other people who saw this, too. Encouraged me to keep asking. Sounds pretty basic nowadays but please note that I started my research pre-social media. So we all know this was AGES ago!

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2. Prepare your research proposal BEFORE you apply. This strengthens your application in two ways. First, it gives the faculty a peak into your independent thinking, initiative, analytical abilities, and writing skills.

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Second, it helps you start shopping around for your supervisor(s). You are going to need a supervisor who will stick with you and your research for a few years. This is more likely if your research proposal fits into their research interests. So, write!

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However, if you’re continuing your studies right after your Master's degree, you probably know what you want to research. But if you need to work to gain experience and start saving tuition money, like I did, please write the proposal.

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It will show you have something to offer, match you with an academic who sees your value, and hopefully save you time & $$ once you’ve started the PhD. I spent every Saturday that I wasn’t travelling, at the NIH Library for 6 months, writing my proposal.

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My research topic never changed. But once I was accepted and completed my coursework, I revised it a zillion times to make sure I could actually carry out my fieldwork and meet the PhD exam requirements. Be open to revision; it leads to improvement.

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3. Send your proposal to prospective schools and faculty BEFORE you apply. This might seem like extra work but it works like your CV but even better. It gets you in the door so that both you & the school can check if you’re a good fit for one another.

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Our ancestors conducted similar investigations before family members got married. Please use this valuable skill to suss out the right PhD program for you.

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Yes, there are supervisor-student relationships that outlast some marriages, depending on how long it takes to finish the doctorate. A lengthy PhD program is not your portion! Partner well.

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When I was told that my work was too ambitious, the grace of God pushed back the thunder-fire of God and had me ask the director where else I could take my research. He told me Harvard and LSE.

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I emailed my proposal to Harvard first and got a lovely reply from professor who wanted to supervise me but was going on a 5-year sabbatical. My younger, eager self couldn’t wait so I emailed LSE and here we are. Be so good that they can't reject you!

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4. Get a squad! I started my PhD pre-Twitter(ish) so no online joy. But as soon as I moved to London, I got saved and joined a great church. I also had very supportive classmates despite being the only black person in my department for a few years.

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Like many people of Nigerian descent, I had friends & family in London. They provided emotional support although I didn’t burden them with my academic/$$$ woes. After a while, I didn’t even see them. Prepare to become an outcast! Bye-bye, Nigerian weddings!

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Done! I hope this helps someone! I’m glad that there's a network of black academics and practitioners on Twitter, and people like @MomentsWithBren and @amuta_ann that help people achieve #highered goals. Pls reach out to them and me, if you have questions.

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Wait, here's a brief recap on getting into a PhD program:

1. Get some work experience BEFORE you apply
2. Prepare your research proposal BEFORE you apply
3. Send your proposal to prospective schools and faculty BEFORE you apply.
4. Get a support squad.

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Representation matters now more than ever before! We’re ALIVE for such a time as this! We're the light of the world, cities on hills, repairers of the breach, restorers of broken paths! Omitted tons. Trying times; tried to keep it light. God bless you!

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