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The Ph.D. Grind: Doing Nothing Is the Hardest Thing | Yuan Meng

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Everyone doing a Ph.D. or considering doing one should read The Ph.D. Grind. Don’t wait — you’ll learn the much-needed “rational optimism” for this crazy ride. I only came across this gem in my final semester year of Ph.D. but Dr. Philip Guo’s reflections of his first year in grad school immediately resonated with my own. I, too, procrastinated heavily for the first time in my life and felt I somehow lost my sense of direction. As he put, “Having full intellectual freedom was actually a curse, since I was not yet prepared to handle it.” For years on end, I thought I was the only one. I’ve kept it a secret out of shame: I don’t recall how my early days of grad school went, because I was, more often than not, doing nothing than pushing my research program forward. In my mind, that was infinitely worse than trying one’s best but failing. Since I couldn’t put words to my struggle, I thought I wasn’t worth the help. Why wasn’t I doing something? I don’t know: It’s a mystery to me as well. B

▶ Table of Contents Seriously, Read The Ph.D. Grind Everyone doing a Ph.D. or considering doing one should read The Ph.D. Grind . Don't wait - you'll learn the much-needed "rational optimism" for this crazy ride. I only came across this gem in my final semester year of Ph.D. but Dr. Philip Guo's reflections of his first year in grad school immediately resonated with my own. I, too, procrastinated heavily for the first time in my life and felt I somehow lost my sense of direction. As he put, "Having full intellectual freedom was actually a curse, since I was not yet prepared to handle it." *"I

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