counseling event jkkn 040217 · dr. shabir hassan snsf fellow, postdoctoral scientist, harvard/mit...

Dr. Shabir HassanSNSF Fellow, Postdoctoral Scientist,

Harvard/MIT – [email protected]

[email protected]

Jammu and Kashmir Knowledge Network and Kashmir Counseling”

(FB)Feb 04, 2017

Breaking Barriers:Cracking the Admissions Code

And Science as a Career

Feb 04, 2017

Part -1

CounselingCracking the code

The Big Question!Dynamics of confusion.

Personal

Triggering

Peer pressure

Societal expectations

To be or not to be? Parents/Teachers

Relatives/Neighbors/Acquaintances

The Big Answer!

Jack Ma

Founder of AliBaba Group

The Big Answer!

Counseling

Take good 1 week and ask:

1.) What interests me?

2.) Am I good at what I like?

3.) Shall I be happy doing this in future?

4.) Be sincere and decide.

1.) Talk to them.

2.) Discuss the pros n cons

3.) Let them believe in you.

Includes me Includes my peers

Friends/Relatives/Neighbors/Acquaintances

Stages and Actions

1.) Work hard.

2.) Extra-curricular activities (ECA).

3.) Short discussions with experts in

your interested field.

4.) Target above 80%.

1.) Learn the WHOLE syllabi.

2.) ECA.

3.) Do some short projects.

4.) Fellowships from Nat. Instts.

5.) Percentage.

SSC and Senior SSC Undergraduate

1.) Learn your subject well - MASTER

2.) Concentrate on lab work/reviews.

3.) Work hard on your project so that

you might be able to publish it one

day

Postgraduate

1.) Publish (Papers/Reviews).

2.) Read a lot about the

problem/topic you want to

work on.

3.) Target specific

labs/Institutes/Profs.

Post-doctorate

“Selecting the Uni/Institute”Step - 01

Europe/Asia/Africa

USA

Australia/New Zealand

Asia/Europe/Australia/NZ

� Language test – IELTS/TOEFL, regional for UG.

� Singapore, Japan, China, Thailand, KAUST, etc.

� Germany, France, CH, Finland, Netherlands,

Sweden, Norway, UK (no fellowships), Italy, etc.

� All Australian and New Zealand Universities.

US universities

� Language test – TOEFL.

� Graduate Record Examination (GRE) – General.

� Subject GRE.

� Excellent academic record and ECA.

However, for PhD and postdoctoral research,

Professor/guide/boss > Uni/Instt.

Drafting an Application

Step - 02

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV)/Bio-data/Resume.

2. Cover letter.

3. Research Interest.

4. Statement of Purpose.

What is a CV?� CV is the trailer of a movie that is made on you.

� The 1st thing that decides whether you are shortlisted or not.

� You have to be a great salesman to sell yourself.

� Maximum 2 pages for UG/PG/PhD applications

� Maximum 3-4 pages for a postdoctoral/fellowship application.

What NOT to include?

� Parentage, siblings, friends/fiancé.

� 10th class (SSC) results for UG application.

� 10th, 12th class results for PG application.

� 10th, 12th, UG results for PhD application.

� Be precise.

� Avoid long sentences.

� Avoid writing “Medical/NON-Medical” in subjects.

Strong CV: ExamplesShabir Hassan [Street Address] [City], [State] [Postal Code]

Phone: [Your Phone] Fax: [Your Fax] E-Mail: [email protected]

Objective

Donec sollicitudin mi et magna. Proin non est. Vestibulum diam. Quisque in enim. Sed id dui. Nunc nec

sapien. Nulla lacus. Quisque in ante vel nunc semper pellentesque. Nam sit amet lacus sit amet ipsum

auctor eleifend. Quisque vitae justo eu neque mattis pellentesque. Suspendisse tristique. Nulla facilisi.

Pellentesque hendrerit tristique turpis. Pellentesque eget mi. Vestibulum a lacus.

Experience

Lorem ipsum dolor [Insert Dates]

Etiam cursus suscipit enim. Nulla facilisi. Integer eleifend diam eu diam. Donec dapibus enim sollicitudin

nulla. Nam hendrerit. Nunc id nisi. Curabitur sed neque. Pellentesque placerat consequat pede.







Education

Aliquam dapibus. [Insert Dates]

Nam ut est. In vehicula venenatis dui. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices

posuere cubilia Curae; Praesent venenatis gravida justo. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Suspendisse

dui.

Aliquam dapibus. [Insert Dates]

Nam ut est. In vehicula venenatis dui. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices

posuere cubilia Curae; Praesent venenatis gravida justo. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Suspendisse

dui.

Skills

Suspendisse potenti. Vestibulum rhoncus. Ut rhoncus turpis a massa. Vivamus adipiscing vestibulum nunc.

Maecenas vitae lorem. Donec mi. Donec justo quam, laoreet ut, fermentum at, blandit vitae, ligula.

Vestibulum diam. Etiam ut velit nec lacus consectetuer sodales. Integer accumsan. Maecenas eleifend

vestibulum libero. Vestibulum metus ligula, volutpat vitae, feugiat at, blandit quis, lorem. Vestibulum ante

ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae.

Shabir Hassan [Street Address]� [City], [State] [Postal Code]

Phone: [Your Phone] � Passport No. [Your Fax] � E-Mail: [email protected] Photo

Education

Ph.D. Vivamus elementum gravida tortor. Aenean dignissim. Aenean fermentum luctus nulla.

Vestibulum posuere ligula a quam.

B.A. Vivamus elementum gravida tortor. Aenean dignissim. Aenean fermentum luctus nulla.

Vestibulum posuere ligula a quam.

Publications/Presentations

• Integer eleifend diam eu diam. Nam hendrerit. Nunc id nisi. [Insert Dates]

• Etiam cursus suscipit enim. Nulla facilisi. [Insert Dates]

• Donec dapibus enim sollicitudin nulla. Curabitur sed neque.

Pellentesque placerat consequat pede.

[Insert Dates]

Research Experience





[Insert Dates]

Professional Development





[Insert Dates]

Affiliations/Memberships





[Insert Dates]

� Maximum 1 page.

Don’t be boring. Use short sentences.

Don’t show your command on english language. Use simple words.

� Salutation:

Dear.......... Use Surname. Avoid First name. The first alphabet should be in

capitals.

� Body:Who are you? Where do/did you study and what course?

What do you find interesting about the Graduate Program/Prof/Lab?

Why do you think it will fit your profile (experience, personality, future goals)?

Cover letterStructure - 01

Why did you choose the specific program/problem?

Quote the lab’s research.

What makes you a good candidate for the program? Give inputs.

Your personality:What do you have passion for in life?

What makes you stand out? ACHIEVEMENTS/ECA.

What will you get out of the Program/Course/Degree?

What do you aim to achieve in the future?

End with

Best Regards. No FAITHFULLY.

Cover letter

IDEAL – 4 paragraphs; totaling 1 page max.

1.) First Paragraph� State the job you’re applying for. � Where you found out about it (advertising website/journal/personal

communication).

� When you're available to start work (and end if it's a placement).

2.) Second Paragraph� Why you're interested in that type of work/research.� Why the company attracts you (if it's a small company say you prefer to

work for a small friendly organization!)


3.) Third ParagraphSummarise your strengths and how they might be an advantage to the organization/lab/institute.

Relate your skills to the competencies required in the job.

4.) Last ParagraphMention any dates that you won't be available for interview

Thank the employer and say you look forward to hearing from them soon.

End with Best Regards or Sincerely.


Research Interest/SOP

� A RI is not tailored to a school overtly.

� Do not refer to any job or department or application in the statement itself.

� Do not refer to any other job documents in the RS .

� As in all job documents, remain strictly at the level of the evidentiary.

� State what you did, what you concluded, what you published, and why it matters for your discipline, period.

� Do not editorialize or make grandiose claims (“this research is of critical importance to…”).

� Do not waste precious document real estate on what other scholars have NOT done.

Research Interest/SOP� Never go negative. Stay entirely in the realm of what you did, not what

others didn’t.

� Do not refer to other faculty or scholars in the document. Simply write, “I have a co-authored essay in the Journal of XXX.”

� Do not refer to yourself as studying “under” anybody, and do not refer to your professors’ and advisors’ names.

� Do not forget to articulate the core argument of your research. As an example, “In contrast to other scholars who have interpreted xxx as yyy, in my dissertation I find that xxxx is better understood as zzzz.”

� Give a sense of a publishing trajectory, moving from past to present.

� Avoid the temptation to describe how you will “continue” or “extend” your previous research topics or approaches.

� Use the active voice as much as possible.

Fellowships

UG/PGMost of the fellowships for such programs is announced to only the selectedcandidates.

PhD/Postdoctoral researchFunded in Europe/US/Downunder. For UK, innumerable/special fellowships for

students with an Indian passport.

Some fellowships are region, race, sex and university specific.

Such programs/fellowships have specific requirements.

Part - 2

Career choicesScience (Example)

Finding the right call

1917, at the age of 29, he left his job and joined IACS –

Calcutta

1928, discovers an important property of matter and it’s

interaction with light

Was so confident of getting the Nobel that he booked a

ticket to Sweden in 1928 and 1929

Shocked for not getting the Nobel, he didn’t book the

ticket in 1930, that is when he finally got it.

C. V. Raman

Rejected by many

Didn’t make it to IIT

Didn’t make it to CMC - Vellore

Did his masters in Physics

Research internship in Physics

PhD in Biology

Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2009)

Venkataraman Ramakrishnan

Switching fields (Few Examples)

Baptism to Science – Gregor Mendel

History to Physics – Niel’s Bohr

Law to Philosophy – Allama Iqbal

Commerce to Math/Physics – Ed Witten (Present day Einstein)

Science to Business – Elon Musk (Electric Car/SpaceX)

Linguist to Writer – J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter)

BA (Arabic), MA (English), received awards for poetry in Urdu – Faiz Ah Faiz.

Prominent people from J&KAllama Iqbal (Philosopher).

Vidhu Vinod Chopra (Film Maker).

Indira Gandhi, Motilal Nehru, Nawaz Sharief, Ayatollah Khomeini (Politicians)

Markanday Katju (Former Judge at Supreme Court of India)

T. S. Thakur (Former Chief Justice of India)

Vijaya Laxmi Pandit (Former president of the UN General Assembly)

Mushaf Ali Mir (Chief of the Air Staff – Pakistan)

S. K. Kaul (Chief of the Air Staff – India)

Kalhana, Lalleshwari, Habba Khatoon, Innumerable writers, scientists, philosophers……….and you people ☺

Take Home Message

Further info/Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/shabir.hassan.988 shaha_kash

Dr. Shabir Hassan

Research Gate

Shabir Hassan

https://uzh.academia.edu/ShabirHassan shaha_kash

Facebook: Kashmir Counseling

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: Kashmir Counseling

Questions

Acknowledgement

Mr. Mayur Khaire Dr. Shah Faesal (IAS)

Department of Education (J&K)

All of you!

counseling event jkkn 040217 · dr. shabir hassan snsf fellow, postdoctoral scientist, harvard/mit...

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