On Research and Coursework
Don’t just depend on your advisor to advise you; search out other faculty, postdocs, grad students, and undergraduates to discuss science with.
You’re expected to take more initiative as a grad student than as an undergrad. You can’t wait for your advisor to come to you and tell you what you should be working on; you have to approach him/her. It’s up to you to stay on top of your research.
Work harder in the beginning; it might save you an immense amount of sleepless nights in the end.
Always take lots of notes on everything you did with your research because you will forget half of what you did when it comes time to write a paper.
Try to read peer-reviewed literature for at least an hour every day. To start, pick a topic related to your research and search for it on Web of Science, sorting by “Highest Cited,” and read those papers. As you’re reading, note key papers cited in the paper you’re currently reading, as well as papers that cite the paper you’re reading and the suggested readings from the publisher’s website (they often make great suggestions!), and save those for reading later. The best way to learn about a topic is to work your way through the citation web like this.
Take time to explore and learn new skills, especially early in your PhD. Maybe even try re-solving problems you’ve already solved using different approaches/techniques. This will not only help you later in your PhD, but can also help you apply for jobs, particularly those outside academia.
Try to start working on writing as early into any given project as possible. For one, like anything else, writing requires practice, and the more you practice, the better you’ll write. Second, it’s possible to do exploratory data analysis forever, but in large part, your success as a PhD student is measured in dissertation chapters and peer-reviewed publications. Third, starting to write right away gives you the opportunity to start getting valuable feedback on your writing from your peers and your advisor early on in your PhD, which is absolutely invaluable. The first draft of a paper I presented to my lab group got absolutely torn apart, but I learned a lot from that process, and every piece of writing I’ve shown them thereafter has been better than the previous.
Visit CAS Information Technology for help with setup. You can get IT support such as installing software for your research, VPN (to access academic journals with off-campus wifi), etc.; and accessing computer labs (either 3rd floor or 4th floor) with your Terrier Card
Will you be expected to apply for grants? If so, how will you be supported while you apply?
Are you on a grant? Ask for a copy of the grant proposal, and talk about how long the grant’s funding will last, and what your obligations towards that project are.
Ask when your advisor expects you to finish classes by, and what class work/research balance your advisor expects while you are taking classes.
Ask about how many conferences your advisor expects you to attend and where funding for those conferences comes from.
Ask about expectations to publish.
There’s a lot of variance in the quality of the courses in the department. Don’t assume that all classes are worth taking or that your advisor knows anything useful about other courses. Ask current students what courses they’ve taken and what their experiences were. I can think of about 4 courses that I truly wish I hadn’t wasted the time on – I had more rigorous/useful courses in my undergraduate freshman year than some of those.
Read a lot. I wish I had set aside much more time to read both in terms of scientific publications and professional development literature.
Don’t assume that the research you work on initially will have anything to do with your dissertation.
Your advisor (and most of the professors) know very little about actually getting research done (except the new professors) – rely more on the current students for technical advice.
Choose the classes you take wisely! Don’t feel like you have to take classes every semester just to get done quickly. Take only classes that you find interesting and ask students in their second and third year for advice and insider tips on classes.
On Being a TF
No matter how tough or lenient you grade, your students will always complain that you grade too harshly.
On Work-Life Balance
Take vacations even though they aren’t allotted to you as they would be in a job. It is necessary to take a break sometimes.
There are going to be many times when you feel inadequate, and that every other graduate student knows what they are doing and you don’t. All I can tell you is that almost all of those other students feel exactly the same way, and they are the ones who will keep you afloat during the hard times, intellectually and emotionally.
Just because classes aren’t in session doesn’t mean it’s a vacation. You can certainly go home to see your family over Christmas, but not from the last day of finals straight through until classes start again. More than a week away from BU and your advisor will start to wonder if you’re coming back.
Some advisors may insist on a schedule, or other circumstances may force you to be in the lab/office at specific times. But often, there will be no reason for you to keep certain hours, and when that’s the case, it can be tempting to work odd/irregular hours. Fight that urge! The more you can force yourself to follow a routine, the happier and more productive you’ll be! If you can keep your work confined to the office and a well-defined and consistent set of hours in the day, you’ll be more productive at work during that time, and will have an easier time relaxing. Keeping a healthy work-life balance is hard, but it’s critical to your physical and mental health, and sticking to a strict routine will help you get there.
On Life in Boston and at BU
City Convenience coffee is cheaper and better than both Starbucks and Einstein Bros!
Puddles in the winter are often deeper and colder than they appear.
Avoid Kenmore Station before and after a Sox game.
If you are not used to lots of walking, pack band-aids in your bag for unexpected blisters!
Check the weather before you leave your apt for the day! New England weather is CRAZY!
Einstein Bagels is in the basement for coffee/cheap food and is the only food spot you can get to without leaving the building. To avoid the rush of undergrads, try to place your order while classes are in session.
The gym is free and really excellent if you like being in shape.
Parking and driving in Boston is generally a headache. Note that in Brookline overnight parking is simply not permitted at night (they’ll ticket you), and most other towns require a permit. Private parking at a lot can run into the hundreds of dollars per month.
If something isn’t clear, ask for help! And do it earlier rather than later.