Managing methodology risk is key. I was fortunate enough to have a university, department, and advisers that told me, "Don't reinvent the wheel; finish your dissertation and get out of here." I found a previous dissertation examining the exact same thing I wanted to explore (cybersecurity compliance frameworks) and I simply reused the methodology and applied it to a different framework (NIST CSF vs NIST SP 800-171). I got written permission from the other researcher to use her methodology. I also made sure to clear this with my advisor, dean, and IRB and to cite the heck out of the previous research, and I wrote my dissertation in four semesters. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Wise and true words. I think I have written on this channel before about things that make a well-structured PhD project. Best is to have lots of little sub-goals so that if the overall project fails you still have a lot to write up and possibly to publish. The worst kind of PhD is the over-ambitious grand slam big thing, where you only get results at the end.
Only hope I have seen this earlier! I'm on my final year PhD in Chem and I have met like 90% of these risks. Thanks for letting me know that some choices I made during the journey wasn't because I was lazy to confront issues, but actually made a reasonable choice that helped me reaching the finish line.
I am so happy about the risked being talked about. I am in the last third of my PhD and trying to decide whether some projects are worth pursuing anymore.
This is gold! I work in risk managment and i acctualy think that Andrew presented a very good risk-based approach here. Should be seen by each and every PhD candidate. Open an word/excel file, summarize each risk in a table, and make a risk assesment for each one. It will save you so much pain along the way. Thank you Andy and please keep up the great work!
They're all important, but a big one that wasn't mentioned is "motivation". Getting through 5+ years in grad school will take A LOT of motivation. If it starts to run dry, you're in trouble and at great risk unplugging completely. "feedback" is also critical, it's adjacent to mentorship, which is something that graduate students need to seek out actively.
A fascinating watch. Having completed my Master's and commonly asked about doing a PhD, I have never been shown just how much goes into it, the path often perceived as just prolongation of Master's work...
I was shocked at the huge difference between a Master's and a PhD. You could get three Master's and still not equal the level-up in the work and requirements of a PhD.
I wish I had known about feedback risk before my masters... My defense was postponed by six months because of something that I could have finished way earlier if I had got in touch with the right people before
When I worked as an SO and as an RA I always got regular weekly meetings with my boss. When I was working towards a PhD, I could never get my supervisor to agree to, or stick to regular meetings to oversee what was going on and the problems.
Jeeeeez…glad I’m studying literature. Equipment? You mean a cheap computer and the internet? 😆 Ethics? You mean will it hurt someone’s opinion if I argue an author is talking about X vs Y? 😆 Kudos to you all studying the hard sciences. You’re working a lot harder than some others! And thanks, Andy. Glad I found your channel.
In the same field and aspiring to get into a program. I feel like a lot of time, many of these advice don't apply like they do to STEM, although I'm yet to find that out for myself. Has that been the case with you?
I prepared extensively for my literature dissertation defense. Deep reviews of the theoretical framework and literary historiography underpinning the arguments. Took days. We spent our time discussing historical and cultural contexts and the close reading sections. The committee recommended more cultural objects for inclusion and study…one member even Googled an exhibit during the defense, haha.
Hey Andy, I intend to apply for a PhD in the UK, however I am from Brazil and I always think about the cultural barriers. I’m confident about the knowledge required to do the research, but I also have impostor syndrome especially because it's another culture. Could you please make a video addressed to international students and the problems that they could face during a PhD in a whole new culture. Thanks, I love your videos!
Hi! I'm a Brazilian doing a PhD in the UK. What cultural barriers are you afraid of? I think the hardest for me is the cold and darkness in winter (I live in north England). Some people get very affected by it (like me), but some don't get affected at all. My advice is to try to keep active, be outdoors (see a bit of the sunshine when possible) and patiently wait until the winter is over. I was afraid of doing a PhD in a second language because doing a PhD itself is very challenging, but doing it in a non-native language is even harder. I think it's indeed a bit harder, but the British are very kind and they never complained about my English mistakes. I improved my English fluency and now I feel confident giving talks and writing academic texts in English. The same is going to happen to you. There are several other international PhD students here, so you won't be alone. I don't think you will feel strong cultural barriers here... British in general are very kind, polite and informal (even when working). I think it's easy for a Brazilian to adapt. One difference though is that the British don't really have a big meal for lunch. They just eat a quick snack (usually a sandwich) and go back to work. Many times they don't even stop working to eat. But I always stop working and have lunch with international students. The research opportunities you will have by doing a PhD here will be great. You will probably meet scientists that are "famous" in your field. You will understand how science works in developed countries. You will see that Brazilian science is doing great with the little financial support it has. You will see that science is also "suffering" here with little support sometimes. Ah! One thing that you should have in mind: many PhD students get funding for 3 or 3.5 years, but most of them take 4 years to finish the PhD. So it's common to not have financial support at the end of the PhD. If you think this might be your case (like me), I recommend saving money to spend during the last few months. This is the most stressful moment of the PhD... Also, you might have expenses with university fees and extending your visa near the end of the PhD... This is the main disadvantage of doing a PhD in the UK in my opinion. You can get some money with a part-time job or as a teaching assistant, but it's a bit stressful to do it at the end of your PhD. Good luck and feel free to ask more questions!
Thanks @melguirro for your help. I lived in Edinburgh for 3 years working in the industry. But I want to go back to academia. As a second language, English is indeed a barrier to communication. Being outside academia for so long, gave me this fear of non-belonging. I need to adapt myself again. 😊
If I could only find someone to edit my papers. I was told by the school to do that. The school was taken over and all the full time professors are gone. They hire whom ever that has their finished their Phd. There is no more teaching going on. This is my second Phd I promised my husband before he died I would complete another. Trying to finish my last course before writing my dissertation.
In some way, you're right. Though you need to impress that someone else by discovering something new. It doesn't need to be revolutional. Andy mentioned in this video.
It has to contribute new knowledge to the world. Lots of different people will tick a box or be impressed along the way (even if it's just your mum) but that's just a side effect. Just enjoy it. It's the only time you will have the luxury of focusing on what you care about.
It has to contribute new knowledge to the world. Lots of different people will tick a box or be impressed along the way (even if it's just your mum) but that's just a side effect. Just enjoy it. It's the only time you will have the luxury of focusing on what you care about.
@@alexferdinansyah757 Right, my supervisor said (back in the 80s) that the value of a PhD thesis, in most cases, including his, wasn't that great. The goal is to show that you can do some quality research. And, assuming you stay in academia, or maybe even otherwise, the value comes from your later work.
Probably depends on the topic. I had plenty of calculated risk and some unexpected ones. My main gripe was never the risk, cause I was already old enough and experienced enough to know what makes sense, but the absolute ridiculous tries of third parties to hack my p-values and "improve" results.
Putting lots of things under a general heading (Risk) doesn't really make it a #1 predictor as you are listing several possible issues. And, in some sense, telling someone you can predict if they will fail because of risk is almost a tautology!
Love your video so much. I almost faced all the problems mentioned in the video and I in doubt of whether I should continue this horrible journey. As a fast-track PhD student, I'm just too naive to further my study in applied science which is lethal when no functional results are produced. Shall I quit and what can I do as a dropout PhD student? I feel like my talent in science is wasted since I choose to further my studies....
Keep pushing! You've already gotten so far. It is horrible; the worst thing I've ever experienced. But that's what a PhD is all about: not knowing what to do > being stuck > breakthrough > falling > breakthrough > stuck > falling > not knowing > breakthrough.... on and on until all of the sudden you're much closer to the end. You have done it before and you can do it again! You've got this! Little by little, slowly like the tortoise, and not the hare, but never quitting! Let's gooo!!
@@pinkblossomsky Exactly what I have experienced. You have to conquer inertia, time management, false starts and even failure, pick yourself up and soldier on. It is an exercise in persistence par excellence.
The way to succeed during a PhD is to do exactly what your thesis advisor says. As long as the boss is happy and you're getting your work done - that's all they care about
And to get as far ahead of the advisor as you possibly can. Buys you time and peace of mind. Once I realized I only needed to show one update a week to my advisor and got months ahead of where he thought I was, the whole PhD process became much more enjoyable
My inattentive ADHD is one of the primary reasons (other than being tired with the exploitative culture of academia) I'm stopping at my Master's lol. I've been told that what I've been doing for my MSc is basically PhD-lite with the only difference being multitasking and pay. I already know that would take 150% of my mental effort to just keep up and that I would burn out before I even get halfway. It would take too much of a toll on my mental health, with not enough reward to keep me motivated.
I am on the verge of giving up with my supervisors this year (well almost) no feed back and they are like a stuck record in the meetings no direction and low motivation :( no idea on a way forward do i just leave the program or stay the course?
Lol. Wouldn't agree. Personally I haven't got any feedback during my PhD time at all, I financed myself (had multiple jobs beside my research time), haven't known which/how data to produce and thus no idea of how it could be done. It took me 7 years to finish my thesis, yet with summa cum laude. You call it "risks", I'd call it "chances to grow". Only once you went through all this you can be sure you're not handing in any of those garbage thesis you find too often today ...
It is big check list. Ethical, what? To check if you are not mad scientist? Dr. Mengele? Or person who develops new type of a-bombs,. disintegrating laser or any weapon. DARPA care more about this colliders, disintegrators are more gets more funding than Earthly problems of climate change, efficient engine or heat exchanger or renewable energy generator :)
