Dear All,

I'm a graduate student (Pharmaceutical Chemistry) from India looking for a PhD studentship in an european university. Although I have taken part in many research projects, but I haven't been able to get any publications so far. I have got good CGPA scores though (8.43/10). Throughout my educational life I have been always interested in learning new techniques in a variety of fields. Never cared about staying in one field. This has brought me to a difficult situation , i.e ' being the jack of all trades but master of none '.

Right now I have got a decent research proposal in glycobiology in hand. So with "no" previous practical experience with mol. biology techniques, advanced spectroscopic techniques or immunology, do I stand a chance in getting admitted anywhere with this project ? How can I convince someone that I could work hard and learn fast all these techniques ?

Now some of my plus points are , I'm a hard worker and a quick learner.
Got good communication skills.
Have got good theoretical knowledge.

I wish to get some suggestions which could boost confidence.

Thanks & Regards

Stanley

Hi Stanleysj
Very few people will have publications prior to their PhD, so I wouldn't worry about that. The fact that you have hands on research experience is always a bonus, although it's a shame that hasn't included using the techniques that you think will be relevant for your PhD. If you have a keen interest in a topic though that will always come across well, so I'd say just start applying and see what response you get, a PhD is meant to be a learning experience so don't worry that you have some gaps in your knowledge to start with.