The charge of PhD students

Slightly more than 50 new PhD students are expected to join our University by September. They are coming from different parts of the word, all armed with the pleasure of learning at the frontiers of research and with the pride to contribute to the growth of knowledge. They have been finely selected over almost a thousand applicants to enroll in the 5 PhD Programs currently offered at our University: Business Administration and Management, Economics and Finance, Legal Studies, Social and Political Science, and Statistics and Computer Science.
"A PhD is not for everybody: It requires the necessary skill set, a full-time commitment and a long-term perspective. Moreover, a certain degree of obsession is crucial for succeeding in research" says Dean of PhD School Andrea Fosfuri. "While the PhD journey is long and often tortuous, the new students will find a lively research environment facilitated by the physical proximity between faculty and PhD students--all located in the Roentgen building, top-rated scholars who actively contribute to a variety of international research communities and a rigorous training based on state-of-the-art research methodologies."
The advice of the Dean to the new PhD students is to start interacting as soon as possible with faculty and other students both of the same cohort and of more advanced years. Especially for students moving to Milan from other countries, it might not be straightforward to navigate some of the intricacies of everyday life while they are fully committed to demanding course loads, assignments and exams. Sharing experiences with peers and constantly seeking the advice of other students and faculty can surely reduce the stress and shorten the adjustment phase.

The journey is long, but the rewards can be very exciting. Academic jobs in prestigious Schools not offer stimulating environment and great freedom, but also attractive salaries. "In the last four years, we have placed our students at Harvard, Stanford, Insead, HEC, National University of Singapore, Yale, Tilburg, Oxford, EUI, among others. The new cohort of PhD students can do even better," concludes Dean Fosfuri.