I went to a dinner tonight for PhD students and heard a few good quotes that sum up aspects of the PhD student’s life…
Oliver Wendel Holmes – ‘Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than in the one where they sprung up.’
The PhD is really a ‘doctorate in photocopying.’
The PhD is a nonlinear process where there are really productive times but also really not productive times.
Niels Bohr – ‘An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a very narrow field.’
Saturday, 28 June 2008 at 11:17 am
The last two statements helpfully articulate my experience. I have been quite surprised by how non-linear the thesis-writing process has been for me, and how “progress” often means following a hunch, finding out it was wrong, and then following another one. I am glad to know I am not alone! Thanks.
Saturday, 28 June 2008 at 12:04 pm
A dear professor-friend of mine, Jamie Smith, one said–with respect to PhD writing: “You will write at least five times more than you’ll actually commit to the thesis; so get used to writing.”
Saturday, 28 June 2008 at 1:08 pm
A friend once told me, ‘To do a PhD doesn’t necessarily take great wisdom, but certainly great patience’
Saturday, 5 July 2008 at 3:47 pm
Don not spend more than 3-6 months reviewing the literature, if this is the case, you are only fooling yourself to finish on time.