Tumgik
#diary of a phd student
skwpr · 8 months
Text
Incredibly Healthy Habits For Students
The most commonplace advice on good habits for students. This crucial component of a healthy relationship is not to be overlooked.
1. Don’t over-stuff your backpack.
Unless a professor tells the class to bring a textbook – keep that thing at home/in your dorm. Also, try not to carry too much with you anyway. At most I have a spiral or two, my computer. It’s not only unnecessary, but it’s heavy. It wears you down over time just adding stress and annoyance that you don’t need.
2. Work out every week.
Finding time to run a mile or two, play some basketball, or lift weights is important. It was a huge stress reliever for me and it also made me happier.
3. Stop Putting Things Off.
You know you should be finishing homework instead of going out every night. The crazy thing is, we ALL KNOW what we should be doing. But a lot of us still don’t get anything done. I’m in awe of the number of times I have put off studying or reading. However, every time I come to the simple conclusion that getting it done in the beginning is waaaaaay easier than trying to finish the task later.
4. Socialize.
Involvement in college is a spectrum. One extreme includes hobbits who stay in their dorm or apartment all day and the other includes social butterflies who are out on the town every night having fun with friends. Your goal is to find a happy medium. You don’t want to be closed off but you also want to interact with people every once in a while.
For me, this was the hardest part. I do not like to make acquaintances, but for myself I decided that it would be useful. I stepped out of my comfort zone.
5. Eat Healthier.
This is the most predictable advice I can give you. What you put in your body matters.
6. Drink more water.
Drinking water is one of the most essential healthy habits for students.
7. Know When To Say NO.
If you get your work done first, you will have time to have fun without any grief or regrets.
The most important relationship you make in your life is with yourself. It’s genuinely all a mind game. You have to learn to trust yourself by putting yourself first so that you can enjoy what life has to offer you. Having fun with this grey cloud of regret and worry about work you haven’t finished is just not fun at all. So have fun and be yourself but learn when to say NO. You’ll be forever grateful you did in the long run.
8. Give Yourself Grace.
One of the biggest downfalls for me was stressing out. Stressing over school work, time management, boys, networking, and the list goes on. It’s important to shut all the negative voices out.
There’s only one you so treat yourself with respect. If there are things you need to fix, make a plan and make it happen. If that fails, adjust the plan. No one is perfect and I wish we would collectively tell ourselves it’s going to be ok. Because it will be!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
710 notes · View notes
archaealice · 5 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Had a workshop in Athens with my lab and got to visit the Akropolis on our last day
198 notes · View notes
creatinganewwlife · 3 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
22 Jan, 2024
Past few days have been awfully hard. I witnessed the death of my little sister. Things have been hard, really hard. I keep feeling like this is a nightmare and I’ll somehow wake up to reality and it won’t be as bad.
I got back home and got myself to sit and open my books to try and distract myself. It felt like the toughest thing to do. I almost feel guilty for trying to distract myself from it all. But i know if i let myself loose, i’d spiral down.
So i am starting this blog as a way to cope with everything going on, to try and cling to the second chance i got at life when i was 16. Seeing her struggle made me realise not everyone gets a second chance at life. So i should make use of mine, right?
I should do well in life, try to make everyone around me happy and proud..right? I want to be able to be happy and smile.
Also, today was राम मंदिर प्राण प्रतिष्ठा l so i lit up a दिया (diya) ,prayed to भगवान जी to provide peace to her soul and strength to everyone hurting.
Love always,
A
15 notes · View notes
esbozosmarie · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Domingo, 14 de Agosto
De ciudad y vuelta a la lectura intensiva, el café helado y greens.
MC.
83 notes · View notes
mediocrephd · 3 months
Text
On a cold, rainy, and stormy day in Scotland.
Studying with my favourite blanket, a hot water bottle, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium lo-fi squid playlist really is the best way to study.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
5 notes · View notes
streamacademe · 11 months
Text
Final Diary Entry
Dear Diary,
It’s been a while. 
I was meaning to write this final post around January, just after my graduation but life got in the way, as it so often does. That’s right, I graduated! Wore the cap, donned the robes, and drank the champagne! 🎓🥂
Just before graduation, I was out in Russia; finally went back after 4.5 years. I am really glad I made the decision to go as I spent the entire time out there looking after my very poorly dad. Sadly, it was the last time I saw him as he subsequently died at the end of March, a few days after which I went back to Russia to deal with what was left behind. I was off work for 5 weeks and am now doing my best to get back on my feet, to navigate this new reality without him in my life. So, all in all, it’s been a bit rubbish, hence the delay in writing, but alas, we move.
I think a big part of the resilience and strength I found within myself over the last few months has come from my PhD, and which I will carry through to whatever other challenges life throws my way. 
I am a Dr, I am still here, I love my job, I am writing journal paper 4/6, I am getting married in 5 months. In the words of Rupi Kaur:
“And here you are, living, despite it all.”
This is officially my last post. 
To all you lovely people, thank you for reading. I leave you with this... You are the only one in charge of your own fate. Take the precious time you have on this planet and utilise it to the fullest. Do not let anyone or anything dictate how you choose to live your life. Work hard. Be kind. And on your worst days, remember, the sun will rise, and you can try again. 
xxx
Photo: I did a thing. Source: University of Sheffield photo people. 
Tumblr media
13 notes · View notes
arathyputhillam · 8 months
Text
should I carry my laptop or my iPad or (to be very bold) neither when traveling for 15 days?
Tumblr media
3 notes · View notes
ericalagu · 1 year
Text
“Doubt is not a pleasant mental state, but certainty is a ridiculous one.” ― Francois-Marie Arouet de Voltaire
19/01/2023, Thursday.
I am a PhD student! It sounds incredible! 👩🏻‍🔬
Last spring I completed my exams and went on 5-days congress before starting the traineeship. In that moment my life started to change!
I realised I was miserable, passively transported by the events, sort of asleep, so focused on passing exams that I never asked myself what made me happy... After the polymer congress I began to question who I was and who I wanted to become. I was awake and my life was just to tight.
The period from end-May to end-September (the time it took me to complete the thesis and graduate) was a complete roller coaster!
The thesis absorbed 90% of my time, certain days I worked up to 12 hours! It needed to be that way due to PhD application deadline. In the spare time I struggled to be a functioning human. Going to the gym was hard, no time for hobbies at all, and I couldn't bear the weight of housework... My 4 years's relationship ended in August.
On the 21st September I graduated 🎉 from there everything went in the right direction! I could rest till the beginning of the PhD (in November), I reached out for old friends, and I fell in love with an amazing person.
Currently I am content! I still struggle with work-life balance, there are a few aspects of my life I want to improve and work on. I need to focus more on maintaining friendships and I would like to learn to do more recreative activities on my own (and not just wait for someone to accompany me) 💪🏻
13 notes · View notes
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Nice things happened today:
First department/doctoral school meeting
I met some of the PhD students of my École Doctorale and we made a WA group in order to meet at least twice per month
I smoked only 5 cigarettes since 8am
I updated my thesis bibliography
On the way to buy food
1 note · View note
stanislaw-jerzy-let-s · 11 months
Text
I am in a research group with two other grad students, and it can be stressful. The thing about grad students is that they are dedicated. They were already selected to be smarter than average, it’s very probable that they have studied their craft since an early age when I was, you know, bumbling around in the undergrad trying to not get kicked out of school.
So when I can’t fit the same amount of work into the same hours or when my research fails bc the design wasn’t that great to begin with or when I make a mistake and misunderstand something I feel like an impostor. Like a bad scientist among the good ones.
But this is very melodramatic, isn’t it? The heightened emotions make sense, because as a grad student almost all you do is work, and supervisors care sometimes at most. But also, the bad student/good student dychotomy isn’t very useful. There are people who will always be miles ahead of me with their understanding, or who have had more time to pursue it and take care of it, but it doesn’t mean I can’t make good research from time to time.
1 note · View note
skwpr · 5 months
Text
10 Reasons Why Studying is Hard
1 . You don’t know WHY
You don’t know why you have to study. You don’t know your true purpose.
Let me inform you: You have to study because this is the stage in life where you create a foundation of all the basic knowledge you need and learn all sorts of things.
In the next stage, you get to choose what career path you want to take. That is why you should think about your “WHY”.
I am studying because I want to study every day and be prepared for my exams.
2 . You don’t know HOW to study
If you are like my brother, then you don’t know how to study.
Somehow, when we join high school, nobody really teaches us how to study.
Studying involves using different tactics to understand and remember things for the future, or for exams.
You need to learn to memorize.
This is how I memorize things for my exams:
I condense my notes into a few tiny words (summarizing)
I memorize these little words by:
Writing them over and over again
Closing my eyes and remembering them
Testing myself by writing the words again
3 . You are not studying at the right time
Are you a morning person or a night person?
Do you feel energized at 10 am or 10 pm?
These are questions you need to ask yourself to learn why studying is hard for you.
You need the answers to these questions in order to actually study.
4 . You don’t study every day
Alright, you don’t have to study every day.
But that doesn’t mean you only study at 1 am the night before the exam!
That is not smart at all. How are you supposed to teach yourself 3 months-worth of work in a few caffeine-spurred hours?
Stop making studying hard! Just study a little every day.
5 . You don’t have motivation to study
You can’t study at all because you don’t motivate yourself to study.
That is sometimes an excuse because here is the secret: Action comes before motivation, not the other way round.
Stop waiting for the right moment to come down from the sky like clouds parting and the sun shining down on you.
Just open your book right now and read it.
6 . You have some bad habits
If you can’t study at all, maybe you need to study your own habits.
Get a notebook and begin to track every single thing you do in a day. I would advise tracking habits after every hour.
Then you will begin to notice that you are doing some bad habits that make studying hard for you.
7 . You can’t focus on studying
Studying is hard for you and you can’t study at all because you can’t focus on studying.
My advice for you is to sit down and ask yourself why you can’t focus on studying and find a solution to that.
8 . You don’t have fun while studying
Studying to you is probably boring work!
You need to make studying appealing and inviting so you will feel motivated to study.
9 . You don’t know any study hacks
Everyone has their own study hacks.
You probably don’t. That is why studying is hard for you.
You need come up with a personal game plan for how you plan to get good grades on your next test.
10 . You are just plain lazy
Maybe you are just lazy. Everyone gets lazy once in a while. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get off your butt right now and start studying.
Do the least you can possibly do. Open your book and plan to learn just one thing today.
Remember only you can go deep inside and find out why you can’t study or why you never feel like studying. Ask yourself these questions.
That is how you will begin to create a good mindset that will help you to study.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
238 notes · View notes
archaealice · 5 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Poland Day 4 - Final full day here, got a lot of work done but sampling animals is way more taxing than humans. Really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again tomorrow but we still got some more work to do in the morning.
46 notes · View notes
esbozosmarie · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Viernes, 23 de septiembre
De vinilos y esbozos de Valentino…ha sido uno día duro.
MC.
23 notes · View notes
mediocrephd · 7 months
Text
For the first time since starting my PhD (I'm just about to start my 3rd year) I actually went into the shared office space and got assigned my desk! It was a great experience, and hopefully I'll be going in more regularly!
I might see if I can get a monitor and hdmi cable to go on my desk also, since working on just my laptop means I'm kind of crouching to see my screen :/
Tumblr media
5 notes · View notes
streamacademe · 2 years
Text
Week 260, Day 1812.
An update on my life.
I did it. I really did it. It is official. A hardcopy of the thesis has been printed and certificate of award received. I still can’t get my head around the fact that I am genuinely done (minus the journal papers I still need to write, but we won’t focus on those right now...). I don’t think reality will set in until my graduation, which should take place in January.
Post-PhD life is like breathing in crisp, fresh, early-autumn air. I feel like I can breathe again, deeply, despite the challenges of a new job and an ongoing painful reality of not being able see my family, cause ya know, Russia. 
I am now an Operations Manager at my company (!!!), which although REALLY overwhelming (I have A LOT to learn), is also extremely exciting and feels like the right fit. I am so glad to be back in industry.
Anyway, at one point there will be a last post on this blog, probably just after my graduation. I will however keep it live and my intention is to turn it into a book someday.
Thank you all for being here with me. ✨
Dr Doronina
Photos: Thesis and certificate. I did it. I really did it. Source: Phone camera.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
20 notes · View notes
coruscatingdust · 1 month
Text
So much of the next few weeks will really depend on my mindset and how I regulate my thoughts and feelings. I didn’t realize just how difficult it would be to present at three big conferences back to back, with no breaks in between. I have so much preparation work I have to do between now and the beginning of April and they are all in topics I don’t really know much about (yet I have to present papers in them in front of experts !)
the impostor syndrome is real and I have so much anxiety even thinking about the whole process and what would happen when I get up there and present.
Some times during the day I get so overwhelmed and think there’s no way I can get anything done. I get paralyzed. I beat myself up. I feel so much shame. I feel incredibly small. I then think about how others might judge me for the quality of work i put forth. I’m terrified of the worst thing that might happen.
Other times during the day, I feel a little bit more hopeful, have a little more courage. It might not be the absolute best quality of work. But it would still be *something*. And I’ll get to learn something during the process. Really, I do think the topics are partly formative for my personal growth (even though they don’t directly have anything to do with my current research).
This is a very strange time of my life. I feel so uprooted when it comes to my dissertation. I feel so lost working on these papers because they are not directly my field of expertise. I feel like an impostor having to speak at conferences where there will be experts in the field. There is something so terrifying and ironic about all this.
There will be a lot of traveling. Networking. Lots of learning opportunities. Stimulating discussions. Even if my paper does not go the way I want it to, there will be some good that comes out of the journey and I just have to trust the process some how. It really isn’t about how I am perceived. It’s about what I learn and how I cultivate a desire for learning. It’s about having an open disposition to the world, undergoing a transformation and expansion of the mind. It really has less to do with the anxieties about the ego but what I come to discover about the world and myself during this process.
This is why both Socrates and Murdoch (the two I will be presenting on) have indeed been helpful figures for me, enabling me to let go of the need for certainties and control but to take on an epistemic attitude that remains curious, that pays attention and commits to inquiry without panic, without asking for definite conclusions. Definitive conclusions might be sought ought for the love of self-protection and prestige (thumoeidic desires) but the love of learning (philomates) does not require such rigid anxiety.
I don’t know if I can present the “best academic work” or present an incredibly novel idea to the field. I really don’t know. I might be doing something simple. I’m taking it a day at a time, doing what I can do each day given my limits. I’m aware of both my limits and my desire for learning, and that I’m a mixture of ignorance and wisdom, a thing in-between, that which is becoming.
And who am I becoming throughout this process?
That is what I look forward to figuring out (and living out) this season.
1 note · View note