8 Tips for the Start of your PhD

Posted on by Isabella Deutsch

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“.

  1. Get the most out of your supervisor meetings!
    1. Prepare
    2. Show up (even if you think you have done nothing since the last meeting)
    3. Record it (with their consent!)
    4. Take a picture of the white Board
    5. Write a short summary with To Dos (and send it to them)
  2. Citation software is your best friend (Zotero, Mendely, Endnote)
  3. Have you got a paper you find interesting?
    1. Who are they citing?
    2. Who are they cited by?
  4. Back Up your Stuff: Text and Code (Onedrive, Dropbox, Overleaf)
  5. Version Control (Git and Github with useful commit comments)
  6. Talk about your topic (to whoever is willing to listen)
  7. ASK (questions, for help…)
  8. Don’t panic, but enjoy it!

Note: This post is very similar to a blog post I wrote for the Piscopia Initiative.