By: Tyler Saumur, ORT Times Science Writer
Dear First Year Tyler:
Get ready to settle in and call graduate school ‘home’ as you embark on your MSc and (surprise) PhD over the next 6 years—that is, if we’re lucky.
First things first, you’re going to be on the computer a lot. Download a blue light filter on all of the devices you use. It will save your eyes and spare you from headaches. And since you will be on the computer a lot, ensure that you put this time in good use. It’s easy to fool yourself into thinking that you’re being productive, but if you aren’t, call it a day. There is little to gain from staring at a blank monitor because you feel like you have to. Give it a solid shot and if the productivity isn’t there, make better use of your time. With that being said, you should never feel that you have nothing to do. At the end of the day, you have a thesis to write. You will be doing endless amounts of reading. In parallel with that reading will be copious amounts of writing. Get those ideas down, cite those papers. It’s never too early to write a literature review or a rough version of your methods. You will be shocked at how easy these things can start to flow when you put your head down and write. When writing, get feedback from your colleagues and supervisor. Don’t sit on something because you want to finesse it. The sooner you get something out, the sooner you will get it back. Don’t be afraid of criticism or the sea of red tracked changes that will be coming your way. It will get better with time.
During your graduate studies, you will encounter many brilliant people and have the opportunity to be involved in a variety of great projects. Make sure you strike a balance between saying yes and no. This will be one of your hardest lessons. Spreading yourself too thin can happen and you want to make sure that your involvement in projects that are not directly related to your thesis is meaningful and worth the time you are investing on them. Don’t feel the need to take on more than you are capable of.
Trust others. And trust yourself too. Imposter syndrome—or feeling inadequate—will be a thing and continue to be a thing (speaking as future you, trust me). But you worked hard to get here, and deserve to be here, so own that.
Lastly, it is okay to not know what you want to do after graduate school. Hate to break it to you, but we still don’t know. Go where your passion lies and ask as many people as you can what their plans are. In the end, everything will work out.
Until next time—or time travel,
Present Tyler (3rd year PhD student)