People often ask me advice on how to apply for a graduate program. Questions include, how to select a lab to apply to, what to include in the research proposal, what to look for in a prospective lab? etc. My suggestion usually is to find something that truly interests you. Going through a PhD is not a child’s play. It’s a whole different level than the undergrad classes. There would days or weeks you would be stuck at the same in the problem. There would many a nights you would spend in your lab, frustrated, dealing with anxiety, procrastination, and for heaven knows hunger! You would perhaps work for weeks and months on an idea, only for it to turn out to be a dud or perhaps, only for somebody else to have gotten to the end result a tiny yet significant bit before you! What keeps the motivation alive and you healthy and sane is the real interest in the topic that initially got you excited and the support and aid from your supervisor, lab members, and your friends. What’s most imp...