MS, PhD and Blah....

Graduate Student Life!

Tough, frugal and full of obstacles. Research, Thesis and Dissertation win accolades for best negative roles. We are all suffering but some enjoy the process. What makes the difference? Knowing the Do’s and Don’ts of Research Life.

Be a self-starter:

I recently got a present from my advisor

“A PhD is not enough” - Peter J. Fibelman
http://home.flash.net/~pjfeibe/a_phd_is_not_enough.htm

The book is about survival in the scientific field after getting a degree. The gesture that some one cares for my degree and career made me really happy. Well, we are not always lucky to find such advisors. Some of us had bitter experiences too. I have learnt from my experience.

Learnt that one should not wait for an external force or event to change ones status. If you don't have a pushing advisor, you'll end up finding yourself drifting around purposelessly for years. So it's better to tell your advisor that what you want to do next rather than always waiting for your advisor telling you what you should.

Focus:
Often he who does too much does too little




Try not to conquer the world with a single research topic. Narrow down the topic to one aspect that is distinct enough and you can really work with it. Research is not research until you have focused it around a solid research question that addresses a problem or issue.

Work hard:
All the so-called "secrets of success" will not work unless you do



Every PhD student knows that it's better to make steady progress in research. Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. Organize yours tasks and take up one at a time. Once you start a task get it done enough to ignore it for a while so that you don’t have to switch between tasks too often.

Get out early:
Time stays long enough for anyone who will use it

Often we are caught up in a vicious circle that we end up doing nothing productive during the day and stay up late in the night. This will make us even much less productive the next day. If you are in such a circle, jump out right now and reset.

Question yourself, be your boss:
Some one once told me “Don’t ask a PhD student how his/ her research is going; just like not asking a girl about her age or weight.”



But maybe it's a good strategy to ask yourself such a question now and then "how's your research going?"

Do not choose to wait until the day before the meet with advisor and work overnight to get some stuff done so as to prevent from having nothing to say during the meeting. What's funny is sometimes your advisor is too busy picking some one from the airport or giving a talk at a conference. He has no track of your research progress and is unconscious of your getting nowhere. This gives you reason to drift around another week.

But probably besides your advisor, you also need to report to yourself if you consider yourself as your boss. Just breaking all major tasks into smaller ones. Make a list to do each day and check them off as you complete them.

Do not feel frustrated:
To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge

Don't feel depressed when you find yourself more and more ignorant. Talk about your frustrations with peers or senior graduate students, and don't let academic frustrations take control of your whole life.

And last but not least when things go downhill and frustration never seems to end~



Keep in mind that there is life outside your department and most people have never even heard of what you are studying ☺