Don’t miss the forest for the trees: some tips from an advanced (yikes) PhD candidate to those starting out and anyone really

 Ike Onwuka

PhD Candidate

Earth and Environment

FIU

 

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1. Ask early and often

Resist the narrative that you need to figure things out for yourself all the time. If there is something, say a method, you saw in a paper that is useful but difficult to understand, reach out, do not wait, email the author(s), make phone calls, and don’t be afraid to send gentle reminders …we are all busy? Reaching out can save you precious time and perhaps a collaborator/reviewer.

 

2.     Find your tribe

This is important for your overall well-being. Look for people who are in similar situations like you: your cohort, lab mates or students in other programs/colleges. Share experiences, challenges, victories and insights. See your cohort as collaborators not competitors. You make faster progress this way. The experience as a coauthor will be helpful as a first author. FCE student group is a great tribe to belong to :).

 

3.     Find a mentor(s) or join a group that has one

Not necessarily your advisor or committee, but someone who is experienced with academia/PhD and is outside your domain. They will give you a different perspective about the PhD journey. Today's (world) struggles are different from a decade ago, so get someone who understands in real time the ups and downs of a PhD pursuit, say a postdoc, an assistant professor, or a recent alumnus who transitioned to industry. I am part of an academic/data science group where I have gotten tips on topics ranging from dissertation writing to behavioral interviews.

 

4.     Join an academic/professional society with an active student component

This is great for networking, leading and advocating. Also, conferences are good exposure to the broader academic community (big picture) which can be overwhelming but inspiring no less, and you get to travel to new cities! These societies usually have some funds for graduate students for research and travel, which is always great!

 

5.     Rejection is hard but can be useful

Rejection is part of life and PhD. Being denied grants and fellowships can be discouraging. However, you can see each unfunded application as a ‘refinement’ of your research proposal or dissertation. The more you write, the more you understand what your research is about, which makes you write better, and makes it easier to convey the significance. And the feedback from reviewers can be helpful, just give yourself some time before reading them, so you don’t take it personally. Also, when you add up all your writings funded and unfunded, a good portion of your dissertation would already be written! Don’t give up, I got one fellowship on the third attempt!

 

6.     The journey is just as important as the destination

Yes, a completed dissertation is the goal, but don't forget who you are becoming along the way. I’m not just talking about hard/technical skills like data expertise, but soft skills and character development: perseverance/resilience, communication/presentation, empathy, conflict resolution (lab mates, advisor) optimism and hope (in the face of failing experiments or unpredictable field experiences), ingenuity and adaptability (developing new/alternative methods).

 

7.     Expertise will come in time

The more you stick with something, the more you know, the more you become an expert and the more confident you become, and the less of an imposter you will feel. I have seen this in my writing and speaking. I use ‘maybes’ a lot less as precursors to my explanations.

 

8.     Use your degree pursuit to prepare for the career you desire

Look at the requirements of the jobs you would like and start to develop those skills as part of your program, e.g. volunteering, teaching, consulting, leading, data analyzing, citizen outreaching. The beauty of a PhD program is that it is less structured, so you can dictate how it goes (to a good extent). There are some cons to this but let’s look on the bright side:)

 

9.     Do a deep dive into university resources

Universities have lots of helpful resources which can be overwhelming during orientation week. So, after things have cooled off, or during your semester break, do a deep dive into the different (usually free) programs and services (therapy, writing retreats, career workshop, funding resources and opportunities) your institution offers grad students, you’d be surprised.

 

10.  Rest, relax and explore

Schedule time off routinely to recharge and rejuvenate, no not just binging Netflix on the weekends, but other forms of decompressing: a quick weekend getaway, a road trip, a 10-day summer vacay in Boston, (very historic city), go to the beach, museum, orchestra, ComiCon, National Park. You’d come back energized and perhaps with the solution to a problem that had plagued you.

 

Well, these are my two cents, well ten, hope it helps! Don’t miss the forest for the trees!