You got accepted to a PhD. Now what? - Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My PhD #1

I may have graduated, but I'm not done writing about the joys and sorrows of pursuing a PhD. Doing a PhD is a long and incredibly complicated process and those of us who manage to get through to the other side usually have a ton of advice and information to share. I was lucky to have a few friends who defended and graduated a a year or so ahead of me who I could text/call/message to ask questions. But I know not every program has tightly knit cohorts and strong departmental relationships between students of varying levels/stages of their degree that you can ask all the questions that usually pop up. Especially the seemingly stupid questions. Especially when you're brand new to the program. 

With that in mind, I'm going to start a new series on this blog…Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My PhD. Throughout the series I'll share my experiences, knowledge, and lessons learned the hard way on topics such as getting through your first year, managing your finances, technology needs, dealing with your teaching load/expectations, research strategies, conferences, publishing, the job search, and more. (Leave suggestions in the comments below!) This week I'm starting at the very beginning--your acceptance into your PhD program.

*Note: This series will be written from the perspective of a grad from a PhD in English from a US Research 1 state university (Arizona State University). There will be some differences from programs outside of the Humanities or in other countries, but hopefully a lot of the advice will still apply.

So, on to today's post...

You got accepted to a PhD. Now what?

Depending on your university, you probably received your acceptance in the past month or so. At this point the initial elation of the acceptance--and the joy that your hardwork and application money paid off.  Throughout this summer there are some things to keep in mind. Some of these are practical tips and some are gentle pep talks.

1. Living Arrangements

Whether you're moving across town, across country, or staying put, take care with your living space. If you're coming into a PhD from a Masters or straight in from a Bachelors, or if you're coming back to school after working for some time, take some time to set up (or reconfigure) your home office and your down time spaces. Whether your office is a separate room or just a desk in a corner, create a space you love and where you can be productive, this will be somewhere you're spending a lot of time in. If you're lucky, you'll have an office on campus (if you are employed as a TA or RA). But these days even if you have teaching duties offices are getting smaller or departments are switching to hot desking (mine did this during my last year) so your home work space will be your main space to get work done.

You also want to have a relaxing living area and/or bedroom where you can enjoy your down time. A PhD requires long hours during the week as well as working on the weekend. When you're not working, you want a space you can escape to. Taking some time now, during the summer, before you start, to organize, decluter, "spring" clean, and get things in order and ready to start your new life will make your early months in the program a little easier to handle.

Side note, I'm bringing this up from personal experience. I moved into a new place two weeks before classes started and it took me months to get settled in and feel like the space was functional for me. So don't blow this off.

2. Get Social

If you're not on Twitter or Instagram, you might want to consider it. There's a huge PhD community on both platforms. A quick search of certain hashtags (#phdlife #phdchat #phdavice #gradschool) will help you find related accounts on both Instagram and Twitter. This is especially helpful if (like me) your research is on the fringes of what your program specializes in. As a material rhetoric scholar focusing on fashion and dress, in a rhetoric department where material rhetoric isn't a huge focus (I was the only one that I knew of among the students) connecting with material culture, women's rhetoric, and theories of dress scholars on Twitter has been amazing. And I love the visual aspect of Instagram and seeing what other PhD student's work spaces look like and lusting after their mug collections (and sharing mine)! Start this early and search for your university to try to find people in the program you'll be joining, or at least grad student in other departments at your future university.

And don't ignore making real life social connections. Your program will likely send out emails about social events for the start of semester and/or events for incoming students. Take advantage of those, attend and get to know people. If you're going to be a TA you'll meet a lot of the new students in your TA cohort during training, but there are other people coming in that year that you might not meet if they have an RAship or a fellowship. So definitely attend any department sponsored social events. 

3. Research your healthcare options, benefits, and resources

I sincerely hope that you will never need any of the health and wellness benefits and resources your program offers beyond your standard preventative appointments. But the sad fact is, grad school, particularly a PhD, is not very good for your health. I was diganosed with fibromyalgia about half way through my program, and I know a lot of people in my department also were diagnosed with various health problems or found their existing ones get worse. So be a proactive. Figure out what your benefits cover and what they don't. A lot of this will be found on your university's website and not your department's page. Usually every grad student on campus is covered by the same healthcare and resources. How to actually apply will be covered in orientation, but look up what is covered so you can make plans, especially if you have an existing condition. You don't want to get delayed finding a new doctor and transferring treatment.

You also want to look up what wellness programs are available. Most universities offer counseling treatment options along side other resources such as chiropractic care, massage therapy, nutrition therapy and more. Looking that up, bookmarking the web pages or jotting down the phone numbers can save you time and stress when things get tough and you realize you need extra help. Though, in regards to mental health care, most university counseling centers offer walk in treatment. At my uni, students (of any level, undergrad through PhD) can walk in and see someone for a 15 minute triage session, they'll help you articulate what you're struggling with and then will decide how to best proceed, whether that's having you come back the next day, starting short term sessions on campus, or referring you to someone off campus for long term treatment. I went through this my first year, and knowing I could just walk in to the counseling center any time made it a lot easier to go in when I really needed to.

4. Indulge in new stationary/school supplies

When I started my PhD I bought new pens, notebooks, folders, desk accessories and more. It made me feel more excited about starting. Still daunted, but definitely more excited. So allow yourself to indulge in a really fancy pen or a beautiful new notebook (or both) if that's your thing. If tech is your thing, give yourself an upgrade. I'll be talking about technology needs in a later post, but if your laptop is getting on the "older" side, you might want to consider starting to save for a new one, not necessarily before you start your PhD but definitely before you start your dissertation. Take some time to think about what supplies will help you maximize efficiency and help you get your work done. 

5. Get a good planner

Related to school supplies, get a good planner. Whether this means shelling out the money for a fancy customized planner or buying a cute notebook to start bullet journaling or do everything digitally, take some time to really think about what kind of planning system will work for you. If you're not sure, YouTube is great for searching all the different types of planners and see what they're like and how people use them. I use a mix of iCal on my phone and laptop for appointments and meetings and use my bullet journal for daily tasks and project management.

6. Take some time for self-development

Grad school is brutal. The PhD especially. I came in to my program with 2 Masters degrees to my name and I still floundered under the weight of imposter syndrome my first year. I thought I was prepared for a PhD. Ha! You're never truly prepared for a PhD. Some books I wish I read at the beginning:

Karen Kelsky The Professor is In - take this book with a grain of salt, not every student will be the type that Kelsky is describing. This book caused me a bit of anxiety reading it in my final year, because it was too late to do a lot of the things she was suggesting. So read it now, with a gin & tonic, and go into your PhD eyes wide open. The academic job market sucks. Don't believe anyone that tells you otherwise. You need to be preparing for the market from day one of your PhD. Not preparing intensely, but preparing. This book will help.

Elizabeth Gilbert Big Magic - I just finished this one and I'm in love. Where Kelsky might make you a bit afraid, Gilbert will bring some of the magic of being a scholar back. So read her after you read Kelsky lol. Though this book is not geared towards academics I think every scholar should read it. Gilbert tackles subjects like imposter syndrome and tears apart the "suffering artist" stereotype, which definitely relates to the "suffering academic" trope. You can enjoy your PhD. You can love your research. I really wish I had read this book sooner.

Sarah Knight The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck - I loved this book. It started popping up on the feeds of a lot of the bloggers/YouTubers I follow, so I ordered a copy for myself. It gets you to rethink your priorities. Read this before you start your PhD and then employ her advice as needed. You can thank me later.

These books, and others like them will help you get clear on what you want out of your PhD and feel more confident about going forward. Once you start you'll have significantly less time to read books not related to your research, so take the time to read these now, during the summer, while you can.

7. Stay open

I was going to say "prepare yourself", but you really can't. So all I can suggest is to stay open, vague I know. I'll try to explain…

You can't possibly prepare for the emotional rollercoaster that a PhD is. I thought I was prepared. I had done two Master degrees, taught classes during both of them, and balanced all that with work and volunteering outside of school. So I thought, how different could it be? Oh boy. It was so completely and totally different! I really wasn't prepared at all. The PhD is a whole different game. The level of work expected from you in your courses and your research is much more intense. The commitment is much bigger. The fears and worries are much more terrifying. Nothing can ever fully prepare you for it. But you can go into it with your eyes open and the knowledge that it really will be the biggest challenge of your life. So when you start to feel overwhelmed, whether that's in week one or later in the first semester or in the middle of your third year, you'll know it's normal. Every PhD student has felt that way. Every student I've spoken to all agreed, they didn't think it would be as hard mentally and emotionally as it ended up being. This is why it's good to research your health care and wellness options, that way when you feel like you're hitting a brick wall, you've got that support in place.

My last "free" summer, before my PhD life started. 

8. Take a break!

This time between ending one degree and starting another is going to be unlike any future "summer break" until you graduate. Whether you do a staycation in town, go away somewhere, or just lock yourself in your apartment, turn off your phone, and sleep for a week, do it. Take that break. You have earned it and you deserve it and your summer will never be as free and flexible while you're doing your Phd. During the PhD summers are spent doing research, working on articles for publication, conferences, workshops, teaching summer classes or doing some other summer job to deal with the lack of paychecks during the summer. When I got my official acceptance I quickly planned a three week trip to London, getting back just in time for TA training. I was lucky to have a friend who lived in London who I could stay with, so London or somewhere overseas might not be for everyone. But definitely take time to relax, recharge, and really rest.

Bonus tips! Readers weigh in:

I asked for my PhD followers on Instagram and Twitter to add their advice and here’s what they had to say.

"For me, I never anticipated how much of an emotional rollercoaster it would be!" - Clare (@claero on Twitter)

“I wish I had taken time to organize all of my previous items on my computer. I also wish I had established a better network with ANYTHING outside of school (like volunteer work). - Forrest (@forres_dear on Instagram)

“I’m not at this stage yet, but PhD friends wish they had travelled before. Another wished she had therapy to prepare her for not feeling guilty. For me, I treat my Masters as a job and hope to do the same with my PhD. One part, but not all of my life (wishful thinking though!)” Toria (@tor_barker on IG and Twitter)

“I wish I had taken a vacation!” Ileana (@sofiahannah01 on IG)

“I wish I had prepared mentally to what it was about to come once I started my PhD. Nobody tells future students how challenging (mentally and emotionally) a PhD is.” Mónica (@moniromero_com on IG)

“How much each paycheck would be. How long laptops tend to last to decide if I needed to save for one to finish the program. Health insurance stuff. That everyone seems more confident than they feel in coursework.” Christina (@operation_phd on IG)

So those are my tips that will get you through this summer before you start in the fall. Enjoy this time. You're about to start a PhD! That's an amazing thing! Enjoy reading and rereading your acceptance letter and refreshing your inbox for emails from your new program to learn more about TA training and orientation. It's a fun and exciting time, so truly enjoy it. Yes the PhD will be hard. Yes you should be aware of that and not going into your first year blind to the challenges. But you can do it! Trust me, if you can get through everything it takes to apply for the PhD and get accepted, you can definitely succeed at get through the PhD itself. Start getting social and meeting other PhD students and get acclimated to the community you're joining. Welcome! You're gonna be great!

If you found this post helpful, please share it with your grad school friends. And do say hello and introduce yourself in the comments or find me on Instagram and Twitter.

Until next time,

Andrea