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8 Top Tips and Pieces of Advice for New PhD Students

PhD imposter syndrome is far more common than you might realize. Feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy are completely valid and can make you feel as though you shouldn’t be studying for a Ph.D. Imposter syndrome manifests differently for everyone – and is something Áine has experienced herself.

IMPOSTER SYNDROME IS REAL

“Imposter syndrome is real and pretty much everyone experiences it at some point. I find it helps to open up about it to peers as you realize others feel the same way.”

Which leads us to Áine’s next piece of advice…

‘Don’t compare your PhD project to other people's

“Don’t compare your PhD project to other people’s. They are all different, so don’t worry if you have more or fewer data, papers, and experience than your peers. You were accepted onto the program because you deserve to be there!”

A PhD is a massively steep learning curve. Whether you’ve got your heart set on a PhD in Accounting & Finance, Biomedical Engineering, Environmental Sustainability, Media & Cultural Policy, or Planetary Science like Áine, looking around and comparing yourself to others never helps – especially when everyone is on their own PhD journey. Managing your expectations, as well as having the right attitude and work ethic to keep yourself moving forward is important.

‘Be super organized!’

Establishing a routine and dedicated workspace free from distractions with access to the right resources and tools is the golden rule, and can really help lay the groundwork for success.

From the get-go, calendars, diaries, planners, and to-do lists will be your BFFs throughout your PhD. You are ultimately responsible for the planning and management of your studies. Although it may seem obvious, it’s not uncommon to find yourself suddenly struggling to keep track of whats-what – something which Áine wish she’d thought about at the start of her PhD.

“I have dozens of notebooks from loads of meetings, experiments and conferences and I am terrible at keeping track of what information is in which notebook. I wish I had made a system for this as it would have saved me so much time now!”

‘Build yourself a research network’

It doesn’t matter what your research area is, or where in the world you’re studying, networking is a huge part of your PhD. Attending and participating in local and international events, such as conferences, seminars, lab meetings, and even graduate school sessions are a great way to build and maintain professional and social relationships.

“Be it online or not, be it in your research group, research department or not, find peers in the same boat with a little more experience than you who you feel comfortable talking to,” explains Áine.

‘Make use of your university’s student counseling service if there is one

PhDs demand long hours, with massive amounts of reading, researching, and writing which can understandably result in high levels of stress. Checking in with yourself on a regular basis is important. Be open and honest, and don’t feel like you’re on your own, whatever your worries or concerns may be.

“Over half of PhD students experience poor mental health symptoms during their PhD. If this happens to you, make use of your university’s student counselling service if there is one, learn to notice the signs that you’re struggling and give yourself a break.”

The University of Glasgow, offers a wide range of support services, including a dedicated Wellbeing service which students can access as little or as much as they like.

‘Don’t feel pressured to work 24/7’

“Some people in academia work really long days seven days a week and that just isn’t me,” says Áine. “Early on I was really worried I was going to fail because other people around me were working such long hours, and I told my supervisor this was worrying me, and she was really helpful in encouraging me to have a work-life balance.”

Having a good work-life balance is essential. You’re allowed to have a life away from your PhD, so make time to organize fun and exciting plans with friends and family in between reading sessions, research, seminars and meetings with your supervisor.

‘Don’t worry if your project changes as you progress

“Don’t worry if your project changes as you progress, and when that happens, don’t be concerned if you feel a bit lost and unsure as to what’s happening,” says Áine. “Doing a PhD means contributing to knowledge and so it’s totally normal for what you might contribute to change as you go through.”

You’re challenging existing beliefs and customs, all while developing new ways of thinking. Remember you’ve chosen to study a PhD to make a significant contribution to your field

Regularly check in and assess where you are in your schedule, but keep in mind that encountering problems and new developments are inevitable. Accepting that your initial plan of action may change is also ok.

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STUDY TIPS: QUARANTINE EDITION

Studying while in quarantine has been a bit of a change since we can’t go to classes / the library etc so here are some tips / things I’ve realised:

Drink water instead of coffee. Bonus if the water is cold. It keeps you alert yet more focused than caffeine. 

Don’t set weekly goals. A whole week at home means your goals will be pushed aside in favour of animal crossing or netflix. Set three-day goals instead. 

Have a clear sleep schedule. If you’re rolling out of bed at 12pm, you’ll feel less motivated to get some studying done. Maybe wake up at 9.30, and sleep at 11. Do what works for you. 

Have a plan. Know your approach to a task before you do it. Don’t just mindlessly stare at your laptop or worksheet before doing something or you’ll be sat there for hours.

Summarise the concept in your own words. It’s the key concept of note-taking - you understand things more and you haven’t just copied down textbook babble you don’t understand. If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t understand the concept.

Don’t let the “studyblr aesthetic” fool you. Studying doesn’t have to be pretty. The notes you see on social media of pretty notes have been rewritten and organised after the initial scribble on lined paper. Let your notes be messy (as long as they’re readable) and if you want to pretty things up later, go ahead!

Don’t throw away scrap paper you’ve used for working out - staple it to your book, add it to your folder - if you ever come across that problem again you have a step-by-step way of working it out.

Understand that if you’re at a zero, you won’t go to 100 in a couple of days. First, you’ll need to reach 20, then from 20 to 50, and then from 50 to 80. Nobody is 100 everyday. Nobody can get to 100 overnight. Give yourself time.

Spend time relaxing. You need to have ‘you time’ every single day. Watch netflix, binge watch disney, play animal crossing, sleep for 10 hours. You need to spend some time on you, doing what you love, to make you studying effective.

Once you’re on a roll and need a way to stay on track, start writing down your studying hours. Maybe make a schedule. If you studied for 6 hours yesterday, tell yourself you need to at least 80% of that.

Don’t have a zero day, try do a little bit each day, even if it you feel awful and can only do 20 minutes. 

Be kind to yourself. We’re living in uncertain times. We don’t know what will happen next. Take care of yourself, practise some self care, and know that even if you’re getting an hour of studying done a day, that’s still a huge accomplishment.

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Bosque esclerofilo.

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Welcome to the thoughts of a wanna-be, gonna-be public health enthusiastic and student. This blog serves as:

an outlet for rants and raves about public health in the past, present, and future

 give those an idea of what I (and many) see public health as in the US and the world

try to help me figure out how this multi-facetted, multi-disciplinary, and multi-leveled field that either everyone has an opinion about, has no opinion about,  or has no idea about become even more clear with some bumps along the way

so join me as I let out my inner science nerd come full circle along with some inner art, political, and music nerd to join the party