Need some help regarding European grad programs

[saskiiaa]

Hello!

 

Ok, some background... I'm a European citizen, but I moved to the US and attended high school here, undergrad at Rutgers in NJ, and started my PhD at the U of Utah. However, I never finished my PhD and just quit the program after 2 years (problems ranging from location to lots of other problems with funding in the research group and so on), which means that I do have my MSc, but without a thesis project!

What I would really like to do is go back to Europe and attend graduate school there, wherever they have a research group I'm interested in (for example, U of Heidelberg, Stockholm U, U Potsdam and so on). Luckily, being a European citizen, I won't have much trouble with immigration issues. But there are several other things I'm not sure about:

 

1. Many programs ask for you to have done a Masters with a thesis, which I haven't done. I do however have 5 years research experience and did an undergraduate thesis. Is it possible that I'd have to redo my Masters?

2. How important are PGRE scores exactly? I have a 650 or something, don't quite remember...

3. Also some unis require you to have a B+ for your Master's, which I don't have. Mine is a 3.27, or a 81.7% which is a B or B-... because my program required an 80% for passing. So obviously that's the grade they gave to almost everyone except the exceptional students. Are they as strict about this as American unis (aka, they see the score and throw your app into the trash)?

4. Do you think that my absence from academia (I graduated August 2012...) will work against me, or that they won't care about it?

 

Anyway just some worries... I'll also email the programs directly with some questions but I'd rather get a feel for the situation first.

 

Thanks!

 

Saskia

[MikeTC]

Not speaking from personal experience, but - at least to my knowledge - in most continential unis your application will most likely be decided by your prospective supervisor anyway.

 

So it's a good bet that if you find a prof who is interested in the research you've done, you'll be admitted anyways. Even more so if you're not applying at the more prestigeous schools, like e.g. ETH Zürich, LMU Munich, EPFL Lausanne.

 

For the time spent away I'd say it depends how you present it. If it it was in a closely related field or if you are able to conclusively argue that you realized your place was in research, then it will not matter much i suppose.

 

In any case, if you apply for a graduate program anywhere in Europe (except the UK) the way to go is to write a letter to the profs directly. Think of a PhD in continential europe more like a job with additional academic training. Usually you won't get a supervisor assigned to you, but you have to find one youself, even after being admitted. Often the universities are posting their open PhD positions just like other job offers. Make sure you've checked first if there are any open spots in your area oft interest and try to apply to them directly.

 

Good luck,

Greetings Mike