The start of a PhD can be daunting, but luckily you are not alone! Here are 8 Tips to get you going! These tips are focused on mathematical research, but most of them will apply to a variety of disciplines.
For more great tips and insights check out some Twitter accounts like “PhD Diaries“.
- Get the most out of your supervisor meetings!
- Prepare
- Show up (even if you think you have done nothing since the last meeting)
- Record it (with their consent!)
- Take a picture of the white Board
- Write a short summary with To Dos (and send it to them)
- Citation software is your best friend (Zotero, Mendely, Endnote)
- Have you got a paper you find interesting?
- Who are they citing?
- Who are they cited by?
- Back Up your Stuff: Text and Code (Onedrive, Dropbox, Overleaf)
- Version Control (Git and Github with useful commit comments)
- Talk about your topic (to whoever is willing to listen)
- ASK (questions, for help…)
- Don’t panic, but enjoy it!
Note: This post is very similar to a blog post I wrote for the Piscopia Initiative.