hate my phd

Why a PhD can feel pointless (and what to do about it)

Probably should start this one with a content warning. I try to be upbeat and helpful, but I am touching on mental health issues here, including anxiety and depression.

If you’d rather not go there today, click away now. Here’s a gif of a kitten before you go:

https://media.giphy.com/media/12ELmx0C4EFKcE/giphy.gif

If you believe the ‘The Illustrated Guide to the PhD’ by Matt Might, your PhD is but a pimple on the face of knowledge.

I encourage you to pop over and have a look at this classic webpage , but basically, Might starts by describing all of knowledge graphically – as a big circle and your contribution as a tiny circle. Then there is a series of images, zooming into the edge of the big circle, closer and closer… finally your little PhD circle is shown fused onto the bigger circle: a tiny bulge on the circumference of the existing knowledge circle.

Like I said, a PhD pimple.

I’m sure Matt Might is a nice guy and means his graphic to be reassuring. What he’s trying to say is gradually, PhD by PhD, the sum of all human knowledge grows. An individual PhD does not have to be groundbreaking. Your individual contribution might be modest, but many PhD pimples, added together, matter a lot.

As a sociology inclined kind of scholar, I have some issues with his ‘additive’ notion of knowledge, but I am not here to argue about epistemology. The idea of being a small, humble player in the grand endeavour of human knowledge is poetically attractive.

It’s also a bit discouraging.

My own PhD was definitely a pimple. It was about gesture behaviour in architecture class rooms . I don’t teach either architecture or gesture. I don’t use the methods I learned in my research anymore. The value to me of the knowledge is maybe questionable on these grounds.

Did the grand circle of human knowledge get expanded? Maybe.

A few people cited it. Some people even told me that they liked it (thanks Megan!). I know how much effort was put into this particular pimple of knowledge and honestly – sometimes I question all that effort. I think of the stomach ulcer I gave myself and the fact that I only have the haziest memories of my son’s early life*. It felt pointless when I was doing it – often.

Of course, no PhD is truly pointless. My PhD enabled me to get here, now – talking to you. For more than a decade, this blog has existed and I know it’s helped many people. But contemplating my PhD against the sheer scale of all human knowledge takes me to dark places. This is why I kind of hate Matt Might’s PhD pimple – at the same time as admiring the humble simplicity of the idea.

I want to talk about the feeling of PhD pointlessness because I think it’s a huge problem, especially now, a couple of decades into the already turbulent 21st century.

A PhD is usually a slog. Occasionally someone tells me they had fun from start to finish, but most of us don’t. There’s the uncertainty of the beginning, where you are not sure where your work fits into this vast edifice called ‘The Literature’. Then there’s the ‘muddle of the middle’ where you lose a sense of clarity and purpose – even if you never fully enter the Valley of Shit . Finally, there’s a grim, grinding trudgy-ness about that final writing and editing work, when you are knee deep in the referencing salt mines. The feeling of pointlessness hovers over the whole enterprise, like a fart in an elevator, making something already unpleasant worse.

The Slog has always been part of the PhD, but it’s an exponentially worse slog today – one, I believe, is accompanied by a deeper, more profound sense of pointlessness.

There are problems of the academy which are of long standing like poor supervision, sexism and racism (and let’s chuck in ableism and ageism while I’m at it). These problems are starting to be addressed, but there is a long way to go. The publications and ranking systems are fuelling a perverse paper ‘arms race’ where PhD students are often cast as foot soldiers, churning out articles that very few people will read. And let’s not forget the financial woes caused by tuition fees, living expenses and the epidemic of uncertain work.

The feelings of angst are only exacerbated by the pandemic, which is dragging on and on. It can feel like the sum of human knowledge is nothing compared to the sum of human misery on display on any number of news feeds. And let’s not forget the spectre of climate change, which is looming larger and larger in our daily lives. My friend Dr Liz Boulton calls climate change a ‘ hyper threa t’ that is ‘fog like, everywhere’, causing generalised anxiety and action paralysis.

That there is a frightening epidemic of mental health issues among PhD students should not surprise us. The problems of the 21st century are just so damned big. Any thinking and feeling person will be affected by feelings of powerlessness and fear of the future. It’s hardly surprising that some of us have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning.

We need to find ways to think and act without being dragged into overwhelm territory. Here are some ideas, in no particular order:

1) Find ways to make the PhD less of a slog: I’ve written before about how the dissertation is kind of stupid and could be replaced with a portfolio assessment. You may not have a lot of choices over whether you do a dissertaion or something else, but you can push the boundaries. Look for role models who make an impact through sharing ideas and knowledge. Don’t listen to people who tell you things like blogging, making Tik Tok videos or podcasts are useless for your career. Tell them conventional academic careers no longer exist and find your own path.

2) Use your PhD time to develop skills that will be useful to you . Academia is not a meritocracy. The person with the biggest pile of papers does not always ‘win’. Winning might only be working a job that breaks you anyway. Embrace creative thinking about what ‘academic output’ might mean. Resist mindlessly feeding the broken publications system with yet more academic papers. Learn new techniques, software packages; try out new ways of speaking and relating to others. Expand the circle of knowledge in new ways.

3) Stop enabling the bullshit university rankings systems: Maybe more for your supervisor than for you, but we all contribute to perverse academic prestige systems by enabling them. Recognise that publishing is a political act. Accept the perverse effects of the publications systems fall on our most vulnerable early career academics. Stop treating the academic endeavour as a score board and your students as cheap labour.

4) Help others: Feelings of pointlessness are ameliorated (at least a little) by connection to others. Find ways to make your local connections stronger in concrete ways, by simply doing things with other people. This means at the very least reclaiming your social life and time with family and friends. If you have time, maybe get involved with your student organisation or become a student representative on an academic committee. Join a local community group, volunteer or participate in a political party. There are many ways to connect if you look for them.

5) Don’t look down: accept that some days, the feeling of pointlessness will be worse than others. Recognise your agency and ability to change things might be limited. Sometimes a feeling of overwhelm means you need to take a break. Sometimes just getting on with the work, even when it feels pointless is the best way forward. Becoming absorbed in the work can help lift the feelings of pointlessness. Experiment to find what works for you.

6) But don’t ignore the feelings forever: if the feeling of pointlessness just won’t lift, seek help. Leaving the PhD is a big decision , but sometimes the best way forward. The feelings of shame and failure can keep people in holding pattern for years. In my experience, this holding pattern can cause long term harm. A professional counsellor can help you unpick your feelings and get find the best path for you.

I’m interested in your ideas of how to make the PhD feel less pointless – but the comments are still off on the Whisperer. If you want to continue the conversation, please reach out to me on Twitter but for now: solidarity.

* While writing this post I asked Thesis Whisperer Jnr, somewhat anxiously, if I was a bad PhD parent when I was doing my PhD, 12 years ago now. He just looked at me like I was a mad person and said ‘What? I don’t even fucking remember you doing your PhD’. LOL!

PS: Before I go, please take a moment to check out our new initiative The Whisper Collective . This new site collects feeds from all the best research educators working on the web. The home page is continually updated with posts as people publish. I hope you’ll bookmark the page and visit regularly to see all the great work my colleagues are doing. Please join us at our launch event to hear more!

Should you quit (go part time or pause) your PhD during Covid

I call bullshit on the way we do the PhD

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Why You Shouldn’t Get a PhD

The road to a doctorate is long, arduous, and paved with abandoned scholarship. Don't start the PhD process before you consider all the obstacles (and rewards). Here's what you need to reflect on before making the leap.

1. What is your motive for getting a PhD?

Examine your true motivation for wanting to earn a PhD and how the degree makes sense within your larger plan. Despite the obstacles, people stay in doctorate programs because they enjoy learning for learning's sake. They relish the opportunity to tackle intellectual problems and explore new areas of knowledge. For some there is the added appeal of taking time out from the traditional job market as you pursue what you love. But if it's your ambition to become a professor you should be aware that the PhD track is no guarantee of a life in academia .

2. Have you thought realistically about your job prospects?

Many PhD students hope to find a tenure-track position at a good college or research university after graduating (although others do pursue satisfying careers outside of academia). The reality is that academic positions are increasingly difficult to come by. Many PhDs have to settle for temporary or non tenure-track teaching positions, which can be just as demanding as full-time work but without the salary. Be prepared to follow jobs to colleges on the other side of the country or to adjust your career expectations.

Read More: Graduate School Application Timeline

3. Can you live frugally?

Getting a doctorate is intellectually rewarding. Unfortunately, it doesn't tend to be financially rewarding, at least not in the short term. Most PhD students live on their earnings from teaching and research assistantships or other low-paying employment. So, your starving student days may not be behind you.

4. Are you ready for the workload?

Graduate courses are far more rigorous than those you took as an undergrad, and first-year PhD students usually take around three classes. Many grad students also serve as teaching assistants (TAs) and must learn how to juggle their needs along with their students. And of course, in the final three years of the PhD program, you'll mainly focus on writing the dissertation and preparing for oral exams.

5. How do you handle pressure?

Each year, some PhD candidates do not meet the requirements of their graduate programs and are asked to leave. Others choose to leave because they are burnt out, or their interests have changed. Some students who don't complete the PhD leave with a master's degree; others leave with no degree at all. You should be prepared for these scenarios by making a back-up plan.

Successful PhD students thrive in a highly intellectual environment, are willing to work very hard with only a possible payoff, love their field of study, and don't mind forgoing impressive paychecks. If this sounds like you, forge ahead!

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Three questions to ask yourself before quitting your PhD

It’s normal for PhD candidates to consider abandoning their studies. Here’s how to take emotions out of the decision.

Gemma Conroy

Credit: Jacobs Stock Photography/Getty

28 July 2020

Jacobs Stock Photography/Getty

Amid lab shutdowns and cancelled fieldwork, many PhD students are facing tough choices regarding the future of their research career.

Roughly 45% of PhD students expect to disengage with their studies within the next six months due to financial hardship related to the pandemic, according to a new survey of 1,020 doctoral candidates in Australia.

While walking away without a doctorate will be the right choice for some – and perhaps the only choice for those with inadequate financial support - it’s important to ask the right questions before making a decision.

“Students need to separate the fake and real reasons for leaving,” says Shane Huntington, deputy director of strategy and partnerships at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences in Australia.

“Some of the most common reasons students quit have nothing to do with their ability to do a PhD.”

Below are three questions that can help a candidate decide whether to quit or continue with their doctoral studies.

1. Are your problems solvable?

Kate Kenfield

Shane Huntington

A disengaged supervisor, toxic lab culture, or a string of failed experiments might feel like reason enough to quit your PhD, but these are not insurmountable problems.

Huntington suggests switching labs if poor supervision or an overly competitive environment are causing you distress.

“I try to get students to determine whether their reasons for wanting to quit are really about them, and not just due to systemic problems. My advice is to map out what the problems are and explore how they can be solved.”

Struggling with specific tasks, such as writing, isn’t a sign to start drafting a withdrawal letter, says Inger Mewburn, director of research training at the Australian National University in Canberra.

“This is a fixable problem,” says Mewburn, who edits a popular blog called The Thesis Whisperer .

“But if you just aren’t enjoying what you’re doing each day, then those feelings need to be critically examined.”

2. Have you talked to someone about it?

It can be difficult for students to admit that they’re struggling, but reaching out to supervisors and other lab members can offer some much-needed perspective, says Frey Fyfe.

“There is a lot of pressure to only convey the positive,” says Fyfe, who quit their PhD in volcanology at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom in 2018, and has not returned to academia.

“I wish I had spoken to someone in my research group, as pretty much every PhD student wants to quit at some point.”

Huntington recalls that a quick chat with his PhD supervisor saved him from quitting his own PhD in physics in the late 1990s. The discussion led to weekly meetings where other lab members could help him find solutions to his experimental problems.

“My supervisor told me that most students want to quit at least three times, which sort of gave me permission to feel the way I did,” says Huntington.

He says the weekly meeting helped him feel supported. “We were able to work through the low points.”

Fyfe says that viewing a supervisor as a fellow collaborator, rather than someone to win approval from, can make it easier to communicate more openly.

“It’s not a one-way street,” says Fyfe. “You need to be able to communicate what’s going right and what isn’t.”

3. Does your PhD fit with your long-term goals?

Inger Mewburn

Embarking on a PhD is a major career milestone for many students, but it’s important to consider how it will further your aspirations in the long-run, says Mewburn.

For example, if a candidate wants to end up in a research-focussed job that doesn’t involve teaching, gaining experience from an industry placement could be a more strategic investment than spending years on a PhD.

It’s also important for candidates to make a realistic assessment of the job prospects in their field, particularly in the wake of pandemic-related hiring freezes and job losses .

“You’ve got to explore your options,” says Mewburn. “Is there even going to be a job in your field when you finish your PhD?”

A common mistake students make when deciding whether to quit or continue is focussing on the sacrifices they have made, instead of considering where they want to head next.

“People often think of the past, rather than the future. There’s a lot of guilt about what they’re giving up [if they quit],” says Huntington. “But it’s a myth, because you are not giving up on all the hard work, you’re just taking it in a different direction.”

Whether choosing to quit or stay, it ultimately comes down to feeling confident about your underlying reasons, says Huntington.

“Students should have some power over their destiny. Make the right decision on the right basis, and feel good about the choice you’ve made.”

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I hate my PhD

Hi I just started a PhD about 6 months ago and I have to say it is nowhere near what I had expected. It started well and things seemed to be moving fast, but for the last 4 month I feel like things have come to a complete halt. My supervisor seems to spend more time travelling the world than supervising, and when they are here they just patronise me and take apart what I have done. They repeatedly gossip about other staff to me and I really can’t take anymore, I hate it! I have totally lost interest in the subject and I struggle to get myself motivated. I only choose the PhD because of funding; I was unable to get an offer for a PhD in the subject that is my passion. Anyway I am really considering leaving this, I know I have made the wrong decision and I’m just wondering if anyone knows what the possibilities are to apply for other PhD in the subject I like, in the future. Or what it takes to get an Mphil because that seems a really appealing alternative. Thanks

If you're serious about quitting, do it sooner rather than later. Less than one year is acceptable - everyone makes mistakes - any longer and it gets more difficult to justify. I wouldn't bother with the MPhil route as it's another 6 months of work and even then there's no guarantee at the end of that time you will definitely get it. Instead you should focus on trying to get funding for the subject you actually want to study and move on.

I did this - took a place because it was offered and funded but then left at the end of the first year (9 mo- not a full 12). I am now doing another funded PhD in a subject of my choice - but many years later. I have met quite a few people who have done this - but I think you would have to be funded by a different funding body next time. That first time was a really miserable experience that haunted me for a long time - but then you find it has happened to a lot of people.

i agree that you should leave sooner rather than later. i considered dropping out after six months in my PhD but i waited till my first year review which was a mistake... I could of saved myself a lot of heartache if i had dropped out earlier. if you leave now you will have plenty of time to consider other options: jobs, masters or other PhDs. believe you me. people will not look down on you because you have dropped out. it is a lot more common than you think for people to drop out. I think the reason I was so afraid of dropping out was because I thought people would look down on me but nothing could be further from the truth. since I have dropped out, I have been offered another PhD position and places on a few masters courses so its all good if you are truely unhappy. LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If the subject is way away from your desired area, then going may be an option. If it is related, then if it started well you may just be in a bit of a slump period? If your supervisor is in demand round the world, then that just has to be lived with, if they are good it is just a fact of life. You could try to make sure they stay on task when you are talking to them - mine goes off on a tangent all the time, but you never know when they will come up with a little snippet which is valuable. I suppose it depends what subject you are doing, if it is science based then I guess they have more control over what you do, but you can still be proactive and get on with stuff when they are not around. If they offer criticism, ask them what you need to do to improve what you have done?

If you took the offer thinking at the outset that it was a second best alternative and not something you really wanted to do, - was that the way you thought of it -, then maybe you should have waited for the right opening to appear, because someone else might have really wanted it.

Joyce I know there would have been people who really would have loved to get the PhD, but this was the only offer I got at the time, and I obviously didnt think it would turn out like this. I guess hindsight is a wonderfull thing. As for my supervisor been in demand, I kinda thought the point of being a supervisor is to be there to advise and help the student when they need it. Anyway thanks every one for the advice. I think I will try to stick with it for the next few months, but if it doesnt get any better I think I will leave it. Again thanks for the advice.

My supervisor has been AWOL for a few months, but is now back on the scene,it isn't a good time of year for them what with loads of marking etc. at least that is his excuse and I believe him. He is also very active in the area and in demand and trying to get some writing done as well, so I'm just waiting my turn really. What area are you researching? If you need lots of imput from your super, then you need to perhaps be more specific, like 'I'm now looking at X and I would appreciate your help in locating the main sources, I think they are A, B, and C is this the right way to go?' Even if he is abroad, he can answer an e-mail, if he doesn't, tell someone. Of course if its lab based that's not a lot of help, I would try confiding in someone else. It is also in their interest to get things right. Don't give up too soon, you have invested in it already, just try to pinpoint why you are not happy, and have a go at sorting it out.

I left a fully-funded, full-time PhD after nine months because I really struggled to get a grip on it. After pouring my heart out to my former supervisors, who were absolutely fantastic, we agreed that I should leave. I ended up submitting an MRes, which I was duly awarded for my hard work in this first year. Now, I am in the second year of another PhD at a different institution, and I love it! My advice to you is see if you can submit an MRes and try another PhD elsewhere. To be unhappy for at least another 2.5 years will be misery for you. Good luck!

vilee, I truly understand how frustrating you feel, because I am facing the exactly same problem. I chose a PhD which was not my first preference, due to fundings. What's worse, I am in another country and my supervisor sort of "lied" to me about the subject of the research. The lack of cohesion with people here and the ignorance has been driving me mad. I have read some of the comments left in the thread and, thank you all, you guys are making another PhD frustration better. I am now looking for new degrees back in UK. Good luck vilee for your PhD/job/MPhil hunt

I find myself in the same position as you. I don't know if I'm actually cut out for this life. I thought I was before I started, but now that I'm six months in, I'm starting to feel like this kind of lifestyle doesn't suit me at all! Then again, apparently it's very common for PhD students go through these seasons of doubt, so I don't want to make a snap decision. I'm sure you're feeling the same way too. Maybe we should just let some time pass and see how we feel in a month or so? I don't know what the best solution is!

Leave, it sounds like a waste of time.

Dont give up! You have to sit down and think where you are going wrong and how you can over come your problems. PhD is a great experience to learn while you earn modest living. I would suggest you try to take out of this PhD as much as you can both in terms of finance and knowledge. Then you can look for another place to do your PhD.

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5 Common PhD Fears & How to Overcome Them

Worried about stepping up to PhD study? Or concerned that you'll come unstuck during your doctorate? Gaia Cantelli offers some advice for turning PhD fears into productive opportunities.

Just like any major undertaking, completing a PhD is a long and difficult path. It is filled with wonderful moments that make it all worthwhile – as well as lots of opportunities to encounter fears and doubts.

Succeeding with your PhD means spotting these anxieties and knowing how to tackle them when they occur. That may not be as difficult as you think.

Here are a few of the most common fears that hunt PhD students and how to overcome them.

#1 'This mess is never going to turn into a doctoral thesis'

I can guarantee you, every PhD thesis has, at some stage, looked like an incoherent pile of scribbled notes and inconsistent data.

Some of that material will become part of your final thesis. Some of it won’t, but it’s still an important part of the process.

The old 80/20 rule suggests that 80% of your most important data and results are going to come together in around 20% of the time available. That may seem strange, but it’s not necessarily far off. After all, part of the PhD process involves learning how to do research. And not every experiment or source works out first time.

This principle leaves the remaining 80% of your time to produce 20% of the data and much, much useless nonsense that seemed like a great idea when you first thought of it.

So, when you find yourself on a Wednesday afternoon taking stock of what you have and what you see is an unapologetic disaster – don’t despair, everybody else has been in your shoes at some point.

Solution: write a thesis plan

What do you do when it feels like your PhD is never going to come together? Trust yourself. It’s all going to be all right. You made it this far and you will certainly make it to the end.

If self-belief isn’t enough and you need more practical help, try making a thesis plan. You can actually do this at any point in your PhD journey .

The trick is to organise your thoughts (and work in progress) into what you would like your thesis to look like. Ask your supervisor or your friends for help if you’re not sure how to go about this or would like some feedback – most people would be thrilled to help!

Writing a thesis plan will help you visualise how the work you have already done actually fits into the grand scheme of things. What’s more, it will help you prepare an action plan to tackle what you have left!

#2 'I am never going to be able to do [insert skill]'

No matter what field of work you’re in, you are going to have to develop (or upgrade) a variety of skills during your PhD.

This could involve mastering clinical techniques in the laboratory, getting to grips with a new coding language or improving your research techniques in the library or archive.

Doing these at PhD level will be a challenge, whatever your previous experience. Better yet, they’ll usually be flawlessly demonstrated to you by a senior researcher who has been practicing these techniques for a decade and looks like they could get through the practical component of your PhD before breakfast.

It is only natural, then, that you’ll get the dooming feeling that you are never, ever, never going to be able to master the skill (or skills) in question.

Solution: practice makes perfect

Ask anyone who excels in any field, from medicine to ballet, and they will tell you: those who do well are not those who have the most talent, but those who work the hardest and never, ever give up.

So practice.

Ask for help and grab every opportunity for further practice that presents itself. Don’t be afraid to seem too keen: there is no such thing as being too keen when you are a PhD student.

In fact, graduate school and doctoral research are all about being unapologetically excited about what you do!

You will find that after a few weeks of practicing single-mindedly you’ll start to get the hang of things. And before you know it – you’ll be teaching that very skill to a terrified-looking first-year PhD student.

#3 'I am not as good as the other PhD students in my group'

Making friends with your fellow students is one of the best things about studying a PhD.

At the same time, the other side of the coin is that you are subject to constant comparison with others – even if that comparison only takes place in your own mind.

Some of your friends might seem like they are sailing through their PhDs, gracefully collecting perfectly-coherent data while dedicating themselves to their perfectly-manicured lives. It’s therefore more than natural to feel as though you are not doing as well, that you are being left behind and simply aren’t good enough to hang out in their company. Or share their laboratory.

Solution: learn from your peers

First of all, remember that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

Your friend who seems to be collecting endless amounts of data might be struggling to find a direction for his project and a way to apply those results.

Your friend who seems to know exactly what she’s doing and where she’s going and how to get there might have doubts about the overall direction for her project.

Those same friends are almost certainly somehow envious of something you’re doing and worrying that they don’t match up.

This is called ‘imposter syndrome’ or ‘fraud syndrome’ (see below). It’s a common problem for PhD students and it’s important to get past it.

But what if some of your friends are better than you at some parts of PhD work? That’s fine. You’re probably better than them at other things. So, don’t be jealous, and learn from them!

How do they do it? Do they work harder? Do they have a really great way of organising themselves? Do they spend more time reading the literature in your field? Do they go to all the seminars offered by your department or do they think they are a waste of time?

#4 'I am a total fraud'

Fraud syndrome - or imposter syndrome - is the plight of the intellectually minded. You’ve probably experienced it, to some degree, from the moment you first stepped into a university lecture.

Well, here’s the good news: you’re always going to have it. But there’s a reason for that.

As you perform cutting-edge work at the very forefront of your field you’ll be working in prestigious institutions amongst famous professors. As a result, you’ll always be tempted to feel inferior by comparison. But you aren’t.

Solution: power through it

The best way I have found to overcome fraud syndrome is to power through it. If you find yourself dwelling on how exciting your work is and how prestigious your workplace is, stop. Don’t think about it.

If you must think about it, talk about it as much as you can with your fellow students. I promise you, they feel the same.

Talking to others who share your predicament will make you feel better: after all, the university might have made a colossal mistake letting you in, but they can’t have made a mistake with all of the students in your group.

Of course they haven’t. You got onto this PhD. You’re a real PhD student. So focus on your PhD .

#5 My supervisor hates me

Your relationship with your supervisor is one of the most important and delicate parts of your PhD. No matter how great you thought they were when you started, you are inevitably going to disagree from time to time.

Sometimes these episodes become more frequent and close together. This is a normal part of the process of scholarly discussion, but it can invite paranoia if you’re new to academic research.

You might start worrying that your supervisor can’t stand you, or thinks you are a waste of space.

Alternatively, your supervisor might seem to vanish in a cloud of academic commitments and never appear to have any time for you – prompting you to wonder if they do hate you and are avoiding your project.

Solution: recognise the value of constructive criticism

First of all, chances are very good that your supervisor doesn’t hate you.

They might disagree with you about part of your project, or your approach to it.

They might also be busy, stressed out or under a lot of pressure from funding bodies or the department – after all, supervisors are human beings too!

If your supervisor does seem irritated, there might be something to learn from that. Do you show them projects when it’s too late for them to give you any input? Do you ignore what they tell you?

And if it is the case that they don’t like part of your work, why don’t they like it? A good supervisor will offer useful constructive criticism. Learning to take it on board is an important part of working with them .

These are all things you can use to become a better PhD student and will benefit your work in the long run!

Editor's note : This blog was first published on 22/03/2017. We've checked and updated it for current readers.

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28 Questions I Wish I Had Asked When Selecting My PhD Advisor

Mentoring Hats

You’ve heard this before: One of the most important decisions in grad school is selecting a research advisor — also known as PI (principal investigator), research supervisor, or, wrongly, research “mentor”.

A good friend of mine says that in grad school, you’re forced to select two out of these three options:

Good advisor
Good project

Contrary to how the selection process is usually run, the research project should have the least importance. If the project fails, you will probably feel bummed for a week or so but then can quickly pivot. If the advisor or team fails, however, you will have a challenging graduate school experience.

If you’re entering the process of selecting a research lab, keep in mind that no lab is perfect. You can de-risk your selection process, however, by asking questions and gathering data from prospective advisors.

Evidence-based introspection

Learning about the management style of potential research advisors is only one the first step. Next, you should compare what you learned from each lab to what you think will be a better fit for you .

At this stage, you can easily fall into a wishful thinking trap. Please, don’t.

Consider your previous research and work experiences and note what worked and what didn’t. List the aspects you think helped you thrive in those specific environments. In other words, to evaluate fit, take an evidence-based introspection approach in which you rely on facts about how you work, as well as what motivates and frustrates you.

Questions I wish I had asked

Some of the questions below are more suitable to ask prospective advisors directly, while others are more targeted towards members of the group. Like with any experiment, gather as many data points as you can. Most questions can be modified depending on whether you’re interviewing the faculty member or their students.

List of questions:

1. Advisor-student relationship: Will the advisor-student relationship be more casual (“let’s get a beer and chat about life”) or just formal, and work-focused?

2. Are there lab retreats or other opportunities for team building?

3. Is the advisor involved in the student’s professional development outside of research?

4. How would my project change if I am interested in academia vs. industry?

5. Where do lab alumni tend to go next? Postdoc, professorship, industry?

6. How long does it take on average to graduate from the lab?

7. How soon do papers get published — during the thesis, or towards the end or after defending?

8. Is there a funded project, or will I have to find my own funding and/or establish a new research area? How will this affect my timeline?

9. How long has the lab been around? Any plans to move? (good luck getting an answer on this one)

10. What kind of person thrives in this lab?

11. What do the lab demographics look like?

12. How would you describe lab culture?

13. How difficult is it to make progress in the lab? What makes it difficult?

14. Are projects well defined, and separate or will you be working as part of a collaborative team? How are roles assigned?

15. Is the lab (or its members) involved in any diversity initiatives?

16. In the case of an external fellowship holder, how does that affect (if at all) the type of project I get assigned to?

17. How busy is the advisor? Is it hard to get a meeting with them?

18. What’s the 1 on 1 meeting frequency? Do they prefer meetings within a structured schedule or as needed?

19. How often are lab meetings? How is the meeting structured?

20. How and when do they give feedback?

21. Does the advisor seek feedback? How do they react?

22. How involved are they during the manuscript-writing process? What about during the PhD proposal writing phase?

23. How would you describe the advisor’s management style? Are they micro-managers or more hands-off? How does this style affect your work/your student’s work?

24. Are they the kind of advisor to monitor their student’s time in the lab?

25. What skillset can I expect to develop from working on this specific project/in this lab?

26. How has the advisor responded in cases where a student has struggled — either because of personal or academic issues? Were they supportive?

27. Will I have the opportunity (or be forced to, depending on how you look at it) to write research grant proposals?

28. Is there anything else I should know that we haven’t discussed yet?

Pay attention to the excuses red flags

You will rarely have a lab member or prospective advisor tell you straight up what their red flags are. In my experience, however, red flags are often covered up by excuses.

“Oh, yeah, we don’t meet as often, but it’s because they’re so busy!”

“There have been some conflicts with lab members, but it’s because they’ve got a lot of pressure to get funding.”

Don’t ignore the red flags.

Mentors versus Research Advisors

Distinguishing between these two roles is critical for success in graduate school, preparing to meet your mentor: guiding questions, guiding questions to help craft an agenda in preparation to meet with your mentor..

Written by Angel

BioEngineer | Values mentorship, leadership, and professional development | c: [email protected] |

Text to speech

i hate my phd

Tuesday 11 august 2020, every time i refuse to say a mean thing about myself, .........

I re-watched The Illusionists yesterday. (If you haven't seen it: brilliant documentary by Elena Rossini (you can read an interview with her here ) about body image and about how advertisers create insecurity to get you to buy more stuff.)

What's interesting is how I really felt like I needed to re-watch it. Maybe I had been feeling shitty due to too much time spent online, on my phone, on Instagram, with ads getting beamed at me all the time. I was definitely starting to get the body image panic, and also a feeling of 'I need to get the fuck off my smartphone, which I will definitely do after I've read and reread just one more favourite post on Captain Awkward ........ ' (*lifts dazed and tired eyes away from screen five hours later).

Anyway. So I revisited the amazing documentary (which by the way is so beautifully shot and so GOOD that I kind of just want to watch it AGAIN, TODAY) and I made a note to self in a notebook, which goes as follows:

'Every time I refuse to say mean things or think mean thoughts about my body, I'm sending a giant silent UP YOURS to the companies who make loads of money from making me feel insecure.'

And now for your benefit - here is a link to director Elena Rossini's blog posts about productivity in the digital age (there are lots more useful links in this one on 'How to become a successful digital minimalist', and I highly recommend getting lost down a rabbit-hole for a while, because this stuff is USEFUL.)

(FYI: I haven't turned my smartphone on all day. I'd call that a massive success.)

https://www.therealists.org/2019/11/3-key-habits-to-become-a-successful-digital-minimalist/

ps. I've decided that every woman I'm friends with who hasn't already seen it is getting The Illusionists gifted for her birthday this year.

Tuesday 23 July 2019

Quick post... to say nothing in particular, friday 19 october 2018, cloud nine has got a job... a happy ending, blogger isn't letting me write the blog post i want, so here is a picture instead: 'work, interrupted.' (i know how she feels. procrastination strikes again...).

Saturday 19 May 2018

Monday 14 may 2018, creativity again: insights from days gone by, monday 30 april 2018.

Remember me Not recommended on shared computers

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Officially Grads

Love the program, hate the location. Advice?

By OutOfPlace February 3, 2014 in Officially Grads

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Hi GradCafe, I'm a 2nd year PhD student in a 5-year program. Academically, I couldn't ask for a better situation; in particular, I'm working with a fantastic advisor who is essentially the reason I came here. The problem is, this program is located in a small college town in the South, and I absolutely hate living here. Almost all my family is on the West Coast, my extended family is in the Midwest, and my closest friends are in the Northeast where I did undergrad - so I'm about as far as you can get from the people who matter to me. I've spent my life in liberal, urban areas and loved it, and the Southern culture and small town-ness are stifling. I've made a few good friends, but it's hard to meet people around here who share my interests. In short, this is the opposite of where I would like to spend the bulk of my twenties. Now, I knew all this going into it, but I figured that the academics are what mattered and I'd spend all my time working anyways. I wasn't totally wrong; however, I underestimated the psychological toll of not liking where I live. I can't stop imagining "grass is always greener" scenarios about what it would be like to have chosen a different school, or to quit and get an industry job. I also underestimated how long 5 years really is, especially being so very far from my family. I have this raging internal debate between "You'd be a spoiled idiot to give up this opportunity just because you aren't in your perfect city" versus "It's my life and I shouldn't sink 3.5 more years into being unhappy". Or maybe I'm just Sophomore Slumping and looking for excuses? Anyways, I was hoping some of you wise elders might have some advice. Has anyone been through this before? Any good ideas for dealing? Perhaps in the later grad years, it's possible to go out-of-state more often? Tough love is welcome too, if you think I should just suck it up. Thanks for listening.

2nd year, as in just about to wrap up general/qualifying exams? Why not convert to a MS and apply elsewhere? Where you live can be the difference between bliss and misery irrespective of academic considerations. Grad school is tough, no need to make it tougher by staying somehwere you strongly dislike.

My program does quals after first year, actually, so I've already passed. I've also gotten lucky with some unique funding over the past year. Dropping to MA and transferring isn't out of the question, but it would burn a bridge big time with my program/advisor, and it would probably downgrade me to a less good research fit. It would also likely "reset" me in the eyes of a new program, so I'd be adding a couple years to the total process.

Actually, the fact that switching programs seems so unviable is part of why I feel so trapped. Am I wrong for thinking this?

danieleWrites

You might be in a 5 year program, but you don't have 5 years left! You're a 2nd year, so you have, what, 3 1/2 or 4 years left?

Now, mental health is a serious issue. It does you no good to stick with the perfect program if you end up needing in-patient therapy. Your program has a selfish interest in your mental well-being, as well. They don't want to be known as the school that gives their grads anxiety disorders along with a degree. Of course, you're getting a PhD. Jobs for PhDs are more along the lines of "beggars can't be choosers" than anything else. There is no guarantee that you will get your PhD and then find a job opening in your comfort zone. There are more Podunk Us than there are cosmopolitan universities.

So, what can you do? That kind of depends on your ability to adapt to your environment. You've been there for a year, probably a year and a half (not counting the time you've been home during break, right?). You've made friends and you've done some things. Cow tipping isn't much fun if you're used to opera (and vice versa). You're, no doubt, still experiencing some culture shock. You're in America, but not like any American you're used to. (These people are totally alien, amirite?)

I think that the first thing you need to do is go to the university's counseling center and get some counseling. You're feeling trapped, rather than bored. A person with a social circle, but not a lot of options for entertainment, would be, in general, bored. That's not you. Trapped is not just feelings of boredom, or feeling like a stranger in a strange land, but also feeling rejected and rejecting at the same time. Trapped is a loss of power, perhaps even a sense of fear and/or distrust in the natives. I was married to the military before I joined it myself. I've moved a ton . Some places felt like a noose around my neck. Other places were just dull.

Once you've spent some time with the counselor and worked your way through your feelings (are you unable to adapt? or do you just need a safe space to work through a foreign subculture?), go speak with your adviser. You're not the first person in the program to have trouble adapting to the small town in the South lifestyle. Tell your adviser that you're having trouble adapting to the culture of the area and ask if s/he has any suggestions for a big city person in a small town world. This will do two things for you: 1) it will give you another person who might have some ideas on how to help you adapt, and 2) your adviser is getting the heads up that your life isn't perfect, so if things do get to the point where you just can't stay a second longer, your adviser won't be surprised by the information.

You obviously have a great student work ethic, so the usual clues about a student in distress aren't appearing. The program likely thinks your world is gravy. If you find a way to diplomatically let them know your life isn't cake (asking for advice is a great way) while also showing (not telling) them that you're doing your absolute best to overcome and adapt, you will have a method to continue to develop their respect and their help, and, if worse comes to worse, they won't get as snitty if you have to leave. This is, of course, assuming that your adviser and professors are normal human beings that have the usual amount of caring for others. Some people are just plain mean and there's nothing you can do about it.

Lastly, see if you can organize a regular trip into the nearest urban area for some fun. A once a month trip to a big city can do wonders. I have a buddy who moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan Kansas. We'd go to Topeka two or three times a month and we'd drag him along once a month. While we did our thing, he'd ride the city bus for an hour. It was enough of home for him to adapt.

gellert , Academicat , lola9900 and 1 other

I can sympathize with how you feel. The first two years of grad school for me was not in an ideal location either and I ended up starting over at a PhD program elsewhere. In Canada (where my first program was), it's normal to go elsewhere after a 2 year MSc (and you can usually only get into PhD programs after a 2 year MSc) so I didn't burn any bridges by leaving though. The abnormal part is that most people stay in Canada (for a 3-4 year PhD following a 2 year MSc) instead of going to the US where I have to start all over. Another difference between our cases is that my new school is a better research and location fit for me! Although one thing that was the same was that my first school is in a tiny town and my advisor there was the reason why I wanted to go there.

However, I had very strong location-based reasons to move away from my first graduate program after my MSc was over. My PhD program search was very motivated by wanting to live in certain geographical areas. I am happier where I am now and I think it is worth it to have started over but be happy with my non-work life. But again, I also think I am in a better place for my career as well, so it's not a matter of location vs. career here (not that the first place was a bad fit, it was actually the best fit possible for me in Canada)

It is ultimately up to you and your priorities whether or not you want to start over. I don't think starting over is the end of the world! Here are some thoughts for/against starting over from my point of view, and hopefully they give you some things to think about:

Reasons to stay:

1. Like danieleWrites says, you don't have 5 years left! I think the next 3 years will probably go by faster than the first 2 years.

2. You're in a really good program from what it sounds like, so it might be easier to follow danieleWrites' suggestions about changing your outlook and finishing up your program

3. The timing might not be ideal right now for you to apply to new programs because many deadlines have already passed? So by the time you would change programs, it would be only 2 years left in your current one.

Reasons to move:

1. As Usmivka said, grad school is tough enough, so why make it worse? It sounds like you have already completed your MS requirements so getting that and leaving should just be a formality right?

2. For me, location is very important and I would pick location fit over research fit in most cases. The way I see it is that I can easily change my research interests/motivations to fit my work but I would find it extremely difficult to change my personal views and outlook on life. I would be very unhappy if I could not get ethnic foods (especially certain vegetables) where I lived but I would be way less unhappy about having to work on my 2nd or 3rd most interested topic instead of my top choice.

3. Research topics will change a lot and I don't think a PhD thesis should have to be your #1 love. I got advice that I should work on whatever will get me employed, not necessarily what I love the most. In other words, the only requirement for a thesis topic is that you should not hate it...you don't have to love it. I find that many people will not "love" their topic anymore after spending 5+ years studying it in depth!

4. Some people say "you won't get to choose where you live as a postdoc etc. so why worry about it in grad school" but I think about it another way. Since most academics have to go where the job is, I think grad school and post-doc is actually the rare time where you have more control over your location than others. So, I would say to make the most of this chance and pick nice locations now because you might end up somewhere crappy later. My personal goal is to go even more extreme and I have decided that location is more important to me than career, so I would rather not be an academic if I had to live somewhere I did not want.

Just some ideas to think about. I think the main point of what I wrote is that, to me, there isn't that much difference between "#1 best research fit" and even "#5 best research fit"--if you are in a strong department and if you are a skilled worker, you will be able to find success without needing it to be your favourite topic. On the other hand, I think there is a huge difference between "#1 best location fit" and "#5 best location fit". So, if we are considering schools that are roughly equivalent in terms of research fit and resources available, I would just pick schools based on location (which was what I did for my PhD program as I was considering a few schools that were almost equivalent in terms of research fit).

danieleWrites and lola9900

Travel. Fly off on a Friday and be back by Monday. Eat cheaper meals and don't pay for cable and you can probably swing it once a month or so, and then after a few times you'll have free trips with airline miles.

Also - if you're wondering "Where?"

The answer is ANYWHERE BUT BACK HOME. You feel like you can't live without your family up-the-butt 24/7. Nothing will be worse for you than going back there. Go anywhere else. Get a passport. Buy cheap flights anywhere random. Have adventures.

DO NOT GO BACK HOME.

The key to coping with compulsions is to delay, delay, delay. Do not go home.

gellert , Lisa44201 , Vejas and 1 other

rising_star

In a nutshell, just suck it up and finish. I moved across the country for my PhD and didn't love the place I ended up. Like you, I went to a place with a fantastic advisor and any sort of transfer would've meant a downgrade in terms of advisor and research fit. But, I made the most of it by exploring the place and the surrounding area on the weekends. I tried out a few new (to me) activities and fell in love with one of them. I used those activities to meet new people and make friends. I ended up developing such a good personal network out there that I now miss the place even though I still don't like the actual place very much. The trick is to get beyond grad school. There are probably people like you there, even if you don't know it. Go to grad school wide social events, go to Meetup groups, go on reddit (if that's your thing) to find what people do in/near where you are, etc.

Alternately, you can go the route of one my grad school colleagues. He strongly believes in "writing your way out" of wherever you are. If you hate the place and decide to have no social life, then dedicate all that time to working your butt off and graduating sooner. Get your papers submitted now. Start collecting data for the dissertation ASAP and, failing that, at least get the lit review and part of the methods written sooner rather than later. Ultimately, the faster you write, the faster you graduate and, in your case, get the hell out of dodge.

Transferring is just a terrible idea in your situation. You'd be downgrading in terms of advisor and research and adding years to your degree just to live somewhere else... That's a lot you'd be giving up without getting a lot in return. Also, not sure what your future career plans are, but you should know that you may not have much choice about where you live, regardless of whether you're trying to be a professor or not. Not all jobs are available everywhere, you know? You're always going to be somewhat far from (some of) the people who know you and care about you. That's why you go out and try to make new friends and meet new people. It is possible if you try. Or, don't try. Put your head down, get your research done, publish a bunch, and then you'll have a lot more choice about where you end up next.

nugget , gellert and memyselfandcoffee

I started writing a response telling you to leave and why you should leave, but then I realized: I know nothing about you, your values, your area of study, or your future plans. This is a judgement call. As someone who was repelled from a "perfect" research opportunity due to location (also in the south), let me just say this: I don't think your unhappiness with the location is silly. If I were in your situation, I would start looking for opportunities in different locations.

Usmivka , Academicat , danieleWrites and 1 other

I completely understand. I moved in June before my first year started and decided by July that I would be finishing only a masters. It significantly lowered my stipend but that's about all. My PI was very understanding and confided that he was not accepting any more grad students, I was the last one, because he wanted to retire. Now he gets to retire 3 years sooner and it honestly made him smile. So you just never know.

I am also in a small town place in a Gulf Coast state. Your story sounds so much like mine. I'm also from the West, extended family in Midwest, very strong work ethic. This town has almost no cultural stuff like museums. I cannot have a social conversation with most around here because their views are so different than mine. It is purely a tourist haven and military town. The DUI rate in this county is the highest per capita in the state. Every day the news shows another DUI rollover, fatal, head on, drove a pickup into the river...

I've discovered that most of the grad students here graduated UG from here so they are getting some scholarship money to stay in this state. There are much more rigorous programs in the state, but not for my major. So I will finish a masters and then decide if I really want the PhD.

Thank you all for the thoughtful replies. It's really helpful, even just to hear that my problems aren't insane or unique. To highlight some specific takeaways that were really helpful:

1. I should consider seeking help from counselors and advisors. I kept thinking, well, I'm certainly not depressed so that's not necessary. But you're right; counselors will still have good advice, and give my advisor the subtle heads-up that things aren't awesome is a good idea.

2. If I were to transfer, it would be with 2 years left in my program, which isn't very long. I could, in theory, leave this program with a Masters at the end of this year. Sounds tempting, but the truth is, I would then have to either work in industry for a while (forever?) or take an awkward gap year doing nothing. Neither of those are good options. Realistically, I'm committed here for at least another year, at which point it seems like 2 more isn't so bad.

3. Traveling is a good thing. I was sort of trying to embrace where I am and not run off every other weekend - but I think I'll be happier if I get my city/friends/family fix a little more often. Thanks again to all of you, this has been extremely helpful, and I definitely feel better equipped to take on the next year or so and make good decisions for myself about where to go from there.

juilletmercredi

I agree with a good deal of the advice that you've been given in this thread, but I want to add one thing. People have encouraged getting away from your location more often, and I agree - you need to go see your friends and family to stay sane, and if you have people who are willing to let you sleep on their couch you have only the cost of a plane ticket to contend with. I have hosted friends from all over the country in my apartment before I moved to one too small to do so.

BUT I also wanted to add - learn to love, or at least make your peace with, the place you live.

Even if you were able as a grad student to flit off to an exotic locale every weekend, you STILL have to be around M-F to do your work. But I'm guessing that in reality the most you'll be able to get out will be once every month or so, so you're still going to be spending the majority of the next 3 years of your life in Small Southern Town. You've got to make your peace with where you live, otherwise you will be miserable and counting the days until you move somewhere else. And trust me, this is not productive for work - I remember in the middle years of my program, I started to hate the place that I lived and everything about it and I desperately wanted to move somewhere else. My program is in New York City . I had dreamed about coming to live here. Most happiness research shows that people tend to grow where they're planted, and the majority of people can be at least content in most places. That's not saying that location is not important. Indeed, I am one of those who would rather give up academia than live somewhere I don't want to live. What I'm saying is that I think that a lot of us need to change our ideas of what's "undesirable" and open ourselves to embracing a culture that may be slightly different than we envisioned; conversely, we may be a bit wrong about what we think we really want. I thought I was a big city girl who would thrive in the vertical concrete jungle that is NYC, but I miss trees and cars and horrible shopping malls more than I ever thought I would.

My point is - perhaps your feelings about your small Southern town are unconsciously biasing you towards being unhappy there? (In my middle years of the program, my general unhappiness in my program was definitely directed into anger at NYC.) There may not be anyone who shares your intellectual interests, but in my experience people are more alike than they are dissimilar, so maybe there are some other hobbies or things you enjoy that you can find friends through. Or perhaps you discover a new hobby or interest - I joined a social sports league to meet friends in NYC, and I recently started running and there are running clubs EVERYWHERE. Many of my current friends are employees of the university, actually; many entry-level employees at the university are in their mid-to-late 20s and early 30s. I met them through working at the school, but if you go to some of the school's sponsored social events you might meet people at all levels. In fact, at this point in my life I think I am the only one in my close friend group who's still in graduate school. Perhaps get involved at the university level - run for grad student senator (nobody ever wants to do this!), work in residential life (where I met most of my current close friends), join some other grad student group around.

So while I agree with getting away every now and then, you also need to make sure that you are at least content on the days that you're in town.

TakeruK , danieleWrites , St Andrews Lynx and 1 other

Stick it out!! In the grand scheme of life, five years really isn't a long time.

I was born and raised in New York City and decided to go to college in Louisiana. It was a HUGE change! I spent the bulk of my free time exploring the state/nearby states, and really embracing all that they had to offer. On the surface, your small college town may seem pretty dreadful, but I guarantee there are cool things for you to check out within a few hours. I firmly believe that everyone needs a mental health break (ie: weekend away) in order to reset and regain focus on what's important. Even if it's going home (their home, not yours) with a friend overnight, do it. Get away. It's good to have a change of scenery.

If you need suggestions on where to go and what to see, let me know. I've traveled fairly extensively in the south during the past few years.

1 month later...

Once you are ABD, could you write your dissertation in a location you like and meet with your advisor by Skype and occasional visits to campus? (Forgive me if this is a stupid question.....honestly wondering.......)

Are you asking about the OP's specific case, or just in general?

If in general, then yeah I do know many students who do this. I know some profs who do this too during the summers. I would say that during the school year, it's helpful to be around the department in order to attend seminars, meet visitors, work as a TA as necessary. But in the summers, some students (and some profs) spend most of their time elsewhere and work remotely. This tends to be more common with, but not limited to, grad students in long distance relationships.

I kept thinking, well, I'm certainly not depressed so that's not necessary.

Are you sure?

ETA: Sometimes when we are depressed, we look for "reasons" just to hang our hat on something that explains why we're depressed. Like, say, "oh, it must be the town" or something like that. We assume something causes the "down" feeling, when it's really the down feeling that's just there to begin with and then we look for reasons to explain it away. Just some food for thought.

I'm beginning to like where I am, and I never thought I would. I can sympathize about being in the South. At the same time, I have a lot of biases and preconceptions about the South. When I actually visited the South, I found people there a lot more charming, warm, and friendly than I would have thought. Sorry, OP, I'm probably not being very helpful... just sharing my own experience of learning to like the place where I live (for now). Glass half-full tends to be my outlook on life, I suppose.

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Fifth year of my PhD and I hate my project. What should I do?

I am a PhD student in mechE. After paying the first year tuition out of pocket, I accepted a PhD project due to desperation for funding. However, after an year I realized that I hate the project. Here I made a mistake of not leaving/changing the project, I just waited out hoping I would like the project. I also asked my advisor a couple for a different project and he did not want to change my project due to sponsor obligations. For some reason I couldn’t assert myself and stayed on. However my hate for the project only grew with time and now I am in my fifth year. I have reached a stage where I absolutely hate the project and don’t know what to do. I can hardly do any work. I feel like quitting everyday and still feel it is wrong to quit this late. I have a very substandard thesis. I am lost and feel stuck, please advise on what to do. Thanks

10 If there is somebody you personally like and respect to talk to, that might be a good thing. – puppetsock Commented Feb 5, 2020 at 22:46
2 A similar dilemma: I absolutely hate my PhD and I don’t understand the purpose of it – cag51 ♦ Commented Feb 6, 2020 at 1:40
4 Why did you accept an answer so soon (in six hours) for such an important life problem? I'm shocked! – MarkDBlackwell Commented Feb 7, 2020 at 15:42
Could looking at the synonyms of hate (for example thesaurus.com/browse/hate ) help you describe your feelings better? Often our feelings come in a bundle of unresolved internal and external conflicts (see several good answers below) and words can help you find ways out of the mist or, at a minimum, recognize opportunities in the others' suggestions – XavierStuvw Commented Feb 8, 2020 at 20:32
Thanks for answering the question everyone, I appreciate it and did not expect such an overwhelming response. – user050220 Commented Feb 10, 2020 at 0:23

10 Answers 10

I serve as a mental health 1st aid officer at my school. I received basic mental health training but I AM NOT A PSYCHOLOGIST . During this role, I have assisted many PhD students going through the same dilemma.

I totally sympathise with you. One thing to consider, however, is whether you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed. PhD is a long and tough journey. The more you know the more you know you don't know. This is normal. This is OK. During a journey, the candidate suffers a lot, and many teeny tiny triggers can accumulate very quickly into pushing any PhD student over the edge. Some personal issues do contribute to the stress as well. Writing anxiety, home sickness, work-life balance and upsetting news overhyped in the media are all factors that can manifest into feeling insignificant and depressed.

I noticed you are working in mechanical engineering (last year). A common case I witnessed with engineers, is that they enjoy the technical work more than anything else (a.k.a writing). Building cool stuff or writing a fascinating and concise piece of computer software is just euphoric. There is a chance that you experience these feelings because writing is due. There is also a chance that you feel the thesis is sub-standard because you wanted to go back and build new cool things. Basically, you need your euphoric fix.

My advice to you is not to rush. Buy yourself some time to figure out what the root cause is. You can consult a therapist or a life coach (you should have access to this service via your university). There are few steps to rewire your behaviour into accommodating the current inconvenience until you finish.

Take some time off (1 week would do). Just treat yourself in doing what you love. No work stuff. Play video games, travel, read poetry, etc. Whatever makes you happy.

Do not feel guilty for wasting a week not working and do not let anyone to make you feel guilty about it. You needed this time off. The project needed you to take this time off.

Go back to your thesis with a fresh attitude (not feeling guilty or late).

If you are experiencing the same feelings and still thinking about quitting. List the cool research or engineering ideas you would rather do instead of working on that project you hate. Pick one that takes N days and do it (don't work on weekends). Maybe you just need that euphoric fix. Set N=4 .

Go back to your thesis again. If you still hate it, this time work on the project for at least 5-N days.

Repeat from 2 with N=N-1 .

IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE

a. Your post-grad degree is just that. A degree. You have your entire life ahead of you after you finish.

b. The steps I listed above are from my supervision experience. While I consulted with a psychologist in designing these steps, they do work on case by case basis and are not scientifically tested. Think of these steps as a life hack.

c. If you feel like not getting from bed in the morning for two days in a row, seek medical help. It is probably nothing or just a dietary deficiency but you better check.

d. If you are an international student, explore the possibility that you may be feeling homesick. Do not get defensive or shy to admit it. It is real and it happens to almost everyone.

e. I am not advocating sticking in a program that does not work for you. There is no shame in quitting. However, if you are quitting I advise you to do it for the right reasons. Please be careful of the legal consequences, if any. Also please consider the career interruption period (5 years) on your CV.

1 This is a fantastic answer and I think it answers the question I raised here: academia.stackexchange.com/questions/143820/… – user97709 Commented Feb 5, 2020 at 20:54
1 I don't consider a stopped PhD is a "career interruption". You gained a lot of experience doing the things you do: research, taking control of your own project, writing technical papers (if succeeding at it), teaching (if included). Downside: if you don't finish you don't have a diploma to prove it, but you can explain. It not like 'the road to a phd' has no value. But then again I'm not an employer. I myself am also considering to stop a PhD after 3 years, but I ended up with a severe burnout and anxiety attacks. Sometimes quitting prevents from getting into a worse situation. – JHBonarius Commented Feb 6, 2020 at 13:00
2 In the advice, what's the lower bound for N ? – Daniel R. Collins Commented Feb 6, 2020 at 15:20
1 Good point. I usually set N=1 . Always allow students one day for the fun stuff. By the time we approach submission deadline, it will resort to N=0 eventually. But then, the student will do that willingly. – Mo Hossny Commented Feb 6, 2020 at 15:36
2 One point you make is crucial: writing is hard, unfamiliar work to us engineering/science types. Writer's block is very real, an extremely painful. Add that for example the solution to a particular equation was cornerstone in my undergraduate thesis, and by the time of writing down (neglected for way too long) I had fogotten how, took me two weeks to derive it again. So write from the beginning. Write down everything. That way, if you are bored/blocked of writing, go doe some experiments, edit earlier writing, go to the library, summarize new stuff (needed for your "state of the art" chapter!) – vonbrand Commented Feb 6, 2020 at 18:06

The important question at this point is, how close you are to finishing? Fifth year sounds like right at the end to me. I agree, that if you feel this stuck (everyone has such a phase at some point, but yours sounds more severe), you should cut your losses. But the best way to cut your losses at this point might just be to hand in a mediocre thesis. After all, one way to get rid of the project is to simply finish it.

But in any case, think about why you want that PhD in the first place. If you just want it to get a better job in the industry, quitting it is definitely not the end of the world. You might not get your dream position, but as a mechanical engineer you won't end up unemployed even with just a Bachelor's degree. If you really want to do research, just not on this topic, then I fear the only way is forward. Without a PhD, opportunities are rare and at this point you are unlikely to find any funding for another five years to start a new PhD on a different topic. Think of the few more months of hardship as the price of admission. It might feel like hell, but it will be over at some point.

And finally if you feel like things are getting to much out of hand, don't hesitate to consult a professional. Even just talking through the details with a therapist might be incredibly helpful in ordering your thoughts and keep you from taking any rash decision, one way or another, which you might regret later.

3 The question can be: is your dream position a position you actually want. I always wanted independence to make my own decisions. But there is no job at which can make all the decisions. Plus I am realizing I actually cannot handle the responsibilities. So the dream job I was aiming for is actually probably not suited for me. I'm now considering quitting and returning to industy, doing a simple job learning to accept that I don't have control over all decisions. – JHBonarius Commented Feb 6, 2020 at 12:56

I think one important point is being missed here.

There's the project , and there's the thesis .

These are really two separate issues, but that is often forgotten. If you're not satisfied with your thesis (whatever state it is in), it is entirely up to you if and how you wanna proceed with that. There might be expectations from other people, but no one can force you to get a PhD.

The project on the other hand is a very different animal. By signing a contract you agreed to do a certain job. Getting a PhD is not part of that job , but lots of other things are.

So my advice would be to try and separate these in your head (and in your emotional state). If you hate the project, then from now on it's just an uninteresting (but time-limited!) contract you have to finish. You do the work, you get paid. That's it.

As for the thesis, once you manage to emotionally and intellectually decouple that from the job, you might find salvageable material in there. Maybe set it aside for a while, forget about it, get some distance. Then look at it again later, you might see new things in it from a fresh perspective. Always remember that no time is ever truly wasted. Everything is a learning experience, particularly those things that feel like failure initially.

2 Oh, one more thing. You might be in an overall mental state that qualifies as some degree of depression ("can hardly do any work" etc.). So on that account it may also be advisable to speak to a mental health professional. – Victor Mataré Commented Feb 5, 2020 at 17:49
In most cases, the advisor signed a contract with the project. He (or she) should be involved enough that they can easily transition if a student leaves, if that's not the case, well, it's poor planning on their part but not a reason for a student to stay. – user2699 Commented Feb 6, 2020 at 23:43
Well sure, formally it's just a job you can simply quit according to laws & terms. But a researcher in the middle of a scientific project isn't someone you can simply replace. And that's definitely NOT (primarily) because of poor planning (really a preposterous claim). It's because that person will have accumulated huge amounts of tacit knowledge that is close to impossible to transfer to a newcomer. And I'm not even mentioning the incredible overhead in transferring the little knowledge that is in fact transferrable. – Victor Mataré Commented Feb 6, 2020 at 23:49
1 That's true of most jobs, especially with skilled employees, and yet people quit and life goes on. I agree with the overall point of this answer though - it's good to separate the thesis from other work that needs to be done. – user2699 Commented Feb 7, 2020 at 0:20

I think you should talk to your advisor and try to figure out concrete, achievable roadmap to finishing. Most of the time when I was feeling what you are describing in grad school, it was because I wasn't getting anything done, I didn't know what my next step would be, and it felt like treading water-- slowly exhausting myself without making progress towards the shore.

Your advisor will understand. We all hate our work sometimes. You don't like doing this project and you'd like to stop. There are two paths out of that, quitting or finishing. Plan your final push and start checking off the boxes that lead to freedom.

It is never too late to quit. It is better for you to avoid wasting more time and also for the funder because other candidates could be able to work in your position more effectively. If you are completely sure that you do not possess the enthusiasm required for this topic and you are still not even close to obtaining the PhD. degree, just leave.

However, in some cases depending on the contract, the students might be obliged to recover the funding in case of an unsuccessful research period. This is a tougher situation, but in either case, you should communicate your problem with your supervisor and funder, and you need to work it out together to minimize both your and the funder's losses.

4 students might be obliged to recover the funding in case of an unsuccessful research period — Really? That's insane. – JeffE Commented Feb 5, 2020 at 12:27
2 "Insane" doesn't imply "never happens." I know of a situation where several years' funding was lost through non-delivery of a final report - and the reason was that the author was killed in a road accident a couple of weeks before the deadline, and that was insufficient time for the rest of the group to find the "final version" of work that had already been completed and written up in the guy's somewhat chaotic filing system! – alephzero Commented Feb 5, 2020 at 19:16
I'll just point out usually obligations with funding are to the institution or advisor. Don't make that a reason to stay - unless your contract that you signed with the school says that as a student you need to pay back funds if you don't complete the degree or project. Such a clause seems borderline criminal to me, but it may exist. – user2699 Commented Feb 6, 2020 at 23:45

I've never worked on a PhD thesis, or even a Masters degree. I don't know how difficult either are, but I can assume they are extremely difficult, time consuming, and that's why they deserve so much respect. Take a moment to realize that you have already done what most people haven't in getting a Master's degree. Take another moment to understand that you are almost done with something that ever fewer people attempt.

Now the hard part

I've been in the IT industry for over 25 years. I've rarely had a job I liked and I've never had a job I like 100% of the time. Either the managers didn't know what was going on, upper management was clueless, people in general were mean for no reason (including customers), or the project was uninteresting or not in the areas I wanted to work. This, unfortunately, is life. You'll likely be working on things you can't stand more than you work on things you like.

I'm not telling you to "suck it up" or "deal with it", I'm telling you to recognize it now so you can better handle it and work the problem later. You might be stuck in your current project, but later on you'll have more choices.

What I want you to do is to take a step back from your problem, try to understand what it is exactly you hate about the project, and figure out what, if anything, you like about it. Put it all down on "paper", if you have to. Do a pros vs cons worksheet. Get things into order so you know what you're looking at and categorize things so you can understand them. Now work the problem.

Rank those things in order from most important to least, and also rank them in best to worst. Figure out how to minimize your time doing the things you hate, unless they are required, and maximize doing the things you like. I'm not advocating you shirk your responsibilities, but I am advocating you look at things critically and figure out how to improve your situation.

What will help with all of this is figuring out why you feel a certain way about a task. Do you hate working in the units you're required to use (mm vs inch, ml vs oz, whatever). Do you hate a computer language or the tools, or some of your co-workers, the end results of the project, or just exactly whatever it is. Now, do you need to change your mind about something? For example, if you hate working in the metric system, you'll likely need to change your mind, since most engineering is done in metric. If you really dislike someone because of their nagging, is it because they are trying to get you to work to your full potential or are they just a busybody, and if they are the former, are they giving the advice in a positive or negative manner, and if it's positive, are you taking it as constructive criticism or just criticism? There's endless possibilities here and only you can answer all those questions.

Once you get out into the workforce, you'll have more freedom to work on what you like. However, job descriptions aren't always correct, they don't describe how toxic (or not) the work environment is, and they likely won't tell you how all the projects are going to be utilized. And once you start a job, that job description is going to change. It might take years or there might be a drastic change shortly after you join, and maybe that change wasn't something people expected at the time you got hired.

You will need to use the skills you are learning now about undesirable projects to decide if you are going to stay with the company, the department, or if you're going to change jobs. There's always the question of money, but with an advanced degree, you should have a better time with that than most people.

Understand that you have decisions to make, understand the decisions based on the checklist I suggested you make, and then make your decision based on what you can live with.

Getting an advanced degree is a great thing, but it's also a choice. You can continue working on it now, get it out of the way, and push through the negative until you get the results you want. Or you can quit, have a good job, a good life, and maybe take it up again later. But realize that "later" may never come. Even if it does, you might get into that project and not like it either, feeling as if you're wasting your time doing another thing you hate.

It's completely your choice what you do, but I'd suggest you stick this out and finish your doctorate. Get the professional mental help you need, if necessary, which it sounds like you do. There's nothing wrong with getting your mind right and nothing wrong with getting help to do so. Mo Hossny's excellent answer goes into this, so I won't.

What might also help is getting your mind off work. Get a hobby, if you don't already have one, or restart a hobby, if you've put it to the side, and do that instead of thinking about your thesis and your job all the time. Burnout is all too common. It happens all the time in people working a regular "9 to 5" job, and I hear it's also really common in people getting degrees. I got fairly burnt out just trying to get an associates, but that was also while I was working a full time night job. I didn't recognize it at the time, but I also got burnt out trying to get my bachelors degree, and part of the reason I didn't finish it. (Money was the majority of the reason I didn't finish.) I really wish I had finished it. It would have helped me a lot and I wouldn't have had to go back to school for that associates.

Once you get your degree, take some time off. Mo Hossny suggests you take time off now, and I totally agree with that. You'll also need time, once you're done, to get your mind off the project, realign it with your future, and just de-stress in general. Too many people don't take time off work, which leads to being burnt out. They feel they need to always be working or it'll never get done, their job will be on the line, their boss will hate them, or any number of other reasons to fear not doing their job. The thing is, the job will be waiting when they get back, it'll never be done regardless (unless they really are fired), and if their job is so toxic that their employer doesn't want them to take time off, they need to find another job. So take care of yourself. Learn that now and you'll be ahead of the majority of other people.

And the break after your degree doesn't have to be long. It can be 1-2 weeks, or it can be 1-2 months. It depends on your mindset as well as your finances, but only you'll know that and only when it happens, so don't worry about that now. Just look forward to it.

Again, only you can know what you really want to do. You have to figure out if you're going to stay or if you're leaving. Hopefully I've given you some food for thought on how to figure that out. I also hope I've helped you understand that this is a learning experience in how life works, and to learn from it as well, so you can handle it when it happens in the future, because it will happen again, unfortunately.

I wish you the best! Good luck! And work the problem.

Preface: this is narrow focused and might barely be above being a comment, but I feel like it deserves being presented at the very least as a corollary answer to one like @Mo Hossny's .

Consider seeking some professional help

If you are feeling too overwhelmed to make a decision and concerned that you might not be making a sound one in regards to how the situation is making you feel right now, then it can be incredibly helpful to get some help from a related professional, and there's nothing to be ashamed of in doing so. Ideally, find a clinical psychologist. Pay attention to their focus and methodology (for example, if you're more comfortable with the concepts behind cognitive behavioral therapy, seek out someone who practices that). Be prepared for the possibility of not hitting a perfect fit for yourself (and it's fine to ask for a referral if that's the case), but also give things a little time.

My concern is that some of the things you are describing could turn out to be warning signs (this is not an attempt to diagnose you over the internet from a single post, but definitely me saying that if you are feeling like you need help, then please get it), and you may have put yourself in a position where your feelings towards certain aspects of your project are being overrun and confounded by others, and equally may be spilling out into other aspects of your work in general. Particularly if things or aspects of your work which you previously enjoyed or found satisfying no longer are. But even if that's not the case, the situation you are describing is the type that can make it difficult to make a well reasoned decision for anyone, and that's where it can be ideal to have a third party to help work through it with you.

You could continue to work on unraveling this yourself (and there's great advice being given here where you've already reached out for help), but it's also exactly the sort of thing that a psychologist is extremely well suited to help you address, particularly as it relates to helping you pinpoint related feelings and in turn work through your own decision in relation to the options you have.

One way to look at this is that, much like when one pushes through the pain in sports and causes themselves an injury, you may have done something similar by continuing on this to the point where you are now finding it difficult to even do any work at all. Just like there's nothing to be ashamed of when seeking professional medical attention for other areas of your body when they're interfering with your life, there's nothing to be ashamed of with seeking appropriate help when the trouble you're facing is psychological in nature.

Whatever academic choices you make going forward, it's important that you make sure you put yourself in a good place mentally to make those choices in ways that are true to yourself. It sounds like you are overwhelmed and struggling with finding related clarity to work through what choices to make, and that's very much the type of thing that a Psychologist can help you with. It's possible that with some work, you could more narrowly determine what specific aspects of the project are the ones you specifically hate, and either find ways to make them bearable in conjunction with the wider project, or find other avenues to take (which other people have already noted well). If you're concerned about seeking out someone who can relate to your academic predicament, a clinical practicing PsyD or PhD of Psychology is also someone who has been through a rigorous academic and professional process to not only achieve their degree but also their license.

As @Mo Hossny noted, as a student you should be able to seek related counseling through your University's health or counseling services (the one at my University is also more than happy to refer out, if that is a concern), but note that if you are not comfortable with that option for any reason, you can also (in the US) use the APA's locator service or contact your state association for a referral. There are also other avenues for referral, such as your physician (assuming there's someone you see regularly). The APA also has a page dedicated to advice on helping choose a therapist (with a lot of more general related advice/explanations).

You haven't explained what your project is. It may be exceptional, but just not to your own personal liking. When you are young it is much harder to appreciate the mundane. You may end up looking back at this and feeling silly for feeling this way

Gather information by reading this important book: The Joy of Burnout: How the End of the World Can Be a New Beginning (Dina Glouberman, PhD, 2003) .

Essentially, if you don't stop this project, your body will force you to stop.

I think this is common for many PhD students. I felt similarly when I was near the end of my PhD. It is so much work, and you give up so much. It can be difficult to maintain your enthusiasm for so many years, in the face of so many rewrites of essentially the same stuff. The thesis process is so iterative. Often, the mundane research process does not match the lofty expectations we had for the project either, due to lack of funding, time, or myriad other reasons. Perhaps you can stick with the project but look at it from a different angle, or add or remove elements to fine tune it more to your liking. Remember, this is just one project and it is subject to various school rules that won't apply to other projects. Once you have your degree you will most likely have more leeway to design your projects as you want, within the guidelines of good/valid research of course. In the end you have to decide what is right for you, but I elected to stick with mine. I put in too much time and money to throw it all out. I am glad I did. I reached my goal of getting my PhD and I now have the experience I need to work on any other project I want.

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A teenage boy in a dark blazer and backpack looks over his shoulder against a bright blue sky.

‘Not my boy.’ When teachers are harassed by students, some schools and parents fail to help

Senior Lecturer, School of Education, University of Adelaide

Lecturer in Education Futures, University of South Australia

Disclosure statement

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Since the start of this school year, we have been surveying teachers in South Australia about sexist views among students. This is part of our research into how online worlds are shaping Australian schooling.

In May, we reported the first round of our research . We found South Australian teachers were experiencing a rise in sexist and other anti-social views among students, similar to those reported interstate and overseas .

Teachers in our as yet unpublished study spoke of an alarming increase in misogynistic, homophobic, racist, and sexist language and behaviours, mostly by boys and young men targeting girls and young female teachers. This is prompting some women to leave the profession .

A new theme to emerge from our research is bystander inaction. This is when school leaders, other teachers, or parents downplay what is happening or do nothing or little in response.

Read more: 'Make me a sandwich': our survey's disturbing picture of how some boys treat their teachers

Between February and May this year, we advertised an anonymous survey on the Teachers of Adelaide Facebook group. This involves teachers from public, private co-ed and single-sex schools.

The survey called for short-answer responses to questions about sexism, racism, homophobia or other anti-social behaviours and language.

We received 160 responses. Almost 80% of the responses were from female teachers, who were mostly from high schools. On top of this, we did ten interviews with teachers who responded, who were willing to talk at further length.

A teenage boy in a blazer and tie writes on a sheet of paper on a desk.

Teachers are not prepared to help

Some female teachers in our study experienced abuse and harassment by students when they were on their own. But it sometimes occurred around other female staff or teachers.

One female teacher who has been in the profession for 14 years told us how a Year 11 boy backed her into a corner of the staff room.

And the other staff members, they didn’t know what to do because he was stronger than all of us.

Other teachers spoke about how they had no training or preparation to deal with this kind of behaviour. One female teacher said:

I don’t think my teaching degree prepared me for any of this […]. It was a bit of a culture shock going into a school.

Another female teacher said teacher education and professional development did not acknowledge “you could possibly be the victim of sexual harassment as a teacher”. She added “that really pisses me off to be honest”.

It’s different for male teachers

A male interviewee described stepping into a senior high school classroom after the female teacher for that class had resigned due to the behaviour of male students.

She was having sexually suggestive things said to her by her students and it was not really dealt with appropriately. And she got to the point where she felt sick even thinking about coming to work […].

But as this male teacher explained, male students did not treat him the same way.

So, I just walk into the room, and they’re like, yeah, that’s the […] authority figure. It’s a man.

Other male teachers said gender-based harassment and abuse was too big an issue for them to tackle as part of their already busy and complex jobs. As one told us:

the scale of the problem is too big, and it’s really tangential as far as our duties go.

A group of students walk to the main entrance of a high school. A male teacher stands at the entrance, smiling.

School leaders are not helping

Female teachers are telling us some school leaders (which include principals and deputy principals) are not treating these issues seriously.

In one school, a female teacher left after being told by students as young as Year 7 she “looked like a porn star”. A female colleague told us how

she told the principal that she was being sexually harassed, the principal just said, ‘Well, just because you said it’s harassment, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is’.

Other respondents talked about a “hush hush” response from schools when teachers left due to student behaviour.

anything that’s challenging, [the principal is] like, ‘No, we’re not discussing that. I’ll have a discussion in private with you’.

In other industries – where the harassment of women has been ignored or covered up – this has been referred to as “ institutional gaslighting ”.

Parents are ignoring warnings

When there is a behavioural issue with a student, one of the first steps a teacher can take is to talk to the parents. But teachers in our study said parents often did not believe their sons could behave this way. As one female teacher described it, there is

a lot of eye rolling like, I can’t believe you’re treating this as an issue.

Another female teacher told us:

usually I get the response from the parent, ‘Not my boy. My boy would not do that. My boy would not have those values’.

The same teacher continued:

I’m just wondering how many parents really know their sons and have been prepared to sit down and talk about consent with their children, have been prepared to sit down and talk about respect with their children?

Read more: We research online 'misogynist radicalisation'. Here's what parents of boys should know

What can we do?

Bystander inaction to harassment and abuse of women and girls is not new . Research shows it thrives within cultures and systems where there is poor understanding of gender equity and little recognition we are all responsible for preventing or responding to this behaviour.

In Australia, we have a decades’ long policy vacuum around gender equity in schooling. So our systems are ill-equipped and reluctant to deal with this issue, despite warnings schools are becoming breeding grounds for gender-based violence and teachers are leaving.

We now have mandatory consent education , but as our research indicates, this is not being delivered consistently or effectively across schools.

Education around gender must be part of teaching degrees and a central component of the Australian Curriculum. And all of us in the community – including parents – need to take responsibility for the way men and boys treat women and girls.

High school
Teacher shortage
Gender-based violence
Workplace harassment
primary schools
Andrew Tate
Teacher wellbeing

Head of Evidence to Action

Supply Chain - Assistant/Associate Professor (Tenure-Track)

Education Research Fellow

OzGrav Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Casual Facilitator: GERRIC Student Programs - Arts, Design and Architecture

Watch CBS News

Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn speaks out after Paris Olympic performance: "I gave my all"

By Christopher Brito

Updated on: August 15, 2024 / 5:20 PM EDT / CBS News

Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn, also known as B-Girl Raygun, is speaking out after she received criticism and ridicule for her viral performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics . In an Instagram post Thursday, she broke her silence.

"I really appreciate the positivity, and I'm glad I was able to some joy in your lives," she said. "That's what I hoped. I didn't realize that would open the door to so much hate, which is frankly, been pretty devastating."

"I went out there and I had fun," the 36-year-old breaker said. "I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics, and I gave my all."

Breaking - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 14

Gunn, a professor from Sydney who holds a PhD in cultural studies, lost all of her three round-robin battles with a score of 54-0, drawing backlash for the lack of points and mockery over some of her moves in her routine, including a "kangaroo dance." It was even made fun of on " The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ." She responded to some of her critics.

"Bit of a fun fact for you," she said. "There are actually no points in breaking. If you want to see how the judges thought I compared to my opponents, you can actually see the comparison percentages across the five criteria on Olympics com. All the results are there."

She also drew questions over how she was selected to represent Australia.

The Australian Olympics Committee came out in defense of Gunn on Thursday, condemning a anonymous petition on Change.org that demanded an apology from her and Australia's chef de mission, Anna Meares, for their "unethical conduct" in choosing Gunn. The AOC said Gunn was selected to the Australian Olympic Team through a "transparent and independent qualification event and nomination process."

"It is disgraceful that these falsehoods concocted by an anonymous person can be published in this way. It amounts to bullying and harassment and is defamatory," AOC CEO Matt Carroll said in a statement.

As of Thursday afternoon, the petition was no longer live on the site.

The committee pointed out that Gunn held no position within AUSBreaking or DanceSport Australia — two entities that oversee competitive breaking in the country — in any capacity.

Accusations were also aimed at Gunn's husband and fellow breaker, Samuel Free. The AOC said Free doesn't and was not a judge at the qualifying event.

Breaking made its Olympic debut in Paris and won many fans. However, the sport did not make it onto the roster of sports for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles .

Christopher Brito is a social media manager and trending content writer for CBS News.

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COMMENTS

15 things to remember if you've started to hate your PhD
All PhD students hate their thesis at one time or another. Here are 15 things to remind yourself of if you're starting to hate yours...
I absolutely hate my PhD and I don't understand the purpose of it
You can understand my frustration. Now I am depressed, lost, and hardly do anything. I wake up, go to the lab and pass time. I absolutely hate my "thesis", I don't have anything meaningful or useful for my future career. I don't even know the purpose of my thesis topic. initially I was scared to leave, now I feel it is too late to leave.
I hate my PhD but I still want to finish it just got the sake
I hate it. I hate it I hate it I hate it. I'm about 50% done and I do not have any motivation to finish it. It's not even difficult. I can finish it in due time. It's just that I don't want to do it anymore. But at the same time I want to finish it because I don't want "quitter" tag on my CV. Plus I think it's cool to have a Dr before your name.
I hate my PhD : r/labrats
I hate my PhD, but it's more a matter of both a bad PI and me falling into a suck cost kind of mentality. Sometimes people's feelings are just imposter syndrome and sometimes you truly just hate what you're doing.
I think I hate my PhD and everyone in it
A PhD is research-based and research-intensive. There is a reason it's a doctorate of philosophy, because you are there to ultimately add to the scope of human knowledge. That might sound flowery, because it is, but the point remains: you will have a bad time if you can't at least tolerate research. As far as not liking the people, that's ...
Quitting my Ph.D. was hard. But it led me down a better path
Home Careers Quitting my Ph.D. was hard. But it led me down a better path. Quitting my Ph.D. was hard. But it led me down a better path. A version of this story appeared in Science, Vol 381, Issue 6665. When I hit play, I had no idea the podcast would feel so personal. The hosts shared stories of children who were intent on succeeding in one ...
graduate school
General Information I am currently finishing the second semester of my first year in a PhD program at a top tier US school in an engineering program. I have a full scholarship that pays for all of my tuition and a living stipend (typical graduate student stipend ~$1800 a month after taxes, so quite enough to live off of).
The Thesis Whisperer
For more than a decade, this blog has existed and I know it's helped many people. But contemplating my PhD against the sheer scale of all human knowledge takes me to dark places. This is why I kind of hate Matt Might's PhD pimple - at the same time as admiring the humble simplicity of the idea.
Living to tell the tale: I quit my PhD as a survival tactic
Living to tell the tale: I quit my PhD as a survival tactic The heady excitement of being admitted into a premier research institution built this PhD student for the best few months of her life. But somewhere along the way, things went downhill. Less than two years later, she decided to quit her PhD to give herself a new lease on life.
I wasted six years of my life getting a PhD degree. What should I do
75 I struggled with low self confidence throughout my bachelors, masters and PhD in chemical engineering. After spending two years in Masters and six years in getting a PhD degree, I am lost at what I can do with my life.
Why You Shouldn't Get a PhD
Why You Shouldn't Get a PhD The road to a doctorate is long, arduous, and paved with abandoned scholarship. Don't start the PhD process before you consider all the obstacles (and rewards). Here's what you need to reflect on before making the leap.
Three questions to ask yourself before quitting your PhD
It's normal for PhD candidates to consider abandoning their studies. Here's how to take emotions out of the decision.
'I don't think there's anything darker than doing a PhD'
But I don't think there's anything darker than doing a PhD.". There are rising concerns for the wellbeing of PhD students generally. A study carried out in Belgium earlier this year found ...
I hate my PhD supervisors. Is it worth even continuing?
Further, they are charging a premium because I'm an international student, and I am being charged literally the highest possible cost for my PhD (the bench fees are absolutely ridiculous for a non-lab based PhD). I have a professional doctorate degree and a masters degree already, and received them both with honors.
I hate my PhD on PostgraduateForum.com
I left a fully-funded, full-time PhD after nine months because I really struggled to get a grip on it. After pouring my heart out to my former supervisors, who were absolutely fantastic, we agreed that I should leave. I ended up submitting an MRes, which I was duly awarded for my hard work in this first year.
5 Common PhD Fears & How to Overcome Them
Concerned about the progress of your thesis? Worried about gaining new skills? Struggling with imposter syndrome? Gaia Cantelli explains how to overcome some common PhD fears.
28 Questions I Wish I Had Asked When Selecting My PhD Advisor
One of the most important decisions in graduate school is selecting a research advisor.
I hate my PhD but I want to somehow finish it : r/PhD
I hate my PhD but I want to somehow finish it. I don't know why I thought I would like research. I think I mistook hating my old job for being interested in research, but basically I wanted to quit and thought going back to school would be the way to go. I took 6 months off before my program, basically quit my job as soon as I accepted a PhD ...
i hate my phd
I pushed all those things to the second half of the day and made a serious effort to make a start on the creative project. Result: 8-9 am (got up, breakfast, procrastination) 9-10 am (clean sink, do washing up) 10-11 (procrastination. Better put my washing on)
Love the program, hate the location. Advice?
733. Location:Afloat. Program:Oceanography. Posted February 3, 2014 (edited) Hi GradCafe, I'm a 2nd year PhD student in a 5-year program. Academically, I couldn't ask for a better situation; in particular, I'm working with a fantastic advisor who is essentially the reason I came here. The problem is, this program is located in a small college ...
Fifth year of my PhD and I hate my project. What should I do?
I am a PhD student in mechE. After paying the first year tuition out of pocket, I accepted a PhD project due to desperation for funding. However, after an year I realized that I hate the project. H...
'Not my boy.' When teachers are harassed by students, some schools and
Our research on school students' sexist behaviour towards teachers shows some school leaders, colleagues and parents are downplaying harassment and abuse.
I hate my PhD : r/PhD
I hate my PhD. Post-PhD. I just completed my PhD, and I can't help but resent it. I went to a low-ranked school, 0 teaching experience, 0 publications, and the job market has been a nightmare. I had a fully-funded scholarship, and my department prioritized giving TA positions to those who were not funded (which I totally understand).
Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn speaks out after Paris Olympic
Gunn, a professor from Sydney who holds a PhD in cultural studies, lost all of her three round-robin battles with a score of 54-0, drawing backlash for the lack of points and mockery over some of ...
Does anyone else hate their PhD too or is it just me? Does
Does anyone else hate their PhD too or is it just me? Does anyone have any anecdotes or advice? I used to love it, but sweet jesus do I hate it now.