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I've been reading this blog for grad students and one article hit me hard: "Take breaks before you're broken" . The author says: "The obsession with work seems embedded not only into our current civilization but also into academic pursuits. We are all focused, dedicated, committed, even driven...

I'm considering joining a dissertation support group but I'm not sure if it'll help or just be more social anxiety. A blog for grad students has TWO posts about this . One student said: "I couldn't write. I'd be in the library, staring at the portrait of the bearded benefactor, and the time...

I have all my research. All my data. Everything is ready. And I've been "getting ready to write" for six months. Six months. A blog for grad students asks: "9 Questions to help you discover your writing working preferences" and says that when we ask ourselves these questions, we can "more...

Every day I wake up thinking: "Today they'll find out. They'll realize I don't belong here." I look at my cohort and they seem so smart. So confident. So sure. And me? I'm just... pretending. 😭 Imposter syndrome. Everyone talks about it. But no one tells you how crippling it actually is. The...

My defense is in 6 months. 6 months. I can't sleep. I have nightmares about standing in front of my committee with nothing to say. They ask questions I can't answer. They laugh. I wake up sweating. 😓 I've been asking everyone: what actually HAPPENS in a defense? Here's what I've pieced...

When I started my PhD, I thought: *"3-4 years, done."* HA. HAHAHA. 😂 Now I'm in year 4 and nowhere near done. I wish someone had given me REALISTIC timelines. So here they are, from talking to actual graduates: The absolute minimum (if everything is perfect): Already have data collected Write...

Third year. Third year. I started so excited. Now I stare at my screen for hours writing nothing. My advisor asks for drafts. I don't reply. I hide. My friends have jobs. Money. Weekends. Lives. I have ramen, anxiety, and a document no one will ever read. Some days I wonder: why am I doing...