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楼主: PHDream16

[咨询答疑] 大叔的Accounting PHD梦能实现吗?

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 楼主| 发表于 2015-12-29 00:42:52 | 显示全部楼层
白色鸢尾 发表于 2015-12-28 11:24
跑题请教一下LZ,怎么确定教授能不能给强推啊?是当面聊出来的还是email要推荐信的时候直接问呢?

毕业好 ...

First of all, you should say in your email expressly: would you be able to write a strong recommendation for my application? If he or she accepts your request, his or her recommendation will most likely be good. A typical good recommendation reads like this: you are one of his best students, and he is confident that you have the motivation and intellectual capacity to do well in the PHD program. If he or she really likes you, he or she may go out of his/her way to add some details to make it more convincing. This is not easy, and it takes a lot of time to write a strong recommendation. He or she may also ask if there is anything you would like him or her to stress in his/her reference, as one of my professors did.

My case may be a bit different. My professors told me they would. One (Professor A) said that he would write a strong recommendation for me years ago should I need one, because I was one of his very best students. The other (Professor B) said that he would write an excellent recommendation for me and it’s a pleasure to write recommendation for such a good candidate. I’m going to elaborate why they were so kind to me. It may not help you at this stage, but may help future applicants when they try to gather recommendations. In doing this, I’m going to say something about myself, not to show how good I was, but to make the point.

Ideally, you should identify potential referees and keep in touch with them as your study progresses if you know you will need references in the future. I have always wanted to do a PHD, but I didn’t know if I would be able to do it two years ago when I started my current program. Actually, I was very pessimistic, feeling that I have passed the age for a PHD. Therefore, I did not try to impress any professors. However, my passion for academics naturally draw me to some professors.

I took Professor A’s class at the beginning of the program. He had given us a very hard exam, and almost everyone complained at the end of it. A few students said it was the worst exam they ever had in their lives. It was not the kind of exams people would expect in a MBA program. MBA exams are generally easily, and are not designed to be intellectually challenging. As a student who had survived high school in China, I did not find the exams to be extremely hard. There was one question I was not quite sure, and I emailed him about it. In my email, I also expressed my appreciation for the course. He told me that I was the top student in the class, and if I need a strong letter of reference, he would be very happy to provide one for me. I did not have such a need at the time, and I did not expect that I would need one in the future, but I did keep in touch with him. Later he wrote reference for a scholarship I applied for. When I finally decided to do a PHD, he was very happy to help. We met in the early morning one day, and by early afternoon in the same day, he had submitted the references for all the schools I applied for. The takeaway is professors like to hear from their students. If you enjoy a course, tell them.

My experience with Professor B is a bit different. When I asked him for reference, my course with him was not finished yet. I did not even have written his final exam. There were a couple of lectures left. Actually I had not plan to ask him for recommendation. I was asking an accounting professor for reference, but did not get his response. His PHD student told me he was a way, and would not be back in a few weeks. I was afraid that I might not be able to meet the deadlines, so I asked Professor B instead, for a few reasons. I did fairly well in the assignments and I felt he was impressed. He wrote recommendation a few years ago for a PHD student I spoke to. The PHD student got two offers then, and told me that his reference probably carried the most weight. Lastly, it never hurts to ask. Therefore, I emailed him, thanking him for the great course and telling him how much I have enjoyed it, which was true. I was not trying to flatter anyone. I just expressed my true appreciation, and when you are genuine, people will feel it. He happily accepted my request, and asked for my resume, personal statement, and transcript so that he can have extra information to write me an excellent reference. When he saw my resume, personal statement, and transcript, he said it is a pleasure to write recommendation for such a good candidate. The take away: Talk to the people in the same school who have applied to PHD before. They are able to provide you a lot of useful information. And it never hurts to ask. It never hurts to try.

It’s quiet today. I’m sitting in my office with little to do. I have written something long. Good luck, my friend!
 楼主| 发表于 2015-12-29 01:15:08 | 显示全部楼层
zae莞尔 发表于 2015-12-28 17:39
不知道楼主有没有申请waterloo,感觉对有工作经验的人非常友好;
work shop和seminar还是非常有帮助的,不 ...

Yes, I applied to Waterloo, which is very friendly to older applicants with practical experience. It is my only real hope, I believe. I attended a couple of workshops. I should have attended more. When I emailed the PHD director at a school a few days ago telling him that I have submitted my application. I met with him earlier this year. One of his comments is that he’s surprised that I was not attending workshops/seminars or visiting any faculty. I told him that I have to work. The major constraint I did not mention is that I was not sure if I am able to apply. I have been trying to win the support of my family, and until this day, I still do not have a positive answer. But I applied anyway. I may not be able to get into any school. I have been preparing for PHD programs, but in other ways. Seeing some candidates having CFA, I studied for and passed CFA Level 2 and Level 3 over the past year. I have also been brushing up my math. Attending workshops/seminars is probably the best way and easier way, I realize.
发表于 2015-12-29 10:05:14 | 显示全部楼层
PHDream16 发表于 2015-12-29 00:42
First of all, you should say in your email expressly: would you be able to write a strong recommen ...

感谢LZ的详细回复,受益匪浅!虽然现在才看到这些,对于我的申请来说的确实已经晚了,不过对未来的申请者太有用了。其实现在看到这些也不算晚,即使过去没有做好,对于以后为人处世也颇有启发,也算是学会亡羊补牢了。
发表于 2015-12-29 19:06:46 | 显示全部楼层
PHDream16 发表于 2015-12-29 01:15
Yes, I applied to Waterloo, which is very friendly to older applicants with practical experience.  ...

Good luck! Looking forward to hearing your good news
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