Where to get PHD in medical tourism?

How do you get into the best PhD programs after screwing up in college?

• I am particularly interested in how one can get into the best engineering PhD programs (MIT, Berkeley, Stanford, etc.) after screwing up in college. After high school, I was accepted into one of the best engineering universities in the U.S. on a full scholarship but wasted this perfect opportunity because I was very immature and stopped caring about my academics altogether. I graduated with an okay GPA, but because I aimlessly spent my college years, my overall stats and research experiences are mediocre at best. After several years of working and discovering myself, I reached the decision to pursue graduate studies but it seems that I have lost the chance to prepare myself for the best schools. I was wondering whether going through a M.S. first at a second tier university, then excelling in that program, is the only way to get into the top PhD programs. I know I am capable of much more than what is presented in my undergraduate career, and would like to know how I can prove myself to the graduate schools. It seems that PhD programs primarily look for research experience, and I can't think of a way to gain that kind of experience without first going into a M.S. program. Is using a M.S. as a stepping stone for a PhD a feasible plan? Or is there a more effective way to get into the top PhD programs, perhaps by doing independent research and presenting the results?

• Answer:

  What admission committees are looking for in PhD applicants is their capability of doing research. Top GPA, high GRE score and a well written statement of purpose are all indicators of this capability. However, they are generally not considered the best or the most important indicators! The best indicator of future research success is, well, past research success. This success is communicated to the admission committee by the papers you have published, and (since quite a few PhD applicants have no papers on their own) by the letters of recommendation that other researchers have written on your behalf. So, firstly, and I cannot emphasize this highly enough: get a research project to work on. This will achieve three goals: 1) You will be able to see whether it is the kind of you work you would like to continue doing for significant part of your life. (Even if you think that you already know what doing research is like, try it anyway.) 2) You will get the chance to learn some of the basic research techniques used in your field, and see what are the most important open problems and research directions pursued in your field. 3) Last but not least, you will get the chance to network with people who can write you the letters of recommendation. It's kind of obvious, but still crucial that you do not work on your own - there will be no one to write a recommendation letter for you even if you do a brilliant job!  (Well, at least not always on your own - it's fine to have some "pet projects" that you do at home.) As for the practical side, it is quite simple: intern at a university or a research institute. Academics are often looking for an extra pair of hands that would help to move their projects forward. You can start by e-mailing a professor in your local university and offering your help. At this phase, be prepared to work for free (or at least for significantly lower income compared to what you may receive in the industry). If you can combine doing this with MSc studies - good for you. If not, I think it's not too bad either. Study books and try to complete a few MOOC courses instead.