Publish a couple of papers in leading Journals (or in reality have them accepted for publication) before your submission. IME this pretty much guarantees a successful outcome at viva time.
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new PhD advice
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Posted 11 months ago #
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Get one of these...learn to fly it well.
You'll need something to do when things get tough and you need to relax.
Definitely use Latex, so much easier now than it was when I did mine (Theoretical Physics). It's a typesetting program, not a word processor. Add your references to the master bibliography as you find them.
If it's experimental work, accept that it won't work all the time. If it's theory, accept that you will get stuck. Try and work on two problems simultaneously that can help.
Don't overestimate the amount of work required for a PhD (Common mistake). The equivalent of ONE single author paper is sufficient.
Posted 11 months ago # -
Finishing on time is overrated. You'll be in the best cycling form of your life by the time you're done
Posted 11 months ago # -
Learning latex is dead handy, especially for writing things for some science journals that prefer it.
Lyx is a very useful wysiwyg latex tool, which with some hacking can be used to produce pretty good latex output in a lot less time than hand coding it.
Talk to people and get involved in the department / team. Being able to work with / get help from others is vital, and often you'll need help from people who aren't your supervisors or anyone else who officially has to help you.
Posted 11 months ago # -
dont do your PhD during the foot and mouth crisis would be my advice, although I suspect yours is slightly different in this regard to a study of Pennine hay meadows.
Publish early would be my main tip.
Posted 11 months ago # -
A Ph.D. is much like a Rolls Royce, if you have to ask, you can't afford it
Posted 11 months ago # -
The advice on publishing is good. It is something my supervisor insisted on early, and it was of huge benefit.
Oh, and for light-hearted relief, read PhD comics. I don't know what the whole movie thing is all about, but I got a laugh from many of the strips when I was working on mine.
Posted 11 months ago # -
All good advice here!!
Coming to the end of mine now and I didn't do a lot of those things although I did buy a pen which was beautiful to write with and use some lovely note books to write in. It makes a difference to me.
Good luck, its going to be one hell of a roller coaster!!!
Posted 11 months ago # -
thank you for the tips and experiences... i've forwarded this onto a couple of mates starting phds soon too. Will obviously let stw how the phd/emmigration goes too
Posted 11 months ago # -
I can't give advice on doing a PhD so good luck with that but perhaps some survival tips in Finland.
Finns - good bunch, love being in the country and forest, like their booze, sauna, liqourice and berries. Generally considered quiet but most I've met love the opportunity to practise their high standard of english; I learnt about grammar in Finland.
Sauna - don't be surprised if you get invited mid party to get out of your kecks and into a Sauna, all perfectly normal and it will help build relations!
Liquorice - They love liquorice. As a liquer (must try Salmiakki), ice cream, chewing gum and sweets. It's quite staggering the range they have.
Finnish inventions - you'll get kudos for knowing finland invented the following, Sauna, Xylitol (sweetener thats good for teeth), Benecol (cholesterol reducing product), GSM900/1800 Mobile phone network, etc.
Forest - most have summer houses in the country where they like to spend a lot of time. Thats where they can forage the forest floor for wild strawberries and blueberries. Luvly jubbly.
Posted 11 months ago # -
hehe, as for inventions... you're also forgetting linux, anything and everything nokia and angry birds.
Sidney, have you had the tar icecream, or tar beer, it's pretty good? The salmiakki liquor... and jalluva (sp?) are pretty rank!
Posted 11 months ago # -
Well, looks like I'll be joining you in PhD-dom!
Although reading the advice on this 'ere thread, I'm not sure what I've let myself in for...
Good luck HansRey!
Posted 10 months ago # -
I finally finished my computational and theoretical physics PhD last year (still looking for work :o( ) and I seriously have to ask WHY do you want to do a PhD? I'm being serious, what gave you this idea?
It's not problem if you really really want to it or you really need it to get where you want to, but if it's not because of one of those it might not be a great use of your time of time unless you're very good/motivated (these points applied to me, but it's my next points that made mine a never-ending and over-running nightmare).
The biggest factor that you should consider in a PhD is your supervisor and then group and supporting dept.
If you can't get on with you supervisor whether on friendly terms or in terms of working in the same way towards the same goal, then don't bother as it's just too difficult. One of my friends is having such a bad time as her supervisor is just such a f@#ker.
If your supervisor is always away or too busy to spend much time with you, or retires in a few years, can you manage your self or do you have a good supporting dept/team (I didn't - it was just us two).
Also, consider how good you are at scheduling your own days and motivating yourself. I thought it was going to be fine, but if your supervisor doesn't give you goals to achieve with deadlines and just leaves you to it, forgetting all about you until the next time you mange to catch him, you soon begin get lost and demotivated.Hopefully none of that counts for you, and it's going to be a Dream PhD!
Anyway, preparation tips!...
LaTeX is a must. Word couldn't even handle a chapter with equations and diagrams without going t!ts-up, let alone looking naff. I used MikTeX (free and built for windows) and either vi(m) in Linux as an editor and WinEdit or TeXnicCentre in windows as good latex based editors (I hated LyX).
Also, Excel though a great package, is similarly terrible looking for charts, like they've been drawn with crayons. I used sigmaplot which produces very tidy and clean graphs, just as you see in journals.It sounded like you're doing computational work, so learn Linux at least to the level of a user, but to the level of basic admin would be very useful.
Also (no one else has mentioned this, but really it's a must!), get some sort of SVN backup repository sorted for your code, work, results and thesis sorted out so that your programs/work are always chronologically backed up and a full backup of each version is available at any time.Make sure your English, grammar, punctuation, etc., is very good, particularly if your dyslexic. I am and until i got this sorted out it caused me a lot of problems...
Make sure you can afford all this, don't get into the trap of having to work too! You don't have the time or the energy to do both! When i started the funding was terrible and I had to work to be able to afford to do mine and it was just to much, it made it drag on...
While doing the PhD remember to:
-Seriously document every thing you do in the day, even small problems about finding a tricky bug in the code, it's bound to crop up again and you'll have it written down.
-Any time you meet with your supervisor take you note book with you. I just took along big sheets of paper for us both to jot on and put details on, which got stuck in my log book, not only does this say copying time but it also serves as a back-up (or evidence ;o) ) of discussions and what you did/discussed in meetings.Good luck!
Posted 10 months ago # -
The best advice I can give is to make friends with a good postdoc in the group (if there is one, most aren't good IME). They have recent experience in your own esoteric field and can probably help you more than your supervisor.
You'll probably get depressed/disillusioned in the second year, this is normal but make sure you have a support mechanism to cope with it.
Have a plan what to do afterwards, if there isn't a directly related job you may find yourself over-specialised (and academia is not easy to enter - as I'm currently discovering).
Don't expect to party like you did as an undergrad, you won't have the time and you probably won't have the drinking buddies.
Learn to speak confidently in front of an audience.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Some excellent advice here, particularly what Gruff said at the start of his post (the rest was good too though!).
I'm in the 5th year of my PhD - this is the summer of hell for me as I have to get it finished now. Don't do what I did - funding disappeared at the the end of year 3 and the work wasn't finished and neither was much written. I got a job, full-time and very well paid thinking I'd find time to finish and write up. Turns out the job was quite demanding and the 2 hours of commuting on the train weren't great for PhD work. I left that job as I found it very dull (patent attorney-ing). I often wonder if the PhD hanging over me had something to do with my non-enjoyment or if it was really that dull. I've spent the last 9 months doing my PGCE and have loved the teaching but still have the thesis hanging over me.
Basically, don't start a proper job until it's all done and dusted, or at the very least submitted awaiting viva.
Practically speaking...
LaTeX will make life easier. Not to begin with but in the long run. I used MikTex and TexnicCenter (with all the random capitals) on a Windows machine. Some purists mocked it but it worked so I don't care. This website is brilliant for learning how to use it and set me in good stead. You can search for most errors that you encounter and find solutions to most of your typesetting needs on the internet but I found this book very handy to have for quick reference (see if you can find an earlier edition as they're much cheaper).
For referencing, I used JabRef. This has a user interface for throwing in all your references and can import references also. It stores them as a bibtex file ready for use in your LaTeX document.
Get used to writing. Do some every day if you can. I didn't but found that when I was forced to (time pressures) I got used to writing and it became easier and easier. You don't have to write about your work every day, just write. It really does help.
Manage your supervisor. Again, I didn't and I really should've. My supervisor's guidance was rarely forthcoming and I sometimes think I wouldn't be in this situation I am now if he had actually taken more of an interest in my research beyond the "yay, we have funding" stage.
Er...not much else to add to what's been said already. Try to enjoy it. Don't feel bad about taking a day off mid-week if you're getting really ground down by something you're working on. I found that the odd day away from the whole thing helped. And make sure you take some holiday. I don't know about your funding body but mine recommended 8 weeks a year. I didn't take all of this but remember you are entitled to time off.
Good luck. I hope you enjoy it and it really is for you. If you find yourself spending more time browsing the STW forums than doing work, something isn't right
edit: I have copies of "How to get a PhD" and "How to write a thesis" that you can have for a minimal cost (postage - unles you're in Sheffield, in which case you can have them for free).
Posted 10 months ago # -
thank you everyone for your help. guitarmanjon, ygm.
Seen as there's been lots of help, i'll let you all know about the phd!
I'm doing it at at VTT in Espoo, Finland. They're a government research group with EU, national, internal and global research projects on a variety of different scales. I'll be looking at modelling and wear/impact characterisation of thermal spray, physical vapour deposition (pvd) and other processes for certain materials, to see how they behave under certain conditions. I'll be doing most of the experimental work, but i'll be working with coders and modellers to validate data and create new knowledge.
It's supervised day-to-day by my boss at VTT, and her colleagues. However, the supervisors at Sheffield will be involved and dictating direction too. Managing that situation will be an effort!
It's gonna be hard work, but it gives me some travel, vacations and an expense account.
And, i'll get lots of industrial exposure from working with Kone, Fortrum and a plastics manufacturer. Can't wait to start, feel like i'm ticking away and wasting time atm!
Posted 10 months ago # -
@Hansrey - quite like the tar ice cream. usually have it when i go back. Had salmiakki liquor a few times - it makes for an interesting change but would only drink it on special occasions. As for beer, not tried that yet, must look out for it next time and give it a blast....
Posted 10 months ago # -
As most above have said, get to grips with LaTex and some kind of referencing software as soon as you can, it will stand you in good stead.
For most people, the first year is largely getting your head round the background to what it is you're doing, lots of reading, learning software, trying things out.
I'd agree with not trying to plan too much as you may find the direction you end up going in is vastly different from what you envisage at the outset as you end up following interesting things in other directions.
One thing i really wish I'd done is to write up and document what I was doing little and often. It's amazing how what you've done and what is missing in order to make a solid argument crystallizes when you stop and write it all down.
Finally, enjoy it! Doing a PhD is unlikely to get you rich or better paid than if you'd spent that time working, but the lifestyle is pretty good and it should be a damn sight more interesting than most jobs!
Posted 10 months ago # -
So, learning to use Linux... What for exactly?
This is a point that always baffles me in such discussions on here. Your thesis simply needs to be well presented, not a work of art. Any papers you write will more than likely be copy-edited at the journal anyway so no need to spend time formatting etc there either. I appreciate word can be a pain, but these days it's surprisingly good for most things, and had no issues with my 300 page tome a couple of years back.
I agree with the comments about referencing software though. It's a step I didn't take, and as I stayed in academia, seem to be too busy each day to take the time out to learn when I really should. That said, you, like me, may be a person who prefers to read off paper and scribble notes etc. In which case, what someone said right up top is a must - summarise the paper in a few words at the top, then file it in the correct category. If it goes in two categories, reprint the front page a s a placeholder to remind you to look at it in the other category.
Some people get really hung up about actually writing a complete lit review in the 1st year (and for some institutes, it's a formal requirement). If it isn't a formal requirement where you are, don't. Instead, make sure you read lots, take notes, and get yourself a long summary of useful points and references, having planned a rough layout. Your field will have moved on somewhat in the 2 years or so until you come back to it, so don't waste weeks wordsmithing it now, use that time more productively to plan and start your investigations. As others have said, working whilst writing if worst comes to worst is difficult. However, working in the 4th year is a must for some, and it's a damned sight easier to work and write, than to work and try to finish off experimental work whilst trying to keep food on the plate.
As for papers, the most efficient way if it suits your discipline will be to write your chapters as papers. No point writing them twice, and if you want a career in academia or research, every Tom, Dick and Mohammed has a PhD these days, so your publication record will be taken into account. Mine got me to a permanent position within 2 years of passing my viva, so it is worth it. And for the record, I doubt I'd be on half of what I'm on now without the PhD, so it can be worth it monetarily too.
But most of all, good luck!
Posted 10 months ago #
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