Ofir Gefen
Nationality: Israel
Faculty & Year of Study: Business School, Year 5
Undergraduate: The Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel
Why Did You Choose To Pursue A PhD?
I believe a Ph.D. is best suited for people who love studying. I was looking for a career that is on one hand intellectually stimulating, and on the other hand allows the freedom to pursue my own ideas and research agenda.
Why Did You Choose To Pursue Your PhD At NUS?
NUS is unique in its open and thriving research community. Our school has no barriers or obstacles in interacting with faculty. You are always encouraged to talk to professors, from your department and even from other departments. These conversations often lead to meaningful and long-lasting collaborations.
How does PhD graduate education compare with your undergraduate experience?
To be honest, they share more differences than similarities. The first two years of a PhD program includes mostly graduate level courses and exams and resembles undergraduate studies in that sense.
After that, PhD students in our department write a qualifying exam, demonstrating understanding in the core subjects of their PhD Then, the student becomes a PhD candidate, and will spend the duration of their candidature coming up with, writing and defending a dissertation. That portion is really the heart of the PhD program, as it requires the devotion to work on a novel research project that will contribute to disciple’s body of work.