Feeling better after chatting with a friend

Today seemed like a more bearable day compared to yesterday though I am not one step closer to getting into a program or a school. In fact, I think I am feeling a little better than yesterday because of a short conversation I had with a friend who went to Aussieland to do his Ph.D. early this year.

This friend of mine, he is really quite a character, and I mean it in a really nice way :) He is a very disciplined person when it comes to conducting his research, and when it comes to reading journals and writing papers or even his thesis. He doesn't spend all this time studying, neither is he always seen with a book but he always seems to find time to work on his project. Sometimes he sits in front of the TV and works on his computer at the same time, and I always wonder how he manages it.

So I was chatting with him this morning, and I told him that we (my former Advisor and myself) have been awarded a substantial grant that will enable us to conduct our field-based research for at least a year (which reminds me that I should check this out and confirm it later). He was pretty excited for me because he knew how much I wanted to do a Ph.D., and what I have gone through in the past one year to get to where I am now.

Anyway, he suggested that I try to get into a well-known school, instead of one that is so-so, since I now have my own funding to conduct my research. He even suggested applying to Harvard or Cambridge, but when I think of well-known schools, I don't think of Harvard or Cambridge because, seriously, do these schools even offer wildlife and conservation programs in the first place? I don't think so, LOL.

You see, the "thing" with me is that I'd rather get into a school that has researchers who know what I'd like to do, and understand the needs to do it. I'd rather go to a not-so-popular school because there are researchers who wouldn't mind getting dirty and all trying to track turtles in the river, compared to going to a popular school where the researchers are only interested in sitting in sterile, air-conditioned laboratories operating the DNA machine.

But he also suggested that I try to find Advisors in different schools and obtain a joint-degree, pretty much like a twinning program. And the more I think of this, the more I feel that it is possible. I mean, a Ph.D. project is supposed to be a "big thing" and big projects usually require more than just one Advisor.

So yeah, after chatting with this friend, I now have a clearer idea of where I should start looking. For a start, I will actually, seriously consider getting into a school in the US :)