Ph.D. program is the highest level of education and this road is often very nerve-wrecking and exhausting. But the final result will be one of the biggest achievements in your life and will definitely bring you a lot of benefits. But how to make it work when you don’t see any way out? Check some advice on how to survive your doctoral studies:
The reasons
There are so many reasons that make Ph.D. students depressed and burnout: from insufficient data sets to indifferent advisors who don’t seem to care about their students at all. And the eternal question whether it is really worth the efforts. Almost all the Ph.D. students eventually face this stage when they can’t remember the last time they actually enjoyed some free time without that annoying voice in their heads telling that they should be working instead. Nevertheless, there is a part of students who like their Ph.D. studying. So what do they do differently?
Don’t try too hard
You have to remember that it’s just a Ph.D., not a Noble Prize. Proceed according to the installed time-frames and you will know when you need to put some extra efforts and when you can take a break. Try to spend at least an hour outdoors every day in order to get some fresh air as spending all the time in front of the computer may cause unnecessary health problems.
Make friends
It’s always good to have people who can give you a piece of advice when there is such a need. If you are a foreign student, befriend a local who can teach you some non-written rules in the society you are currently living in and can also help you with improving your language skills.
Go out
Visit conferences on the subject of your research. This will not only help you with your writing but could be a good chance to make new friends within the research community on your topic.
Realize the importance
To produce the best quality job, doctoral students need to have a deep theoretical knowledge in the sphere of their topic, like what has been done before, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the existing studies, and what is within the scope of the investigation. If you do your best to develop a genuine interest in your subject, it will no longer seem boring to you. So read as widely around your topic as you can, it will help you to look at your research from the different angles and teach you how to think out of the box.
Present your topic
Try to present you work to as many different people as possible on the different stages of your research. This will not only help you to hear variable opinions and good advice but also make others interested .As a result, you will feel more confident and inspired.
Remember the goals
All the students have their own reasons why they decided to pursue a Ph.D. program. It’s important to always remember yours. No matter how hard times might be, don’t ever consider quitting. Concentrate on all the big goals you have in mind and know that you are very close to achieving them.