Recommended Advice
Experience from seniors on selecting advisors and graduate studies
Original Link
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/u3BOZ4b2AePry8LHrgUpLw
Main Text
A few months ago, when I was writing my graduation thesis, I wanted to write on this topic but got delayed due to being busy with thesis exams and various other things. Finally, after graduating and returning home, I had plenty of time. Every time I opened the document, I felt unable to write even one-tenth or one-fifth of what I had in mind. Writing too little would seem too shallow and one-sided, while writing too much made me worry about being complicated, redundant, and unclear in structure.
I have delayed it for more than a month, and coincidentally today is Doctor’s Day. I thought, “Finishing is more important than perfection,” so I’ll just write randomly. From determining the advisor during the long study program to the various aspects of clinical training during the professional master’s program, the following is roughly categorized according to the “timeline” and “task load.”
Preface: For the long study program, it generally defaults to professional master’s/PhD (requiring clinical training in hospitals), but it is also possible to apply with the school to switch to scientific master’s/PhD (no clinical training needed). The following are some small suggestions based on my three-year professional master’s study experience. I hope it can provide some reference for junior students.
1
In acupuncture medicine, clinical courses start in the third year. Some classmates already begin to contact advisors at this time. The school roughly collects the “Advisor Confirmation Forms” around September, between the end of the fourth year and the beginning of the fifth year. Some hospitals will organize “admission assessments,” including written tests and interviews. You can ask senior students at your preferred hospital for details.
2
Choosing departments and advisors is a very complex issue that requires considering various factors based on one’s own situation.
2.1 From your own perspective: first clarify your general plan for the future.
① Do you plan to work in the city where you study or return to your hometown?
② Do you plan to work in a tertiary hospital or community hospital?
③ Do you intend to pursue a PhD degree?
④ Which department suits your ability and personality better: internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, or pediatrics?
⑤ What gaps currently exist between your ability and your ideal situation?
⑥ What are your core competencies (self-evaluation + evaluation by family, friends, and teachers)?
Based on this, roughly determine the hospital/department you want to choose.
2.2 From the advisor’s perspective: after the evaluation in 2.1, you will get a narrowed list of potential advisors.
Then comes the mutual selection stage. You can understand the advisor’s team atmosphere through ① reading papers published by the team; ② observing outpatient clinics; ③ consulting senior students, etc.
At the same time, prepare your resume (if you happen to have seniors who are students of your preferred advisor, it’s best to have them help revise your resume).
2.3 Throughout this process, it’s especially important to communicate and exchange information with seniors and peers to obtain relatively objective information. Whether it’s your judgment or that of hospitals/departments, only by being relatively objective can you avoid many twists and difficulties in the later study process.
3
Daily life in the professional master’s program requires balancing classes and clinical training; some advisors also require handling animal/cell experiments.
Department rotation is somewhat mysterious; whether you learn something, how much you learn, and what you learn depend to a certain extent on the hospital and department atmosphere but largely on personal choice.
4
From the “task load” perspective, to obtain the dual certification according to the training plan, you must complete the following tasks:
① Complete credits, including “Master Lecturer Series” and “Social Practice/Volunteer Service”
② Achieve qualified language proficiency scores
③ Publish papers meeting requirements (the school’s graduate website publishes the applicable journal directory for each year)
④ Pass the medical practitioner qualification exam
⑤ Pass the thesis defense
⑥ Pass the clinical training exam
4.1 Regarding course selection, it is recommended to ask seniors about course contents, teaching methods, assessment forms, grading, etc.
Based on past experience, to apply for a direct recommendation exemption for doctoral study, all course grades must be no less than 80.
4.2 For the thesis to apply for the degree, the first author’s institution must be the school, and the corresponding author must be the advisor.
The school’s journal directory does not include English journals. If you want to use English articles to apply for a degree, you need to consult the degree office about the eligibility of the journals.
5
Most importantly, clarify your main tasks throughout the entire graduate study process. It is important to have a clear plan for your future general direction, set detailed goals, and execute them seriously. Setting aside other aspects, simply commuting two hours every day can accumulate to make one feel overwhelmed, so maintaining the right mentality is crucial! Be sure to communicate and exchange ideas with peers from other departments, hospitals, and majors.
6
Day after day working in hospitals can inevitably cause fatigue, especially when facing seemingly endless work that never seems to be done well. It is easy to fall into self-doubt. However, you should also tell yourself: just because everyone is like this does not mean such a life state is correct. Learn to get out of negative emotions, discover the beautiful parts of life, and actively find solutions to problems. Also, having a “sense of faith” will offset a large portion of unhappiness~
7
Physical and mental health is the top priority; occasionally “pressing the pause button” in life is not shameful. At any time, if you realize your health has problems, seek help promptly and accept professional treatment. In daily life, proper rest, eating well, and exercising are essential.
8
Regarding several ways to pursue a PhD at our school (clinical recommendation, application review, Danxin Plan, unified exam), related conditions can be followed on the Graduate Student Union’s WeChat official account, which hosts experience-sharing lectures from seniors. The Danxin Plan also has its own official account to publish related information. In summary, after clarifying your goals, collect information from various sources, make targeted plans according to your situation, and execute seriously.
9
I’ve written so much disorganized stuff; if anything is inappropriate or unclear, I welcome you to leave me a message~
Finally, I wish everyone to become the ideal version of themselves.
And still, sending lots of love to my cuties 