The road to a science Ph.D.
Jonathan has done a bang-up writing about the road to a science Ph.D. Last week saw his first installment, and yesterday brings his follow-up. From week 1:
The next few years are not always plain sailing. Friends who graduated with you move on to high paying jobs whilst you remain in relative penury. Experiments don’t always work out. There are assessments and committees to deal with. If you’re unlucky enough to have classes, there will be homework! Although you’re researching a particular niche of your own, you are also being formed in the same crucible as the scientists who precede you. They all had a tough time of it, and they’ll be damned if they’ll let some young upstarts off the hook easily.
It might be that you have a committee with five or more examiners. Perhaps it’s only two. You may get grilled in public, or in private. Some places expect you to bring baked goods or food, or (and I prefer this one) you go out to the pub with them afterwards. What they all have in common is that the thesis you wrote, your dissertation, is going to be gone over with a fine-toothed comb, and every little weakness, typo, mistake or, error will be brought up. Remember that great discussion I wrote? It never even came up in mine. Everything I was proud of writing got ignored, but I did get to spend an hour going over each figure to be told they didn’t like the way I represented the statistics. Again. Odds are, your examiners went through the meat grinder in their day, and if they had it tough, by Jove you will too!
Hrm. Sounds like… fraternal pledging.
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