Phd

[celmon 0]

I am starting my PhD this fall and I took the time to ask a few friends who are currently doing PhD for some advice which they wished they could give to a younger them.

Here is what I have been told up till now

• Start a new hobby which should be independent of your studies. Good examples would be rock climbing, trekking
• Make you sure you don’t stress yourself too much.  Periods of self-doubt are going to be inevitable so it would help if you were relaxed. An independent hobby would ensure that you don’t live in constant periods of stress and hence are in a better state of affairs to pursue your goal of a PhD.
• Exercise regularly.  This connects with the point earlier on taking your mind off your study/ research work and allows you to be more productive in the actual work hours.
• No procrastination. As a friend put it (Rafeel), “The idea of work is more scary than work itself.” Get to work.
• It might vary from person to person but it seems that getting up early (I assume it also means sleeping early!! and having a good organized routine) helps with the productivity as well.

I’ll keep updating with new advice (You guys are welcome to give it!).  For now, I will try to ask your help with a trade-off I am facing. Coffee is a must for any PhD student but I am starting to wonder whether my daily trip to the Dunkin near my house worth the $ 4.5 everyday given I am on a student budget? A cappuccino costs around $ 3.5 and I can’t resist a Boston Kreme for old times sake!  Any ideas?

For the more serious ones who came looking for advice on whether and how to apply for a PhD please visit this blog by Chris Blattman.  I better head to bed as suggested above 

 

This originally appeared here