{"id":11010,"date":"2017-12-01T20:00:27","date_gmt":"2017-12-01T14:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/?p=11010"},"modified":"2018-05-20T21:27:34","modified_gmt":"2018-05-20T15:57:34","slug":"surviving-phd-post-doctoral-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/surviving-phd-post-doctoral-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Surviving PhD and Postdoctoral Programs: Tips to Guarantee Success!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Survival guides exist because people face challenging situations experienced by others. Those \u2018others\u2019 have survived and thus shared knowledge to those who don\u2019t know what to do.<\/p>\n<p>In terms of your PhD and postdoctoral education, survival can be your make or break point. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what you are facing and know how to deal with it. There are advantages to <a href=\"http:\/\/karpathy.github.io\/2016\/09\/07\/phd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">getting a PhD degree<\/a> and some postdoctoral training:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ownership: Any research that you produce will be yours. You will receive acknowledgment and credit for all your related accomplishments.<\/li>\n<li>Freedom: As a PhD student, you have the freedom of choosing the direction of your research and work indecently on your hypothesis. You will have an advisor who will advise and support you through your program.<\/li>\n<li>Exclusivity: Not everyone makes it into top PhD programs. Therefore, you will be joining a diverse and talented group of people in your field.<\/li>\n<li>Status: Getting a PhD is regarded as an impressive academic accomplishment.<\/li>\n<li>Future choices: You can choose to stay in academia or work in an industry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With these advantages in mind, a PhD or postdoctoral education confers benefits that are not available to all. However, surviving your PhD or postdoctoral education is a different journey entirely.<\/p>\n<h2>Survival Tools<\/h2>\n<p>Luckily, those who have survived their PhD or postdoctoral education <a href=\"http:\/\/phdtalk.blogspot.com\/2013\/09\/20-tips-for-surviving-your-phd.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">shared a few tips<\/a> to navigate the challenging journey. PhD program is the highest level of education. It is no secret that the road towards acquiring your PhD is hard and often frustrating. Here are a few tips to get you by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Avoid overworking yourself\u2013Remember that you are working towards a PhD rather than a Nobel Prize. This should remind you of your goals; that is, to answer your research question or hypothesis.<\/li>\n<li>Recognize when you need to exert extra effort\u2013The days when you need to exert effort are the days when you should go full-on. However, this should be a temporary state, and you shouldn\u2019t stay suspended too long.<\/li>\n<li>Take enough breaks\u2013Allow yourself time to think of something else other than your PhD. Take relaxing, fun, or creative breaks.<\/li>\n<li>Make friends who are part of your department\u2013Working with others and having a good working relationship with them will help you on your way to cope up with difficult situations.<\/li>\n<li>Attend conferences\u2013If you can, travel to other parts of the country or the world. You will learn a lot during these conferences and it will help you establish a network of professionals who can help you or collaborate with you.<\/li>\n<li>Keep an eye on the larger picture\u2013Remember the greater good that you are working towards. When you get frustrated, remember why you started in the first place.<\/li>\n<li>Exercise\u2013You need to make time for a healthy body in order to cope with the stresses of PhD research.<\/li>\n<li>Engage in hobbies\u2013Find a hobby that engages you fully, so that you can concentrate on something else other than your PhD program for some time.<\/li>\n<li>Sort out your finances\u2013It is best to avoid financial struggles during your PhD education. Financial problems can distract you and prevent you from achieving your goals.<\/li>\n<li>Make time for friends and family\u2013Make sure you find time to keep in touch with friends and family. Their support is invaluable during your PhD journey.<\/li>\n<li>Find a routine that works well for you\u2013Maintaining a routine is one of the best ways to stay afloat when you have problems regarding your research. A routine will train you to work even if you don\u2019t feel like it.<\/li>\n<li>Lead your own research\u2013You should be the leader of your study, although the input from your advisor will be priceless.<\/li>\n<li>Write, write, and write\u2013Write each time you have a chance to. Having solid writing skills will help you when writing your dissertation. Remember, practice will make you perfect.<\/li>\n<li>Stay healthy\u2013Don\u2019t overindulge in fast food. Instead, focus on eating something healthy, such as greens and fruits. This will aid you in thinking clearly and in keeping your mind and body healthy.<\/li>\n<li>Read topics that are not related to your research\u2013It is best to keep your horizons broad in terms of reading. It will refresh your mind, and allow you to be a more effective PhD student.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What do you think of PhD education? Are you ready for the challenge? How do you cope with your PhD or postdoctoral education?<\/p>\n<p>Share your thoughts in the comment section below!<\/p>\n<div style=\"display:flex; gap:10px;justify-content:\" class=\"wps-pgfw-pdf-generate-icon__wrapper-frontend\">\n\t\t<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11010?action=genpdf&amp;id=11010\" class=\"pgfw-single-pdf-download-button\" ><img data-src=\"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-generator-for-wp\/admin\/src\/images\/PDF_Tray.svg\" title=\"Generate PDF\" style=\"width:auto; height:45px;\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\"><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Survival guides exist because people face challenging situations experienced by others. Those \u2018others\u2019 have survived&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":11012,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1319,1336],"tags":[1510],"ppma_author":[1894],"class_list":["post-11010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beyond-publishing","category-phd-cafe","tag-tips-for-phd-students"],"better_featured_image":{"id":11012,"alt_text":"Surviving PhD","caption":"","description":"Survival guides exist because people face challenging situations experienced by others. Those \u2018others\u2019 have survived and thus shared knowledge to those who don\u2019t know what to do.\nIn terms of your PhD and post-doc education, survival can be your make or break point. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what you are facing and know how to deal with it.","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":850,"height":330,"hwstring_small":"height='50' width='128'","file":"2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD.jpg","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"Surviving-_PhD-170x150.jpg","width":170,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD-170x150.jpg"},"medium":{"file":"Surviving-_PhD-470x182.jpg","width":470,"height":182,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD-470x182.jpg"},"medium_large":{"file":"Surviving-_PhD-768x298.jpg","width":768,"height":298,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD-768x298.jpg"},"better-amp-small":{"file":"Surviving-_PhD-100x100.jpg","width":100,"height":100,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD-100x100.jpg"},"better-amp-normal":{"file":"Surviving-_PhD-260x200.jpg","width":260,"height":200,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD-260x200.jpg"},"better-amp-large":{"file":"Surviving-_PhD-450x300.jpg","width":450,"height":300,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD-450x300.jpg"},"publisher-tb1":{"file":"Surviving-_PhD-86x64.jpg","width":86,"height":64,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD-86x64.jpg"},"publisher-sm":{"file":"Surviving-_PhD-210x136.jpg","width":210,"height":136,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD-210x136.jpg"},"publisher-mg2":{"file":"Surviving-_PhD-279x220.jpg","width":279,"height":220,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD-279x220.jpg"},"publisher-md":{"file":"Surviving-_PhD-357x210.jpg","width":357,"height":210,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD-357x210.jpg"},"publisher-lg":{"file":"Surviving-_PhD-750x330.jpg","width":750,"height":330,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD-750x330.jpg"},"publisher-tall-sm":{"file":"Surviving-_PhD-180x217.jpg","width":180,"height":217,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD-180x217.jpg"},"publisher-tall-lg":{"file":"Surviving-_PhD-267x322.jpg","width":267,"height":322,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD-267x322.jpg"},"publisher-tall-big":{"file":"Surviving-_PhD-368x330.jpg","width":368,"height":330,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD-368x330.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"post":11010,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Surviving-_PhD.jpg"},"acf":{"faq_main_heading":"","faq_heading_one":"","faq_heading_two":"","faq_heading_three":"","faq_heading_four":"","faq_heading_five":"","faq_heading_six":"","faq_description_one":"","faq_description_two":"","faq_description_three":"","faq_description_four":"","faq_description_five":"","faq_description_six":""},"views":544,"single_webinar_page_date":null,"single_webinar_page_time":null,"session_agenda":null,"who_should_attend_this_session":null,"about_the_speaker_field":null,"co-webinar-sec":null,"co_webinar_sec_one":null,"speaker-name":null,"webinar-date":null,"webinar-time":null,"webinar-s-image":null,"custum_webinar_category":null,"authors":[{"term_id":1894,"user_id":6,"is_guest":0,"slug":"daveishan","display_name":"Enago Academy","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/cropped-favicon-192x192-1.png","url2x":"https:\/\/www.enago.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/cropped-favicon-192x192-1.png"},"author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":"Enago Academy, the knowledge arm of Enago, offers comprehensive and up-to-date resources on academic research and scholarly publishing to all levels of scholarly professionals: students, researchers, editors, publishers, and academic societies. 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