Things I wished I’ve known before taking up PHD

Yes, I am making a list of things I wished I have known before committing myself to taking up PhD. Before anyone begin to take offenses, I do remind you that all these quirks are for your laughs and understanding only, not meant to embarrass/humiliate or offend anyone. =P

1. The role you play
As a Phd student, you are unlike undergraduate student / master by coursework student or even staff. You are neither of these but at the same time, you are all the above. As a student, you have your own research to do. The extent and the quality of your work are closely tied to your supervisor and timeline. As a staff, you have your own workstation and an office to accommodate your research resources. But as a Phd student, you do not enjoy the full privileges of a staff. There are still places and facilities that are cordoned just for staff members where you could not enter or use. That is not too bad, but as a student, your needs are way behind normal undergraduate students. They have priority in terms of equipment and facilities wise. Even if you have good time management and project timeline, if an undergraduate student does any last minute booking of the equipment/facilities? O well, bad news to you.
Sometimes the most annoying bit comes when you are doing sessional tutoring. The needs of the undergraduate students are always paraded infront of your eyes. They take up a major chunk of your time even after office hours which you secretly wish could be used towards doing your own research. If you don’t entertain their needs, complaints would flow in. Your only hope is to speak in strange accent and write in a cryptic manner that reinforce their motivation not to seek you out in the future~! =P

(source: Phdcomics.com)

2. Flexible working hours
It sounds nice on the surface, but when you begin to receive emails late at night or during weekend, you are gonna think twice~! Initially, probably you would be tempted to stay awake late into the night waiting by your computer to anticipate each and every email your supervisor would/might be tempted to send your way, but all this would seem worthless after the appearance of your second eye bag!

(Source: PhDcomics.com)
And if you are unlucky, your supervisor would call your office phone only on days or time when you are not in the office, thus earning you the merit of a lazy Phd student. *sigh* (Note to self: always choose a quiet café for lunch…)

(source: PhDcomics.com)

3. Be kful with your supervisor + co-supervisor
If you are naïve, you would place the first and foremost priority on the topic of your research. But I have learnt that it is important that you select a proper supervisor and co-supervisor. That is equally or even more important than the topic you choose.

(source: Phdcomics.com)
I have heard of many scary experiences with supervisors and co-supervisors. Some of these supervisors treat their Phd student like their personal helper. And don’t choose a supervisor based on their first impression; always take an opportunity to talk to their student. Their student would inevitably reveal some interesting tips and experiences when dealing with their supervisor. And sometimes, you gotta read between the lines.

(source: Phdcomics.com)
But apart from that, the reputation of your supervisor can affect your standing in your field. Editors of top journals would sometimes check on the reputation of your supervisor before deciding whether or not to publish your work. So unfair but true!!

4. Know what you are doing
I think this is the most important note to self. Always remind yourself your main objectives and your aim. Your methodology may change along the way to reach your final goal but you should not shift goal every single time. As I learnt, not everyone would know what you are doing because if it is worthy of a PhD, then it would be something technically specific.
So along the way, your supervisor or co-supervisor may sway you by suggesting you to do things that may not be aligned to what you intend to do. Always remind yourself of your intention before blindly following their guidelines. The best quote that I encountered is ‘the reason why I am sitting behind the table and you in front of the table is because I have more crazy ideas than you’. And those crazy ideas can often lead to more PhD topics, but thank you very much as I am trying to finish MY OWN PhD topic within the allocated time of 4 years!

5. Health implication
Whether your research is experimental based or modelling based, you will realise you have less and less human interactions. I have spent quite a few days in front of my computer calibrating my models without exercise and without meeting another person except my fiancé till I have a major migraine. But my case is nothing as compared to my friend who spent almost 10 hours straight in the lab, even having to skip her meal because (1) she can’t consume food in the laboratory and (2) her equipment is sensitive and requires constant monitoring. At best, the fat gets fatter and the slim get thinner. My friend have even been known to consumed a huge tube of yoghurt (1kg, btw!!) when he is stressed out.
And as I personally experienced, there are times when you feel depressed with all the downside of PhD. For example, when you have worked so hard and the data didn’t turn out well, your equipment failed, you had to redo the whole model, your supervisor gives you shit; you just wanna cry your eyes out and hide under the duvet for a few days or maybe eternity… It is times like this; you really need the support and understanding of others. But these leads to the next point…

6. People just don’t understand
Most of the people I encountered, do not understand the real meaning of a PhD. They think it is similar to an undergraduate degree course, where you have an exam or assignment. Personally, I prefer that kind of environment because I am sure that I would ace it. Studying with a pre-outlined boundary is a very ideal situation, BUT this is not the case with a research. In order to perform research, it requires a coupling of sometimes different majors such as electrical and mechanical… something that you have never encountered and sometimes you may dislike. And unlike undergraduate studies, if you do not like that unit, you can easily withdraw. If you do not even attempt to master it, at best you would end up with a bad quality thesis, at worst you won’t be able to finish. And if you could complete a PhD based on a pre-defined outline, then anyone could have a PhD.
When I go back home, the worst thing they could ask about is ‘when are you going to finish?’ At best of times, I would have to answer through clenched teeth and a fake smile. At worst, I would pull my hair, un-conceal my eyebags and yell ‘Do you think data rain down every single day ar? You think this is high school ar?’ (I am very tempted to do that, but luckily I am not to that point! Lol…).

(Source: PhDcomics.com)

Just wanna share one law that I find very true:

(source: PhDcomics.com)

Lol... The worst comment I have received is ‘wow, you sure like to learn’. As I went out to point it to this person, learning is a lifelong process. Every single day, you are exposed to new things; be it in work place or at home and you need to learn. Learning does not start and end in a well-defined boundary call school. But to be fair, as this person commented in chinese, the direct translation would be ‘wow, you sure like to read book’, which doesn’t really make sense. Hmm…


So right now, I am just trying my best to finish what I have started. Fingers crossed~!

XOXO till next time~!