The ABCs of Getting a Ph.D. zz

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The ABCs of Getting a Ph.D.

The ABCs of Getting a Ph.D.
Who Wants to be a Ph.D.?

You're considering getting a Ph.D. and becoming a

professor or researcher? You may have a burning desire

to know more about Mayan art or to determine protein

structures. Maybe you've even done some research

already. You might think you'd love a job like the one

your professors have. Many people find the prestige

associated with the Ph.D. attractive, too.

But a Ph.D. program takes a long time. How long?

According to 1999 statistics, the median number of years

new Ph.D.s were registered as graduate students was 8.9

for arts and humanities Ph.D.s, 7.5 for social science

Ph.D.s, 7.0 for Ph.D.s in the life sciences, and 6.8 for

Ph.D.s in the physical sciences. Holy Toledo! That's a

long time. Will you take a financial loss by going to

graduate school or is a Ph.D. program right for you?

  

For the right type of person, getting a Ph.D. is a great

idea. Whatever the field of study, there are some

characteristics common to successful Ph.D. students.

They tend t

Enjoy learning for learning's sake
Be willing to work very hard for many years with only a

possible payoff later
Be persistent (never give up)
Like intellectual challenges
Enjoy an academic environment
Enjoy scholarly discussions
Have excellent command of undergraduate coursework
Be willing to give up some parties and other pastimes to

do research
Be willing to live on a tight budget for many years or

have outside income
If being a Ph.D. student sounds like a monk-like

existence, that' s because in some ways, it is.

  

Straight Talk About Atmosphere
With the noble goal of creating new knowledge, most

students are idealistic when they start their Ph.D.

programs. However, graduate school may not be the

intellectual haven they had imagined. An early

observation is that fame and friendliness of professors

tend to be inversely related. Well-known faculty members

can be irritable and too busy to talk with graduate

students. Upon leaving a well-known chemistry professor

for another advisor, one Ph.D. student stated, "He

didn't know I was alive." Some graduate students even

feel abused.

The first year of graduate school is intense, actually,

extremely intense. While the Ph.D. is a research degree,

first year grad students usually concentrate on courses,

not research. How many courses? Usually three graduate

courses. Graduate courses are much more work than

undergraduate courses, and three graduate courses is an

extremely heavy workload. Since many Ph.D. students

teach during their first year, too, the first year of

graduate school can consist of almost nonstop work.

Is There a Conspiracy?
While most first year Ph.D. students work extremely

hard, statistics reveal that many will not meet the

first year requirements of their graduate programs

anyway. Only one out of every six students who starts a

Ph.D. program in the humanities and social sciences

finishes it.

Some people believe graduate departments with large

undergraduate programs accept more first year students

than they can fund in successive years because they need

the teaching assistants (T.A.s). These people maintain

that professors purposefully give out low grades so they

can "flunk out" graduate students the department can't

afford to keep after the first year. This belief is so

widespread that, in departments that guarantee to fund

graduate students through teaching or research

assistantships, there's probably at least some truth to

that theory. Some students who don't complete the Ph.D.

will leave with master's degrees; others will leave with

no degree at all. All Ph.D. students should have a

backup plan.

Can You Live Like a Monk?
Most Ph.D. students must live entirely or almost

entirely on their earnings from teaching assistantships,

research assistantships, or other low-paying employment.

Thus, obtaining a Ph.D. means being a starving student

for another five years or more. Students often find that

getting a Ph.D. takes longer than they thought it would

(remember those averages you read at the beginning??).

Getting a Ph.D. is intellectually rewarding but not

necessarily financially rewarding. And unless their

specialty is a hot field such as computer science or

nanotechnology, Ph.D.s usually find that the academic

job market is even more competitive than they had

imagined, too.

Giving up financial security for the pursuit of new

knowledge is noble to some but foolish to others. One

person who might be critical of the low priority you are

putting on financial security might be your significant

other. Unless you have an outside income, you will have

a combination of a tight budget, stressful work

conditions, and Spartan living quarters that can make

life difficult for your special someone.

Keep in mind that your significant other is indeed

significant. If you think "Me, Me, Me", your

relationship may end up consisting of just You, You,

You.

Where the Grass is Greener
Many Ph.D. students start to think that the mail

carrier, the departmental secretary and just about

everyone else in the world has it made compared to them.

These people work fewer hours, get better pay and

benefits, have more job security, take less flak from

supervisors, and have no exams to take. Other

professions may seem especially attractive after a low

grade or biting criticism from a professor. Some

first-year students leave their programs voluntarily

because they think grad school just isn't worth the

time, effort, and lost pay and benefits.

Despite the long hours and low pay, people stay in

doctorate programs because they enjoy learning for

learning's sake. They love intellectual stimulation, and

they find academic work fun. Most Ph.D. students think

only researchers and academics have it made because they

get paid to tackle intellectual problems. Graduate

school faculty members and most other professors

reinforce this belief, too.

Academic Life: Where Work is Play
Many Ph.D. departments are competitive and students work

round the clock to pass first year requirements and to

impress professors. In the first year courses, there is

a tremendous amount of reading and some students find

Friday and Saturday nights are great times to catch up

on it and other coursework. Keep in mind that Ph.D.

students tend to be extremely intelligent and to love

their field of study. To them, academic work is play,

and many enjoy studying night and day.

Prepare for the Stress-test
Prepare for the stresses of a Ph.D. program by carefully

choosing living space and writing out an estimated

budget. Relieve stress by:

Breaking all large projects into smaller ones. Make a

list of tasks to do each day and check them off as you

complete them;
Seeking supportive friends and colleagues;
Doing the non-academic activities you enjoy such as

hiking, camping, or attending sporting or cultural

events;
Taking periodic breaks from the university and academic

work. These will increase your overall productivity;
Keeping the lines of communication open between you and

your family or significant other. Talk about your

frustrations with peers or senior graduate students, and

don't let academic frustrations take control of your

whole life.
When frustration mounts, keep in mind that there is life

outside your department, and most people have never even

heard of what you are studying.

The Cycle of Academia
Many Ph.D.s seek academic jobs. In recent years, a

higher percentage of faculty positions in U.S. colleges

and universities are temporary or non-tenure track. Many

colleges hire visiting professors or lecturers for

one-year appointments, and recent Ph.D.s often take such

positions to gain valuable teaching experience and earn

a much-needed paycheck. Others become faculty members at

research universities or colleges. These professors,

and, in particular, the ones at prestigious colleges,

will be the pride of their former Ph.D. programs, and

their names will be mentioned to prospective graduate

students for many years to come. And so the tradition

continues.

Building Intellectual Empires
For the most part, only people who like a subject can

take being immersed in it for six years or more. So

Ph.D.s tend to be "into" what they are doing. If a big

house, expensive cars and luxurious vacations are

important to you, then the Ph.D. is probably not the

degree for you. With few exceptions, people do not grow

wealthy by using their Ph.D. training. The overwhelming

majority of Ph.D.s just make a living. If your American

dream is one of working hard for intellectual

fulfillment rather than financial success, you probably

have what it takes to get a Ph.D.

Sandra C. Ceraulo, Ph.D., is an independent technology

instructor and consultant in Buffalo, NY.  

jadelo

Well said!

Valuable advice both for people who are thinking about to get a PhD degree and for people who already got into a doctoral program.

Thanks for sharing this article.