Manage your Double PhD… Smoothly

Posted by Priyansh Jain on Aug 22, 2017 in Blog | 0 comments

There are a number of things one can do effectively to manage the intellectual, emotional and physical challenges that come with doing a double Ph.D. the first essential thing to do is to complete ll program requirements as early as possible. Make a list of requirements that you need to complete in your graduate, tick off the requirement that you have already completed. This helps you to get effectively closer to your graduation. In the Ph.D. program when you are taking classes or making notes use Evernote. It works equally well for dissertation research, and can be synced on different devices such as your laptop, tablet or phone.

Choosing your thesis advisor is critical. It is best advised to work with mentors who have a reputation for being really helpful. It is important that your advisor is competent and has your best interests at heart. Also you can gather information about past graduate students and find out how long did it take for them to graduate. The past experience of the other graduate students will help you manage your expectation.

As you are carrying out your thesis work, record your accomplishments. Give yourself due credit whenever necessary. This will help you to keep yourself motivated in the long run. During a Ph.D. it is much easy to feel that you are not making any progress that is why it is key to have a list of victories. Every weekend you can write down the things that you have accomplished in the week. This will help you to get motivated and will drive you to accomplish something relevant. If you notice not having done something significant in the middle of the week to be recorded at the end of the week, then you can always motivate yourself to get on track and be super focused about your Ph.D. this is a very effective way to keep track of your progress.

Failures are an essential part of your Ph.D., so never be intimated by them or shun them away. Rather embrace them and deal with them in a logical manner, whilst being kind to yourself in this process. We must always remember that being overtly self-critical does not help in the long run. Making a strategy and taking the problems in your stride will be critical in helping you avoid frustration and keep you focused. Find creative ways to keep yourself energized during the grueling process of thriving a double Ph.D.