Advice for PhD

Hi!

Im about to start a mathematics phd in UK.

If you also did phd what did you wish you knew when you were in my position?

Thank you!

Michael

Reply 1

Noodlzzz

- make notes of all supervisor meetings
- acknowledge imposter syndrome, self doubt and mental health dips as a result of PhD
- celebrate the small stuff
- start writing (though this was/is for psych so not sure about maths!) your intro and methods chapter as you go from the start, you will thank me when it hits write up stage
- weekends should be protected time

Reply 2

University of Kent

Official Rep

Original post by michael3456

Hi!

Im about to start a mathematics phd in UK.

If you also did phd what did you wish you knew when you were in my position?

Thank you!

Michael

Hey @michael3456

I'm currently about to go in to my second year of my PhD in Psychology so hopefully can offer some insight! :smile:

1. As said above, make notes of all supervisor meetings! Sometimes your supervisor will give you some really helpful advice in a meeting, that you will definitely forget a week later if you don't make note - I've done this so many times and it can make things take so much longer or lead to you going round in circles!
2. Time management - this was one of the biggest things for me personally. I've really had to organise my time and almost treat my PhD work as a 9-5 job in order to keep the ball rolling.
3. But also give yourself time off. If you're treating it like a 9-5 or generally sticking to weekdays, make sure you also give yourself evenings/weekends to relax! Don't neglect other aspects of your life for your work like your social life/relationships.
4. Get as much done as you can in your first year. I always heard this from people in their second/third year of PhD and kind of ignored it, but now I have so much to do this year that I wish I'd done a bit more last year. Of course take some time to settle in and get used to what you're doing/how things work, but don't lean on the comfort of it being your first year for too long.
5. On the flip side of that - don't put too much pressure on yourself or compare yourself to others. This was a big one for me - everyone will do things in a completely different order/way, so don't worry about what other people are doing. For instance, I started writing straight away as I already knew my topic pretty well from it being my focus in my Masters, but others started the empirical aspect first. While the specifics may not be the same for a Mathematics PhD, don't worry too much what your peers are doing.
6. Imposter syndrome & self-care. Please remember you were accepted for a reason & you are obviously very capable of doing a PhD! Make sure to look after yourself in the process and not be too harsh on yourself! You've got this :crossedf:

Hope this helps, if you have any other questions about doing a PhD definitely let me know!

Natalie
- University of Kent Student Rep

Reply 3

mnot

Universities Forum Helper

Keep on top if your admin, stay ahead of schedule, write chapters as you go along & get feedback on them.

Have an active social life outside of your PhD & enjoy your first 2 years.