How to Apply to a PhD 101: CoG’s PhD Students Share Helpful Advice with their Junior Colleagues

How to Apply for a PhD 101 - 2026 — Audience members during the masterclass "How to Apply to a PhD 101", which took place in Auditorium A, on October 29 2026.

Applying for a PhD is a fundamental step-stone on the way, whether one is planning to pursue a career in academia or in industry. But the application process is not always straight-forward and without proper guidance, it can be daunting. With this in mind, Center of Gravity (CoG) PhD students recently organized a masterclass on how to apply to a PhD, aimed at NBI’s first and second year master students. This idea for the session originated during one of the CoG’s weekly breakfast, where Master students, PhDs and faculty held a discussion about PhD applications. Soon after, Auditorium A was booked and on Thursday, 29 of October, a session was held to a packed room.

PhD students Nikesh and Serdar led the presentation, talking about the documents involved in an application, how to write them, and the various tips and tricks that help simplify the entire process. Luka, Guangzi, Hannah, Fabian, Shibashis and Vita contributed with comments and provided answers to the many questions posed by enthusiastic Masters’ students. The excitement of all participants transformed the session into an relaxed and friendly discussion.

Helping with the organization of the session were CoG students Mannon and Maddie, who distributed posters around the campus and provided snacks and drinks during the session. In preparation for the session, the PhD students also consulted the opinions of Vitor, Jose, Ziqi and Niels.

All in all, the session was a success, one we hope to repeat in the future.

Nov. 4, 2026, 12:04 p.m.