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Asked by anon-187694 to Stewart, Miriam, Marton, Laura, Kathryn, David on 8 Nov 2018.
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David Ho answered on 8 Nov 2018:
Many, many times! Sometimes I can be stuck on a single calculation for a week or more! If I’m really stuck I ask the other scientists I work with if they have any suggestions — often discussing a problem with other people helps you reach a solution. Sometimes I find that taking a break and working on a different problem for a while helps — when I come back to the first problem I often solve it quite quickly. Of course some problems are just too difficult to solve at the moment, if we hit one of these we need to try a different route. Recognising when it’s the right time to try something different is an important skill that I’m still working on!
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Stewart Martin-Haugh answered on 8 Nov 2018:
I think the hardest point for me was during my PhD: I was convinced I wasn’t going to be able to finish my thesis. But then I managed to break through and finish the work, graduate and get a job. The most important thing is having the support of your friends and/or family: you can’t do this alone.
Like David, I get stuck on things all the time! But usually after a good night’s sleep, a shower, or talking the problem through with someone I can make progress.
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Marton Olbei answered on 9 Nov 2018: last edited 9 Nov 2018 8:53 am
Oh, yes, absolutely! I think this is almost like an integral part of a PhD.
Before you get into research your self-worth is tied to how well you do in classes: they ask you a question, you answer, you get good grades.
But the thing is, when you start a PhD you’re studying something no one else knows!
No one knows the answers, you have to figure it out! This takes some time to get used to, and people often feel lost (I sure did). Talking to my supervisors and friends helps a lot, most people go through this.
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Laura Kent answered on 9 Nov 2018:
So many times! During my PhD I would often think I had done the wrong thing in choosing to do a PhD and was so lost as to why I was there. I enjoy learning new things but I never felt smart enough to be there. It really helped that I had an amazing support network around me, not just my family, but my friends and other PhD students! And it turns out everyone has times where they would feel like that and talking it through really helped, as did walking away from the lab for a few hours to get coffee!
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Miriam Hogg answered on 9 Nov 2018:
Yes i’ve felt lost many times. Talking to people has nearly always been the answer for me, just having someone to tell your worries to makes me feel better.
When I was applying for PhD’s I didn’t hear back for ages, all my friends had heard back and gotten offers and I was the last one left. I didn’t know what I would do if I didn’t get an offer, I didn’t have any plans other than a Phd. I talked to people who assured me that it would be okay, even if I didn’t get an offer there were other things I could do instead.
Talking to people made me think about other options and showed me that I was too busy worrying to think about the situation properly.Similarly, I often get stuck for days or weeks at a time on an idea or calculation that I just can’t figure out! Telling my problems to other scientists often helps because they study different things so they might give you another way to think abut the problem or solve it.
It’s very easy to get sucked into your own little world in a PhD because its hard to tell when your doing well as we don’t have exams or assessments. You’re also often the only one studying that particular thing which makes you worry you’re doing it wrong but no one can tell you because you’re supposed to be the expert! It is hard to get used to but everyone is feeling the same way so chatting about it with others and your supervisor often helps.
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