A guide to apply to a USA Ph.D.

program

Kevin A. Villegas Rosales

 I am not an individual,
but the collective effort of the people that believed in me.

2
INDEX

CONTENT

Introduction: What I wish I knew when I was a Freshman

1. The school of your dreams: graduate admission

2. The school of your dreams: application checklist

3. The TOEFL, the GRE, and the GRE subject

4. What sets you apart: the letter of recommendation

5. You are not a robot: statement of purpose

6. The Resume is not an academic document: the curriculum vitae (CV)

7. You against the world: the transcript plus some side documents

8. Fighting back uncertainty: the post application e-mail

9. Just one final step: interviews

10. Further reading

Acknowledgements
Introduction

Introduction: What I wish I knew when I was a Freshman

This guide is a compilation of the knowledge that I gathered when I applied to graduate school
in the fall of 2015. I wish that this guide spreads widely and not only to the REPU community.
Indeed, I hope it brings light to the so dark question of how do I get into a graduate program?

I would like to begin with a note about English. As you may have noticed I chose to write this
document in English, even though it is not my native language. Nevertheless, it seems to be
the native language of science. It is ubiquitous. As a matter of fact, English is part of the game.
To those that are not versed in English, I hope you can find your way through this guide –
maybe to even use it as an initial motivation to get better at it.

Now, I want to introduce one part of myself. I am an applied physics major (ingenierio fisico)
and I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in an electrical engineer program – nonetheless, my
research focuses in fundamental physics. Having said that, this guide will mainly shed light to
science and engineer majors. For those of you who are not in the sciences/engineering,
extrapolate ideas from this document to achieve what you want.

Luis Jauregui suggested to me to write a document of all the information of the process.
Fortunately, he knew better than I do, so I poured thousands of words in the first draft right
after the end of my application process.

Now, it is hard to reach out to everybody – to help to everybody. To alleviate that, I want to
handle this guide to you because I might not be able to reach out to you in person, but I do want
everyone to have the same opportunities, or at least to some extent a similarity of what I had.

In the title I put What I wish I had knew when I was a Freshman (first year of undergraduate)
and I mean it, so here it goes. You do not need to get your professional degree (el titulo) to
pursue a master’s or a Ph.D., period. It is enough to get your baccalaureate, meaning you just
need to fulfill all your courses requirements. Ph.D.’s in the sciences/engineering are funded,
which means that you will get a stipend for your living expenses and the tuition will be paid
by your professors’ grants as a research assistant or from a teaching assistantship. So, they pay
you to pursue a higher education. In a nutshell, if you decided to pursue a graduate degree you
will very likely get paid to live abroad, meet people from all over the world. Yet, there is a very
strong caveat you will need to learn how to do research.

Let me go back to the caveat. A few weeks ago, I learned that you don’t call a Physicist a
person who studied physics for their undergraduate, you call them physics majors. Indeed, it is
great that you have learned a lot of textbook physics and the math that you need to understand
it, however you haven’t learned how to do physics. Only after you earn your Ph.D. in physics
we would call you a Physicist. Well, yes, I only wrote about physics because is what I do, but
you just change that word for what ever major you do (it does not apply for engineer, I think).

The end of the beginning: if I did it, for sure you can do it too. My intentions with this
paragraph are to unveil any sort of myth, I am not more special that what you are. When I was
admitted to UNI (applied physics program) I had no idea that I would end up in a graduate
program. Indeed, back in high school I did not know that I was going to study applied physics.
To dig even further, I didn’t know that UNI or science majors existed until my senior year in
high school. To make things more ironic I did not learn kinematics until that senior high school
year, hence, ‘la pre’ was hard. My admission ranking was 61 when only 60 people was

4
Introduction

supposed to be admitted in that entrance examination – I tied the 60th place with a three digits
grade. I was admitted to my fifth option out of five – apparently to the carrier that I wanted to
pursue the least. I failed my first formal-physics mid-term and barely passed the final exam .
The same professor who gave me a hard time in that first class return to blow me off two years
later by grading my mid-term with 04/20 and gave a 20/20 to the other Kevin of the class.
Research internships rejected me from left to right, but I needed only one to accept me and that
is how things started rolling. With the help of great people, I am here writing to you and I really
want to pass along the message that if I did it¸ for sure you can do it too.

5
1. Looking for the school you want to apply to

1. The school of your dreams: graduate admissions

The first step is to know to which schools you want to apply to. To search schools that are your
preferences could take several weeks. So if you are still taking classes I would recommend to
you to begin several months in advance before December (I started in August – the whole
process).

It is a good idea to know why you would like to apply to a school – it increases your chances
of a happy graduate period once you are inside. For example, it is easy and tempting to look at
school rankings and choose by finger the very top ones. But, there are important considerations
to weight in.

• One consideration is the research topic. For example, you want to pursue spintronics
during your Ph.D. and you pick University of Michigan from the ranking. Nevertheless,
there are no professors working in spintronics there. In that case you should discard
University of Michigan from your list; even though, it might be the most ranked school
in USA. You need to find a match between your interests and what the school can offer
to you. (this is a fictitious example)

• A second consideration is the faculty. My seniors recommended to me to choose a

school that has at least 3 faculty that interested me – now, I have to agree with it. Before
you get to the place and meet the groups/faculty and environment/research lines you
have limited information to decide about your adviser. So, if your most desired option
goes wrong, you still have more people among who you can pick up an adviser.

I consider the two academic-reasons above the most relevant to pick up a school. Nevertheless,
there are other factors to take into consideration.

• Ranking – I believe it is a valid desire.

• Size of the research groups. Some schools tend to have 20 to 30 people working under
the same advisor, but there are other schools that have around 5 to 10 people in the
research groups. Usually, the first group has a correlation with hands-off adviser, and
the latter group with a more hands-on adviser.

• And, last but not least the location of the school. You will spend at least 5 years in a
graduate program, so the location is very important – weather, attractions, etc.

Now, to look for a specific graduate program through the internet.

As an example, I picked the Electrical Engineer and Computer Science program of Purdue
University.

In a search engine type: ‘electrical engineering graduate program Purdue University’, see
Figure 1a. Electrical engineering are the words that will lead you to a specific degree, graduate
program is to specify that you are looking for a masters or a Ph.D. program, and Purdue
University is to specify which university you are interested into. You can change these
combinations of words to fit your own case.

6
1. Looking for the school you want to apply to

Pick the first link (red box, Fig. 1a). The website of the Electrical and Computer Engineering
of Purdue University will pop-up, see Figure 1b. When you are interested into applying to a
graduate program you are catalogued as a prospective student (red box, Fig. 1b).

In Figure 1c, the new window displays two branches of options, one for the undergraduates
and the other for graduate students. You will choose the one for graduate students.

In Figure 1d, the new window displays many links that are related to the application. The links
range from the deadlines, FAQs, and the online application itself. It is this windows where you
will look down all the information that you will need for a successful application.

The application is online. You will be required to upload all your documents, yet some schools
still require a physical copy of your transcripts. Letter of recommendations are also managed
through the internet. When you complete the questionnaire, you will have to submit your
application and pay a fee. The fee is due to pay only when you are about to submit your
information, not before. Which means that you can slowly fill in information at your own pace.

Please generalized these previous paragraph to any graduate program of your interest. It may
even work for schools around the world as well.

7
1. Looking for the school you want to apply to

Figure 1a. Google search.

Figure 1b. Inside of the graduate program website.

8
1. Looking for the school you want to apply to

Figure 1c. Inside of the prospective students’ website.

Figure 1d. Inside of the applying to Purdue website.

9
2. Getting all the info for the school application

2. The school of your dreams: the application check-list

After you picked about 10 schools that you are interested in it is time to gather what these
different schools require from you. For example, the most important information is the
application deadline. Many schools, in USA, have 15th of December as the deadline.
Nevertheless, there are many others that have deadlines at the beginning of December or at the
beginning of January. I used Google’s spreadsheet to harvest the information.

I want to suggest you a very simple rule – apply at least to 10 graduate programs. The
upper cap of admission rate is around 5 % or less at each school. Depending on the school and
your application profile that probability varies. It is just simple probabilities, isn’t? The larger
the number of programs that you apply to, the better.

The first part of the spreadsheet, will contain the information that appear at Figure 2a. The
application website is important because you will be entering many times to it during the whole
process e.g. to fill the questionnaire, check out requirements, etc. On the other hand, the
deadline is to remind yourself where you are in the application process.

The section Require is important to keep a record of the things you must gather to complete
the application form. And more important is the Criteria. Why? Because it is the metric of
what previous admitted applicants had in average – this is your minimum requirements.

Another simple rule – your profile has to be above the average scores/grades that the
university offers as their previous records. For example, let’s consider that in a certain school
the average GRE math score is 166, then at least you need to score that to be considered in the
review application.

A perfect score in the standardized tests (GRE, TOEFL) won’t grant you the admission,
however, be on the top of the applicants-pile. What I mean is to get the best possiblescore, so
that your application doesn’t get any scrutiny before getting to the letters. Another rule – aim
for a perfect score in the math GRE and above 100 in the TOEFL. The math GRE is just high-
school math, and to get a 100 in the TOEFL you just need to get to know the test well. I took
the GRE math twice to increase my score and went through the admission with a 167 (just one
mistake in the test). One more time, be in the top of the pile of 500+ applicants with your
standardized test – it will guarantee you that the admission committee will review your letters.
Do not aim for less, it is a must.

The second part of the spreadsheet is related to the faculty of your interest, see Figure 2. You
need to pick up at least three professors, mainly because their work aligns well with your
interests. To get to know the faculty you can note down some publications that caught your
attention – it will be useful as well when you are about to write the post-application e-mail
(section 8).

10
2. Getting all the info for the school application

Figure 2a. First part of the excel-like sheet.

Figure 2b. Second part of the excel-like sheet.

11
3. Get ready for GRE, GRE subject, and TOEFL

3. Get ready for GRE, GRE subject, and TOELF

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language
(TOEFL) are mandatory requirements for the application. In some cases, the GRE Subject can
be required too.

The GRE subject can be a test of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, Psychology,
History, etc. and they are required for a specific department e.g. the Physics, Chemistry
department, etc. Furthermore, engineer departments do not require the GRE Subject test.

First, the TOEFL. It aims to measure your proficiency in English. It is taken by foreigners
whose native language is not English. The test consist of four sections: reading, listening,
speaking, and writing. Each section conveys a maximum score of 30 points.

Some graduate programs requirement a minimum TOEFL score for the application to be
reviewed. They do warn you that if your TOEFL score is under their cut-off, to not apply.

For example, EECS MIT program requires a minimum score of a 100. Browsing through
different program’s websites I realized that a 100 is the maximum cap that different
admission’s offices requires. Besides a total score, some offices require specific scores in
specific sections.

Let’s see an example. The TOEFL minimum score of the electrical engineer program at Purdue
University is 77. The website also specifies that a minimum of 22 for the writing section and
23 for the speaking section. The wrote that the latter will be used toward the consideration of
a teaching assistantship. Princeton University does not ask for a minimum total score, but a
minimum score of 28 in the speaking section must be achieved, otherwise, the upcoming
admitted student must take an English Placement Test.

In regards of how early you need to take the TOEFL. After you take the test, one week and a
half later the results will be send to you through e-mail. Approximately, 2 weeks after you
received the e-mail the test scores will be received at each designated school. So, in the most
treacherous situation you can consider taking the TOEFL maximum 1 month ahead from the
final deadline. In some cases, some programs allow the scores to arrive later than the deadline
but this is not a rule of thumb. I recall that I started studying early in August and took the test
a month and a half later – practicing daily, indeed.

After you take the TOEFL, your scores have a validity of up to two years. That means that you
do not need to take the exam right before the deadlines.

Once you register for the TOEFL (http://www.ets.org/es/toefl) you will be granted the chance
to send your scores to 4 schools for free – well you paid for the test already, isn’t? If you want
to send more scores, each school is 15 dollars extra.

Regarding preparation, there is an electronic folder that circulates among the REPU community
with a large amount of resources for test-taking. This folder contains past tests, books, reviews,
etc. Besides digging into this electronic folder I subscribed to an online service – Magoosh, I
quite recommend it, www.magoosh.com. I self-studied for the test but there are many English
private schools (ICPNA, IC, etc.) that offer test-prep courses.

12
3. Get ready for GRE, GRE subject, and TOEFL

I will give you a personal recommendation. I would suggest to you to pick up a book diligently
(I used The Complete Guide to the TOEFL Test iBT Edition - Bruce Rogers because it is a
pretty straight forward practice book) and go through it at least once, doing all the given
exercises; during this period of easy practice you should couple it with the Magoosh blog of
the TOEFL section – tons of great tips there (videos, posts, etc.). A month before your schedule
test you should aim to practice 1 full test per day; you need to gain stamina

I found that most graduate programs do not mention a cut-off for your GRE scores. But they
do post online the mean- score of their previous years admitted students.

The electrical engineer program at Purdue University gives this information: ‘Average scores
for admitted students in previous semesters are approximately: 152 (Verbal), 166
(Quantitative), 3.6 (Analytical Writing)’. Also, SEAS Harvard programs ‘For enrolled students
across all Ph.D. and master’s programs, average undergraduate GPAs were over 3.7 (on a 4.0
scale), average GRE quantitative scores were within 90-95th percentiles (167+), and average
GRE verbal scores were within the 80-85th percentiles (158+)’.

It is a must to be at least inside the window of average past scores. So, any prospective
student willing to be consider seriously should strive to obtain those GRE scores.

The GRE scores are different from the TOEFL. At the end of the test you will your quantitative
and verbal raw scores. The percentiles as well as the writing scores will be sent to you via e-
mail. It takes around 2 weeks until you get your scores, and another 2 weeks until they arrive
to the specified school.

I felt that the preparation for the GRE is tougher than the TOEFL, specifically the verbal
section. In the folder that contains prep material for the TOEFL you will find for the GRE as
well. I also decided to study by myself for the GRE and I coupled the prep material with the
course from Magoosh, www.magoosh.com.

Before, I mentioned that the quantitative section of the GRE is just high school math. For
engineer/science students it tend to be easier, however to ace the test you need to get speed and
be familiar with the type of problems – so do not set the practice for the quantitative section
aside. In the verbal section memorization of words will help you in the multiple choice
questions to give you some extra time in the long paragraphs. A good start to memorize words
would be to go through a deck of flashcards (52 words) each morning and re-practice it in the
night. Finally, the GRE writing section is much more difficult than the TOEFL one, it goes
beyond the simple layout of the 5-paragrpah text. You will find a lot of details in Magoosh.

Analogue to the GRE, your test scores of the GRE subject should be inside the window of the
past admitted students of the program of your interest. I remember that I found that most
Physics departments had an average of 95th percentile for the GER subject. In that specific case
I would suggest you apply to that specific program only if you achieve the 95th percentile. I
believe if that minimum requirement is not completed probably your application will be tossed
away. Even though is a standardized test it proves that you know the basics. Now you are
competing against the world, so the stakes are high.

I believe that the preparation for a GRE subject test may require several months of preparation,
unless you were able to keep proficiency through all the subjects along college. The test covers
all your college education. For the preparation you should practice with the previous GRE

13
3. Get ready for GRE, GRE subject, and TOEFL

subjects test posted at the ETS website, but there exist other resources specific for each subject
on the internet.

The GRE Subject went out of my hands. It was my last semester at UNI and I was taking 4
courses, which I didn’t pay too much attention to. I was also preparing myself for the TOEFL
and the GRE. So, what ended up happening is that I kept pushing back the preparation for the
GRE Subject – I just couldn’t find any more hours in a day. I believe I studied a month earlier
skimming through all my college education. I didn’t do well, I scored 67th percentile.
Fortunately, I had somebody to guide me. I shifted my applications to Physics departments to
Electrical Engineer departments (that do not require a GRE Subject) and it all went well. I do
believe that if I had applied with that low Subject score my application wouldn’t have been
considered seriously. If I had had 90th+ percentile I would have consider applying else I
strongly suggest you to not apply, yet or just aim for another department.

14
4. Letter of Recommendation

4. What sets you apart: the letter of recommendation

The letter of recommendation is the core of your application, and to be honest it takes years to
build good letters. In specific cases a letter of recommendation can grand you admission
immediately, and perhaps make you competitive against the world.

Professors are very busy people. They have to take care of their students, the funding, the lab,
the presentations, the lectures, and, even most important, their families. So as a rule of thumb,
the letter of recommendation should be asked several weeks in advance before the deadline.
One month in advance is a good amount of time.

Also, you need to consider that the professors need to write the letter and that could take time
as well. Crafting an astonishing letter is a lengthy and tedious process.

When I sent out an e-mail to my professors I attached my CV (includes your past

academic/research achievements), a brief description of the places/positions that I was applying
to, and info about your future intended research and academic goals.

Down I put the layout of the e-mail that I sent.

I recall that my professors didn’t get back to me after a week, so I decided to send a follow up
e-mail (this was a suggestion of Luis Jauregui and I think is great idea and I still use it these
days). Sunday nights are a great time to send out e-mails, so he/she can check it on Monday
morning. Hence, the ideal time to send a follow up e-mail would be Sunday night as well.

From one of my professors I got this reply: ‘Yes. I will be happy to write a letter for you. Pls make
sure send me a list of addresses and due dates, and copy to xxx. (Also remind/check the letters status
1-2 days before the due dates)’.

You will get notified as the letters of recommendations are submitted, so if 1.5 weeks before
the deadline they are not there yet send a reminder. One of my professors send the letters after
the admission’s deadlines and there was no problem. In most of the cases this is ok, since the
graduate schools knows about all the ups and downs of writing a letter of recommendation.
The application process asks you for three letters of recommendation. It is mandatory that one
of them come from your college, but the other two could come from any part of the world. One
of my letters came from undergraduate adviser at UNI, Abel Gutarra. The other two came from
abroad. One from Prof. Yong P. Chen at Purdue University (this came from my internship with
nanoREPU). The last letter came from Prof. Gianluigi Botton at McMaster University (this is
an internship I did the year after my time at Purdue). So, I managed to get three letters of
recommendation. From the admission’s perspective it is better to have letters from people that
are known worldwide. After you got screened with the standardized test they will give more
chances to well-known names that unknowns letter from Peru, unfortunately. That is all for
now.

15
4. Letter of Recommendation

Dear Prof. XXXX,

This is XXXX (nanoREPU), the undergraduate from Peru that worked in your laboratory during
the spring semester of 2013. I worked under Dr. Tai-Lung Wu's guidance in the superconductivity
of exfoliated BSCCO samples. I hope everything is going great with the research at the QMD lab,
and that all the projects are going great.

I am graduating from my undergrad next month, and I am in the application process for graduate
school, and I was wondering if I could get a letter of recommendation on my behalf. My CV is
attached.

I am applying for PhD to the following places: Purdue University (ECE), Columbia University
(Phys.), Stanford University (Appl. Phys.), UC Berkeley (Phys.), Princeton University (Phys.),
Cornell (Appl. Phys.), Harvard (Appl. Phys.), UC San Diego (Phys.), MIT (Phys.), and McMaster
(MSE). My interest in those departments is in nanoscience, nanotechnology, and condense matter.
I want to mainly focus in the study of quantum phenomena in nanosystems, and also introduce these
new phenomena and properties into new technologies. I want to make a difference and contribute
to the scientific community with new knowledge, and I think I can do that, first, through graduate
school; later on, I would like to follow a position in academia.

Please, let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks you so much in advance.

Best regards,
- xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

16
5. Statement of Purpose

5. You are not a robot: statement of purpose

The statement of Purpose exists to bring life to your application. It will show to the admission’s
office that the you write a proper essay. As the standardized tests, a perfect SoP won’t grant
you admission, but a bad written one could put you out of the race.

A statement of purpose that dazzles takes a couples of months of rewriting and rewriting. I
found writing the essay very interesting. It made me realize what has happened up to that point
career wise.

I started my SoP by deconstructing the past. I went through memories from college, high
school, etc. of events that I believed led me to where I was standing at that point. I believe I
named all of the great life-changing events that led me where I was.

Back when I was writing the essay I convinced myself that a good SoP will make you stand
out among hundreds of applicants. Up to this point I haven’t been able to clarify the mysteries
behind the admission process. Nevertheless, after reviewing hundreds of applications the CVs
tend to look quite similar.

I started thinking about the outline of the SoP as I read: How to write a winning personal
statement for graduate and professional school by Richard J. Stelzer. You can find it in the
library of EducationUSA or on the internet. Also, there is plenty of information in the internet
about how to write a great statement of purpose.

Each statement of purpose is different for each school you are applying to, because each school
ask you to answer different specific questions. So, be sure to follow what they ask you. Let’s
see what some schools got to tell you,

Purdue University. The statement of purpose should be 300-500 words concerning your
purpose for undertaking or continuing graduate study, your reasons for wanting to study at
Purdue, and your research interests, professional plans, and career goals. You also may explain
any special circumstances applicable to your background and elaborate on your scholarly
publications, awards, achievements, abilities, and/or professional history.

Columbia University. Describe how your professional and academic background has prepared
you to pursue the Ph.D. program in Electrical Engineering at Columbia University FFSEAS.
If there are any special circumstances that need to be brought to the attention of the Admission
Committee, please include that information as well.

Stanford University. The Statement of Purpose should describe succinctly your reasons for
applying to the proposed program at Stanford, your preparation for this field of study, research
interests, future career plans, and other aspects of your background and interests which may
aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study.
The Statement of Purpose should not exceed two pages.

UC Berkeley. Please describe your aptitude and motivation for graduate study in your area of
specialization, including your preparation for this field of study, your academic plans or
research interests in your chosen area of study, and your future career goals. Please be specific
about why UC Berkeley would be a good intellectual fit for you.

17
5. Statement of Purpose

Princeton University. Please write a statement of your current academic and future career
plans as they relate to the Princeton department to which you are applying. In doing so, please
cite relevant academic, professional and personal experiences that influenced your decision to
apply for graduate admission and to obtain a graduate degree. Your statement should not
exceed 1,000 words and must be written in English.

Cornell University. This one- or two-page statement states your reasons for undertaking
graduate work and explains your academic interests, including their relation to your
undergraduate study and professional goals. Include your full name and your proposed field of
study at the top of each page.

Harvard University. You will be asked to answer the following question: "Describe your
reasons and motivations for pursuing a graduate degree in your chosen program of study at
Harvard. What experiences led you to your research ambitions? Concisely state your past work
in your intended field of study and in related fields. Briefly indicate your career objectives.
Your statement should not exceed 1,000 words."

So, begin by understanding well what each program asks from you.

Your first step into graduate school, the first paragraph.

I never learned how to write properly. I used to fall asleep in Spanish and Grammar classes and
did not have rigorous education. However, along the way of the application I learned a structure
of how the SoP should look like. I learned that, in this template, the first paragraph serves to
summarize all your essay and conveys enough information to be self-sustained. Also, during
those months I learned that it is true that most of the time you will only read the very first few
lines of an e-mail, essay, etc. So, try to get the attention of the reader with your first paragraph.

Begin with a catchy sentence. Write about a personal experience that put you where you are
right now – something to surprise the reader. Then, name your personal experiences in research,
and order them in a coherent way to convey how these events opened your eyes into your future.
Correlate your experiences with your future goals e.g. with your journey of learning and
discovery. Build your profile mentioning your outstanding GPA, and convey the idea of a top
notch student mentioning briefly the awards you have gain through all the past years.
Furthermore, you can add a little more of a personality to your first paragraph by mentioning
some outreach activities, and end with a very piercing and vehement sentence.

These what I kind of did and it just one way of doing it. I had a lot of help from people that
revisited my essay repeatedly. Just before the submission the final essay looked so different
from the first draft I made – that energized me, it is possible to make things better by iteration.

Your next paragraphs should deconstruct your future goals and interests. Show your future
intents. Why you are interested in that specific research program at that specific school?
Facilities, location, faculty, etc. Mention three professors you are interested to work with.
Briefly mention what interests you from them.

Finally, you can dive yourself into your past experiences in detail. Reconstruct the steps that
walked you to research, to your specific topic of research. Enumerate the different aspects of
your contribution into the different research projects you have participated into. Write,
gracefully, those moments that surprised you – remember that this is your only chance to put

18
5. Statement of Purpose

your own voice into your application, so do not tell a story as a robot. Mention the techniques
and new knowledge acquired, and, more important, highlight your discoveries. Enumerate your
diligent efforts to achieve all what you have accomplished.

Finally, conclude with a boilerplate sentence such as ‘I am sure I am the best fit for your
program, etc.’

Below, you will find the final draft of my essay.

When I was a child and watched science tv shows, I was always fascinated by the latest discoveries and
continually asked myself how do they do it? Years later as an undergraduate in engineering physics, the
blending of engineering and physics combined with research experiences answered my question. My
questions were satisfied once I had the opportunity to perform research at three different universities in
a multidisciplinary field (nanotechnology): National University of Engineering (Peru, 1 article
published), Purdue University (USA) and McMaster University (Canada). In these research
experiences, I interacted with several PhD students, post-doctors and professors. As a result, I realized
that I wanted to make a contribution in science and engineering. Therefore, I strongly believe that being
trained to conduct research at the graduate level will help my ongoing pursuit of learning and discovery.
Working diligently in my research internships and simultaneously maintaining a 4.0 GPA has been very
challenging but rewarding because I have received several awards from my university, the Peruvian
NSF, and different non-governmental offices that sponsored my internships. My leadership skills were
also sharpened during my experiences abroad and I have organized journal clubs and research seminars
at my local school, to motivate other undergraduate students to perform high level research. All my
research experiences have enhanced my confidence and motivation to pursue graduate studies. I am
certain that I will overcome all the challenges I will face with an astute mind and determination.

My short term goal is to conduct research in electrical engineering as a PhD student at Princeton
University because it will expose me to state-of-art research such as 2D materials such as graphene in
condensed matter. The electrical engineering faculty generates top-notch research of which I am very
familiar with and would be excited to be part of.

I would like to have the guidance of Prof. M. Shayegan because of his study of many-body interactions
systems in semiconductors such as the integer and fractional quantum hall effect. In addition, I would
like to work with Prof. B. Rand because of his work in the engineering of LED using thin films
conformed purely in nanoclusters. I think their work is a good match with my previous experience in
2D materials, scanning probe microscopes, and electron microscopy. My long term goal is to become a
professor in a research university and contribute to a growing body of scientists and engineers in Peru
who are determined to nurture the next generation of students interested in science and engineering as
I am.

My undergraduate research experiences were not random steps towards a blurry future, and I can
summarize them in three cornerstones. The first cornerstone was when I was a sophomore and I attended
my first symposium. In the last day I listened to a talk about how scanning probe microscopes (SPMs)
helped reveal unknowns in material science. This is how nanotechnology first grabbed my attention.
The person who gave the presentation is now my undergraduate thesis advisor, Prof. Abel Gutarra. I
work with him in the electrochemical fabrication of carbon-based SPM tips (tip size of a few
nanometers). Soon, I succeeded in fabricating nanometer-apex size tips and obtaining a high yield rate
which resulted in a publication at my school’s magazine. One day, after a very hard-working week I
received an email from our collaborators in France that confirmed that my fabricated tips reconstructed
perfectly an epitaxial graphene surface (coauthor publication under review). Now, I am working purely
on the theory to explain the tip formation and complete my work.

19
5. Statement of Purpose

As a side project, I decided to design and build a lock-in amplifier from scratch. After having
constructed it, I obtained data showing that I could measure picoamperes with the lock-in amplifier.

My second cornerstone happened when I was selected by the nanotechnology branch of Research
Experience for Peruvian Undergraduates (REPU) program from a pool of the best undergraduate
students from all over Peru to participate in a research experience at Purdue University. In 2013, I
worked in Prof. Yong P. Chen’s group in the fabrication of stacked devices using BiSrCaCuO as one
component of a heterostructure. Before learning how to exfoliate BiSrCaCuO I went through the
exfoliation of other crystals, such as graphene, MoS , NbSe and boron nitride, which I learned in record
2 2

time. In order to complete the project, we fabricated BSCCO field-effect transistors and we identified
vanishing superconductivity for samples thinner than 80 nm. During my time at Purdue, I attended the
APS March meeting of 2013 in Maryland. Running from room to room to catch various, interesting
talks was very exciting, and being surrounded by well-known and respected scientists really inspired
me. That experience motivated me to work harder to become a great scientist/engineer. At the end of
my internship, I went to Yale University to present my work from Purdue University to professors,
post-docs, PhD students, other undergraduates from Yale University, and the REPU community. During
this final meeting, I enjoyed questions and discussions with people from different backgrounds like
chemistry, biology, physics and engineering.

Finally, my third cornerstone was when I interned at McMaster University (Canada). In order to get this
internship I directly contacted Prof. Gianluigi Botton and I convinced him that I was capable of
conducting research well. In Prof. Botton’s group my project was to study graphene as an electrode for
fuel cells. More specifically, my project consisted in the mechanically exfoliation of graphene, doped
it with nitrogen gas, and sputter platinum on it (~1nm clusters).
In order to study graphene with transmission electron microscopes (TEM), I suspended graphene on a
TEM grid. After more than 20 failed trials with different reported methods I designed and built a transfer
stage backed up with an optical microscope, which enhanced the transfer yield rate. We reliably
measured down to 1% concentration of nitrogen in single layer graphene using Auger spectroscopy.

In conclusion, I believe that my experiences as an undergraduate researcher have prepared me to excel

as a graduate student, and I strongly believe to be prepared for the challenges of your PhD program.

20
7. Transcript

6. The Resume is not an academic document: the curriculum vitae (CV)

At the end of this section you will find the CV that I applied to graduate school with. The layout
was not my original idea but the contribution of senior people who helped to shape it. I would
like to give special acknowledgements to the nanoREPU team which had a great contribution
on this layout.

Looking back into what the my CV ended up being I recognized these themes: Objective,
Research Interests, Education, Awards, Publications, Research Experience, Conferences and
Presentations, Laboratory skills, Memberships, Language skills, Extra – curricular courses,
Academic Leadership, and Personal References. This outline must not be considered a
universal guideline, proceed to adapt it to your own personality.

The Objective section will give the reader a glance about yourself and your future goals
towards a graduate program.

The Research Interests section will give the reader a glance about your personal interest
regarding research. It is a crucial part because a mismatch between your interests will rise
suspicions.

The Education section will summarize your past records. You may include the duration of the
program, your major, but most important it is a great spot to give your class ranking and your
GPA.

The Awards section it is of great importance. The recognition of yourself by others is a good
indicator of accomplishments throughout your career.

The Publications sections is a very important one. However, none graduate program requires
prior publications before entering a PhD or a MS. It is in this sections where you list any
publications you have. Furthermore, you could also show that you have ongoing projects.

The Research Experience section is the main dish of your CV. It is a quick glance over your
research record and it gives you the chance to highlight yourself up to the eyes of the reader.
Remember that it is always important to sell yourself towards the specific requirements.

The Conferences and Presentations sections is important because it shows your early
progress as a young to be researcher and also shows that you have experience sharing your
science.

The Laboratory skills, certainly not as important as critical thinking and problem-solving
skills. However, specific skills could reduce the time you spend getting use to the environment
of a new laboratory.

The Membership section can show your commitment and awareness to your scientific
community.

The Extra-curricular courses can show your willingness to learn besides the mandatory
courses you took to finish your major.

21
7. Transcript

The Academic Leadership can show your willingness to make other people grow and your
spirit to help and contribute.

To conclude, Personal References.

Mr. XXXXXXXXXXX

Adressssssssssssssssssssss
(+51) xxxxxxxxx
Adressssssssssssssssssssssssss Xxxxxxxxx
@gmail.com

Objective

I seek to obtain a P.hD. degree in a very well renowned program. During my P.hD. years I
would like to contribute to the scientific community with the research I would perform. I aim
to put in practice my problem solving, analytical thinking, and leadership skills in a very
competitive laboratory.

Research Interest

• Experimental condensed matter physics and nanoscience (graphene/2D materials,

superconductors, novel materials, quantum phenomena).
• Characterization of materials in the nanoscale with electron microscopy (structural
composition analysis, TEM, SEM).
• Scanning Probe Microscopy (tuning fork based, fabrication of tips, study of surfaces
STM/AFM).

Education

2010 – 2014 (Expected) | National University of Engineering (UNI), Lima, Peru

B. Engineering Physics, ranked 1st in my class. GPA: 4.0

Awards

• 2nd place in undergraduate research paper (topic: sciences). ‘Structure your ideas
contest’, organized by a link between industry and Peruvian NSF (Concytec), Peru,
November 2014.
• Peruvian NSF (Concytec) fellowship 2014. Full stipend for a 3 month research
internship at McMaster University, Canada, spring 2014.
• Manuel Pardo y Lavalle’s award, 2013. Distinction given to UNI students with the
highest GPA in their major by their 3rd year of courses.
• nanoREPU program fellowship 2013. Chosen for a 3 months research internship at
Purdue University, USA, spring 2013. (http://repuprogram.com/REPU/Alumni.html)
• proUNI (organization formed by distinguished UNI alumni) fellowship. Full stipend
for 3 months research internship at Purdue University, USA.
• 1st place in Nanotechnology poster competition at 3rd International Conference of
Spectroscopy, Peru, February 2012.

22
7. Transcript

Publications

• K. A. Villegas, and A. Gutarra, “Controlled geometry and sharpness of carbon-based

nanometer tips: a theoretical and experimental approach” (in progress).
• J. A. Moran Meza, C. Lubin, F. Thoyer, K. A. Villegas, A. Gutarra, F. Martin, and J.
Cousty, “Fabrication of ultra-sharp tips from carbon fiber for STM investigations of
graphene on 6H-SiC(0001) surfaces”, Carbon 86, 363 (2015).
• K. A. Villegas, and G. Botton, “Inversion of contrast, SEM imaging, at different bias
and accelerating voltages” (in progress).
• K. A. Villegas, S. Stambula, and G. Botton, “N-doping and Pt-atoms decorated
mechanically exfoliated suspended graphene” (in progress).
• K. A. Villegas, J. Aparicio, T. L. Wu, and Y. P. Chen, “Fabrication, characterization,
and study of mechanically exfoliated materials” (in progress).
• K. A. Villegas, and A. Gutarra, “Fabrication of carbon fiber tips for Scanning Probe
Microscopy” (selected for cover), TECNIA 22, 17-22 (2012).

Research Experience

McMaster University, Advisor: Dr. Gianluigi Botton

Microscopy of Nanoscale Materials Laboratory
(01/2014 – 04/2014)
I introduced mechanical exfoliation (graphene) to the group for the first time. I built and
designed a homemade transfer stage to suspend graphene on a TEM grid. We achieved to doped
graphene with nitrogen gas (concentrations of doping could be varied). I designed the
conditions to sputter ~ 1 nm Pt clusters on graphene. I did TEM and SEM analysis on
suspended/non-suspended graphene.

Purdue University, Advisor: Dr. Yong P. Chen

Quantum Matter and Devices Lab
(02/2013 – 04/2014)
I mechanically exfoliated graphene, MoS2, BN and BSCCO. I measured the height of
exfoliated flakes with AFM in tapping mode configuration and I corroborated their number of
layers by Raman spectroscopy. We built FETs of BSCCO with different thickness (10 nm to
80 nm) on SiO2 wafers and I performed electronic transport measurements at low temperatures
(down to T = 1.2 K) using a variable temperature insert.

National University of Engineering, Advisor: Dr. Abel Gutarra

Nanostructured Materials Laboratory,
(04/2014 – 05/2014)
I designed and built a low-cost lock-in amplifier from scratch; this amplifier will be used to
measure the photocurrent (in pA) generated in a photodiode by light scattering of non-metallic
nanoparticles.

(07/2011 - )
We work in the fabrication of a tuning-fork based AFM. I electrochemically etch carbon fibers
to a tip (probe for AFM). I designed my experimental set-up (micromanipulators and
electrochemical cell). I achieved reproducibility in the fabrication process. I can control the
geometry and sharpness (~ 10-50 nm) of the tip. We measured the tip radius with SEM and
Field-Emission experiments. Using the fabricated tips we could reconstruct the graphene lattice
23
7. Transcript

under STM experiments. I am working on theory and simulations to understand the underlying
phenomena.

Conference and Presentations

• K. A. Villegas, T. L. Wu, L. Fang, Z. Xiao, Y. P. Chen. “Study of mechanically

exfoliated BSCCO, high temperature superconductor”, XXII Peruvian Physical
Symposium, Lima – Peru (October 2013) – Conference.
• K. A. Villegas, T. L. Wu, and Y. P. Chen. “Mechanical exfoliation of 2D materials and
its morphological characterization”, REPU 2013 meeting, Yale University – USA
(March 2013) – Conference.
• K. A. Villegas. Participation in the APS March Meeting 2013.
• K. A. Villegas, A. Gutarra. “Fabrication of carbon fiber tips for Scanning Probe
Microscopy”. XXI Peruvian Physical Symposium, Trujillo – Peru (October 2012) –
Conference.
• K. A. Villegas, A. Gutarra. “Electrochemical analysis of anodic dissolution of carbon
fibers”. 3st Congress of Physics Engineering, Medellin – Colombia (September 2012) -
Conference.
• K. A. Villegas, A. Gutarra. “Method for the fabrication of tips on nanometer scale
based on carbon fibers”. 3rd International Conference of Spectroscopy, Lima – Peru
(February 2012) - Poster.

Laboratory skills

• Imaging & characterization, SEM, TEM, Auger spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy,

AFM, optical microscopy, interferometry measurement.
• Vacuum components
• Microfabrication, RF magnetron sputtering, plasma etching, electrochemical
etching/polishing, mechanical exfoliation.
• Programming, C, Matlab, LabView (Intermediate), IGOR pro, Latex.
• Data Processing, Origin Pro, IGOR Pro, ImageJ.
• Electronic measurement, lock-in amplifier, probe station, oscilloscopes, DAQs.
• Low temperature measurement, dipping probe, Variable Temperature Insert (VTI)

Memberships

• American Physical Society (APS), Undergraduate Student Member

• Peruvian Physical Society (SOPERFI), Undergraduate Student Member

Language skills

• Spanish, native-speaker
• English, proficiency – fluent. TOEFL scores, R: 29 L: 30 S: 26 W: 28. Total: 113.
GRE scores, Q: 166, V: 153, AW: 3.5

Extra - curricular courses

• “The CCEM: 5 years of advanced microscopy”, Canada, January 2014.

24
7. Transcript

• “X-ray and electron diffraction applied to nanomaterials and nanomedicine”,

International Workshop, Peru, June 2012.
• “Exploring Quantum Physics”, Joint Quantum Institute, Maryland University, trough
www.coursera.org
• “Atomic Force Microscopy”, 3st Congress of Physics Engineering, Colombia. September
2012.
• “Theoretical-Experimental Techniques for studying nanosystems”, Nano-Peru, Peru.
November 2011.
• “I Course of Molecular Biology”, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Peru.
March 2011.

Miscellaneous Activities

• ‘Journal Club @ UNI’, I scheduled the room, oriented the group of students, and made
a calendar of papers presented; first journal club at National University of Engineering.
(04/2013 – 07/2013) and (04/2014 – 07/2014).
• ‘thinkUNI’, talks of how to pursue graduate studies directed to undergraduates.
(12/2013) – I served as head organizer. I scheduled the place for the conference, and
was chair of the conference.
(12/2012) – I served as part of the organizer committee. I helped to set up the conference
room, and build/distribute the flyers.
• ‘Sharing Science’, I served as part of the organizer committee and was chair of the
conferences, talks about research projects from graduate students to undergraduates,
(04/2012 – 07/2012).

Personal References

Dr. Yong P. Chen

Purdue University, USA Phone: (765) 494-
0947
yongchen@purdue.edu

Dr. Gianluigi Botton

McMaster University, Canada Phone: (905) 525-9140, ext.
24767
gbotton@mcmaster.ca

Dr. Abel Gutarra

National University of Engineering, Peru Phone: +51 987-957-
517
agutarra@uni.edu.pe

25
7. Transcript

7. You against the world: the transcript plus some side documents

Another required document is your transcript e.g. ‘tu certificado de notas’. In the case that you
haven’t graduated yet, you can apply to graduate school with the latest updated transcript. That
could mean that you present your transcript up to the 9th semester if you are in the 10th. Also,
if you failed courses along the way use ‘certificado depurado’. I failed ‘lenguaje’ in my 3rd
semester, so I needed to get the latter transcript.

At UNI you could get a transcript from ORCE or your own department. From friends that
applied before me they told me to use the one from ORCE, so I don’t know if the one my
department would have worked. Nevertheless, the ORCE one is ‘more official’. You will need
to translate it.

During the application process I went to EducationUSA (located at ICPNA) and there they told
ICPNA has a translation service, so I used that one. They will ask you to scan the document
and send it to them through e-mail, and you will have to make a deposit to a bank account for
the translations. When the work is done they will write you back for you to pick the documents.
I also want to let you know that EducationUSA offers support for the application process –
they even give small scholarships for test prep and they can afford to pay some school for you
to apply to. Go early in the process to get advantage of this opportunity.

UNI does not use the GPA system and I am not aware if any school in Peru uses it. I recall
there are many GPA convertors in the internet, but I know the grades in Peru fluctuate
depending on your university, so its tricky and I don’t have a universal solution. Fortunately
for me, UNI had implemented a grade-to-GPA conversion system, so I used directly that one.

From of my visits to EducationUSA I learned that they provide a document called ‘Educational
System and Grading System in Peru’. This document clarifies to US schools how grades work
in Peru. Hence, it is highly recommended to attach this document with your transcript.

Many universities ask for a certificate that states the expected date of graduation, which means
last semester of courses. A good friend suggested me to take advantage of it. I asked for such
a document and on it I asked the Head of my department to write a note. The note stated my
ranking among my peers.

For example,

This document certifies that xxxxxxxxxxx, has finished his 9th semester, out of 10, with the
highest cumulative grade of his Engineering Physics class. Up to his 9th semester his
cumulative grade was 14.643 which is an equivalent to A+ (excellent). His cumulative grade
is an equivalent to a GPA of 4.0.

Also, this is provisional certificate that Mr. xxxxx expected date of graduation is December
of 2014.

26
8. Post-application e-mail

8. Post-application e-mail.

Some websites explicitly write that it is not necessary to contact faculty directly, that it has no
influence in the admission process. Later, I learned that such a sentence appears more in the
Biology application process, to a lesser extent in Chemistry, and much lesser in Physics. I even
cases in which it was necessary to contact directly the Professor of interest before applying (in
Physics applications). After the process I never dug further to clarify how much a direct
application to a Professor affects your chances. Fortunately, Luis Jauregui suggested to me to
do it. I did it, and there was a good turnout of Professors replying. It took me a lot of effort. I
basically spent the whole January writing e-mails. I suggested to many people that applied after
me to do the same, but nobody really did it so I no more data to compare it with. Recently I
talked to a good friend and he believes that without an application e-mail you just don’t get
into any program (he is in Physics). There is some comfort in believing that you might be doing
something to put the odds to your side. Now, it is up to you. Down, I will describe what I did.

When you name a Professor in your statement of purpose you must be 100 percent sure that
the Professor is not moving out or has taken a sabbatical. Why? A mistake of this kind will
point you out as the applicant that barely knows what kind of things are happening at the school.
Therefore, your application will not be taken seriously. One way to know the status of a
Professor in the department is to write to them directly and ask if he has opening, he is on
sabbatical, or if he is moving to another school, etc.

Once you are a graduate student you are going to work with a specific faculty not the
admission’s office, so in my opinion it is a great idea to show interest toward the faculty’s
research interests. This is just some mind-wandering, but just filling your application form and
having all in order may not be enough to guarantee you one spot.

Imagine there is a faculty who is open to receive graduate students this upcoming fall.
Furthermore, there are two students that are interested in to working with him. One of the
students just fill up all the required forms and let the process itself continue. The other student,
besides filling all the forms, decides to e-mail the professor, introduce himself, show real
interest in the prof’s research, and, even more, he try to suggest a research idea to work on. It
is up to you to believe what could happen after.

Hint: Two important things in the introductory e-mail to the professor. KISS – keep it simple
stupid! And, always try to contribute with an idea or suggestion (the most difficult thing on the
world). It is always preferred if it is a high-level research question that has been elusive, but
this may not be easy; for one reason they have remained elusive. Read through the website of
the professor, read some papers, and focus in one paper in the e-mail, but be aware of his/her
research interests.

In the introductory e-mail briefly describes your background, research interest and experience,
along with your full curriculum vitae.

I recall that I used a full day to write an e-mail. I would begin early in the morning reading
papers from the faculty. I chose three to skim through and then focus in one of them. Then I
went through them and try to formulate an interest question. It is though, very though to read
an understand a paper in a day. I don’t I fully grasps paper in a day even these days, but I did
what I could. For one reason you are still an undergraduate, so there is not too much pressure.

27
8. Post-application e-mail

It took me a while to just craft this template. Luie, contributed to it a lot – my English was very
bad at that time, now is a little better. Thanks, Luie.

If you do not receive a reply e-mail do not forgot to use a follow up e-mail after a week.

Dear Professor XXXXX,

My name is XXXX. I am finishing up my undergraduate studies in xxxxxx from xxxxxxxxxx at

Lima, Peru. I am applying to Princeton University's Electrical Engineer PhD program, and
I would like to know if your laboratory will have available positions for the fall of 2015.

I have had the chance to work with field effect nano-devices based on thin BSCCO layers.
I have studied its Raman spectra and AFM vs. thickness dependence. Also I have studied
their resistance vs. temperature dependence down to liquid helium temperatures. I worked
in this project in a spring semester internship (spring of 2013) at Purdue University (under
prof. Y. P. Chen’s guidance). During the spring of 2014 I worked on suspended, nitrogen-
doped, and platinum decorated graphene with the help of transmission electron
microscopes and other electron microscopy techniques at McMaster University (prof. G
Botton). At my home university I have worked in the fabrication of SPM tips for my
undergrad thesis.

I have read your paper on the study of the FQHE with a filling factor of 1/2 (PRB 89,
165313, 2014). I am very interested in the study of condense matter systems and their
quantum phenomena such as QHE and topological superconductivity. I have been exposed
to the techniques of how to deal with 2-dimension materials and how to fabricate
nanodevices based on exfoliated crystals and in my home university I have been exposed to
SPM techniques (we are building one STM from scratch). In the group of prof. Burch, they
have obtained a density of states spectra using a tunnel junction and AC differential
conductance (Nature Communications 3, 1056, 2012). I think it would be a good idea to
perform the AC differential conductance method and try to map the charge distribution of
the 2DHSs and see if the behavior is single-layer or bi-layer like when the filling factor of
the FQHE is 1/2. The heterostructure system would allow the fabrication of the tunnel
junction.

Do you think it would be worthwhile to pursue these experiments in your laboratory?

Best regards,
xxxxxxxxxxxx (xxxxxxx@gmail.com)

28
9. Interviews

9. Just one final step: interviews

Near the end of the application process I encounter two types of interviewers. One from the
admission’s office (yet a faculty in the university). And, the other a professor that you contacted
through e-mail.

The first type of interview will come from the admission’s office. The e-mail will contain
information regarding who is going to interview you and the schedule.

The second type of interview will come directly from the faculty that you expressed interest in
you Statement of Purpose.

After the interviews I realized that the one from the admission’s office was far more general
than what I thought. One of the interviewers asked me to interview him instead of him
interviewing me. The second and I just talked a lot about general Physics.

First, we will talk a little bit about the interview with a specific professor. Since you have
expressed interest into working with him it makes sense for you to have tons of questions. In
this specific case you need to prepare/familiarize a little more with the topic of the professor
for the interview because, I believe, he will be gauging you.

To prepare yourself you need to know very well the person you will be interviewing with e.g.
What is he famous for? Which is his most cited paper and why?

During the interview, most of the talk may lay upon the professor, but he will be willing to
know about you too. We can recall some topics such as ‘goals for graduate studies’, ‘academic
& research experiences’, and ‘your desire for graduate studies’.

During the interview with the admission’s office questions such as Why that school in specific?
and Why that program in specific? will pop up. These are considered more general in terms of
research, but, however, they are of equal importance.

A typical question that always seems to appear is the ‘strengths and weaknesses’. In your
strengths you can name hard working, passionate, dedicated, but in the weaknesses be careful.
Although the name is ‘weaknesses’ you will need to find a balance between a weaknesses and
a strength. Maybe being workaholic, it is way more than sure that a professor may like that
word; however, you can blend it with a little of bad things such as ‘work so hard until
completion that forget to call friends’.

In the interview with the graduate committee you may be asked why you are interested in that
specific program, and you will be required to mention the professors you are interested into
and briefly their research.

29
10. Further reading

10. Further reading

[1] Demystifying the U.S. Graduate School Application Process. Luis Hernandez. REPU
magazine.2013.
(https://attachment.fbsbx.com/file_download.php?id=575529479207417&eid=ASvXDFy1jN
Z4lA4iod1_JoL8Z57MU2GxM6KSnuJWGc_BWbaFe7jAMnX5CfSqycj-
_vY&inline=1&ext=1431366552&hash=ASt2jcb4dCN-i4du)

[2] What is like to be a tenured professor? Quora thread. Special remarks on Jay Wacker
answer. (https://www.quora.com/What-is-it-like-to-be-a-professor)

[3] How do I ghost-write myself a good letter of recommendation from my professor? I am

applying on the academic job market. Quora thread. Special remarks on Jay Wacker answer.
(https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-ghost-write-myself-a-good-letter-of-recommendation-
from-my-professor-I-am-applying-on-the-academic-job-market)

[4] Graduate Record Exam (GRE): What is the best way to prepare for the GRE?
http://www.quora.com/Graduate-Record-Exam-GRE-2/What-is-the-best-way-to-prepare-for-
the-GRE?srid=XfG5&share=1

[5] What is the best piece of advice given by people’s PhD supervisor?
http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-piece-of-advice-given-by-peoples-PhD-
supervisors?srid=XfG5&share=1

[6] HOWTO: Get into grad school for science, engineering, math, and computer science
http://matt.might.net/articles/how-to-apply-and-get-in-to-graduate-school-in-science-
mathematics-engineering-or-computer-science/

[7] How do you compare pursuing a PhD in Europe vs a PhD in USA

http://www.quora.com/How-do-you-compare-pursuing-a-PhD-in-Europe-vs-a-PhD-in-
USA?srid=XfG5&share=1

[8] How do I judge professors while choosing an adviser, solely based on their research?
https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-judge-professors-while-choosing-an-adviser-solely-based-
on-their-research

[9] How to be More Productive and Eliminate Time Wasting Activities by Using the
“Eisenhower Box” http://jamesclear.quora.com/How-to-be-More-Productive-and-Eliminate-
Time-Wasting-Activities-by-Using-the-%E2%80%9CEisenhower-
Box%E2%80%9D?srid=XfG5&share=1

30
Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements
First, I would like to acknowledge Abel Alcazar the founder of the Research Experience for
Peruvian Undergraduates (REPU), for if he had not founded the program you may not be
reading this document – sometimes, it only takes the action of a person to keep things rolling
Second, I would like to give special thanks to the actual directors of the REPU Sofia Espinoza
and Kenji-Diaz for their labor of keep the REPU program growing.

Special thanks to the friends and family, for if their support has not existed we could not have
made it ‘till this very end point.

Last but not least I would like to express my vast gratitude towards the nanoREPU branch;
Luis Jauregui, Alfredo Tuesta, Alfredo Bobadilla, Edson Bellido, Jimmy Encomendero, and
Keitel Cervantez. This guide was written because their knowledge fell into my mind. Thank
you.

And for the reader, sorry for the typos 😊.

31