<p>If my goal (which I know is far-off, but I’m just very goal-oriented) is to eventually become a professor at a university, I need to get my Ph.D. </p>
<p>Are there things I should be involved in throughout my undergraduate time at Columbia in order to boost my chances of getting accepted to Ph.D. programs when I’m done with college (other than working hard academically)?</p>
<p>I’ve read on this forum various times that research is very important – does that importance extend beyond a desired career in the sciences/mathematics to desired careers in the humanities (such as philosophy)?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Besides good grades, some tips:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>make relationships with professors in your field… they’ll be the ones writing you LoRs / calling their peers at other schools</p></li>
<li><p>get involved in some sort of research / scholarship, whether it’s your own research, being a research assistant for a professor, getting published, taking seminars where you can write papers, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>get immersed in your field, e.g., go to conferences / talks where you’ll meet non-CU profs in your field</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Seconded. </p>
<p>Getting involved in research is key, getting published will be very key, and getting either of those will involve talking to professors in your classes. Go to office hours and make friends. Show a passion for what they’re into, for what they do. Ask their career advice, ask them how they pursued their own path. Ask them if they know any professors in the department whose research interests align best with your own - and if they would introduce you.</p>
<p>It sounds so easy when we explain it like this, and I realize that actually going and executing on that is a daunting and even intimidating prospect. But students do it every day, and the ones who do it tend to be the ones going to PhD programs.</p>