Many before me have published Survival guides/tips about and for the life as a PhD student… but some things cannot be said too many times.
Keep your friends close.
You need that social circle around you. All your life cannot and should not be your PhD. Especially in areas like ours, genetics, biology, biochemistry etc. where we work in the lab. Experiments get fucked up. You fail, you screw up, others in the labs screws things up for you – or just plainly – that experiment do not work.
When everything goes to hell in the lab (note: WHEN not IF) you will be grateful for your friends around you.
A wise person told me once that 90% of your experiments fail (and in my line of work I’d like to make that a whooping 97%) so you’d better get used to it…
Do not be embarrassed to bitch about your supervisor.
Attending after works, coffee meetings or some kind of social gathering where there are only fellow PhDs or understanding post-docs is crucial in maintaing your mental health and surviving your time as a PhD student. Even the sweetest and most perfect supervisor, is nothing but a human being. When we work as closely and under the pressure that this life contains we are bound to annoy eachother.
Some may feel: “Isn’t it disloyal to complain about your supervisor?”
I say “Hell no!”
Some times you just need to let out steam. To feel you are not alone in whatever tiny or big thing that annoys you. After wenting it’s ok and you can let go… and hey… Do you really think that our supervisors don’t complain about us (their PhD students) at times?
Also many times there are simple solutions to problems we have, that someone else has already figured out the hard way. Talking about small and big things may prove very valuable in solving issues and getting perspective. Maybe it’s actually just us overreacting?
And I repeat: Do not neglect your friends!!!
I have… some of them for periods… some of them for too long… sometimes I remember, I really try to… some times I get scared when I talk to some of them and realise: “It was 6 months ago since we spoke! HOW could that happen?”
Nevertheless I consider myself very very lucky. Despite all the neglect. Despite mood swings and harsh times. Despite being lost parallel universes for ages most of them are still there. I have wonderful people around me. They are all precious to me.
My days in Uppsala: 