Prior to starting grad school I received tons of advice from my mentors and other grad students, but there were a few things that nobody prepared me for:
- Deadlines are not real. Some people might find this as a relief, but as a deadline-oriented person, I find it extremely frustrating. Given how small a Ph.D program typically is, deadlines seem to be a lot more flexible…which is great. What is not so great is when you are expected to write a book chapter AFTER the deadline has already passed. When does it need to be completed if the deadline already passed?! Tip: Create your own deadlines. Mark your calendar with a reasonable time frame and stick to it.
- The school year is more enjoyable than summer break. Alright, this sounds pretty sad, but it kind of was the case for myself. I got so used to the nonstop hustle and grind, that it just felt weird sitting at home all day watching Netflix. Sure, I could’ve been more productive but it’s difficult when there are no hard deadlines in the summer. Tip: Go on vacation and use the first tip I mentioned.
- Figuring out authorship is awkward. The order of authorship is important but the people who you’re working with become your friends, so it is pretty uncomfortable when you have to have “the talk”. Tip: Determine authorship roles at the very beginning of starting a paper!
- You will see the same people almost every.single.day. Unless you’re in a program near your hometown, you probably won’t have any friends starting out. This is a great time to get to know all of the other students in your program. However, working with them in the lab, classroom, meetings, and conferences can make you feel a little bit stir crazy. On the flip side, finding a work spouse is life altering! I don’t know if I could have gotten through school without my work wife. Tip: Join school clubs or volunteer outside of school to meet other people.
- You won’t know how to get around campus. It’s a big change from being an undergrad who can navigate the whole campus to being a grad student who only travels from your department to the coffee shop. Tip: No real tip for this one…maybe you can carry around a map?
- Emails. Emails. Emails. Gone are the days that you could skip checking your email. My inbox is flooded with emails on a daily basis. Tip: Folders are your friend. At the beginning or end of your day, move emails into folders and sub-folders to keep things organized. Personally, I only keep up to 20 emails in my inbox that address any upcoming deadlines.
- It doesn’t actually get easier. Everyone told me that the first year is the most difficult. Sure, it was a tough transition, and having to spend 20 hours a week on stats homework was hell (in retrospect, I really enjoyed listening to Justin Bieber and spending time with my cohort, while we worked on those torturous assignments), but every year I have had more and more projects piled on my plate, giving me less and less free time. I will say that over time I have gained more autonomy, in turn making me even more passionate about my work, excited to publish and share my ideas, so in the end it all feels worth it. Tip 1: Try to prioritize your true research interests so that you’re busy working on things you care about. Tip 2: Learn how to manage your time. I started using Google calendar in my second year because there were way too many deadlines and meetings to keep track of any other way. Tip 3: Get a hobby…I’m still working on that one.
