Things that I wish I knew before starting
graduate school
2022-04-02
I recently served on a Columbia University panel for prospective grad
students. One of the students asked me and the other panelists what we
wished we had known before starting graduate school. I summarized
some of the main takeaways from the discussion here. Note that this
advice is mostly directed at students entering US PhD programs in
astronomy.
1. Advisor. If it’s up to you, pick an advisor that you feel comfortable
around and that you communicate well with. You’ll spend
countless hours with this person, and if you feel uncomfortable
asking them questions, grad school will be a very long journey. I
chose my PhD advisors based on personalities over subject matter,
and I found that all topics were extremely interesting, once I dove
deep into them. Older grad students are also an incredible
resource if you want insight into what it’s like to work with a
specific professor. Don’t hesitate to ask them.
2. Travel grants. Keep an eye out for conference travel grants. If you
present your advisor with your own travel grant, it might be more
likely that they’d fund e.g., the hotel for your trip. I found grants
through AAS, my university (Columbia), but also random journals
sometimes have travel grants. Ask peers and google this.!
3. Outreach. If you do outreach, ask your school to help promote
your work. My YouTube channel got a ton of views because the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) helped spread my
@spacewsarah
!
new videos with short descriptions in their newsletter and on
various platforms. People like to help, especially if you make it
easy for them. For each new video release, I sent GSAS links and
a descriptive text that they could use for their various posts.
4. Peer mentoring: Find peers that you feel safe sharing
struggles with, but also your goals and ambitions without any
judgment or competition. Having friends in your cohort also
makes homework sets much more fun to do.!
5. Outside hobbies: Take up hobbies and take real breaks. Leave
the laptop at home on those breaks. You will likely crash and
burn if you solely work all the time. I speak from experience.
Outside interests will help you gain perspective and make you
realize that the PhD isn’t your entire life, even though it feels like
it at times.!
6. Avoid comparisons. Some students might be in the office until
11pm each day. Some might make their work seem effortless. But
the truth is that you don't know what goes through their minds,
or how much or how little they actually work. Try to solely stay
focused on your own progress and how much you have learnt
and grown instead.
7. Grad school is hard. I had a very positive experience in graduate
school over all, but it was definitely very tough at times. It can
get frustrating and lonely once you narrow your expertise and
work on the same project for years on end. The uncertainty of
whether your research will succeed, is a very different feeling
than any you might have experienced in undergrad, where you
had exams, homework etc. Prioritize building a support system of
friends, family, exercise, and hobbies. I also highly recommend
looking into mental health support offered by your school. And
sleep - prioritize sleep!
