DIY: the PhD Edition. Chapter III: Help! I'm new and I'm panicking!

Hi again,

Yes, I'm also surprised I'm actually writing this post, I never thought I'd make it this far. But here I am.

If you're reading this there is a possibility you read last week's post and you have found the perfect place thanks to my helpful advice (if you've done it in a week, please let me know how have you done it). So now you're about to start your PhD and now you find yourself in a new place with new people who keep asking you how old are you and complaining about them feeling old because these new students keep getting younger. If you're anything like me you're terrified and get anxious at about the possibility to screw up. Don't worry, you're going to screw up a lot, and it won't matter. Anyway, here's the cheat-sheet to get through this.

1. Read. Read a lot. Read everything there is in your field. Read things that are from outside your field but are related somehow.

2. Learn how to use a reference managing software. You will use it a lot, better learn it from the start and use it.

3. Protocols. If you have to use protocols, read them, make schemes, sketches, whatever you want. Memorize them until you can do everything without checking it.

4. Talk to your PI. Learn to talk to them, learn to identify when they can talk to you and when they can't. Don't hesitate to talk to them, you need to be able to tell them when you're feeling down and when you're overworked, you need to be able to ask for a day off if you need it.

5. ASK. You'll have lots of questions. LOTS. Ask. Ask the postdocs, ask the technicians, ask the other students. Usually, last-year PhD students are uber-busy, but they will probably be really eager to help you at any moment. ASK THEM. ASK EVERYONE. Don't be shy.

6. Get to know your way around. You're going to spend a lot of time in there. Learn where the things are, learn the places where you can have lunch at the sun, find a calm spot to have coffee or to wind down after a busy day. Also, you don't want to get lost, or burn in a fire.

I think that pretty much covers it and you should be able to navigate through your first months in there. If you don't cause a fire, that is.