Photo credit: Aastha Vatsyayan; Painting credit: Bhupesh Taneja Lab
Saw a number of new faces in the campus recently and started wondering how quickly time passes us by. Around the same time last year, I walked into IGIB Mathura road with the same zeal, curiosity and fear as I now see on the faces of the freshers. Oscillating between the excitement of joining this institute and the nervousness about facing new challenges, I have already breezed through my first year as a PhD student. I am in complete agreement with a famous quote by Plato- “You know that the beginning is the most important part of any work.” Coupled with the wealth of scientific knowledge that I inculcated, I have also been through a lot with respect to mental health and well being. Joining PhD as a graduate student straight out of college was quite intimidating. Being around people who are already experts in their field of research with such good command of experimental techniques, I often doubted if I would ever be able to match up to their prowess. But once I began, I realized that this intimidating feeling was part and parcel of the PhD journey and is common for everybody.
At least now, everything is running offline. One year ago, amidst a raging global pandemic, I attended day-long sessions of online classes as a part of my coursework sitting in my hostel room alone. Six months later, I finally got to visit the lab. Everything seemed so fascinating in the beginning- interacting with lab mates, making new friends, trying my hands on new techniques and so on. Soon I was drowning in a sea of emotions involving isolation, imposter syndrome, losing social connections, anxiety and overall exhaustion. There were times when several of my experiments failed in a row. It took me a while to realize that socializing and sharing my struggles with friends and family can help relieve stress and can be really comforting. It took me quite a lot of practice to find a balance between devoting long hours in the lab and engaging in other activities I enjoy, to figure out a sustainable lifestyle.
As a piece of advice to my dear colleagues who just joined this place, keep your focus on adapting and evolving. It is perfectly normal to experience a variety of feelings in the first year of PhD. Read up and stay updated about your research interest as much as possible. Always discuss what you feel with the people you think understand you the best. Communicating our problems makes us realize that we are not the only ones struggling and helps us feel less lonely. Always remember to ask for support and guidance for the challenges and problems you face in your project. It is also a good idea to have a hobby other than your academic routine. It is very common to feel overwhelmed sometimes, even on the best of occasions. So, if you ever need a moment off, take it. Don’t let your PhD be all consuming.
Despite a number of feelings that are shared by every PhD student, something that is common about this journey is that it is unique for everybody – different projects, different timings, different kinds of failures, different patterns of success, different levels of satisfaction and so on. My PI once told me that nobody knows about your project more than you do. We all have failures. We learn from them and then we grow. So, find a routine that works best for you, and be clear on what you actually want from your doctorate degree.
I believe the whole of this journey to earn a doctorate, especially the beginning, is a miscellany of thrill, isolation, fascination, rewards and challenges. Welcome to a year of a roller-coaster of emotions. But, I am sure we’ll eventually persevere. Good luck for your PhD ahead..
Prabhleen Kaur
Prabhleen Kaur is a biology enthusiast currently pursuing her PhD in Dr. Sauvik Maiti's lab. Her focus largely entails the fields of CRISPR and RNA biology. She houses a compulsive need to multi- task and learn something new every possible way.