Advice to past self - beginning your PhD

Alright,

Apologies if this has been been done before...

If, right now, you could talk to your past self at the start of your PhD, what would you say? Advice? Warnings?

Just interested as I start mine in October.

Regards,

JM

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1

Jon Mustard

OP

Original post by Plantagenet Crown

This thread has definitely been done before.

Mine would be "Dont spend all day revising for your GCSEs, they're an absolute pisstake."

Alright mate,

What about 'at the start of your PhD'.

Reply 2

xoxAngel_Kxox

21

Lose some weight, you will feel so much better when you've done it, will be able to do more exercise and enjoy it, and you're wasting what should be the best years of your life feeling rubbish and looking a complete mess.

[I was obese from birth-20].

Reply 3

Melancholy

20

I think it's because this is in the postgraduate section.

OP - maybe edit the title so that you don't get the whole forum clicking the link and posting.

Reply 4

Jon Mustard

OP

Original post by xoxAngel_Kxox

Lose some weight, you will feel so much better when you've done it, will be able to do more exercise and enjoy it, and you're wasting what should be the best years of your life feeling rubbish and looking a complete mess.

[I was obese from birth-20].

I am actually trying to get a bit fitter over summer, my housemate never has food and so always asks me for takeaway, and 3/4 of the time I cave in.

The only time I'm motivated for exercise is during the summer. Can never seem to keep fit during term...

Edit: which worries me as this is the last summer I have 'free' :rolleyes:

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 5

Jon Mustard

OP

Original post by Melancholy

I think it's because this is in the postgraduate section.

OP - maybe edit the title so that you don't get the whole forum clicking the link and posting.

Good shout

Reply 6

Ellim

11

Don't get pregnant in your first year. I mean, I love my daughter and wouldn't give her back but the last two years of my PhD would have been significantly easier without a baby/toddler.

Publish things that are worth publishing as soon as possible.

The number one thing (advice which I was given, and took, and very pleased about): Your PhD is not your job. Your PhD is a means to getting the job you want.

Reply 7

chickenonsteroids

17

Is anyone reading the post? :confused:

Reply 8

Klix88

17

Original post by Ellim

The number one thing (advice which I was given, and took, and very pleased about): Your PhD is not your job. Your PhD is a means to getting the job you want.

I think this must be specific to particular fields. There's no way a PhD leads to a job in my field - even a Masters is viewed with suspicion. I'm doing my PhD because I love what I do and it's currently the only way to stay involved.

I find it useful to think of my research as a job, simply to instill a bit of routine and structure in my days/weeks. Depends what works for you, really.

Reply 9

kka25

18

You will never know if the supervisor is for you even after interviewing, asking around, etc. SO PLAN, PLAN and PLAN!

Reply 10

Jon Mustard

OP

Original post by Ellim

Don't get pregnant in your first year. I mean, I love my daughter and wouldn't give her back but the last two years of my PhD would have been significantly easier without a baby/toddler.

Publish things that are worth publishing as soon as possible.

The number one thing (advice which I was given, and took, and very pleased about): Your PhD is not your job. Your PhD is a means to getting the job you want.

I'm pretty impressed that you got through a PhD with a kid, did you have some time off or what, how did that work?

The job thing is pretty interesting; in my masters (chemistry) I was working in a lab with postgrads, a number of which spoke about what they do in terms of it being a job, ie 'going in to work' etc.

So are you saying that on a day to day basis you should still keep in mind the end goal sort of thing, rather than simply 'another day's work'?

Reply 11

Jon Mustard

OP

Original post by kka25

You will never know if the supervisor is for you even after interviewing, asking around, etc. SO PLAN, PLAN and PLAN!

I think my supervisor only recently got his doctorate. He himself got it from the head of department; both of which 'oversee' my project. Should be interesting...

Reply 12

Jon Mustard

OP

Original post by chickenonsteroids

Is anyone reading the post? :confused:

Yep, me. Even if it doesn't have a huge audience, I still appreciate the feedback :smile:

Edit: Been having a BBQ all evening if you were referring to my lack of response.

Reply 13

1024796

3

As someone about to embark on a PhD starting this October, I'm really interested in the replies to this thread.

Original post by Ellim

Publish things that are worth publishing as soon as possible.

As regards this, how do you know when it's worth publishing? This is my biggest concern. Should I seek other research projects outside of my PhD specifically for publication? Or do interesting research questions simply fall into your lap as you do your PhD and then you 'voila!' have something publishable?

How did you know when you had something 'worth publishing'?

Reply 14

poohat

18

Original post by DeMoomin

As someone about to embark on a PhD starting this October, I'm really interested in the replies to this thread.

As regards this, how do you know when it's worth publishing? This is my biggest concern. Should I seek other research projects outside of my PhD specifically for publication? Or do interesting research questions simply fall into your lap as you do your PhD and then you 'voila!' have something publishable?

How did you know when you had something 'worth publishing'?

You learn over time what is interesting and what isnt; its not something you are going to know at the start of your PhD. Read papers in top journals and try to work out what makes them better than papers in lesser journals. Read blogs associated with your field to get an overview. Etc.

Reply 15

Ellim

11

Original post by Klix88

I think this must be specific to particular fields. There's no way a PhD leads to a job in my field - even a Masters is viewed with suspicion. I'm doing my PhD because I love what I do and it's currently the only way to stay involved.

I find it useful to think of my research as a job, simply to instill a bit of routine and structure in my days/weeks. Depends what works for you, really.

Original post by Jon Mustard

The job thing is pretty interesting; in my masters (chemistry) I was working in a lab with postgrads, a number of which spoke about what they do in terms of it being a job, ie 'going in to work' etc.

So are you saying that on a day to day basis you should still keep in mind the end goal sort of thing, rather than simply 'another day's work'?

Sorry - yes, I should have explained that more. I don't mean that you shouldn't treat your day-to-day studies as a job if that's what works for you (i.e. doing a '9-5 day' or similar). I mean that you should keep in mind that there is a bigger picture.

In terms of those doing PhDs to get into academia (like me), I think you also have to remember that your thesis isn't the great work of your life (and, really, it would be pretty disappointing if it turned out it was). In the thesis form it's not even work that's worth anything more than to show that you can conduct research independently. That's why you never see PhD thesis published directly (German PhDs don't count in this, because it can be a requirement for passing the doctorate), but that people spend time - sometimes many years - reworking the material into a suitable form for a monograph.

Original post by Jon Mustard

I'm pretty impressed that you got through a PhD with a kid, did you have some time off or what, how did that work?

Thank you. I had my daughter at the start of my second year (in the October), and I took two months off. I didn't teach that whole year, either. I am on track to finish within my original 3 years (so, not including the two months I took off after the birth), and I'm one of only two in my cohort who is on track to finish within the 3 years. It was hard, and I certainly don't recommend it as a strategy.

Original post by DeMoomin

As someone about to embark on a PhD starting this October, I'm really interested in the replies to this thread.

As regards this, how do you know when it's worth publishing? This is my biggest concern. Should I seek other research projects outside of my PhD specifically for publication? Or do interesting research questions simply fall into your lap as you do your PhD and then you 'voila!' have something publishable?

How did you know when you had something 'worth publishing'?

As poohat said, you learn over time what is relevant and you get good feeback from peers at conferences and things - as you read more journal articles you get a feel for it. And, you talk to your supervisor, and other academics, and other students. And, you have a bit of trial and error.

I'd like to add one more thing:
Try and get an academic mentor who is not your supervisor, and is not in your department, who works on something very close to you but not so close that they would make a good external examiner. If nothing else, it will give you someone to talk to a conferences.
I'd suggest trying to get a mentor who isn't a 'big name' but a mid-career 'up and comer'. They will also have more idea of the current job market if your supervisor is a 'big name' or is late into their career.

Reply 16

returnmigrant

21

1) Work out as early as possible exactly what your research question actually IS.

I fannied about for 9 months while my supervisor told me to write 'exploratory' pieces on the entire historical era when I'd have been much better off focussing my reading on a particular bit of that era and getting down to the nuts and bolts FAR earlier.

2) Supervisors dont always know best.

Advice to past self - beginning your PhD

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