5 Things I wish I knew before starting my PhD
The fourth year of my PhD is coming to an end, with the viva looming. It’s been one crazy ride, with the thesis submission happening during a global pandemic! I most definitely had an amazing time in Cambridge, but it was not always rosy…there were some tough times and many stressful nights! Looking back now, as a wise(-ish), experienced(more like aged) PhD student, I realise that adjusted expectations can help soften the blows and help with mental prep of what is to come. So, I have compiled a list, which in no way is exhaustive, of 5 things I wish I knew before I started my PhD:
It’s okay if you do not have a plan!
There seems to be a major misconception that as a new PhD student, you need to have a solid 4 year plan, with a detailed list of the next steps of the academic journey. Well that is hella stressful! And so unnecessary! For me, I had no idea of what would come after the PhD, and I wasn’t entirely okay with that. It was a source of stress, but ultimately, throughout my PhD, I was exposed to so many wonderful opportunities, some of which I had no way of predicting, which made my experience much more enriching and most definitely shaped my career aspirations. If contrary to me, you have an end goal and well planned out career aspects then that’s great! Go forth and conquer. But likewise, figuring out your post PhD plan is something that can be worked on throughout the PhD, you know, with all the free time you’ll have!
Everyone gets overwhelmed at times!
The PhD journey is one of highs and lows. From getting so excited after successfully presenting my first paper at an international conference in Japan to the struggle of trying to stay connected with my research when there is a supply issue with sheep spines and the equipment I need is overbooked. In more ways than one the PhD process is a test of endurance. So, for those hours/days/weeks/months when you might be feeling overwhelmed by your research and stuck in a PhD slump, it’s important to know that you’re not alone! From my experience, every PhD student at some point has wondered if they’ll make it through. It’s crucial to normalise discussions on the topics of mental health and PhD struggles. Shared experiences are very helpful and lead to the creation of a strong support network. Often the PhD experience can be very isolating, but there is no reason why it should be so.
“I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember it”
I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to kick myself for assuming I would remember something, instead of writing it down. I always convince myself that surely you’ll remember this! LIES! My advice: write down everything you do, every single thing! This includes meeting notes, method details, that specific fine tuning parameter for your machine you’ve used a million times, the equation you used and most importantly any key references. While on the topic of references, definitely invest time in literature reviews. The reviews, both before and after data collection, help you to develop your research aims and conclusions, while keeping the bigger picture in mind.
Sometimes, things just don’t work out!
This was probably the hardest lesson to learn. Having been a geek who gets results pretty much my whole life, I found it hard to reconcile meticulously planned experiments with failed results or irrelevant data. But failing is pretty much guaranteed for any PhD student. Get ready to fail, again and again, day in, day out. In a scientific PhD, there are so many hoops to jump through before even starting an experiment: risk assessment forms, standard operating procedures, COSHH forms for chemicals etc. After this whole process, sometimes you’ll make a mistake on day 10 of a 2 week long experiment and have to restart or sometimes your hypothesis will lead to a dead end. These can be very frustrating but the good news is, you can always learn something from any failure. As Henry Ford said very eloquently: “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently”.
The right people make all the difference!
When I found out my research group does tea time twice a day, and lunch time, I knew right then that I will fit in really well! It’s important to have a great support system, which we all have, through our families or friends. But having a group of people who also share your experiences and understand why you’re annoyed with a particular person, or machine, is way too underappreciated in my opinion. As the saying goes, misery loves company! Some of my colleagues from my research group are now my best friends for life (#bffs), and we have kept each other sane throughout the journey. Also, being able to discuss career plans with super successful professors over a cup of tea, and learning lab techniques from expert post docs should really be generously taken advantage of!
My final take on this is yes, of course it’s going to be hard. But no, it’s not impossible. Will you always be killing it and functioning at maximum capacity? No, of course not. But no one is. We’re all going to have bad days but it’s important to remember that it can be done and it is worth doing. And you can do it. So, enjoy your PhD, they are full of wonderful experiences and give you the wonderful chance to work on something that fascinates you. Celebrate every little success and enjoy yourself!