What no one admits about being a PhD student | 10 secrets

Here are what no one admits about being a PhD student and the things that I experienced while doing my PhD and postdoctoral research.
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▼ ▽ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - introduction
0:07 - depression
1:36 - three hours to one week
3:15 - jealousy
4:33 - pet projects
6:04 - supervisors are idiots
7:39 - politics are tasty
8:38 - research gets boring
9:54 - you become dumber
11:07 - the future is scary
12:25 - Marketing goes a long way

[@jessicabesaw2649]

This channel keeps me sane as I write my PhD thesis. This video perfectly encapsulates the PhD struggle, making me simultaneously laugh and cry! Thanks Andy!

[@anne.athenadura]

I've forgotten everything I know, too. And I was so sad and embarrassed to talk about it, I thought I was the only one. Everything in this video is so accurate.

[@user-3jd6hek5h]

Thank you, I needed to hear this today. This guy is going into my “acknowledgement” section.

[@abuyousefali]

Seven months in, and it's a rollercoaster ride of emotions!

[@gabrielagorescu2338]

Same!

[@ikennaonyekwelu5459]

Same!

[@LeggattNZ]

Wait until the final year!!! From paralysis to mania within a day 😬

[@abuyousefali]

@@LeggattNZ sounds insane

[@rakshithm1257]

it's not too late, run away while you still can, before you get trapped!

[@jannatulferdous8846]

Few things are common for me even before applying for Ph.D. 😅 the more I learn the more I forgetting..

[@Mariegilbert12345]

I really like your videos. My daughter is getting a PhD and you help demystify it for us newbies. We just nod and send cookies a lot. Lol.

[@BarriosGroupie]

Also as with any profession, I think there are different types of PhD student with some tending to be very conservative, agreeable and rule-abiding at one end; highly creative, risk-taking, constantly seeking the new at the other. Hence I'd expect the last group more likely to do outstanding research; but at the expense of their mental health having to deal with their very dynamic outlook on life always challenging the way things are.

[@jrashad]

Yeah... every point on this list is painfully, 100% accurate.

[@adailtonazevedoaraujofilho5258]

Being a Ph.D student, I agree 100% with your comments.

[@Mountaineer170]

Dude I wish I watched this video in the beginning of my phd. This is 100% true !

[@christinechan821]

lol I just LOVE the way you describe things. I have actually LAUGHED OUT LOUD in relief and you are SO RIGHT about the PhD experience!

[@MsLeebib]

Hi Andy! I've discovered your channel at the beginning of my PhD adventure. 6 months passed and I decided to stop today for a lot of reasons. I think I've discovered that my very sensitive personality and values are not in harmony with the academic system. Thank you for raising all these issues. Even though it's only been 6 months, I've learned a lot about myself and what I need in life. It was a very tough decision, because of the expectations, the PhD prestige, the idea that I already started and that I should finish. But I am really grateful for this experience and for the videos. Thank you for your dedication. I hope I'll find a job that is in harmony with my personal values. For everyone else that started a PhD, you're not obligated to finish it. You are free, and you only have one life. Follow your instinct :) (PS: english is not my first langage so sorry about that !)

[@DrAndyStapleton]

Congratulations on making the right decision for you. It's better to have seen what academia is like and decide that it is not for you than always wonder. Best of luck with your next stage!

[@MsLeebib]

@@DrAndyStapleton wow I've never thought I would get an answer but it makes me really happy! Yes exactly! I tried the PhD because I didn't want to have any regrets. But now I know academia and I are not meant to be! Thank you Andy! Keep up with the videos you sure are doing a really great job!

[@kapilgupta163]

it's a really amazing experience listening to you. I've been watching your videos since last year and it motivates me a lot, greetings from India

[@Teilnehmer]

The part about the supervisor being an idiot is hilariously on point, it's really hard to understand for me why my supervisor keeps coming back to stuff that I have already explained will not work. As someone who works at the intersection between physics and computer science however I have to disagree on the point of becoming dumber. That's connected to the field though. The mathematical areas definitely benefit from an on-the-ground, super focused understanding of a topic because these fundamentals typically transfer easier to other areas in physics or math much more easily due to the high level nature of mathematical abstraction inherent in the field. Everything else though: yeah pretty on point:) My advice for other PhD students: really start thinking about other career options early, treat the PhD as a job and use the freedom to chart your own research as an opportunity to build presentable, job relevant skills (project management, budgeting, IT and coding, teaching, supervising students). I actively stir the direction of my research into letting me build skills that make me more employable. Also, if you are at danger of getting depressed and burned out because you are being worked to death with no freedom, get help and seriously consider quitting. Nobody in the industry cares to hire someone who is burned out and embittered because of yearlong abuse and exploitation.

[@user-3jd6hek5h]

Lol came here to listen this and found my comment I left a year ago 😂 still super relevant!

[@sausansvlog7505]

I'm going to sign up on your newsletter !

[@jasonm9838]

Cheers for this big man, was really useful, as always.

[@putriestimandasari8904]

Beautifully said! Thanks Andy.

[@DrAndyStapleton]

Thanks for listening

[@patrickfrost9497]

Great video! Are you planning on doing one about marketing/publicizing your PhD research, that would be really interesting?

[@DrAndyStapleton]

I'll add it to my list! Thanks for the recommendation

[@isabelwatts5962]

LOVE YOU ANDY!(:

[@Heyu7her3]

That it's painful... but I think everyone knows that lol -- both on the inside and the outside

[@reachingforthesun]

😆 We become dumber! Love it

[@Kracki88]

Am i going crazy or do i hear a bird or rodent squeeking?

[@asifmuniruniverse7732]

I'm not mad

[@xiding2086]

:) :) :) Moments