Dear brilliant students: Please consider not doing a PhD.
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Dear brilliant students: Please consider not doing a PhD.
1–10 of 134 posts
Re: Dear brilliant students: Please consider not doing a PhD.
#2I'd like to read some warnings and recommendations targeted at an older, more mature individual who's continued researching her interest after undergraduate but has yet to begin, though plans on, applying for a doctorate.
I remember dating one and meeting many young graduate students in humanities who when asked "What are you working on?" didn't have anything terribly specific in mind. I'd made the decision not to apply after undergraduate because I specifically didn't have a good idea of what I wanted to work on (disclosure: I'm in philosophy!). Now, a few years later, my independent research has come to grips with a real subject and problem and feel much more confident about applying, but now I'm told that I shouldn't disclose how decided I am in the work that I want to do, that I should present my intentions as a little ambiguous and up in the air still. Huh!?
Re: Dear brilliant students: Please consider not doing a PhD.
#3I'd like to read some warnings and recommendations targeted at an older, more mature individual who's continued researching her interest after undergraduate but has yet to begin, though plans on, applying for a doctorate. I remember dating one and meeting many young graduate students in humanities who when asked "What are you working on?" didn't have anything terribly specific in mind. I'd made the decision not to ap…
There's a few people in the comment section talking about how doing their PhD as a mature student worked far better for them and left them with their soul only lightly crushed, so you might be able to ask for some advice over there.
Re: Dear brilliant students: Please consider not doing a PhD.
#4Boy, all the articles about Ph.D.'s on HN are so negative. I had a great time getting mine. I got a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon. I guess it must depend a lot on the subject you're studying. We mostly did classes for the first two years. We got an adviser in the second year, and gradually ramped up the research. I finished in 4 years and 3 months. Pretty much everyone in the program would finish in 4-4.5 years. Everyone worked very closely with their adviser, and didn't have the "drift" I read about a lot, where students seem to feel alone. It was do 3 papers, write your thesis, and get out. I really enjoyed the chance to do research, and do a really deep dive on a subject. They funded everyone, enough to live to a "grad student" standard. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Re: Dear brilliant students: Please consider not doing a PhD.
#5> if you're expecting to work 40-hour weeks, you'd better be registered as a part-time student
Not all schools let you be registered part-time :'(
Re: Dear brilliant students: Please consider not doing a PhD.
#6Boy, all the articles about Ph.D.'s on HN are so negative. I had a great time getting mine. I got a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon. I guess it must depend a lot on the subject you're studying. We mostly did classes for the first two years. We got an adviser in the second year, and gradually ramped up the research. I finished in 4 years and 3 months. Pretty much everyone in the program would finish…
I think you make a great point--the thing is that is really depends on the program, and students should meet students currently in the program, chat with them, and see how things are for them.
Re: Dear brilliant students: Please consider not doing a PhD.
#7What did she do her PhD in? Maybe I missed it, but I don't recall seeing it in her article/rant.
I'm on the second semester of getting a PhD in chemical engineering and so far I love it. My undergraduate school was much more of a time-sink (then again, it was rated one of the least happy schools in the US). Right now, I can do my research anywhere and anytime I feel like it. I get to use the world's best equipment at the best national labs and I get to guide the direction of my projects with the help of my advisor -- who is also amazing by the way.
So maybe that's kind of a humble-brag, but it should be. The author shared her n=1 miserable experience and I'm sharing my n=1 great experience so perhaps you should learn about getting a PhD yourself and decide if that's what you want to do instead of listening to people moan about what martyrs grad students are.
Re: Dear brilliant students: Please consider not doing a PhD.
#8What did she do her PhD in? Maybe I missed it, but I don't recall seeing it in her article/rant. I'm on the second semester of getting a PhD in chemical engineering and so far I love it. My undergraduate school was much more of a time-sink (then again, it was rated one of the least happy schools in the US). Right now, I can do my research anywhere and anytime I feel like it. I get to use the world's best equipment at…
That's funny that we both posted about how great it is to get a ChE PhD. Glad you're enjoying it.
Re: Dear brilliant students: Please consider not doing a PhD.
#9Boy, all the articles about Ph.D.'s on HN are so negative. I had a great time getting mine. I got a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon. I guess it must depend a lot on the subject you're studying. We mostly did classes for the first two years. We got an adviser in the second year, and gradually ramped up the research. I finished in 4 years and 3 months. Pretty much everyone in the program would finish…
I think you make a great point--the thing is that is really depends on the program, and students should meet students currently in the program, chat with them, and see how things are for them.
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Re: Dear brilliant students: Please consider not doing a PhD.
#10The article is a pretty good account of the reasons why talented and capable people drop out of Ph.D. programs (often for the best), but the reality is that your mileage may vary - a lot depends on the fit between student and advisor and department. It's definitely a major test of your time management and self-motivation skills.
The battle to find a topic and convince people that your topic is relevant is painful: contrary to popular belief, working in academia is in its own way far more competitive than in the private sector: you're constantly evaluated and critiqued.