My first two months

A lot of people have asked me what it's like to start a PhD and whether I still love what I do (because that's basically my full time job now). That led me to writing this post, I just wanted to give my experience of what it's like in the first couple of months.

I officially started on the 25th of September 2017, but I was already spending most of my summer reading all about my subject and coming up with ideas. When you're crazy about your subject, you will just want to immerse yourself in it every second of the day! So when I 'officially' started it didn't feel like I had just because I spent all summer being too excited. Nevertheless, it was completely different to doing a bachelors or masters because you don't have set hours of lectures anymore. You are your own boss essentially, in the way that you decide your hours and how you are going to do everything. Your supervisors are there of course, but the point of a PhD is to do independent research. In the first few weeks I found this difficult because I was so used to having set deadlines. I made some of my own to keep me on track (I guess that's what a Gantt chart is for).

I also thought that as a PhD student it would be harder to make friends, but I was so wrong! In the first week I met some amazing people that sit with me in the office. I knew immediately that I would become friends with them because not only were they very welcoming, they also had a passion for what they do. We're all in a similar field of study, so having that in common makes friendships that much easier. They are the best people, and they have supported me so much in my first few months here.

When you start it's all very new, and the people around you seem to know so much and know exactly what they're doing. Don't worry! Many people doing their PhD don't always know what they are doing either. You may feel as if you don't know enough about your subject, but don't forget you are learning as you go along. I have had a few moments where I just felt that everything I was doing was getting me nowhere, but then a quick chat with one of my friends in the office would remind me that it's okay to feel a bit lost sometimes, just carry on and don't forget to take breaks! I think in the beginning I was so worried that I wasn't doing enough that I would forget to take time for myself. Breaks are so important. And I realised that this first year is especially important to figure out what I want to do for the next 3/4 years and know all about my subject. Read. Read. And then read some more.

Balancing my part time bar job and my PhD was hard in the first month, but now I feel like I have got it under control. The late nights can be hard sometimes when you need to be in early the next day, but my bar job also offers me a break from education. I also get to see my friends which is another bonus. I have also recently started going back to the gym again, and it feels like I have a good balance now. Again, taking time for yourself is so important as I feel like my best ideas actually come after having a weekend off or having a hard session at the gym.

I have enjoyed the first two and a half months of my PhD so much. I am pursuing my dream and I have a great team (including my supervisors and friends in our PhD lab group). Of course there will be some challenges along the way but I am so glad I started on this adventure. And no, reading about sharks all day every day (okay... that's a bit of an over exaggeration) has not made me any less interested. I would say that I actually love my subject even more now. I have so many more questions that I want to answer, and that's what being a scientist is all about.

This is a picture taken in our frog labs (yes, we have them here and they are awesome) of a red eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas).