The average physics PhD student takes 6.3 years to graduate. That is a long time. For most, graduate school starts on a high note. The first couple years are flush with the excitement of learning new things with new people in a new place. The last year or two is similarly exhilarating as your dissertation draft grows longer and graduation nears. Between these highs, however, is a valley of long middle years that often seem interminable.
These middle years were not easy for me or most of the people I know. In fact, I have worked with several graduate students who strongly entertained thoughts of quitting in the middle of the valley. While it is wise to never say “never,” quitting in the middle of graduate school is usually a bad idea. Doing so could mark you as “quitter” in the eyes of many. I remember a CEO level friend of mine telling me once that his standard procedure is to delete a resume when it shows the person quit several years into graduate school. After all, if you took on the big commitment of graduate school and jumped ship, it casts doubt on whether you will stick with the next big project you take on. Therefore, if you do quit graduate school in the middle, be sure to have a good story explaining why and tell it early and often.
Assuming you do stay, there are several strategies that can help you through the valley. Here are few that helped me:
- Establish a Graduation Plan – Sure, everyone needs to pay their dues to some extent, but by year three or four you should have a plan to finish in place. Do not wait for your advisor to do this for you. Go and talk to them about it. Establish what your dissertation topic will be. Reach an agreement about how much work will be “enough” to graduate and try to minimize it. Everything will take longer to do than you think it will in the beginning.
- Take a Break – The lab will survive for a few weeks without you, and you will perform better with some time to decompress and reflect. No money to travel? Consider going camping locally, or even just taking some day hikes. Retreating to the wilderness for mental and spiritual renewal is an ancient tradition for a reason. It also has the benefit of being inexpensive.
- Consider Your Career – Planning what you will do with that shiny new PhD can help you stay the course of earning it. Are you set on becoming a professor? The odd are not good, but you can make them better by working to pick up the non-technical skills professors need, like grant writing. Sold on transitioning to the private sector? It is never too early to start laying ground work and building out your network.
Finally, never forget the most important resource for getting through the valley of graduate school (or any other valley for that matter): friends, family, and colleagues. It is a sound bet that some of them have gone through what your are experiencing and can help you.