By Jennifer Casiano A year ago, I started my journey to a PhD. Full of excitement and memories, this year was filled with challenging experiences and self-growth. Since the beginning of the summer to now, I’ve been constantly reflecting on what I would have done differently, problems that I heard from friends, and the variety of experiences of this year. Starting a doctoral degree is a life-changing decision with more personal compensation and fulfillment than pitfalls. The majority of people who pursue a research career do so because we love what we do. However, many of us agree that this career path is difficult and time-consuming. Not knowing how to handle certain situations can be even more frustrating. 
For those that will start graduate school this year, welcome! As you probably know, the exposure to research as an undergrad gave you the sense of “what to expect” in terms of time requirements and independence. However, there are pitfalls than can transform this dream into a nightmare, and you should be aware of them. The most common difficulties that some graduate students have encountered when starting out are: A Difficult PhD Adviser: The research doctorate is built upon a mentor-apprentice relationship. For that reason, your PhD Adviser needs to be someone that you admire and someone that can guide you to be successful in the future. Thinking that the mentor/adviser needs to teach us and tell us everything that we need to know is a common misconception. At this level, your adviser will be there to guide you and encourage you to try new things. Remember, you need to be independent. You are the owner of your future and expecting that your mentor is responsible for your career development is a big mistake. Your mentor’s career is already made and your career is what you are building right now. It is important for you to know that you can have a mentor and a PhD adviser. They don’t have to be the same person. The PhD Adviser is your PI and will help you in your academic and research development. A mentor can be anyone and can be more than one; they will help you in different areas such as exploring career opportunities, can help you evaluating your progress and can give you advises in your difficulties as a PhD student. Most important it should be someone you trust. If you already don’t have a mentor/adviser, knowing the basics of the laboratory you are considering to join will be helpful. Talk with the members and ask questions like, how long does it take for his/her past student to earn the degree?How is working with this mentor? Is she/he an expert in your interest area? How helpful is the mentor on a day-to-day basis? (Also, don’t forget to evaluate yourself: are you independent or do you need someone to guide you constantly?) Emotional Stress: Some of us started graduate school with very high expectations. The time required to make experiments work and the pressure to achieve positive results can make some of us feel isolated or alone . The work-life balance will be the key to successfully deal with the stress. You need to realize that graduate students and professors around you can be of great help and allies in the future (an important benefit of networking). Meeting people in the research community will open new opportunities for collaborations, job interviews, future colleagues, and even lifetime friendships. In your first year, you can organize a study group to meet people in your program or research area. When you go to the cafeteria, never eat alone! Social interaction helps a lot in moments of stress. Once in a while, get off of campus and eat somewhere else. Feeling alone and isolated can be prejudicial for your career because it may affect your performance, and especially your interpersonal skills. Be open to meeting the people around you including faculty and staff in your department. [embed]https://www.flickr.com/photos/86530412@N02/7975205041[/embed] You Have to Network: Following the previous pitfall, remember that you are not a machine so you are not here just to run experiments; continuing the analogy, you are not only a student so you are not here just only to learn. You have to get out of the bench and meet other scientists and other people that will help you develop your professional connections. You can utilize iJOBS events to explore your future job opportunities, meet other people, be part of an organization, take part in meetings, and participate in any relevant area for your career development. Know Where to Get Help: Around 46% (60% graduate students) of the people entering a graduate program complete an academic degree once they start. That is less than a half! One of the key factors limiting completion is not having the right advisor and not knowing where else to go when you need help. Professors are not solely mentors about your research; they also can teach you how to edit and review publications or the ins and outs of attending conferences. Staff in your department can help you with scheduling your classes or with organizing workshops and meetings. Graduate school will slowly expose us to a variety of different and equally important resources. Planning and Time Management: Our ultimate goal should be to finish our degree as competently and quickly as possible, while still maintaining a positive work-life balance. Many people do not finish their PhD because they don’t see sufficient progress in their research. It is important to maintain your focus and divide long-term goals into several manageable short-term ones. Keep a written track of progress and plan ahead for everything that you need to achieve your ultimate goals. Deadlines can help you to stay focused on your goals. Breaking down a project piece by piece is the best way to do that. Plan to complete at least one step daily or weekly and review your milestones every month. If you need help with time management and setting your goals an Individual Development Plan (IDP) can help to increase your productivity and organize your goals. In addition, never underestimate the time needed for important personal events such as birthdays, anniversaries, or family reunions – try to plan around them in advance. A healthy social life will lower your stress levels and keep you fresh in your studies. If you are experiencing one of these pitfalls, it is never too late to take action and get some help. If you have already experienced some of these struggles, tell us in the comments about how you managed that problem.
JCM