Don't Let Your PhD Drag On: Secrets of My 3-Year PhD That Professors Don't Tell You.

[@halimkbas2883]

I also finished my PhD in three years, in a department where people took 5 to 7 years to finish theirs. This is my tip for everyone who is pursuing a PhD. Every morning, I would get to the lab and start working at 7:00 AM exact, every day. This was not enforced on me by my professor or the class I was teaching. It was my own schedule. Every other PhD student I knew came to school at around 1:00 PM every day. They used to joke about me not staying as long as they did in the evening since I left around 5:00 PM. What they did not understand was that my most productive hours were in the early morning when nobody else was around. Do not work from home. Do not go to school when you absolutely must. Get to school and sit at your desk every day early in the morning. Tackle every challenging task, a small piece at a time.

[@Becoming0ne]

I think I must be a true night owl because I feel most alert and most focused between about 10pm and 2am. Ridiculous I know but I get so much done at that time. In the morning however, my concentration just isn’t the same and it requires constant self-discipline to stay focused. Maybe it isn’t the time of day that matters, but the concentrated hours you put in?

[@halimkbas2883]

@@Becoming0ne You may be right. I am sure you know yourself better than anyone else can. Like you said, it boils down to putting the hours and staying focused. Many PhD students will have many unproductive days and weeks back-to-back. They do not feel this immediately because they are not necessarily forced into a certain schedule.

[@gourabsarker9552]

​@@halimkbas2883sir how much do you earn now? Plz reply. Thanks a lot.

[@jamesromano3288]

Are you employed now or living with mom and dad , papi ?

[@halimkbas2883]

@@jamesromano3288 I work for the largest engineering consultantancy firm in the US as an assistant vice president. Why did you ask? "papi?"

[@shawnershorts]

Finishing my doctorate now. My secret is knowing your topic before you start your doctoral studies, and start formulating things while doing your qualifying and elective courses. Having this done ahead of time allowed me to ultimately start templating my proposal. Started my studies in February 2021.

[@masegomoruakgomo9033]

I’m curious to know where you’re based, when you mention qualifying courses it sounds like US or Canada which usually has much longer programmes?

[@tylerfoster6670]

Incredibly useful advice from an obvious expert! I did my PhD in 3 yrs and 3 months, and what Andy recommended is exactly how I did it. Supervisor meetings were paramount,stayed laser-focussed on producing results and telling a story!

[@YuanAurion]

My supervisor didn't even ALLOW me to start working on my PhD thesis for the first 5 years. Those years were spent doing triple teaching duty, writing about 10-15 papers I wasn't allowed to even be last author on, and being bullied over everything, with the goal of getting the damn worker's kid to quit so he's out of our noblemen's club, where only corrupt politicans' or professors' kids belong. Damn peasants are supposed to be happy to leave with a bachelor's after faking these freeloaders' careers. Took me leveraging my connections in the dean's office and some veiled legal threats to be allowed to graduate.

[@arrow2380]

Where did you do your PhD from? It's just simply shameful from their side.

[@Matthewholst00]

You never thought of bringing that PI to the dean at like year 3? If I was in your spot, I would've been tweaking on them at year 2 if I couldn't start to work on the shit I'm actually there for.

[@robertjamesstove]

I finished my PhD in three years exactly. (Mine was much less respectable than Dr Stapleton's: it was in music history.) Fortunately my supervisor and I were both functioning adults - only afterwards did I realise how rare this is in Australian academe - and before each of our meetings, I had to concentrate on a specific part of my thesis. There was no mindless chatter and no psychotherapy, thanks be to God.

[@rano1748]

1. I did most of what you did. I had meetings weekly and had formal presentation, yet both of my supervisors treated as their rest time, they never listen a little bit. Their feedback were all distractions. If I did what they "suggested", I spend time on things that's not relevant, if I didn't, they say I don't receive their feedback well. 2. I have the same mentality as you with writing, it's first about the stories, and yet I have a supervisor who believed it's about writing every day and rewriting and throw away a ton of shit (with his guidance, I had three years of work and 9 months of writings I was able to throw away). 3. I'm actually sitting on a breakthrough that I've been telling my supervisor for four years, and he always pivots to other topic (see 1) , which expanded my masters to 4 more years. Cuz, it seems not enough for my supervisor to graduate me as a master. It's not about what I as a student did, sometimes the supervisor just put you in a box and don't listen to you.

[@urpaljp]

I am expected to graduate in May 2024 (4 years!) and have been exactly doing what you've mentioned here. I'm lucky enough to have weekly meetings with my supervisor and recently have been leading those meetings in what I've done and plan to do. It's sort of like setting up expectations for myself and what she'll expect every week. In terms of mindset, I used to think that everything had to be perfect (especially for writing as I'm terrible at it). I realized lately that just writing and progressing slowly with it is so much better than not having anything written down. Thank you for the great advice as well!

[@a2dsouza]

I would like to add something from my personal experience (my PhD took a little over 5 years). If you think you might be neurodivergent, try to get assessed sooner rather than later. I didn't get my ADHD diagnosis and treatment until 10 years after I finished my PhD, and I think if I had already had that under control, it would have helped me shave a year off my completion time and do better and more fulfilling work.

[@a2dsouza]

@@deltapi8859 Medication and therapy have both helped a lot. All the advice in this video about being relentlessly result-oriented is excellent, provided you are in a place where you can follow it. My untreated ADHD made me struggle to do so, which led to self-recrimination, negativity spirals, and huge swathes of time slipping away. I spent a lot of time blaming myself for things that it turns out were not my fault, and developed self-beliefs that simply weren't true (I'm stupid; I'm lazy; I can't hack it). There's a lot more awareness of these issues now than even when I did my PhD 10-15 years ago.

[@wandring.thoughts4267]

I was going to say just this! I had major set backs in undergrad and now during my full-time job due to my ADHD/Cogitative disabilities + mental health challenges. I completely stumbled my way to where I am today. Luckily I now I have the resources for testing and rehabilitation but it's a long road when you in your late 20's/early 30's. If you think something is up, do your research, get tested, find grants or crowed fund for financial support (testing and specialist ain't cheap), and start advocating for yourself! The sooner you do this is life the better! It'll save you a lot of time and headache.

[@masegomoruakgomo9033]

This is good advice but I’m curious to know how you would have addressed it as a PhD student to ensure you’re able to finish sooner, would it have been meds?

[@a2dsouza]

@@masegomoruakgomo9033 For ADHD specifically, the typical gold standard of care is medication plus therapy (and is probably what I would have done), but each person is different, and needs a tailored solution. I wouldn't be surprised if for some people, just having their advisory committees know they have ADHD and providing suitable accommodations would be enough.

[@spencerbirungi4466]

Prof Andy, you have today raised my PhD morale. The four key points you mention have been my neglected areas. I need more talk on PhD student morale-boosting

[@DracThaMac]

Your points all make sense, however at my university it's not common at all to meet up with your supervisors every two weeks and have them sit through a presentation. That's just not happening. However, one could look for a PhD buddy in the same field at the same institution and do these presentations for each other. That should give you most of the benefits of staying consistent. Then, in a larger interval, summarise and show the results to the profs.

[@samuelfinnerty5767]

Mine will be a over four years (fours years and 4 months) so it was not quite laser focused -- submitting in Feb. Everyone's PhD will be very different though Andy's advice is sound here. My reasons for not sticking to the years are partly because of COVID delaying fieldwork, partly because I was new to psychology and had to learn stats and programming, did a good of teaching and a teaching qualification , and also did some paid research assistant and post doctoral work. In an ideal world I would have finished sooner but it's been a great experience nonetheless

[@emi62507]

This videos come just in time for me. I was feeling overwhelmed. I was also told to "write continuously" but your telling the story with figures first is very helpful. I'll concentrate on getting my figures right.

[@boredscientist5756]

Very good advices for our PhD students by the way! This is a must-watch for all of them!

[@DrAndyStapleton]

Thank you, as always, for your support!

[@noxiousdow]

Mine took me 8 years of my life and it almost killed me. The procrastination and depression were unreal. I had no funding and not much guidance. My supervisor was lovely but he knew he was about to retire so our meetings turned into chats over a cup of tea rather than anything useful. Was better after my supervisor changed and I had someone to kick my arse.

[@BeWorded]

This is million dollars advice. As a first year PhD student planning to finish in 3 years, this is very timely.

[@DrAndyStapleton]

Thanks so much for your kind comment!

[@Leacoxman]

excellent advice especially get the student to take charge of their project because many of times advisors got no idea what is going on and disengaged from phd. so basically go in, do your work and graduate and go out because they drop you like a hat when you are not benefit to them anyway. it is a production line of phd student

[@huanhenrypham]

Just another amazing video, Andy! You are not only knowledgeable but also practical. I am currently in 2nd year and determined to graduate within 3 years. So far, I have done exactly what you mentioned here.

[@kookcha]

You can do it!

[@dr.vanathiperumal8307]

PhDs are revolutionising KZbin making and podcasting for the future generation. We were trained with weekly lab meetings, but core labwork data was generated.

[@AJay-vy8fq]

Thank you for these wonderful videos, Andy. I'm in the middle of writing my research proposal at the moment, and I feel like your advice is really setting me up to minimise frustration down the road. Cheers!

[@heidiestassen6792]

Im a prospective doctoral student, starting next year, and i am taking so many blerrie notes right now and also adding my own perspective as i work in the classics/ancient cultures department. I have used your tips since the beginning of my honours through to finishing my masters degree in one year. Love your videos and thank you for the help!✨⭐️

[@morimorian1437]

I believe it's crucial to prioritize productivity over the speed of completing a Ph.D. program. Simply finishing a Ph.D. quickly, without establishing a robust publication record and gaining teaching experience, holds little significance. This is particularly true in the context of Australian universities, where Ph.D. programs often lack a formal coursework component.

[@xlerb_again_to_music7908]

Lovely ideas. Do not work for everyone (= me). I had to build the tools; no experimentation was possible until tools existed. This was software and this was a big project. 3 years work just building a toolset - which was then dropped. My supervisor had no idea of issues (no background in any computing or programming) and "tried to help" by ordering changes of direction pretty much every time I saw him. Had to walk away from the abject chaos and disruption he caused. Went home, built some tools there, did the work and passed with minor corrections. That took 3 years - a total of 7 years after I started. Focus on timescales was not constructive in this environment; all it did was to drive up pressure well into the nervous breakdown territory, which I had to live through for about 4 years. It was hell.

[@ihorarkhypchuk4168]

I want to add that it is important to enjoy what you are doing. Nothing motivates you more than thrill about experiments or desire to find what is really happening. And deadlines help you focus on what is really important at the moment. I think this video is must watch from the whole channel. Thank you ❤

[@ToastbackWhale]

“There’s no reason why you shouldn’t finish in 3 years” The Americans get a pass on this one, the first two years are didactics. I know you know this, but it seems like a huge caveat 😅 Once you actually start your dissertation though, yeah. 3 years should be the goal, if not quicker, IMO.

[@paulaarayaherrera390]

Hi Andy! I loved your videos and have been following your channel for years! Could you please make a video about the story construction process? I'd loved if you can elaborate a little bit on that as I think it was the most important take away idea from your video! Great work🎉😎

[@littlebrit]

I did it too. It made me mental. Seriously. I would prefer 5 years to get good bite in publications. Also, do some internships. 5 years is optimal.

[@nitsua803]

Thank you! I'm inspired.

[@andreavaleri0]

Thank you, this is golden!

[@florinteleanu9049]

great advice. This is exactly what I am doing and it's going pretty well.

[@Gromov-jj8jf]

This is excellent advice. Thanks

[@sagarshinde4671]

Can you do a video on presenting viva as well? Some of the seniors have 60-80 slides in their presentation. I wonder how the panel stay focused for those slides.

[@classic7577]

Trust me .your supervisors do not care what consequences you will face if you need to pay more money for your PhD.

[@Hananssm]

One of the best videos ❤️👍🏻

[@strategictechnologist]

Sounds like Agile sprints.

[@ElectroBlender]

The T-Shirt is my style!

[@TheNNUURRAA]

Hi Andy, I'm in the first 3 months of my 2nd year and i constantly feel stressed and I am struggling with time management. I do have days off but i constantly feel like i should be working on my phd. Even on my working days i feel like i dont do enough work as i dont work all 8 hours of the day and just am exhausted all the time. What can you advice on to be a better phd candidate and deal with time management and imposter syndrome?

[@soniakaushik3067]

I love your every advice in-fact every video 👍😇✌🏻

[@mirzafarhan546]

If only we had only PhD to work with. We have TA work + Course Work alongside PhD work. Gets hard to meet deadlines with all those extra stuff

[@caty863]

two of my former classmates in undergraduate school have PhDs now and they got it in less than a year. The trick? they enrolled in Atlantic International University (a known degree mill). Now they have cushy jobs in government and they get to be called Dr. Academically tho, they are next to clueless. Not even local universities here would accept them as lecturers. I hail from Rwanda

[@JohnVKaravitis]

6:35 "Then I would write in bursts." Or, bukakke, if you will. Yes. Yes indeed.

[@abhishekjoshi8413]

I did listen to all of this and somehow i lost all of this for the 5 months that i started my phd. I am gonna do this now hard and fast . No , excuses i will now make sure my supervisor listens to me for a bi weekly meeting

[@eimienwanlanibhagui4859]

Dr. Stapletom, how did you manage classes?

[@arthurs.6334]

That feeling when I have to have a silver tongue to talk my supervisor into some actual supervision work with me

[@gabrielasofia4816]

IT does sound like an ideal type, but unfortunately, with a bad supervisor, even if you finish within 3 years, finishing quckly does not necessarily entail quality of work. I have seen many PhD thesis that cannot produce even a single paper in a prestigious peer reviewed journal. That speaks of the kind of supervisor and interest that is put in a PhD dissertation.

[@Maestro77531]

Marvelous

[@takiyaazrin7562]

#1 Social science #2 Social science #3 Hard science #4 Social science

[@DeepikaArt_Academics]

Hi can you make a video on how to publish paper in SCOPUS faster...i m done with 80-85% of chapter writing

[@corsai7506]

very motivational

[@CamouflageMaster]

At 5:38, what do you mean by people going the 'thesis route'?

[@FrankD90210]

Can you expand on what you mean by creating stories?

[@MissAsdfb99]

What if I want to earn Nobel prize with my phd I mean maybe not that much but what if I want to be an outstanding PhD researcher and really known in my field?

[@boredscientist5756]

Hi Andy 😁

[@salehwoh]

Andy 👍

[@sheldoncooper0]

You finished your PhD in 3 years because you did it in Australia... It's a different system compared to in North America...

[@Go-Big-Red]

Three years is much longer, i know a guy from my school who finished his phd in just 9 months lol

[@Go-Big-Red]

Don't mention that his supervisor was changed in the last month of his third year, and the new supervisor asked him to revise the entire research project😅

[@MisterFanwank]

Get some exercise.