<p>i've found this thread excellent - so thanks to the contributors so far.</p>
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<p>great attitude to have i think. it shouldn't be "i'll do a PhD", it should be "i'll do a PhD if its in favorable terms". question though... how long is the "eventually" that u refer to? delyaing a year to improve chances (i'm assuming u are spending this year working, and not as a student) - even if ur in a lab, really might only end up in one additional paper (if ur lucky), and that's IF. </p>
<p>what can someone do in one year to dramatically improve their odds? i really can't see it.</p>
<p>I'm already entering an MA to improve my chances. Hopefully I can get a couple publications out of that. I have no problem delaying for several years if need be - look, life is full of things to do, and I'm sure I can keep busy. Publications, travel, internships, teaching, language study...any of these things can help. A lot of it will depend on what my weaknesses actually are - I'm sure that will become more evident after I apply. I plan on NICELY asking programs that reject me what they felt my deficiencies were so that I can remedy them. And sometimes, it's just a matter of too many people in your field applying that year - so waiting a year can be the difference, as long as it's not an unproductive year.</p>
<p>"And no, profs (esp. starting out) don't make 100K - not even close"</p>
<p>All depends, my undergrad dept makes offers of around 80k for freshly minted PhD's, and they're not even attracting top grads....in the field the big shots clear 250k in salary...all just depends.</p>