Advice for New PhD Students | How to Succeed in Graduate School!

[@johannag4810]

For a variety of reasons (no fault at all of the wonderful people who I work with daily), I often feel a little lonely in my program/path at times. To hear these messages even after a... tumultuous first year of my PhD (who knew half of it would be pandemic-ed?) is really wonderful to hear, especially as someone that didn't quite expect to go down this career path, and as someone in an interdisciplinary program and feeling like the dumbest person in the room for both disciplines I'm exploring. These were helpful reminders that gave me some much-needed perspective, and it's so comforting to hear this from a woman in the field. Thank you for this video, and looking forward to future videos!

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

Oh thanks for saying that! I hope that things improve... it definitely is a weird time, and also it is *definitely* challenging to be in an interdisciplinary space. I am/was too! But it also gets better as your find your niche in that space.

[@LaksitaPrakriti]

Hello, a first-year PhD student here, thank you for helping me be kind to myself :) I blame myself for not knowing much and compare myself to others. Even though I take the same discipline as my master's but I am doing a completely different research topic.

[@preetivyas_]

I am a new Ph.D. student starting in a month. I guess I needed this. A few minutes ago, I was planning to organize the papers I read and come up with a better idea than before and then bam that was your first piece of advice. Thanks for making such a great video! Looking forward to more.

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

Thank you, and best of luck! Organize those papers. :D

[@rejuvenateyouTa]

Preeti, I would really want your advice in organising papers and if you could guide me here with your experience so far and what needs to keep in mind as I am applying for PhD and would need as many pointers you can provide. Thanks

[@preetivyas_]

@@rejuvenateyouTa Hey sure! I am currently using Zotero. Making folders of different projects as a go. Zotero has a browser plugin so you can download and save papers very easily. Once you have got a paper collection for each project you can directly import into overleaf (latex) where I usually write my papers and reports. It has been going good so far.

[@JeeeunKim]

Absolutely love this! Another piece of advice that I'll try to give my PhD students is to give a talk at any scale, about any topics as many as they can. I waited so long to realize (almost the last year of my PhD for my practice job talk) how important practicing a public (small talk or formal) presentation is, and iterating with critical feedback that I won't be able to think of by myself is!

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

That's great advice! And applies to so much, also e.g. get feedback on the paper along the way instead of just when you think it's perfect!

[@jodigennaro4542]

Hi Dr. Fiesler! Thank you for your wonderful videos. They were a huge help in my decision and application process!

[@nilonik1394]

I met you on KZbin last year, when I was going through PhD interviews, wondering if I am the right fit or not. This year I am a PhD student, feeling scared and overwhelmed. I LOVE what you do and the way you connect. Always awesome ❣

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

Oh that's so nice, thank you - and I hope you're doing ok, good luck to you!

[@calebnorton2474]

Advice for a new PhD. I would say if you plan to work or gain practical experience between a master's and a doctorate. The big thing is to save a little bit of money each payday for your graduate experience. was very helpful for me to have some money to fall back on.

[@viviana90100]

Thank you so much! This really helps :)

[@tiszahkatowa9591]

Thank you for the video, it is simple, straight to the point and you very helpful for new PhD students. You are fun to watch

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

Oh thanks so much! And best of luck to you. :)

[@jessicab5020]

Hello - thank you for the video! I'm going into my second year now, and one of the toughest things for me coming back to school (I was working previously) was feeling like everyone else had a much tighter research program than I did. But, really, everyone else was too busy feeling nervous for other reasons to scrutinize what I was up to - something I found weirdly reassuring once I realized.

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

Oh you're welcome! And yes, that's an important insight! We often tend to critique ourselves more harshly than others do.

[@Sugarskulls_forever]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have a week before I start my doctoral program. I was getting nervous. Thank you for your advice. You are a breath of fresh air

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

Good luck!

[@neomoonprince69]

exactly what i need right now! thak you!

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

You're very welcome, good luck :)

[@gopens89]

Thanks so much for all your videos on PhD applications!! They were so helpful for me and helped make this video a necessary watch as I prepare to start my PhD in the fall!

[@sandragutierrez8372]

I really appreciate your video. I am about to start a PhD in Education in August. I am starting my PhD after 25 years as a bilingual educator. I am curious if you have any advice for older PhD students, like me?

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

In theory all the same advice as in this video! Though I suppose you might just prepare yourself for being peers with people much younger than you, and also potentially have people in a position of authority who are younger than you, if you think it will impact you.

[@loveleenasalia]

Thanks Casey. Extremely helpul. God bless you!!

[@anulawathiekanayake4056]

Happy to hear about PhD student. Thanks for informing about PhD student. Could you please send me the details of PhD in Denmark.

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

i don't know anything about Denmark :)

[@479hemanth]

Thank you very much for the enlightening video

[@lesliesessoms9028]

Nice job with your presentation!

[@Janamejaya.Channegowda]

Great video, can you make one on reviewing research papers?

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

Thanks! And that's a great suggestion! We did a how to review papers session in my lab this summer and everyone seemed to think it was really useful. In the meantime here's one of my favorite short guides: blogs.cornell.edu/danco/2014/06/12/how-i-review-papers/

[@Janamejaya.Channegowda]

@@CaseyFieslerPhD Thank you, will check it out.

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

@@Janamejaya.Channegowda You're very welcome! Thanks for the suggestion. :)

[@bobbierathjens]

What citation manager do you recommend? Thanks for the videos, they’re super helpful!

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

I use Mendeley because I have for a very long time, though my understanding is that Zotero has a desktop application now, so assuming it's good I might recommend it instead since it isn't owned by Elsevier.

[@nurlisasyahmil7315]

@@CaseyFieslerPhD Mendeley also have desktop version and I’m using it now. So amazing..your video is really helpful:)

[@DavOP]

Love your energy! It's very refreshing considering all the negativity surrounding academia and pursuing and PhD. Looking forward to starting my program next fall :)

[@mahankian2884]

OMG! I like your videos a lot. They're very helpful. Thank you for your amazing content. I'm going to apply for phd in management for fall 2021and I'm so excited..

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

You're very welcome! Best of luck to you!!

[@mahankian2884]

@@CaseyFieslerPhD thanks. Oh and I like your natural laughs that happen occasionally! Make me laugh too :))

[@missy5585]

I am starting a Masters program in a few weeks with the hopes that I’ll be starting A doctoral program in the future. I watched the video just to see what you were saying... the advice you gave I can use it now and for the future.... so thank you... btw... you have an eccentric sense of humor and that humor has gained you a new subscriber... keep making videos... you did a very good job.. thanks again.✌🏿

[@ChristinaKostyrko]

Just great! Thanks

[@apato7281]

Heaps of thanks. You are super helpful

[@MilitaryDoll314]

Hi, can you please do a video on "must haves" for a citation manager for PhD students. Im about to start my PhD in Forensic Psychology & want to make one but don't exactly know what columns would be "necessary" in the long run 😩

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

Hmmm I'm not sure what you mean! Recommendations for citation managers? I use Mendeley myself, but I hear good things about Zotero too!

[@MilitaryDoll314]

@@CaseyFieslerPhD Sorry. I meant, if i make an Excel spreadsheet to manage my references & organize everything that I read throughout my program, what columns/row set-up would you recommend? You said you wish you had managed it better, so if you could give tips on how to organize it to where its helpful later, what tips would you give? Hope that helps lol

[@harrisondavisasiedu2389]

Thanks so much prof.

[@weizhao1377]

I watched most of your videos. It helps me a lot. Though I am a graduate student in Statistics currently, Your advice for Phd students inspires me a lot. The one “ you should and can have a life.” makes a lot of sense for me. Thanks a lot. Do you consider making a video about how to choose the research field and what if people wanna explore a field in PhD this is different from what’s learned in a master program cause I am considering if I should apply to PhD in marketing.

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

Hmm! So there's a little bit of this in the "deciding where to apply for a PhD" video re: figuring out what your field even is. It's kind of hard to give general advice on this though, except that you absolutely can switch fields and you should find the one you're passionate about. :)

[@weizhao1377]

@@CaseyFieslerPhD Thanks a lot!

[@DINAHDITASSARPEYmonamie]

I am very grateful to you for your exposée

[@sheryllsano4415]

Thank you very much for this video.☺️☺️

[@KimberlyHirsh]

This is awesome and watching you is fun! I'm definitely now like "CASEY BE MY FANDOM LIS BFF" just based on your video mien. I sent this link to the all-PhD-student list for my department.

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

Eeeeee thanks!! I've been a little surprised how much I enjoy this... I actually think it's because I miss editing fanvids!

[@tallalahmad4624]

Hi Prof Casey Thanks for making this video. Can you also make a video for prospective PhD students who are looking to apply this year? Specifically the funding situation for CS PhDs post pandemic. Once again thanks for this informative video

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

You read my mind! It's about that time, and I've run admissions in our department for a while so I have lots of tips. :) I'm not sure if there's much wisdom I have on the funding situation, but can definitely give more general advice. If you have specific questions let me know and I'll try to address them!

[@salim.3761]

Thank you 💙

[@daisylu8124]

Thank you for this great video! If you're open to doing an admissions video, I'd love to hear you talk more on what sort of research experience you'd be looking for. One of my shortcomings the last time I applied to programs was not having research experience, and I'm working with a professor now but within economics doing work that isn't related to what I'd want to do. It feels like a bit of a stretch still, but RA jobs are easier to find within economics than info science, HCI, social computing, etc. Also, I've found that the fields I've listed above are much more interdisciplinary but struggle with figuring out the best way to position my background. For example if I'm coming from sociology and interested in combining that with technical research, but don't know exactly how or what the exact methodology would look like. In the SOP, what's the balance between laying out a clear plan and lacking certainty? Sorry for a three part question! But, could you also share your thoughts on strong HCI, social computing, info science programs? From the outside, it's hard to gauge the strength of different programs especially if PhD "rankings" can be so different from undergrad understandings of universities! If you even had suggestions for programs to look into that would be really appreciated!

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

Thank you! And these are all great questions. It also sounds like you're doing the right things! My biggest piece of advice is that you should seek out specific potential advisors depending on the kind of work you want to do - and don't be afraid to reach out to them! Plus advisor fit is probably more important than the prestige of the program! If you shoot me an email I can give you a list of what I consider really good programs but you probably shouldn't just stick to that anyway. :)

[@cyril957]

Came for the wolf kink, stayed for the grad school advice.

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

LOL I'm so glad you found something interesting here.

[@deborahzkamliot]

I’m not sure if this is an idea for a separate video but I’m wondering if you have any advice on how to improve your academic writing skills? Coming straight out of undergrad, I only had a few opportunities to write papers, most of which were only 5 pages. I know that in a PhD program I will have several research papers to write so would like to be well prepared for this.

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

Honestly, a big part of the answer is: the more you write, the better you get at it. Or if you're in a field where you're writing papers WITH your advisor, then their editing and feedback will definitely help you improve. Though in the meantime, I recommend getting help from your university's writing center or similar - there are almost certainly resources for this!

[@deborahzkamliot]

Casey Fiesler Thank you for your response! I will continue practicing.

[@benjaminisaaccohen3035]

Thanks so much for this video! It was very emotionally centering to watch as I prepare from my second year. Do you have any recommendations for a citation manager to use? Currently I just use copious amounts of folders on icloud but it's already getting disorganized as I often second guess whether I'm organizing things by topic or by project and have ended up in unfortunate jumble of the two. I know tags could help with this, but that it feels like there should be a better way? I guess the question is how do I get around the limits of hierarchical classification?

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

I'm glad to hear that! So I use Mendeley, though have been thinking of switching to Zotero (which didn't used to have a desktop application but now does) for basically the reasons outlined here: medium.com/@henryimler/fuck-elsevier-but-ive-been-using-mendeley-6b702e0a376f If you use something like this, the organization of the files themselves don't really matter. This would probably be a good topic for a video but would be more "do as I say not as I do." :) Good luck!

[@benjaminisaaccohen3035]

@@CaseyFieslerPhD Thanks so much! I shall check them out, judging by that article maybe I should start with Zotero then :)

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

@@benjaminisaaccohen3035 Good luck! I'm still trying to decide if I should switch myself haha.

[@deepshikhabhardwaj304]

Hey I'm a new Ph.D. student. The only thing I'm nervous about is that my university is overseas(Japan) and I don't know when will I be able to reach there. Till then I don't want to miss out on anything due to this long distance issue. :/

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

That's really unfortunate. :( Good luck!

[@tabindaazim8676]

I am so depressed in phd dont know what move to make ..where to find guidance...I keep looking utube for fresh info and air

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

I hope this video was helpful, and good luck to you!

[@deborahzkamliot]

Great video! I will be applying to a few PhD Programs and have additional questions on how to prepare and how to be a competitive applicant. Can I message you with more questions?

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

The video I'm posting this coming Friday is specifically about PhD applications, though if you still have questions after that you're welcome to! (Or if you can word them generally, you can also leave them on that video in case they're helpful for others.)

[@gtjac]

How do you suggest organizing citations to future proof them from being lost?

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

Use a citation manager!

[@gtjac]

@@CaseyFieslerPhD Thanks! Do you have a favorite citation manager?

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

I use Mendeley but have been thinking of switching since the were acquired by Elsevier. Zotero is a popular one.

[@gtjac]

@@CaseyFieslerPhD Thank you Casey. You're videos are great btw. Excellent editing. They help me stay motivated.

[@mumtazshirin5038]

I love you!

[@LearningwithChandan]

Hi!. Seems we both are creating youtube content in the same domain. Lets talk or even collaborate, what say?

[@zawilwilliam-thephddiaries4966]

Thank you so muchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh for this great video, it's extremely helpful. I've watched this video many times as I am preparing for PhD.... Next time please please please make a video about how to write statement of Perpose for PhD.... I believe that writing statement of perpose is one of the most difficult part in PhD application... So please please please make this one.... 😊 Thank you so much.

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

You're very welcome! I just did a statement of purpose video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGaQnaV5lqx_hdk

[@anjaliagrawal1344]

Hello, i am an incoming PhD student. I just wanted to ask whether it's okay to email professors with whom i would like to do rotations before joining the program? if yes, what should i include in the email?

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

I'm actually not very familiar with how rotations work! (How they're assigned/chosen.) But I can't imagine it would hurt to introduce yourself to professors you're interested in working with.

[@PradeepKumar-fo3sz]

I wanted to talk with you

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

Feel free to ask questions here so that everyone can benefit from the answers! And if you need personal help I recommend asking someone in your field.

[@blakeleyhp]

FIRST not really but somebody had to comment it

[@CaseyFieslerPhD]

LOL next video I'll send you a link as soon as it's posted so you can try again ;)

[@VladyslavKL]

🐬