Do you sometimes doubt your intelligence for Post Grad studies?

I'm entering my last year of Undergraduate studies come September. I've always wanted to go on to do an MA then PHD, but only recently have been questioning my abilities for such academia.

This year I have had all A's and B's - but the B's were mostly in the theoretical papers, and the A's more in the practical modules.

I don't really know what the level of intelligence is required for doctoral research. Is there anyone in Postgraduate education that can reflect how much harder it is than Undergraduate? (I am obviously aware that it will differ with subjects)

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Reply 1

apotoftea

All the time so I wouldn't worry - a couple of us who started postgrad last september spent most of last year's summer going "what have I done? Why am I doing more study? etc"

First thing is I'm guessing you're doing a dissertation? That'll definitely give you an idea of what independent research is like and what's required from a longer piece of work.

From my own experiences which haven't been the best so hopefully the other postgrads on here will offer their own - it is harder? Yes and no I would say. I know I'm writing and thinking to a higher level but I've not had any feedback on my work yet (just don't ask :mad:

) so I'm not sure whether my MA marks reflect a better, higher style of writing. My actual workload has been much smaller than what I had at UG level, but again could be a reflection of where I've done my MA.

What I will say and I still to this day remember being told this by a couple of academics in my UG department - it's not the most academically able students that make the best postgrads. Just because you're averaging 76, doesn't mean postgrad is for you as it were. It's more about determination, the ability to slog through stuff or a course that you may only be doing it for funding reasons for a PhD etc. A lot of people don't like the independence and suddenly go "argghhh" when they realise everything is up to them.

Best advice is that you've got a bit of time to think about stuff and speak to your tutors - they should give you a good idea of whether you'll be able to cope. Your grades sound fine to me though :biggrin:

Reply 2

arkbar

People who don't like theory are weaklings, and weaklings will not survive in my hardxcore world :colonhash:

Reply 3

RachelBabyfrog

All the time!

In fact I had a good moan about how I'm just not clever enough this morning!

Reply 4

robbo3045

apotoftea

This post is brilliant. Like you said, my dissertation will give me a good standing on whether to continue or not. And I'm definitely going to spend some time talking to some tutors about it at the start of term.

I hope you do well! :smile:

Reply 5

robbo3045

arkbar

People who don't like theory are weaklings, and weaklings will not survive in my hardxcore world :colonhash:

Liking and being good at something are two different things :biggrin:

Reply 6

username207709

apotoftea

a couple of us who started postgrad last september spent most of last year's summer going "what have I done? Why am I doing more study? etc"

that's exactly how i'm feeling right now in the weeks leading up to september when i start! :s-smilie:

Reply 7

shiny

There are people who fly through their undergraduates studies scoring top marks and gaining first class degrees but crash when it comes to doing a PhD. In contrast, there are some people who struggle to get a 2.2 but thrive at postgraduate level and go from strength to strength.

It is hard to pin down exactly what makes someone successful or not at postgrad level as it depends on a complex interaction between you, whatever you are choosing to study and the skills and motivation that study involves.

Reply 8

Bread and Circlejerks

I worry about this all the time. I read work by professional academics and become concerned that I'll never be able to produce material of that standard. I survey the general literature in my field and worry that there aren't gaps waiting to be filled, or obvious points of departure for progressive study. I worry that I've mis-spent too much time up to this point, and not read works that I should have.

I'm not sure. I think that a considerable capacity for self-criticism is very helpful up to an extent.

I guess one mental coping mechanism is to remind yourself of your success up to this point. I got a starred first at undergraduate level, so obviously I have some aptitude. I'm continuing in a related field, so there's no reason to think that that aptitude will suddenly just disappear. I'm willing to work hard, so that's not a problem.

So, yeah: just remind yourself of relevant moments of success, and tell yourself that any failings can be either reversed or made irrelevant by hard graft. I guess.

Reply 9

hobnob

Since nobody seems to have posted it yet, here's the inevitable PhD comic. :smile:

Reply 10

economicsessex

university isnt about intelligence. its about rote learning and regurgitation. its about jumping through hoops.

Reply 11

hobnob

economicsessex

university isnt about intelligence. its about rote learning and regurgitation. its about jumping through hoops.

Are you quite certain you're a postgrad?

Reply 12

The_Lonely_Goatherd

Glad to see I'm not the only one who sometimes feels like this! I often wonder whether the postgrad world is for me and whether I'm really cut out for it. A few tutors seem to really believe I can do it though, which is really nice :smile:

Bread and Circlejerks

I worry about this all the time. I read work by professional academics and become concerned that I'll never be able to produce material of that standard. I worry that I've mis-spent too much time up to this point, and not read works that I should have.

Yeah, that's one of my big worries. I know that very few people have done what I'd be trying to do though, so I'm not as worried about that :smile:

Reply 13

FlyingIsis

I don't worry about my ability to cope, but I do worry that I'll be at a huge disadvantage as I'm going into a field I know virtually NOTHING about.

Reply 14

BeardySam

Yeah, this thread is very reassuring actually. I'm going to do a physics masters, and have bad maths skills! :s-smilie:

I'm seriously doubting my abilities and can feel my undergrad knowledge slip away over the summer.
But I enjoyed my research project in my final year so much, and was so driven my supervisor told me that that would pull me through, that it was enough. I'm sort of clinging to that right now.

Reply 15

Craghyrax

robbo3045

I'm entering my last year of Undergraduate studies come September. I've always wanted to go on to do an MA then PHD, but only recently have been questioning my abilities for such academia.
Hmm, I expect most people doubt their intelligence before commencing postgraduate studies. Its only natural. However I think there are some things you can analyse about yourself to at least determine whether its worth a shot. For me I treat postgrad like a job and I compare it to different work environments I could think of and the various stresses and demands, (having worked full time before starting my degree) and that helps me to put it into perspective. It also gives me confidence that if stuff is hard or stressful, I'd still prefer it to some of the awful jobs I've been in. You could think about whether you're hard-working, disciplined, patient enough to wade through fine details in order to cover all angles. And also whether you're emotionally happy with being in a situation where you're pretty much guiding your own work with practically no external feedback or reassurance (I expect some of what I'm saying is specific to postgrad in the humanities) You could also spend some time thinking about what your main sources of motivation are and whether these are strong enough to see you through any periods of uncertainty.
For instance perhaps you feel very sure that you prefer studying [your subject] to anything else you could be doing. (My hatred for almost all types of employment is also motivating factor.) Also I know I want to work in research afterwards, so persevering through postgrad is obviously a must :p:

(aside from loving studying my subject and all the cliches...) Perhaps you know you'll always regret not doing it if you don't now, or you know that entrance to your dream job would be impossible without it.
Also consider the fact that postgrad can be considerably less sociable (again particularly in the Humanities) Unlike undergrad where you still share lectures/tutorials etc and your work overlaps enough with that of others to have joint study sessions and so on, at postgrad its just you on your island to an extent.

I think these things probably contribute a great deal towards your suitability for postgraduate study. Obviously nobody can say whether you're intelligent or not, but if you've done an undergraduate degree and found yourself able to do well in it and sustain your interest, then there isn't any reason to assume you're not smart enough :p:

Presumably all those who went ahead of you had to determine this by trial and error. The above considerations are things, however, which you can reflect upon in advance and arrive at conclusions about based on your own self-knowledge.

When desperate I usually comfort myself by recollecting all the really dire journal articles I've read, and concluding that if its possible for such rubbish to be published, there's a chance I'll slip through the net even if I majorly belly-flop :biggrin:

I am also going into final year, so my speculations are not based on experience, only opinion. Postgrads feel free to contradict me if I'm wrong.

Reply 16

Fricklesnarp

Craghyrax

) Also consider the fact that postgrad can be considerably less sociable (again particularly in the Humanities) Unlike undergrad where you still share lectures/tutorials etc and your work overlaps enough with that of others to have joint study sessions and so on, at postgrad its just you on your island to an extent.

I would definitely agree with this - it's not just about being intelligent, you also need to have the mental stamina to cope with spending a lot of time working on your own, especially in the Humanities. I'm a pretty independent, solitary person and enjoy my own company generally, but having spent the last 6 months barely leaving the house and working on essays day in and day out, I'm really starting to feel the strain.

I only have literally five more weeks left of my MA in English Lit and my dissertation work fills all my waking (and sleeping!) hours, and for each day that I get closer to finishing, it just feels harder and harder - all I really want at the moment is just a conversation with another human being, or to look at something that isn't my computer screen or the inside of my study! This year has probably been the hardest year of my entire life so far, but on the plus side, I can't even imagine the rush I'm going to feel when I finally hand in that last piece of work! After which I'm going to go and get very, very wasted :wink:

Reply 17

The_Lonely_Goatherd

Craghyrax

When desperate I usually comfort myself by recollecting all the really dire journal articles I've read, and concluding that if its possible for such rubbish to be published, there's a chance I'll slip through the net even if I majorly belly-flop :biggrin: