Thanks, this post made me seriously consider applying to a PhD, and I strong-upvoted. I had vaguely assumed that PhDs take way too long and don’t allow enough access to compute compared to industry AI labs. But considering the long lead time required for the application process and the reminder that you can always take new opportunities as they come up, I now think applying is worth it.
However, looking into it, putting together a high-quality application starting now and finishing by the deadline seems approximately impossible? If the deadline were December 15, that would give you two weeks; other schools like Berkeley have even earlier deadlines. I asked ChatGPT how long it would take to apply to just a single school, and it said it would take 43–59 hours of time spent working, or ~4–6 weeks in real time. Claude said 37-55 hours/4-6 weeks.
Not to discourage anyone from starting their application now if they think they can do it—I guess if you’re sufficiently productive and agentic and maybe take some amphetamines, you can do anything. But this seems like a pretty crazy timeline. Just the thought of asking someone to write me a recommendation letter in a two-week timeframe makes me feel bad.
Your post does make me think “if I were going to be applying to a PhD next December, what would I want to do now?” That seems pretty clarifying, and would probably be a helpful frame even if it turns out that a better opportunity comes along and I never apply to a PhD.
I think it’d be a good idea for you to repost this in August or early September of next year!
Thanks, this post made me seriously consider applying to a PhD, and I strong-upvoted. I had vaguely assumed that PhDs take way too long and don’t allow enough access to compute compared to industry AI labs. But considering the long lead time required for the application process and the reminder that you can always take new opportunities as they come up, I now think applying is worth it.
However, looking into it, putting together a high-quality application starting now and finishing by the deadline seems approximately impossible? If the deadline were December 15, that would give you two weeks; other schools like Berkeley have even earlier deadlines. I asked ChatGPT how long it would take to apply to just a single school, and it said it would take 43–59 hours of time spent working, or ~4–6 weeks in real time. Claude said 37-55 hours/4-6 weeks.
Not to discourage anyone from starting their application now if they think they can do it—I guess if you’re sufficiently productive and agentic and maybe take some amphetamines, you can do anything. But this seems like a pretty crazy timeline. Just the thought of asking someone to write me a recommendation letter in a two-week timeframe makes me feel bad.
Your post does make me think “if I were going to be applying to a PhD next December, what would I want to do now?” That seems pretty clarifying, and would probably be a helpful frame even if it turns out that a better opportunity comes along and I never apply to a PhD.
I think it’d be a good idea for you to repost this in August or early September of next year!