It's me again! This time, I wanted to talk to you all about the life of a PhD student and the tips I would tell myself a year ago (almost to the day!). Being a PhD student is honestly a rollercoaster; it's brilliant, inspiring, motivating, but they can also be a challenge too. This is in no way to put you off, I would sign up to my PhD again in a heartbeat, but there are definitely some things to remember...
Give yourself a break. PhD's are notoriously relentless, normally being 3-4years long. You have to remember that they're a marathon and not a sprint! Having the week off isn't going to impact on your results overall, and if anything will make you more productive for having a break away! You will be spending so much of your life devoted to your studies, that you have to have time away too.
Remember, you're only human. The amount of times I have beaten myself up because I've made a mistake (yes, its happens to us all!) or because I don't have a perfect set of data.... But I have to remind myself, I'm only human! Data isn't perfect, things go wrong, mistakes happen.. Just try to focus on not letting them happen again and being constructive in your approach moving forward - if there's something you can do to improve your data/writing etc. then that's brilliant, but the likelihood is, this will just come with experience!
Don't run before you can walk. So this is a huge one for me personally - I am terrible for throwing myself head first into everything I do, rather than taking a calm and considered approach and building up to things... Whether it's lab work, or being a little too ambitious with applications for positions alongside my studies. Don't get me wrong, I would 100% recommend putting yourself out there and looking for new opportunities, but just remember there's no huge rush - especially when it comes to learning and perfecting new techniques.
Be kind. This may seem like an odd one, but it's one so many people forget! Especially if you're working in a lab setting, the other students/researchers literally become like a second family, so.. Be nice to them! It's not all about getting to the top and getting the most data. It's about being considerate and kind to others too - there's more teamwork than you might think in science, so it's so important to ensure you treat everyone with the same level of respect. On that note - can we stop 'ranking' people in the lab please?! It shouldn't matter what your job title, or education level, everybody deserves to be there and they're all an important cog in the bigger wheel!!
Don't forget your friends and family. This is a MASSIVE one. As I have previously mentioned, PhDs can take over your life.. It's not a bad thing, but definitely something you need to manage. It's SO important to take a step back and remember to prioritise other things sometimes, especially friends and family. It can be so difficult when you're working long hours or when you get absorbed into your work, but they will be the ones that you need when everything goes wrong! Remember, your PhD isn't forever, but your friends and family should be!
Manage your supervisor. Now this is a difficult one, because everyone has a different experience with their supervisor, and there is a range of 'acceptable' relationships you can have with them.. Right from going to theirs every Tuesday to watch Great British Bake Off, through to it being an incredibly formal 'professor/student' relationship. Whatever it is, your supervisor is your supervisor for at least 3 years (often more like 4, by the time the thesis/viva are completed), so you need to try and manage them too. Try to manage their expectations, particularly if they have high standards, and try to work with them wherever possible to ensure it's a mutually positive relationship! The majority of people have absolutely no problems with their supervisor, but it's definitely something to bear in mind if you do!
Write everything down. Now this may seem really obvious, but it's SO important to write things down (unless you're a complete brainiac). You will have so much new information in those first few weeks, even things that seem obvious are worth writing down! This is especially important if you're doing a lab-based project, just because there are so many techniques and things to remember in the lab, it's really hard to keep track if you don't write them down! It may not be that you forget straight away, but it's crazy how quickly things go out of your head when you're not doing them regularly - I noticed this especially after the christmas break, and not being in the lab for four months during the Covid lockdown!
Enjoy it. Last, but certainly not least - enjoy it! Not many people get the opportunity to do a PhD, so regardless of the subject area or project title, ENJOY IT! You generally only do one, so try and embrace the opportunities and enjoy the experience - believe me, you will definitely come out of it with so many new skills and attributes.
And that's it - my list of tips for new PhD students! I could have been here all day, but I thought these were the most important, and definitely the things I try to focus on day-to-day!
As always, any comments or ideas, please let me know!
Stay safe everybody,
B x
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