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Paul Crocker - Applicants

So I interview a lot of applicants who come here interested to do a PhD, and I think one of the most important parameters is that the applicants have to have a real passion for doing research. So they've got to show a commitment, they have to have an inquiring mind, they need to be dynamic and flexible, because research, through its very nature, is often unpredictable. So, therefore, you've got to be able to think on your feet, but at the same time you're often working in a team environment. So you have to show collegiality, get along with other students, or the post-ops, or the members of the laboratory, and really be able to work like a team.

It's important to say that doing a PhD is not a nine to five job. It's a pretty much full time commitment, and so if applicants come here indicating that they might just turn up at nine and go home at five and be here Monday through Friday, then I don't think a PhD would necessarily be for them. It's a major commitment. All though you have four years, it's really a full time activity. In fact for many PhD applicants, they would are that doing a PhD is one of their hobbies as opposed to a job per se.

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