Here's the TL;DR: don't be lazy. I know it might be tempting to blast as many emails to professors as possible requesting information on possible open positions, but this is a time for quality over quantity. I've received so many AI-generated emails at this point, that once I determine it's not a genuine inquiry, I delete it. I used to feel bad, but not anymore. If you aren't putting in the work for something this important to your career, why would I expect that you would pu

I recently reconnected with one of my former PhD students. We reminisced about his time at the university as well as how his time away provided some perspective into the whole graduate school process, student-advisor interactions, and factors that help students be successful. This conversation and conversations with my current PhD students underline the concept that the skills that make someone successful as an undergraduate do not necessarily translate into PhD success. Basi

Somewhere in almost every faculty interview, a committee member will ask some version of this question: “What is it about this opportunity that excites you?” Or: “Why did you apply to our department?” Or simply: “Why us?” It sounds like an invitation to be enthusiastic. It's actually something more specific than that. The committee is asking whether you did your homework — and whether what you found there genuinely connects to where your work is going. What the Question Is Re

Having chaired several faculty search committees, it’s obvious that job announcements in academia use certain specialized terminology that is a mystery even to native speakers, and if you did your PhD or postdoc outside the US, you’re probably missing important context. Here's how to read a job announcement (both what is and is not said), so you apply to the right positions and avoid wasting time on the wrong ones. 1. Licensure Requirements Are Not Negotiable, and a PhD Doesn

Interviewing for an academic position in English when it's not your first language is challenging. You're expected to present complex research, discuss teaching techniques, and demonstrate your "fit" within the department, and you’re doing all of this while processing questions in real time. It’s a lot! The good news: search committees don’t care if you make some language mistakes. They're evaluating your ideas, clarity, and professional communication. In this guide of academ

In healthcare, we often practice how to separate our feelings from our job. But there are times where that separation can damage patient rapport. A patient might tell you that they are frightened or struggling with something like finances or substance abuse. For native speakers, the “right” response is a challenge. If English is an additional language, this moment can feel especially challenging. You are trying to provide a response that is both professional but caring at the

There’s a moment that comes up in almost every OET Speaking role play: the patient says something you can’t just agree with. Common examples include: minimizing the severity of their condition, pushing back on a recommendation, asking for something you can’t provide, or they might even express a belief about their health that isn’t clinically accurate. What you do in that moment is one of the things OET assessors are specifically watching for. And for many candidates, it’s al

A lot of OET Writing Test prep focuses on learning the letter format, understanding how to identify important information, but what test takers really need to know is how to find and address the “problematic point”. This post helps you identify the issue(s) the patient is facing and gives suggested language you can use to communicate clearly with your colleagues on the healthcare team. Every OET writing prompt contains what the test designers call a “problematic point”. The p

By the time you receive a PhD offer, you’ve probably spent considerable time thinking about whether the position is right for you. If you've been following this series, you've also thought carefully about whether the lab is functional, whether the advisor is responsive, and whether current students seem supported. Knowing how to find the right PhD mentor also requires an evaluation of your potential advisor's mentorship style. This is an important and often overlooked compone

Receiving a PhD offer is exciting! But before you accept, you want to determine if the program, the lab, and your advisor are actually the right fit for you. This post gives you some tips on how to carefully evaluate whether this offer is one you should accept. We'll talk about questions you should ask, who you should talk to, and things to watch out for. If you haven't read the previous post in this series on how to research a PhD program before you apply, it's worth startin

In the previous post in this series, I made the case that research fit matters more than simply getting accepted to a PhD program. If you haven’t read that post yet, I’d encourage you to start there. This post assumes you’re convinced and ready to start evaluating fit. So let’s get talk about what to do before you ever submit an application. Before you dive into evaluating a lab’s research, however, you should understand how graduate school admissions in the US work. I’ve wri

One of the most common mistakes PhD applicants make is prioritizing acceptance over fit. Getting into a program feels like the goal, but it's really just the beginning, and what you're getting into matters as much as getting in. I once knew someone who started their PhD because they didn't get into medical school. In a panic because the new school year was about to start, this person decided to do a PhD in the first lab they could find. On the surface, a PhD in a biomedical f

I was recently invited to serve as a First Editor for the British Journal of Nutrition, which means I might be one of the first people to read your manuscript — before it ever reaches a peer reviewer. The cover letter for your academic paper is an important part of your submission. It’s your first opportunity to make a case for why your paper belongs in this journal. What Exactly Is a Cover Letter for a Journal Submission? When you submit a manuscript to an academic journal,

You know the OET speaking sub-test is coming. You know you need to practice role plays. But finding someone to practice with who understands the clinical context, gives useful feedback, and is available when you are is harder than it sounds. If that sounds familiar, allow me to introduce you to the Absolutely English Clinical Scenario Coach. The Tool The Clinical Scenario Coach puts you in a real patient consultation as the clinician. You choose your professional specialty (p

If English isn’t your first language, writing a grad school personal statement can be tricky. I have another post about writing personal statements in general. You can find it here. After you follow that advice, look at your draft again and see if you’re making these grad school personal statement mistakes: 1) Overly complex sentences Many international applicants write very long, complex sentences because they associate complexity with academic sophistication. In a per

Many strong research papers are rejected because of academic English mistakes, not science. In fact, as an editorial board member and someone who has reviewed many manuscripts as a peer reviewer, if the abstract is written poorly, I’m not going to accept the review request. I don’t have time to fight to understand what the authors are trying to communicate. This post will help you avoid having your paper stuck under review because reviewers can’t be found. You’ll learn five c

I have sat on graduate admissions committees and dietetic internship admissions committees. I have read hundreds of graduate school personal statements. I only remember a handful because the majority of applicants failed to tell a story. For international applicants writing in English as an additional language, this problem is even more common, because so much energy goes into getting the language right that your story doesn’t come through. This post is not about grammar. I

If you’re new to Motivational Interviewing, or even if you’ve been using it for a while, you probably know the importance of using open or open-ended questions. Open questions can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”; rather, they encourage the patient to share information that you might not get otherwise. Sometimes, in our attempt to connect with a patient, we accidentally close our open question. This is a common Motivational Interviewing mistake. Here’s what that can

If you’re a healthcare practitioner working in English as an additional language and you want to improve interactions with your patients, steal these three phrases: 1. "That is an incredibly difficult position to be in." This phrase works after almost any unexpected patient disclosure – particularly something like financial hardship, for example. It’s important to acknowledge challenges, not simply dismiss them and move on to your next point. 2. "What would need to be differe