Are we sleeping enough?

I recently read "Why we sleep" by Matthew Walker, and it reminded me of how important sleep is, and how devastating sleeping just a little bit less than what we need can already be. As a mom of a toddler who still doesn't sleep through the night, it's difficult to prioritize sleep - but I've been making sleep more of a priority. Sleep now wins over working my split shift.



To know who else is "with me" on this, and makes sleep a top priority, I ran a poll (and as I mention in the wake below, I've started setting an alarm at night to go to bed - which is so far not always a success, but I'm working on it!):

PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: Avoid These 10 Mistakes During Your Ph.D.

This post is part of the series PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: posts written for the Dutch academic career network AcademicTransfer, your go-to resource for all research positions in the Netherlands.

These posts are sponsored by AcademicTransfer, and tailored to those of you interested in pursuing a research position in the Netherlands.

If these posts raise your interest in working as a researcher in the Netherlands, even better - and feel free to fire away any questions you might have on this topic!

For the last few years, I've been consistently giving you my best advice. Today, I will give you a list of what not to do during your PhD years. Without me blabbering away with too much of an introduction, here are the 10 mistakes you should avoid when doing your PhD:

1. Start research without reading
When you start your PhD, you may be very eager to start working right away. While you may need to start working in the lab very soon after starting because of project deadlines, you need to start reading at the beginning as well to get a better understanding of what lies behind your observations in the laboratory. Your literature review is the basis of how you will phrase and tackle your research question. Pay due attention to the foundation of your work before you start building your research castle.

2. Stop reading after finishing the literature review
Once you finished your literature review, you may feel like you are "done" with the reading part of your research. Spoiler alert: you're never done reading. As a researchers, you need to keep up with the literature constantly. Set aside time on a weekly basis to read new papers, or to read classic/historical papers you missed when you did your literature review. Use this material to update your literature review until the final version of your dissertation is ready. And before your defense, delve into the literature again, so that you can show your committee members that your knowledge on your research topic is up-to-date and that you knwo their work very well too.

3. Avoid all "extra" work
You are not traveling to conferences and presenting your work because writing a conference paper is not a graduation requirement. You don't volunteer for extra work for committees within your university or of professional organizations. You reject all invitations to review papers. While I'm not an advocate for overloading you with work, you should consider opportunities carefully. For example, writing a conference paper can be a good first step before writing a journal paper. Presenting at conferences and other events helps you grow as a speaker, and replying questions during the Q&A prepares you for your defense.

4. Isolate yourself as a researcher
You don't talk about your research to the senior PhD students and post-docs. You don´t ask your supervisor for help when you feel stuck. You don´t listen to the input of the laboratory staff on your test setup. You are a complete solo player in your research. Unfortunately, research is a collaborative effort. Work in a team, and learn from those around you. Ask for help and advice - there's no shame in asking for help.

5. Isolate yourself socially
You eat lunch behind your computer. Your friends haven't seen you in months. At night, you watch Buzzfeed videos on your phone. Your mood levels are subarctic. Maybe you don´t even go to campus anymore but prefer to "work from home". Sounds familiar? Break out of your rut and make sure you rekindle your friendships and work relationships. Even better: set goals for your relationships with others, and add events to your planner (I learned this from Laura Vanderkam's 2018 book "Off the Clock" and now set goals for work, self, and relationships to balance these aspects of my life).

6. Procrastinate
OK, we all procrastinate. I love watching cat pictures on Twitter and reading random Wikipedia entries. But, when you can't get any work done because you are procrastinating more than anything else, you need to take action. You need to have a conversation with yourself about why you are not getting to your work. Is the task ahead seemingly too complex? Split it up into smaller, actionable items, and make lists and a planning. Do you have difficulties staying concentrated? Remove distractions and try the Pomodoro technique. Do you have something in your personal life that throws you off balance? Deal with it first and then get back to work.

7. Work without documenting your work
You want to work fast and don't want to get writing to slow you down - so you do all your calculations without documenting the references you used, the steps you followed, and the iterative changes your procedures went through. Big mistake. Document everything you do. If possible, ask for a computer with two screens: one screen for doing your calculations, and one screen in which you write down what you have been doing. Don't read without taking notes. Add a "version management" tab to your spreadsheets to log changes to your calculation sheets.

8. Work without a planning
You don't know where research will be leading you, so you don't need a planning. Maybe you work based on what comes into your email inbox. When you work like this, it's easy to lose track of your priorities. Make a list with your goals and priorities, and allocate your time accordingly. I'm a big advocate of setting milestones during the PhD, and planning at multiple levels (entire PhD trajectory, per year, per semester, per month, per week, and per day). I use a combination of lists in Todoist, planning and a weekly template in Google Calendar, and a Bullet Journal to write down my priorities and reflect on my progress.

9. Have the wrong motivation
Your goal in life is to become a professor so you need that PhD. Or, your goal in life is to make a lot of money, so you need the Dr. title. If you have the wrong motivation for doing your PhD, you will dread the journey. If you don't like what you're doing, then something is wrong. Try to find what motivates you to get to work every workday - will your research possibly have an impact on society? Whose lives will improve thanks to your work? How do you feel in the lab? If you really regret your decision, don't try to drag yourself through the next three or four years, but see if you can change project, topic, university, or even quit altogether if you learn that research is not for you.

10. Forget about self-care
You need to get through that PhD, whatever it takes. Well - it may take your health (physical and/or mental), and then you won't be able to finish maybe. So prioritize self-care, even when you feel you don't deserve it. Schedule time to unwind and do what energizes you. Take proper care of yourself by getting enough sleep, movement, and healthy food.

PhD Defenses around the world: I passed and you will too

Today, Dr. Shoshanah Jacobs shares her experience of the PhD Defense. Dr. Jacobs is a professor of biology at Guelph University with research interests in seabird foraging ecology and biology education.

Seated around the table was the cast of the comedy of errors that would become the chorus of years’ worth of restless night. Jester A hadn’t read my thesis; I could tell because the highlighting stopped abruptly at page 40. Jester B had sent his regrets and accepted the thesis as is but had been located, publically embarrassed, and brought against his will to my defense. Jester C, was a committee member who had been undermining my work for years and would continue to afterwards. “I’ve got your back”, he said, putting on a sheep’s costume, after we realized that the Graduate School had forgotten to invite my supervisor to the defense.

The Chair of the department and my external examiner were also there. I felt bad for them. They were kind, prepared, and looking forward to a positive discussion of ideas.

The event quickly deteriorated. The jesters sneered as they asked their facile questions to which there would be no satisfactory answer: Jester C: “What is your thesis actually about?”, Jester B: “Have you read the Spandrels of San Marco*?”, Jester A: “Do you really think that your work is publishable?” Rarely did we discuss my experimental design, my analysis, the significance of the work. It went on for hours and I had made the mistake of trying to answer these questions sincerely.

My supervisor arrived halfway through the defense, sweating from the panic and effort to get there. But it was too late. I couldn’t think straight. At one point I ended up pounding my fist on the desk saying “the birds don’t care if it is 0.05!” The Chair of the department tried to engage me in discussion about my statistical analysis. By that time, I couldn’t have told you whether the number one was greater or less than ten. One of the members of the audience was so distraught by what was happening that he tried to intervene. He whispered in the Chair’s ear, requesting for a few minutes to break. The Chair refused.

In a long, dark hallway with cinderblock walls supporting years’ worth of ripped flyers advertising used textbooks, my supervisor informed me that I passed.

Jester B ensured the delay of my graduation when he insisted that I redo the entire statistical analysis because “Granny Smith apples cannot be used in pie-making**.” (I’ve translated this to an equivalent, and accessible absurdity). I had to write a new chapter about why he was mistaken. When that didn’t work to convince him, I redid the analysis alongside my own and appealed to the Dean of Graduate Studies to make the final call. That process added 18 months to my time to completion.

I’d like to share with you what this comedy of errors has taught me.

Lesson 1: We can become complicit in the design of our own future failures.
There were many times that I should have been an advocate for myself when my supervisor was not. We can dance around this and say ‘yes, but you were young and vulnerable’ or ‘he should have known better’. That makes me feel better. But I should have been thinking ahead about the consequences of decisions.

For example, I should have raised concern about the lack of diversity on my examining committee. Though there were six people sitting around that table, there was only one perspective represented. Had I been examined by a diverse committee, the questions would have been more diverse, there would have been an opportunity for a ‘reset’ with the change of examiner. I might have been able to recover. Instead, I was examined, essentially, by one really pissed off person.

For example, despite the advice not to reschedule, I should have rescheduled the defense when I realized that my supervisor would not be coming. We all need advocates in the room, wherever we are. Knowing that you’ve got at least one person in the room who truly does ‘have your back’ is huge. Never go into an exam alone; your research wasn’t done alone; so bring your team.

Lesson 2: The bar that we set for ourselves is far higher than the one set by others.
I Passed! Despite all the horror, the drama, and the subsequent toll on my mental health, I passed the exam. We build up to this moment as though it is the defining event in our academic lives. It isn’t. Conducting interesting research is, mentoring young academics is, engaging in a meaningful way with the research community is. The defense is an archaic tradition with no evidence-based rationale for its importance as an assessment tool. Let it go, relax, try to enjoy it. If you’ve made it as far as a defense, then you’ve already passed. Use the defense as an opportunity to showcase your work and your achievements.

My defense has defined me as a supervisor. In light of this comedy of errors:

1. I advocate for my students.
2. I seek out diversity in my building of a committee.
3. I set the bar with my student, often encouraging them to lower their own.

Lesson 3: Advocates don’t always make themselves known.
I received a letter of apology from the Dean of Graduate Studies shortly after my defense. My external reviewer had requested it. I was particularly upset by what my external reviewer had witnessed. He was a bit of an idol in my field of research. A few months ago, a full ten years after this comedy of errors, I was invited to his university to give a research seminar. I didn’t even imagine that he would be in attendance. He entered the room with arms outstretched and gave me the same friendly hug that he did when we last parted ways. He whispered in my ear ‘it is great to see you again under such different circumstances Professor’.

* For those in need of a translation of significance, an equivalent question might be: “Have you read the Ten Commandments?”, a text to which we should probably all adhere but old enough that it has lost its comprehensive authority.
**For those interested in statistics, the actual quotation is: “Principle components cannot be used in subsequent statistical analyses”.

PhD Defenses Around the World: a Defense at Wayne State University

Today, I have invited Dr. Victoria Abboud to share her experience of her PhD Defense. Dr. Abboud has enjoyed a seventeen-year career in post-secondary education, the first eleven of which were spent teaching in the college and university systems in Michigan, Ontario, Alberta, and briefly in Brazil. For five years, Victoria served as an administrator in colleges in Ontario and British Columbia, and she recently became a certified coach who supports graduate students through her organization, The Spirited Academic. In the classroom, in administrative roles, and now as the Manager of Programs in Talent Development at a social innovation hub (Toronto), Victoria has been devoted to thinking through the ways in which group dynamics can be used to innovate and support the overall operational, process, and pedagogical goals of diverse communities of learning. Her current role focuses on building and delivering programming that encourages innovation leadership, social engagement, and collective impact.

It took nearly eight years for me to reach that moment where there was not one more word I could write, not one more reference I could squeeze into the works cited, not one more comma I could change. I had hit "send" for the last time on my dissertation draft and I awaited the phone call from my advisor that it was time to DEFEND.

My defense was scheduled in the summer: that time in southeast Michigan when the humidity is stifling and you can see the heat rise from people's heads when they walk into air conditioned spaces. My family piled in to the car, we crossed the Canada-U.S. border, and I told the U.S. border guard that I was going to my dissertation defense. He could tell by my exhausted eyes and shallow breaths that my story was true - no one would take on that level of stress to hide questionable activity.

At my university, dissertation defenses are public. Members from the department, the institution, and elsewhere are welcomed into the room while the sweaty PhD candidate presents the tome, smiles awkwardly, and mentally shuffles through every page read, studied, or written while awaiting the next fateful question from The Committee.

Although my committee was comprised of wonderful people with deep knowledge of their fields and an encouraging attitude towards my work, my sitting in front of the audience and answering questions was not an experience that their previous support could calm. In fact, their role during the defense was to ensure that I could withstand critique, that my work and my characterization of it could be clarified for our mixed-discipline audience, and that I could speak eloquently about my own contribution to the Academy. They were the gate-keepers between me and my membership in the Academic club.

In my presentation, I shared my gratitude for those who supported my effort, I tried to make light of the stress and pressure, and I offered a version of my research that was meant to be understood by folks who were not specialists in my field. After all, after eight years, I was supposed to the specialist of my own dissertation and a contributor to the progression of my field. The sign of a true scholar, in my mind, is one who can distill the complexity of his/her/their research into explanations that reach everyone. If not, then what's the point of higher learning?

The rounds of questions were challenging but reasonable -at least now I believe they were reasonable- but my external examiner asked a question that required me to do critical analysis on the spot. There was no place to hide. I couldn't go to a coffee shop to contemplate her question for hours. The time was here. Now.

I took a sip of water, and, amazingly, I mustered the courage and the intellectual strength to explore the question while answering it. It was a moment of beauty! I was creating the argument, offering the supporting research, and weaving a rhetorical tapestry that I never imagined I could create - especially not when I was feeling so exposed and fearful.

In hindsight, I am not surprised that I reacted so strongly to the whole defense experience. After years of identifying with my research and intellectual exploration, after fusing my identity with that of the 200+ pages of writing that lay like a boulder on the table in front of me, how could I not feel that my very existence was at stake? Fight, flight, or freeze took over and it felt that the multi-hour experience of the defense would be my rebirth or my death. Of course, none of that was ever true, but it would take years for me to realize it and to breathe deeply in spite of it.

There is a moment in every defense when the PhD candidate realizes that this experience is theirs. I suspect it happens about three-quarters of the way through when the last few questions are coming around. By then, there has been some success (hopefully!) and maybe even some answers that s/he/they will revisit for years to come because of how they could have been better, more articulate, more focused. Regardless, when that moment of realization occurs, the tension releases, the amygdala reverts to normal activity, and the dread of the experience begins to drift away. It's the moment when that candidate becomes a fully-fledged Doctor of Philosophy. That's the moment when the toil, the pressure, the emotional turmoil of wondering "why" or "can I do it" shifts into a sense of "I'm doing it" or "I got this."

The committee deliberated for about ten minutes and I returned to the room greeted with clapping and "Congratulations, Dr. Abboud!" shouted by my committee and my audience. It would be months before I would actually recognize that I was done, that the rest of my life was ahead of me, and that I was not defined by the pages I produced, but it was that moment of real-time thought exploration while answering the external examiner's question that marked me, forever, as a professor.

The A-Z of the PhD Trajectory

Dear readers,

I've published a new book "The A-Z of the PhD Trajectory" in the Springer Texts in Education. You can read all about it (and buy it!) on the Springer website.

The book is full of new material. There are topics that I've written about in the blog, but I reworked everything and added tons of new material. I've learned that there are topics I've written more about than others on this blog, and to develop a coherent story, I had to correct that imbalance.

Here's a short description of the book:

This textbook is a guide to success during the PhD trajectory. The first part of this book takes the reader through all steps of the PhD trajectory, and the second part contains a unique glossary of terms and explanation relevant for PhD candidates. Written in the accessible language of the PhD Talk blogs, the book contains a great deal of practical advice for carrying out research, and presenting one’s work. It includes tips and advice from current and former PhD candidates, thus representing a broad range of opinions. The book includes exercises that help PhD candidates get their work kick-started. It covers all steps of a doctoral journey in STEM: getting started in a program, planning the work, the literature review, the research question, experimental work, writing, presenting, online tools, presenting at one’s first conference, writing the first journal paper, writing and defending the thesis, and the career after the PhD. Since a PhD trajectory is a deeply personal journey, this book suggests methods PhD candidates can try out, and teaches them how to figure out for themselves which proposed methods work for them, and how to find their own way of doing things.

And here are some of the comments from the reviewers of the book:

“This strategy makes readers feel as if they are reading letters from a friend who’s providing suggestions on how to become successful, instead of an academic book. The author touches on many dimensions of the doctoral training that are left assumed, such as taking responsibility for honing one’s academic writing skills and, if students have English as a second language, tips and suggestions for addressing this added level of complexity. I can’t wait to have the book and recommend it to my own doctoral students.” (Patricia Goodson, Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA)

“The personal insight and practical tips and exercises make an original contribution here.” (Alex Hope, Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom)

“The review is incredibly comprehensive and relatively thorough. It’s also very easy to navigate. In this sense I can imagine it sitting on the shelf of any PhD student as a reference guide. This book has broad appeal. It is comprehensive and easy to navigate and I can see this being a reference manual for any PhD student.” (Ben Libberton, MAX IV Laboratory, Lund, Sweden)

You can request a review copy of the book through the Springer website.

If you want to develop a course based on this book, please let me know!

I hope this book will serve you, and I'm looking forward to your comments on this book and experiences with the implementation of the strategies and exercises.

Eva

Starting a PhD as a Single Parent

Today, I'm hosting Daniel Sherwin with a guest post. Daniel is a single dad raising two children. At DadSolo.com, he aims to provide other single dads with information and resources to help them better equip themselves on the journey that is parenthood.

Tell people you’re considering a PhD as a single parent and they’ll look at you like you’re crazy. A PhD is a grueling journey under the best of circumstances; add in a child or two and it looks near impossible. But when there’s something you’re passionate about, not doing it simply isn’t an option. So in true single parent fashion, you buckle down, set your eyes on the prize, and find a way to make it happen. If you’re a single parent considering a PhD, this advice will get you started.

Choosing It
Your experience in a PhD program depends heavily on where you work. As you search for the right graduate program for you, look for schools with family-friendly benefits. Depending on the institution, you might find:

• Paid health insurance
• Childcare subsidies
• On-campus family housing
• A family resource center
• Online courses

Also consider your advisor’s attitude toward student parents. Does the advisor appreciate that you won’t be able to say yes to every commitment, or does she expect you to be at her beck and call? You have to be selective with your time when juggling grad school and parenthood, and your journey will be a lot easier with an understanding advisor.

Affording It
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average tuition for a PhD program is just over $16,000 — a number that’s well out of reach for the typical single parent. Thankfully, there’s a good chance you won’t pay ticket price for your doctoral program, especially if you’re in the sciences or engineering.

Even if your PhD is fully-funded, you could still be living shockingly close to the poverty line: While some PhD stipends and assistantships hover around $30,000 per year, many barely break $10,000. For most people that’s not enough to cover living expenses, let alone childcare. So how can you make it work?

• Wait to start your degree until your kids are in school. Without full-time childcare your limited budget will stretch a lot further.
• Choose a program that offers a research or teaching assistantship that will cover tuition and pay a monthly stipend.
• If you’re considering a second job, make sure it won’t put your funding at risk.
• Make use of public assistance. Qualifying for SNAP or Medicaid is harder for students, but single parents with children under the age of 12 qualify if they meet income thresholds, according to the USDA.

Doing It
Once you’ve chosen a program and secured funding, it’s time to figure out how you’re actually going to do it. Pursuing a PhD is very different from working a nine-to-five job. On the plus side, PhD programs have more flexible schedules, which means it’s easier to pick the kids up from school or stay home when someone’s sick. However, it also means there’s no shutting off work at the end of the day, and universities tend to treat grad students like they have no other demands on their time.

As a single parent, you have to raise your kids while also finding time to commit to research. And unlike doing the dishes or folding laundry, you can’t exactly divide attention between studying and childrearing. That means you need to make use of the time your kids aren’t around. Squeeze in reading before the kids wake up, dig in deep during school hours, and schedule play dates when deadlines loom near. Avoid waiting until the kids are in bed to start the day’s work; both parenting and your PhD require your brain to be functioning at maximum capacity, and it can’t do that if you’re sleep-deprived.

Finally, when your kids are at home, commit yourself fully to parenting. No matter how important your PhD work is, you don’t want your children to feel second to it.

Pursuing a PhD as a single parent is by no means easy. There will be days you question your sanity, but there will be just as many where you’re overcome with inspiration and gratitude. Make time to take care of yourself, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and when things get rough, remind yourself of what it’s all for: A brighter future for you and your children.

PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: How to develop soft skills during your PhD studies

This post is part of the series PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: posts written for the Dutch academic career network AcademicTransfer, your go-to resource for all research positions in the Netherlands.

These posts are sponsored by AcademicTransfer, and tailored to those of you interested in pursuing a research position in the Netherlands.

If these posts raise your interest in working as a researcher in the Netherlands, even better - and feel free to fire away any questions you might have on this topic!

Let me start today with some sobering news. PhD completion rates are low. Too low. There are numerous reasons why candidates leave their PhD programs. Personal problems, financial issues,... the (bad ) stuff of life. Lack of supervision and guidance can be a problem.

If we leave out all the external causes for leaving a PhD program, we are left with internal causes. In some cases, a candidate has the analytical skills to do the research, but lacks the soft skills to deliver a dissertation and defend. A good technical student can perhaps still need to do some effort to manage his/her project, or to write a sound conference paper.

The good news is: you can learn these soft skills. Universities are realizing more and more that actively encouraging doctoral students to learn soft skills is of mutual benefit. An added plus is that these soft skills are useful for any career path after the PhD, and can be desirable in the industry.

If your university does not provide courses to train your soft skills, you can teach yourself. Just like you can teach yourself to code in another language, you can teach yourself the soft skills you need to manage your research, and present and publish your results. Let's go step-by-step:

1. Analyze your workflow processes
Have an honest conversation with yourself. How are you currently working? What work do you get done, and what stays behind?

If you find it hard to reply these questions, use the monthly progress monitor, originally introduced by Gosling and Noordam. Set goals for a month, subdivide these into tasks per week, and then evaluate at the end of the month what you accomplished and what not, and identify why you deviated from your planning. Keep doing this exercise on monthly basis (even weekly in the beginning) to learn which type of tasks you struggle with, and to improve your planning. Use your research diary to write your observations.

2. Identify your weaknesses
Based on the previous exercise, you may know which tasks cause you difficulties. Now, go one step deeper: which precise skills are you lacking to carry out these tasks? Analyze this question in your research diary.

For example: say that you struggle to deliver reports or papers by a given deadline. There are many different possible causes for this problem: you can have difficulties with the writing of the text, you can lack the skills to draw the figures, your planning skills may be poor, or you may have a hard time asking your supervisor for help. Be honest with yourself and identify your weakness.

3. Find your learning method
Now that we have identified the problem, let's look for a solution. How are we going to solve this problem? In order to answer this question, you need to know your preferred learning method. How do you learn soft skills best: through a course (workshop, offline course, online course,...), with the help of a coach, by practicing with the support of your supervisor or peers, or by reading a book? The answer to this question also depends on the type of skill you need to improve - improving your networking skills will require you to practice in real-life situations, and you can only use learning with a book as a supporting method for this case.

Once you know your preferred learning method, see what is available. Carry out a targeted search, book your course, contact a coach, and get your materials ready for studying.

4. Plan your study time
You know what you need to study, and you know how you are going to study. Next step, is planning when you are going to study. Take your planning (even if planning is a skill you are struggling with), and identify when you will devote time to working on this skill. Treat learning this new skill in the same way as you would treat learning an analytical skill required for your research - in the long run, both are equally important!

5. Evaluate yourself
At the end of the time you have devoted to mastering your new soft skill, evaluate yourself. If you have worked on improving your presentation skills, plan to give a presentation to your research group, and ask your peers for feedback, If you worked on improving your networking skills, go to an industry event and try to make a contact with a previously determined number of people. Afterwards, write in your research diary to evaluate how you did and to identify what you can improve even further.

6. Repeat
There is more than one soft skill to learn during your PhD. Repeat the learning process for another skill that you need to improve. Additionally, keep improving the skill you worked on by practicing at every possible occasion. You are now your own teacher - you need to find how to learn a new skill, when to reserve time for learning, and how to take your own exams. Use your research diary to reflect on your progress, see how far you've come, and determine what you can improve further.

PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: Fifteen budgeting tips for graduate students

This post is part of the series PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: posts written for the Dutch academic career network AcademicTransfer, your go-to resource for all research positions in the Netherlands.

These posts are sponsored by AcademicTransfer, and tailored to those of you interested in pursuing a research position in the Netherlands.

If these posts raise your interest in working as a researcher in the Netherlands, even better - and feel free to fire away any questions you might have on this topic!

In graduate school, you typically need to get buy on a small budget. If you are hired as an employee for your PhD, you will be earning a small salary and have social security and other benefits. If you are on a scholarship, your finances may be very tight. In the past, I have shared some quick fixes that I used to save money while I was in graduate school and I discussed the importance of logging and analyzing your budget

Today, we are looking at changes you can make to cut your expenses and help you save money while you are in graduate school. I'm sharing my 15 best practices with you:

1. Track your expenses
Before you can develop budgets and save money, you need to know how much money you currently are spending. Start tracking all your expenses (every cent you are spending) in a spreadsheet. Log your expenses in different categories (groceries, bills, going out, sports, books, music, ...) to see how much you currently are spending and how your expenses are distributed across different categories.

2. Set budgets for different categories
Now that you know how much you are spending on each category, see what you can eliminate, and determine how much you want to spend maximum per category. For some people, having their budgets as cash money in different envelopes can help if you tend to overspend on your bank cards. Such an approach is a quick fix, and does not address the underlying problem (the overspending itself). Try to be conscious about what you really need to survive, and what is superfluous.

3. Shop on fixed days
I used to only spend money on Tuesdays and Saturdays. On Tuesdays I'd do my food groceries and on Saturdays other pending items. If I ran out of a certain item, it simply would have to wait until the next day of shopping. The less often you enter a store, the less tempted you are to spend on things that you feel like eating or that look good, but that you don't really need.

4. Save for a rainy day
Whenever you have an income, you should save part of it. Even if you can only save 25 or 50 USD a month, make sure you save something from your salary each month so that you have some buffer for a rainy day. You want to avoid to go in debt over car repairs, home maintenance, or your health. You may also need to live off your savings after your graduation, while you are applying for jobs.

5. Plan your meals around the weekly sales
I recommend you think about the meals you will be eating (and perhaps write them down on a planning) before you enter the store. Check what is on sale this week, and plan your meals around these discounted items. Some grocery stores have recurring discounts (i.e. 15% of all fruit and vegetables on Wednesdays). If that's the case where you shop, take advantage of these extra savings.

6. Buy bulk
Buy grains and beans in bulk - they last a long time. Buy discounted vegetables in bulk, cook them all, and then freeze portions. When the laundry detergent or the soap you use is on sale, take advantage of this offer and buy ahead for a few months.

7. Thrift
Furniture, household items, and clothing - you can find everything you need in the thrift store. Most of the clothes I wore during my PhD were hand-me-downs from my mom and sister or items bought in the thrift store. I still wear a lot of thrifted clothes. Alternatively, you can look online for second-hand items when you need to buy something (a bike, a fridge, ...).

8. Invest in quality items
When it comes down to items you use frequently, then go for quality instead of for the cheapest product. Don't try to save money on a laptop, but invest in a good machine. The items that you splurge on because they are important to you are of course highly personal. For me, a quality blender, a good mattress, and a good stereo are important. Find out which of your items get a lot of usage, and make a smart choice when you replace or acquire them.

9. Cancel subscriptions
Three euros here, twelve euros there,... and before you know it you are spending over 100 euros a month in subscriptions. When you analyze your expenses, list all your subscriptions as recurring bills. What do you really need? Should you cancel Netflix and watch YouTube videos instead? Do you really need a landline and a cell phone? Sometimes, temporary discounts automatically revert to a high cost subscription after a trial period. Always be aware of when trial periods end, and cancel or revise your subscription prior to the hike in price.

10. Protect and insure your valuables
If you spent a fair amount of money on a good laptop, then protect it with a lock, a surge protector, and a good cover. Insure your most valuable items, such as your laptop and your bike. Invest in the highest-grade lock for your bike.

11. Be minimalist
Don't buy lots of nick-knacks. Especially if you are doing your PhD abroad, you probably won't be able to drag all your belongings back to your home country after graduation. Focus on the essentials, a capsule wardrobe, a pocket kitchen, and don't buy things you won't be keeping later.

12. Look for online deals
If you are planning time away from your work or time to relax, look for deals online. If you want to go away for a weekend, look for discounted deals. If you feel like getting a massage, see if you can use a group coupon or other type of deal to get a lower price. Don't get the first thing you see, but explore different options.

13. Bike or walk your commute
Save on gas or your bus fare, and walk or bike your commute (provided that you can do so safely). If you start the day on the bike, you'll get to the office with a fresh head and you get some exercise every day. I always bike my commute in the Netherlands and walk my commute in Ecuador (unless it's too late at night), and I enjoy this a lot.

14. Shop for presents online and ahead of the season
Gather presents for birthdays and Christmas throughout the year. When a good deal comes up for something you want to buy for your loved ones, take advantage of the offer and buy ahead of the holiday period. You probably will get the item at a lower price, and you avoid the craziness of malls around the holidays, which may confuse you and tempt you to buy too many things.

15. Ask yourself what is really necessary
Are certain expenses (such as getting a haircut. something I hardly every spend money on) really necessary, or are you just doing this because that's what you've always spent money on. Do you need to buy new clothes every season, or can you use what you already have? Can you cook with what's in your pantry instead of shopping for new food items?

PhD Defenses around the world: a Defense in Northern Ireland

Today, I have the pleasure of inviting Dr Carole Trueman to share the story of her PhD Defense, Dr. Trueman is a recent PhD graduate from Northern Ireland. She has started an educational consultancy business called Clarity Consultancy NI. Carole’s business offers bespoke training, accredited courses, and business / educational research and consultancy services. As well as this, Carole offers advice and support to students on their university assignments and career options. You can find her on Twitter and Facebook

I never thought I would be able to say that I enjoyed my PhD defence (or viva as we call it in Northern Ireland). I had been told horror stories, from the viva that lasted six hours, to the student that was so nervous they couldn't say a word! Now, I know these were extreme cases but I didn't hear too many stories that were pleasant.

I knew that I was going to have a hard time, my supervisors were openly honest that my thesis was not perfect. As my viva approached I did considerable preparation. This is an important part of the process. I re-read my thesis highlighting key points / buzz words and also wrote a paragraph on the general argument from each chapter. I ordered viva cards and prepared answers to each question and practiced them orally to be confident in my answers. I asked my supervisor to point out the weakest parts of my thesis so I could practice justifications for them. I searched many websites for additional questions that could be asked and I read viva preparation books such as Nathan Ryders book "Fail your Viva". I was prepared, I had always been told "to fail to prepare, is to prepare to fail". I even had a mock viva with my supervisors a couple of weeks before the viva, which helped as it highlighted the areas that I was uncomfortable with, which I worked on improving my answers for. As suggested to me, the night before my viva I did not study. Instead I relaxed, pampered myself and tried not to think about what was ahead of me.

The morning of my viva I was very glad that I allowed my supervisor to attend, as I wasn't alone, it was a comfort. My panel consisted of my external examiner, internal examiner from my university, and a member of staff who chaired the viva. Although it was formal, I was extremely lucky as both examiners were lovely and put me at ease straightaway. There are a few general questions to start with for example summarising my thesis, what motivated me to carry out this research and which theories and research most influenced my work. I expected the process to be intimidating but it was instead more like a professional conversation with people who were genuinely interested in my work. It was lovely to share ideas, thoughts, future plans, and I even asked their opinions on aspects of the research. Yes, I was asked difficult questions, but nothing that I could not answer. There were some I paused for a minute to think about, and some I had to ask the examiners to repeat but that was ok, it's better to take time than rush an answer! I did justify my research and the routes I took but I was open to their ideas and changes that I could make. I was questioned about my conclusions in particular and the panel came up with very interesting ideas on some improvements I could make. My viva lasted 1 hour 30 minutes approximately. It was quite short and I didn't know if that was good or bad. I had to wait in an office next door to the viva room and await my fate. I had to wait 20 minutes which trust me felt like a lifetime. Eventually I was called back into the room and told that I had passed with minor corrections. I was that shocked I asked the chair to repeat what she said! Everything after that is a bit of a blur (which is another reason it was nice to have my supervisor with me)! I just couldn't believe it was over.

I had a lovely defence, but one key thing that got me through and gave me confidence in my work was this advice I kept telling myself - "No one knows your research better than you do, you are the expert of your PhD".

Choose your perfect dissertation topic

Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Dr. Noelle Sterne with a guest post on dissertation writing. Dissertation coach and nurturer, editor, academic and mainstream writing consultant and soother, author, workshop leader, and spiritual counselor, Noelle Sterne, Ph.D. (Columbia University), has published over 400 pieces in print and online venues. Her monthly posts appear in theTextbook and Academic Authors blog Abstract and the literary blog Two Drops of Ink. In her academic consulting practice, Noelle helps doctoral candidates wrestle their dissertations to completion. Based on her practice, her handbook addresses students’ largely overlooked but equally important nonacademic difficulties: Challenges in Writing Your Dissertation: Coping with the Emotional, Interpersonal, and Spiritual Struggles (Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2015). In Trust Your Life: Forgive Yourself and Go After Your Dreams (Unity Books, 2011), with examples from her academic practice, writing, and life, Noelle shows readers how to release regrets, relabel their past, and reach lifelong yearnings. Noelle also shares her knowledge with ongoing community writing and meditation workshops and university academic presentations. Visit www.trustyourlifenow.com.

Dan sat in the library, his dissertation materials spread out before him. On the table, his laptop was open, ready to go, and papers, open books, and note cards were strewn across the table. He had promised himself that today he’d actually start writing. But all he could do was to stare at the wall clock. Dan had made the mistake of trying to leap into the dissertation without enough forethought or real passion for his topic.

It’s undeniable. The dissertation engenders a love-hate relationship, with all the exasperations, frustrations, teeth-clenching, and eye-rolling, and occasionally all the affection, elation, and fulfillment (eventually) of a primary human relationship. Therefore, your topic should be one that initially excites you, during the process sustains you throughout the inevitable peaks and gulleys, and eventually morphs into a satisfying career.

Topic Considerations
As a longtime coach of doctoral candidates, I’ve seen many, in the heat of first passion, bite off a topic that would take 40 monks without tablets 60 years to complete. I’ve seen other candidates take on topics because their professors suggest them or they think the topic is “hot” and they’ll have a better chance of publishing. None of these reasons are the right ones.

Right Topic Considerations
It’s almost axiomatic that many people choose concentrations and careers because of early personal experiences. A man becomes an oncologist because he couldn’t save his mother from Stage 4 cancer. A woman becomes a social worker specializing in cases of battered women because in childhood, every night from a crack in the closet door, terrified she watched her father beat her mother. A man raised in poverty becomes a financial counselor to help merchants in neighborhoods like his own succeed in their businesses.

Such motivations generally guarantee sustained interest in a dissertation topic. Whether or not your motives stem from earlier suffering, you don’t want to be like Dan. From my extensive experience, and the success of many graduate students I have counseled, I offer you ten suggestions, including questions and examples, to help you identify the perfect topic you’ll be living with for a long time.

1. Revisit your childhood dreams. How did you see yourself? What “professions” were your play favorites? Many kids like to play “doctor” (not that kind), and one of my clients loved to play “nurse.” She showed me photographs of herself at age 5 with an impressive collection of play bandages, ointments, even casts, and a doll house she’d made into a “clinic.” Today, with her doctorate, she’s director of a regional hospital.
2. Review your favorite undergraduate and graduate course papers. Which did you really like doing the work for? Which did you get As on? What about your master’s thesis? Would you feel excited expanding it? Lynn was an elementary school reading teacher who really cared about those struggling, stuttering readers. When she shuffled through her course papers and reviewed her master’s thesis, she saw that the comparisons of different reading programs were her best work. Her dissertation topic? A comprehensive comparison of two elementary school reading programs for their relative effectiveness. Now a Ph.D., Lyon is a professor teaching aspiring elementary reading and literacy teachers.
3. Think about troubling experiences you’ve had. Would you like to help remedy their causes? If, like the social worker, your pull toward the topic originates from an early traumatic experience, accept it. Negatives can be powerful motivators toward positive actions and activities. And think of all the people you’ll help.
4. What topic has fascinated you for a long time? What are you passionate about? What do you want to jump into and explore? A client in nursing and leadership and with many years experience at several hospitals, Jill observed how older nurses were discriminated against. Other than the obvious chronological reason (Jill was in her 40s), she burned to explore the assumptions and possible myths that administrators held in hiring and making assignments to these nurses. Jill’s dissertation and the article she developed from it became valuable additions to the literature—and helped change hospital policies.
5. What especially meaningful experiences have you had that you want to explore and know will make a difference? During surgery, Derrick had what he swore was a near-death (NDE) experience. He delved into the research, interviewed many people who had had similar experiences, and even scored an interview with a major author on the subject. Derrick’s dissertation dealt with NDE theories and testimonies. He is now revising his dissertation into a book and has a publisher interested.
6. What would you like to be known for? In the examples above, the students’ passion for their choices drove their ambitions. The answer to this question is likely inherent in your choice. Don’t be modest. Think about what you really know you can contribute. 
7. Don’t be deterred or discouraged if the topic has been “done.” Even if you discover that many scholarly articles have been published on your topic, your slant will be different. You can use those articles to show how your study is better, different, and worth not only the doctorate but publication.
8. Dream: Imagine how the topic can be used in your dream job and how you look forward to devoting your professional life to your interest. Sandra was a counselor in a geriatric care agency advising adults on the placement of their elderly parents in appropriate care facilities. She felt needed and fulfilled, knowing she was helping both generations to the best choices. Imagining her dissertation topic, Sandra saw how she could identify and discuss the many elements involved in placement. Exploration of this topic, she saw, would help her professionally to broaden her knowledge, enhance her abilities, and open her mind to new counseling techniques. After obtaining her degree, Sandra gave several presentations and published her findings in an elder care journal.
9. If you’re not in your dream job or career, paint mental pictures of the one you are aiming for. Observe and talk to others in this or a related career. What topic did they write on? How did it help their careers? What pointers can they give you about topic choice? Have they successfully transitioned from the dissertation results to real-world application? Do they seem happy and enthusiastic?
10. Finally (and maybe this should be first), listen inside for the topic that’s right for you. If you meditate, in your sessions, silently ask the question about topics. You may be “led” to certain people, scholarly literature, movies, or magazines that clarify or confirm your choices. If you don’t meditate, keep asking yourself the topic question and stay aware and open. If several possible topics occur to you, test them against the suggestions here and keep listening to your intuition.

Tiptoe to Your Topic
Choose one or two of these recommendations to explore each day. Don’t push but relax and let your unconscious lead you. Remember how important the choice is and how it will influence and direct your career and life. You deserve the perfect dissertation topic.

© 2017 Noelle Sterne

Adapted from Noelle Sterne, Challenges in Writing Your Dissertation: Coping With the Emotional, Interpersonal, and Spiritual Struggles (Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2015).

For reprinting, please contact Noelle Sterne through her site: www.trustyourlifenow.com

How does PhD research get funded around the world?

I recently ran a poll on Twitter about how PhD students get their funding, and I was actually quite surprised by the results. In the Netherlands, most PhD students are hired as employees when funding for a project for 4 years is arranged. The student then receives a salary, social security, and other benefits for the period of four years for which the contract is signed. I thought that in other countries, funding for PhD students also came mostly from research funding, but according to the results of my poll, most actually have scholarships.

You can read about the results of the poll and the explanations of others here:

The hardest stage of the PhD

I recently ran a poll on Twitter, asking people for their experience on what they considered the hardest stage of the PhD. The results, and personal stories, are quite interesting. For 45%, the end of the PhD and the writing stage are the most difficult phase - I had expected this percentage to be higher (say 67%), based on my perception.

For myself, the hardest stage was at the end - not the actual writing, but the patience I needed until my promotor had time to read my draft. Patience is a virtue, but unfortunately not one that I possess...

How old are students when they get their PhD?

I recently ran a poll on Twitter to see at which age most students receive their PhD. I compiled the results in a Storify:

Q&A: Switching fields for your PhD

I recently received the following question from a reader that I wanted to reply in a Q&A post:

I want to ask question regarding phd subject.my question is that i have done mtech in computer science can i pursue phd with any other subject which is not part of my mtech?

If you want to switch fields for your PhD, you won't be able to change to a completely different field, for example history for you. However, you can work on interdisciplinary projects. If you are considering a switch, consider the following:

1. Talk to your possible future supervisor

If you want to change fields, it is never too late. Talk to your supervisor who guided you for your MTech thesis to see your options. He/she may have a colleague that would be willing to work with you. I can imagine that your strong skills in programming can make you a good candidate for a number of other fields in science and engineering.

If you've already identified which field you would like to work on for your PhD, talk to possible future supervisors about what you would need to do to enter the program in their field, what the expectation would be, and how you could contribute with your skill set of a computer scientist.

2. Be willing to learn new skills and take courses

If you change fields, you'll have to quickly learn a number of new skills and take a number of courses. You will need to let your possible future supervisor know that you are willing to work hard to close the gap between you and students who may have a more suitable background. Be willing to take on extra courses and/or work your way through books on your own.

3. Consider getting a minor

If you are still in your MTech program, you can consider getting a minor in the field that you would like to switch to. If you are considering moving to a field that is rather unrelated to computer science, you may want to take a few courses in the field first to see how you like this field. You may find that your expectations of this field are not met, and then it is better that you have taken these few courses and then decide that this field is not for you, than that you start a PhD and then find out you don't like your new field of study.

If a minor is not an option for you, consider taking a few professional courses, or even attending a few MOOCs in your field of interest to see if this field is a good fit for you. Enrolling in a PhD can be a big commitment.

4. Talk to more than one faculty member

If you are trying to figure out how your skills as a computer scientist can serve other fields, but you haven't fully figured out yet to which field you'd want to transition, look up faculty members from different disciplines and see if they are willing to have a talk with you. If it is difficult to get access to senior professors, see if you can talk to a post-doc or junior faculty member, to brainstorm on possible ways you could contribute to their research.

5. When applying to a position, review the prerequisites

If you apply to a PhD position through a standard application process, review the prerequisites. If it is clearly stated that you would need a M.Sc. degree in the same field as the PhD research, it will be unlikely that your file will even be reviewed. Look for projects that are more interdisciplinary and that actively look for hiring candidates of different backgrounds.

6. Consider moving abroad

It may be a little more complicated for you to find the right fit for your PhD program. But the world is a large place - somewhere, someone may be really looking for a student with your skill set who wants to transition to their field of research. Think globally if your situation allows you to move away from your current location. If moving abroad is not an option for you, see if you can find alternative ways of working: go for a short-term stay to another lab to involve more than one faculty member in your research, and follow up with video conferences - be proactive when you offer solutions to the faculty member(s) you would like to work with.

PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: How to have efficient meetings with your supervisor

This post is part of the series PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: posts written for the Dutch academic career network AcademicTransfer, your go-to resource for all research positions in the Netherlands.

These posts are sponsored by AcademicTransfer, and tailored to those of you interested in pursuing a research position in the Netherlands.

If these posts raise your interest in working as a researcher in the Netherlands, even better - and feel free to fire away any questions you might have on this topic!

Depending on the habits of your supervisors, he/she may be popping his/her head through your door every day for a quick chat, you may be meeting on a weekly basis, or only by appointment. Typically, you will have more meetings in the beginning, while your supervisor helps you with getting started, less meetings in the middle of your PhD trajectory when you are crunching numbers and doing experiments, and more meetings towards to end, to discuss your thesis chapters.

Even if your supervisors checks on you almost daily, you will need to have meetings at regular intervals to discuss in more depth about your research. If you want to get the most out of your meetings, a bit of preparation goes a long way.

Here are the different ways in which you can prepare yourself for an efficient meeting with your supervisor:

1. Send written material ahead of time

Give your supervisor at least one week of time to work through some documents prior to the meeting if you meet less frequently, or give him/her three days if you meet (almost) weekly. If you send material ahead of time, your supervisor will be able to read about your current progress, and will be able to point out what you are missing, and perhaps give you some feedback on your writing.

Written material can be a great starting point for discussions, not just about the contents of your work, but also about where you could possibly present or publish your work. The earlier you start writing, the earlier your supervisor will be able to help you find your writing voice, and will be able to comment in more detail on your thoughts.

2. Present your main insights with a short presentation

A presentation with five slides, mostly visual information, can be another excellent starting point for your meetings. Summarize the material of the written document that you sent, so that you can quickly remind your supervisor about what you are working on, and what you have discovered in the last weeks. Keep text on your slides to a minimum - you don't want to give a formal presentation to your supervisor, but projecting sketches, plots, and other visual information, or formulas, can be a good starting point for discussing your progress.

3. Develop a template for recording your meetings and expectation

At the beginning of your PhD trajectory, develop a template that you can use for your meetings. You can see an example of such a template in the figure below. Make sure you include a short agenda, list the references you want to discuss, leave space for taking notes of what you discussed during the meeting, and then agree on your actions for the next meeting.



4. Show options that you are thinking about

If you are stuck in your research, don't go to your supervisor hoping that he/she will hand you the solution on a golden platter. Since you are most into your research, you are expected to come up with solutions. When you are stuck, don't just accept the situation. Be creative, and think about possible solutions. Once you've outlined possible solutions, jot down a few ideas about the benefits and limitations of each of these solutions. With this material, discuss with your supervisor about the steps you should be taking next in your research. Don't take a passive attitude.

5. Briefly touch upon your planning

Discuss your planning during every meeting. Make sure you reserve at least 5 minutes of time during the meeting to discuss possible delays you have, and what your tools are to make sure you graduate on time. Discuss your short-term goals, your medium-term goals, and long-term goals. Your short-term goals can include the timing of the portion of research you currently are working on. Your medium-term goals can include a short discussion about which conferences you should attend, and where you should publish your research. Your long-term goals will be the discussion about your overall progress and if you are still set for graduating on time.

6. Come up with ideas and suggestions

Don't expect your supervisor to decide how you should carry out your research, which conferences you should attend, and where you should aim to publish your work. Come up with ideas and suggestions yourself. Show that you are growing into an independent researcher. Propose attending conferences, propose to submit your work to a certain journal, and, as discussed above, always have solutions in mind when you are faced with challenges in your research. Make sure you are in charge of your PhD progress.

Q&A: PhD and pregnancy

Recently, I received the following question from a reader (edited for anonomity):

Dear Eva, I recently came across your Book and blog. I am finishing my master Somewhere and starting to apply to PhD positions in NL for directly after my graduation. My ambition is to become a Senior researcher in My Field.
However, there is a big dilemma of combining career and family. I have a wonderful Partner and want to build a family with him. I am 24 y.o. for now and I want to have my first child maximum by 26 yo (as I am afraid my health isn't so perfect to try when I'm older). Here comes my question: Can I be pregnant while doing a PhD? Can an employer fire me for that? Can I ask for 3 month vacation (July, August, September) for delivering a child? If I quit the program after first appointment (of 18 month), will I be able to continue later, and start from where I stopped but in another project?
Your advice would be very valuable for planning my life.

I replied her as follows:

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reaching out to me through my blog, and for sending me your question with regard to pregnancy and motherhood during your PhD. I’m glad to read that you have a good relationship with your partner, and that you are planning your future together.

Considering your situation, you should pay attention to the type of contract that your future promotor offers you together with a PhD position. In the Netherlands, there are two types of contracts. The first type is a contract with university, where you become an employee of the university. With this contract, you are protected by the “CAO Nederlands Universiteiten” (collective labor agreement of the Dutch universities), you pay taxes, you save for your retirement, and you have social security. The second type of contract would be based on a scholarship. This type of contract is more common for students who come from abroad with funding of their home university. Their funding includes a stipend for living expenses, but it is not consider a regular employment, so no social security and saving for retirement. In your case, make sure you inform with HR about the type of contract they would be offering you.

If you have an employee contract with a university, you will have 16 weeks of pregnancy and maternity leave to deliver your baby – whenever your baby is coming (not necessarily over the summer months). It’s absolutely illegal for an employer to fire you because you are pregnant. It is your choice and right to become a mother when the time is right for you. For many women, the right time is during their PhD. A former colleague of mine had both children during her PhD, and my best friend had her first child during her PhD.

Of course, it all depends on your personal situation to say when is the right time to have a child. For many women, having a child during the PhD years is a good option, and in all cases I know, the months of pregnancy and maternity leave where added to the length of the PhD contract, so you don’t lose time. For the tenure track years, things are a little less well-organized, I understood. That means that the second best option would be to wait until you have tenure – but say you start your PhD at 23, graduate at 27 (earliest possible), two years of post-doc (29), and four years of tenure track (33), then you see that you end up in your mid-thirties. For some women this is the right time, for others, it is not.

I’m not sure what you mean with your question about quitting after 18 months. You could always do this, and try to publish a journal article on the work you did during that time, but if you have to restart later in a different project, perhaps with a different supervisor, you will need to start from zero again. This situation happens when funding for a project does not come through, or when student and supervisor don’t get along, and the student decides to go elsewhere. I don’t see motherhood as a reason for having to start over new somewhere else.

Additionally, for some advice on combining a PhD with motherhood, you can check out this post

Wishing you all the best in finding a PhD position and with your personal life,
Eva

Q&A: The PhD Interview

Recently (well, honestly, not that recently, I've been falling behind a bit on answering your questions), I received the following question from a reader:

I have an upcoming interview for PhD Studentship... I'm very confused and tense about it.

Considering yourself to be a person who is taking interview for PhD studentship, what "general" questions would you ask to the candidate?

I think your answer would help met a lot...

Plus, if you would like to give any additional advice, I'll appreciate it !

First things first, the fact that you have been invited for an interview to discuss a possible PhD studentship is already positive news. It means that the PI sees potential in you, and wants to talk with you in person before making a decision. Professors are busy people, and they won't interview 20 candidates for a PhD position - they make a selection based on your letters and resumes, and then invite very few people to talk to. So, relax - the professor interviewing already thinks that on paper you are a good candidate.

I must say as well that I do not interview for PhD studentships. Even though I have recently been promoted to full professor in Ecuador, I do not interview for PhD positions because the institution I work at only has undergraduate programs. At Delft, the decision to hire PhD candidates depends on the full professor that leads our research group, in which I work as a part-time researcher.

Given that I have no experience interviewing candidates for a PhD position, I can only tell you how I prepared for my PhD interview. The most important part is making sure you are well-informed about the work of the research group and professor you are interviewing with. Read his most recent publications and his most cited publications, check all the information on the research website, and see what else Google can teach you about your possible future boss and workplace.

Other than preparing based on contents, treat it like any other job interview - it is not an exam, it is an interview. If possible, attend a workshop about interviews towards the end of your master's studies. Practice with standard job interview questions, such as you can find here. While most of these standard questions will never be asked during an interview for a PhD scholarship, they give you a sense of preparation, and help you speak up about your goals, your plans, and what you hope to achieve during your PhD years.

As for my PhD interview, I barely remember anything of it. Stress, sweaty palms, pure panic. I am not exaggerating.

My story starts on Friday, December 18th in New York. I am traveling back from a trip with friends to Atlanta, where I am studying for my M.Sc. in Structural Engineering. We are supposed to fly from New York to Atlanta with a stop in Charlotte, NC. Once we reach Charlotte, we are informed that our connecting flight is canceled. We are put on the waiting list for the next flight, but can't get on. All of us are traveling to Europe the next day, so we really need to make it back to Atlanta. We decide to rent a car. One friend drives, I sit next to him and talk hysterically trying to keep him awake (we had been awake since 4 am or so to catch our flight), the other friend is passed out on the back seat. We have an epic visit to a random Waffle House somewhere, where we do the endless coffee pot thing, and the server and her mom look at us as if we are exotic animals, because we are Europeans. We continue our road trip and make it to Atlanta late at night. I think I remember cooking up pasta with shrimp in cream sauce around midnight in my friends' house at the end of this.

The next day, I wake up to pack my suitcases with all presents from the USA for my family and friends in Europe, and get ready for my flight home. My friends come pick me up in the rental car, and we manage to fit in everybody and all our suitcases. I take the red eye flight to Brussels, and arrive majestically jetlagged on Sunday morning to Brussels. My PhD interview is the next morning, in the Netherlands.

That Sunday, my best friend comes to visit me. She finds me napping on the couch, exhausted after finals, the NYC trip, and all travel adventures. I crawl out of the sofa for cake and tea, but I'm not sure if I am a good host that day (probably not - but my friend never blamed me for it, because she's awesome). I go to bed, but of course can't sleep because I am too jetlagged.

Interview day - Monday December 21st: I wake up at the crack of dawn to take the first train to the Netherlands for the interview. My mom travels with me, to keep me company, and keep me awake. We travel from Lier and get off at the Antwerpen Berchem station, where the trains to the Netherlands used to leave. Turns out the Antwerpen Centraal station is now the departure station. We run out of the train station, catch a cab, and are still in time to take our train to the Netherlands. For some reason, we have delays or other problems, and by the time we reach Rotterdam Centraal, we are too late for the connection to Delft. We catch another cab to go to the university in Delft.

I only have the address of the lab. The cab driver does not know which building is civil engineering. I have vague memories of running on a slippery, icy pavement on my high heels (my interview shoes!) to dash into a building and ask them where I can find the civil engineering building. Finding the Stevin II lab inside of the civil engineering building turns out to be a last hurdle to take. I arrive half an hour late to my interview, sweaty, stressed like never before, and totally unprepared.

Once I finally find where I have to be, I see there are three people waiting to interview me. I stare at them like a wild animal who sees humans for the first time, or a rabbit staring into the headlights of a car. My equally distressed mother is trailing behind me. The three people ready to interview me look all relaxed though. They sit at the coffee table, chatting, and sipping coffee. They even mention: "We didn't expect you yet!", after I mutter apologies for being late, and ask, given that I had to travel from Belgium, why the appointment was so early. I didn't dare to tell them I simply took the first suggestion of the secretary.

My mom and I each get a coffee, and then I am taking into the office of the full professor for the interview. I barely remember anything from the interview, except that I didn't speak much at all, and that they mostly talked about the project - I think. I just remember the moment one of them said: "In case it wasn't clear yet, we really would like to have you here." I must have given another wild-animal-stare, but I realize I am in. I feel much more relaxed. After the interview, my mom and I are taken for a trip to the laboratories, where I am shown all the cool stuff in the lab. I remember much more details from the lab visit, as the stress had ebbed away, and I started to feel genuinely excited about working in Delft.

After the lab visit, I think my mom and I are offered another round of coffee. My interviewers are friendly and chatty, and I remember them telling us that they would love to give us a ride to the train station back, but they all came by bike. My mom and I blink at the thought of these important, not-so-young men biking through the freezing winter air. I realize the Netherlands will be quite different from Belgium, where taking your car to go to the bakery at the end of the street is common practice. My mom and I end our day with a visit to the city center of Delft, and we treat ourselves to a big plate of poffertjes. And this is the story of my PhD interview - not the ideal situation, but I did end up getting the PhD position of my dreams.

What I learned from my PhD

Today, I am hosting Dr. Hanan Almahasheer, who shares some insights she gained during her PhD in Saudi Arabia. Hanan recently got her PhD degree from Kaust, and currently working as a lecturer at IAU. Her background is in Mangroves ecology and its ecosystem services. You can find more about her work on research-gate. In her free time, she enjoys music and movies, plantation projects with school students and community services. You may find her on Twitter.


About three years ago I began my PhD, the first couple of weeks were emotionally tough as I had never been away from home before. Suddenly, I was 800 miles away from home and everyone I knew and at the same time I was afraid to fail and go back home. I had the enthusiasm and motivation to succeed. I honestly was, and still am, in love with my subject. However, in those early stages of my doctoral work, I did not have the confidence I was later able to achieve, and as a result, on my first semester I was a little hesitant in purchasing many items, just in case I was tempted to go back in a hurry. I wanted less things to carry. But I survived.

Back then I read a lot of articles about “surviving a PhD”. Many were useful, especially the ones about time management, but others were a bit misleading. I noticed a general trend in those articles describing the supervisor as a busy person who does not have time for you and much of the advice focused on how to strengthen your relationship with your supervisor group as the people who would be most beneficial for you. I personally think it is a good idea to have a good relationship with the people around you before you need a last-minute favor. However, the most important relationship that you need to build is the one with your supervisor.

Yet, on the first day I met my supervisor, he kind of confirmed the message above when he said “this is your PhD, not mine. I finished mine a long time ago”. He kept repeating this line all over the years, which was annoying, but at the end I realized that he subconsciously challenged me to take control of my own PhD.

To overcome this, I decided to jump to it. I reminded myself every day that I need to be a proactive person. No one will knock on the door. I worked hard, waking up at 5 A.M. every day, finishing my daily routine to be in my office, lab or on the boat ready for my field work by 7 A.M. sharp. I have learned a few lessons along the way that I want to pass on to others.

• First of all, don’t get a PhD for the wrong reasons. Read Should I get a PhD? I know it is painful to be at a crossroad. Instead, do it to achieve something or learn and invest in yourself.
• Surround yourself with positive people and avoid the lazy ones who keep complaining about everything, they will just drag you down with them.
• Buy your favorite coffee mug before buying your laptop. And it is ok to have a messy desk, “remember Einstein did”.

• When you write your proposal, check the previous work of your group and others around you, remember everything is connected.
• Always thank people when they help you, show that you value their time.
• Make sure your project has a variety of research options, it is time for you to explore new things.
• Passion is what you need now, so make sure you are happy with your topic. At the end of the day when you find yourself working hard alone, you will feel much better doing something you love instead of what your supervisor loves.
• Always write the methods on the same day you do your experiment. By doing this, not only do you avoid forgetting anything but when you start writing your paper, it will be a matter of copy and paste.
• Do not work in the lab when you are exhausted. I ended up having three stitches on my hand when I did that.
• Find activities that make you happy, it will boost your energy and might strengthen your CV. (I used to collect seashells from my field work and give them to the teacher of daycare students to study them).

• Don’t rely too much on your supervisor. When you find a stumbling block, talk about it but also suggest solutions (i.e. do your homework, do some reading about the problem. This will help him to use his scientific instinct).
• When your meeting is canceled at the last moment and you really need that meeting, you will start wondering why you worked so hard late into the night. I made this mistake before, I even thought that my supervisor did not like my work, but then I realized how much he was overbooked. So instead try to get his support via emails.
• Occasionally, you will be extremely frustrated with your supervisor. At this point, I recommend to be frank, talk to him. Get it out of your system so you can move on, but do not take it personally and quit your PhD out of anger. One of my colleagues did that as she did not want to give her supervisor the satisfaction of graduating a student.
• Once I read that the supervisor’s secretary is the most important person you need to be friends with. I totally agree since she controls his agenda!
• Seek perfection when you write your paper. If it is boring for you, it definitely will be boring for others.
• Don’t spend a long period of time on your PhD, set up a timetable and stick to it.
• The final advice is from my co-supervisor, he said “in the beginning I teach you; then you will return the favor by teaching me at the end” he meant that I will be an expert. But I immediately thought he was crazy, since I used to see both of my supervisors as supermen, however, one day I did teach him something, and I was so happy to do it.
  So, be passionate, work hard and make sure to teach your supervisor one thing before you leave!

Q&A: Where should I do my PhD?

I recently received the following question (edited for anonimity):

Hi Eva
Hope u r doing well..?
Recently got 2 offers for Ph.D program, one from University Nr 1 in Australia and the other from University Nr 2 in New Zealand with Full Funding.
In march 2016, i had sent an email to the professor from University Nr 3 in the USA requesting him to take me as a Ph.D student in the department of SomeKindOf Sciences. After 5 months he replied to me asking to submit application as soon as possible for Spring 2017 bcoz he is fully ready to take me as a Ph.D student in his department. I have submitted my application for Ph.D program under his Supervision.
Now, my question is which country i should select among these 3 countries, i am in confusion right now..?? Please do suggest. Thank u so much..!!

Here's my answer:

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reaching out to me through my blog.

As I understand it, you have the choice between 3 universities for your PhD, and one of them is fully funded? In that case, I’d say, go for the fully funded option. If all of them are funded, I’d recommend you to pick the project that you feel most excited about – 3 or 4 years can be a long time. The university itself does not matter that much – as long as you publish and get the chance to travel to a few conferences, the ranking of your university is not that important.

Another element to consider: if you are planning to move to the USA long-term, the school in the USA might be your best pick.