itscontrary Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Hi everyone! Prior to even applying to graduate programs, I've been following a comic series called Piled Higher and Deeper (Surely many of you know about it. If not, I recommend getting started - http://phdcomics.com/comics/archive_list.php. Quite a funny/great read with interesting videos about specific topics.) As a new graduate student as of Fall 2015, I was wondering whether your experiences either go hand-in-hand or absolutely deviate from what's presented here. Just a little nervous about graduate school right now and while I enjoy this particular comic series, the thought about staying in grad school for 10+ years or having a PI like Prof. Smith somewhat terrifies me! Chubberubber 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iphi Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I think it depends a LOT on your field! But there are general experiences which I think most grad students in traditional programs go through - frustrations of writing, dealing with advisors, getting little sleep, and spending long hours at work, to name a few! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzylogician Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 This one is completely true: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1047 Also, this one took me a very long time to figure out. When I did, that's when I felt that I was ready to graduate: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1518 Other than that, it depends. You go through all of the stages that are depicted in the PhD comics, but not all the time. There will be some friction with your advisor, frustrations with writing, sneaking into colloquia just for the food, etc. But unless you are in a toxic environment, it won't be what most of your time is like. husky, Secret_Ninja, nonduos and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rising_star Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 A lot of what happens in PhD Comics happens to grad students. After all, that's the point, right? There are quite a few about grading student work that are so, so true of TAing, for example (here's one: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=974 ). As are ones about working odd hours, getting frustrated by your advisor, and clamoring for free food. Is graduate school always difficult, aggravating, or no fun? Of course not! If it were, fewer people would be enrolled. But there are definitely frustrations that go with being in graduate school. Do your best not to let this one be true: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=124. Or this one. I've definitely done a version of this one: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=847 And this one is sadly true quite often: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1431 Gvh, itscontrary, husky and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
husky Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I love PhD comics, and yes...it is pretty darn accurate for me. By the way, I'm a fifth year Phd student in electrical engineering and I find more to relate to in the comics each year. But yes, there's way more to grad life than just the frustrations... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agrizz Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I discovered Piled Higher and Deeper when I was in a doctoral program a few years ago... at that point, there were a lot of physics comics coming out, but the themes were all-too-relevant for a neuroscience program. I actually found some solace in realizing that many of my woes were depicted in these comic strips, and therefore I must not have been going through them alone. itscontrary 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr. t Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 They're less relevant to the humanities for obvious reasons, but all the stuff about grad student life is pretty much spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catria Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 #971, #1518 are definitely stuff I experienced, while #847 graces the door of my office (and 3 more pertaining to free food, alongside others). itscontrary 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eigen Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 They're on often enough that my door is plastered with them. They're much more relevant for people in the physical/bench sciences as most of the characters are in those fields, but a lot of the more general ones are pretty widely accurate. A lot of them are caricatures of graduate school life, so not exact and maybe slightly exaggerated, but.... Pretty damn accurate nonetheless. itscontrary 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMP Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 This one is completely true: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1047 Also, this one took me a very long time to figure out. When I did, that's when I felt that I was ready to graduate: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1518 AGREED I relate to a lot of the comics relating to the adviser (Jones or Smith) but these are my true-to-real-life: My adviser gave me a similar conversation at the beginning of my second year: Here My adviser and I have this conversation every once in a while (research or exam preparation) Here (It's not to say that my adviser isn't great (she's amazing, really) but more to illustrate that what Smith and Jones do are fairly typical of many advisers and you'll understand why they do what they do over time.) I can relate to dealing with Tajel (the anthropologist) and her desire to campaign on behalf of the "oppressed" as I know quite a few colleagues just like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr. t Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 The links, they do not work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itscontrary Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 This one is completely true: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1047 Also, this one took me a very long time to figure out. When I did, that's when I felt that I was ready to graduate: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1518 Other than that, it depends. You go through all of the stages that are depicted in the PhD comics, but not all the time. There will be some friction with your advisor, frustrations with writing, sneaking into colloquia just for the food, etc. But unless you are in a toxic environment, it won't be what most of your time is like. The email one feels true even as an undergrad. It would frustrate me when my PI would simply write "Fine," and leave it at that. I cannot tell if he's frustrated or just acknowledging my email. I have yet to experience the second one, but I'm sure it'll hit eventually. A lot of what happens in PhD Comics happens to grad students. After all, that's the point, right? There are quite a few about grading student work that are so, so true of TAing, for example (here's one: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=974 ). As are ones about working odd hours, getting frustrated by your advisor, and clamoring for free food. Is graduate school always difficult, aggravating, or no fun? Of course not! If it were, fewer people would be enrolled. But there are definitely frustrations that go with being in graduate school. Do your best not to let this one be true: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=124. Or this one. I've definitely done a version of this one: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=847 And this one is sadly true quite often: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1431 Oi... I hope I don't rage as a TA. I feel relatively patient enough, but I wonder how far I can stretch my patience. I can only read so much here but I figure it's my own experience that counts. I don't know why but I'm excited to hunt for free food... We have the seminar bingo posted in our lab. While I haven't done one yet, I want to complete one for fun. As for the grant comic, that sounds pretty sad, but surprising. My PI would send me his grant proposals to projects that are relevant towards my research and I know that those particular projects haven't been completed/started yet. However, whatever funds were not used for that particular project are used for supplies for other projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToomuchLes Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 This one is completely true: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1047 SO TRUE!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mop Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Things like 10 years till graduation are a bit exagerated, but many of the advisor interaction ones can be spot on I've certainly had this conversation before and will likely have it again http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1746 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMP Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 The links, they do not work. http://phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1652 And this http://phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1673 Sorry, no idea what happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itscontrary Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 I've certainly had this conversation before and will likely have it again http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1746 This is going to be me in group meeting tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vene Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 This is going to be me in group meeting tomorrow. Something I got from working in industry; it's not that my experiment failed, it's that I found out what not to do in the future. I was doing formulation chemistry and I discovered a lot of very undesirable formulas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knox Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Yes, 90% of them are dead on. Dead. On. mop and educdoc 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandarin.orange Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 They're less relevant to the humanities for obvious reasons... To be fair, y'all DO have one resource available that tends to exclude STEM fields, so perhaps the universe balances out? I'm talking about the amazing resource that is "The Chronicle of Higher Education"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr. t Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 To be fair, y'all DO have one resource available that tends to exclude STEM fields, so perhaps the universe balances out? I'm talking about the amazing resource that is "The Chronicle of Higher Education"... perpetuavix, wildviolet and mandarin.orange 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildviolet Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 This is me this week: http://phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1778 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandarin.orange Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Anyone seen the PhD Comics movie they made a few years back? This was screened at my institution like 1 or 2 days after I'd arrived in town, pre-orientation. It was like a premonition of so much that has come to pass... the rabble-rousing activist in my cohort, the lab's "golden boy"... and the "lab meeting" scene where labmates are trying to outdo each other on most-complex graphs and data, while the PI pompously holds court? OMG THAT HAS BECOME MY LIFE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mop Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 A sequel is being filmed right now, I can't wait mandarin.orange 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyjin Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 A sequel is being filmed right now, I can't wait They're filming it at Caltech right now. I got to be an extra on set yesterday! educdoc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandarin.orange Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 A sequel is being filmed right now, I can't wait Anyone know when it's supposed to come out? If it's 2016, this will be close to me graduating. So, two PhD Comics movies will be bookends to my whole long, strange trip here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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