The PhD Survival Guide Podcast
by Ferass
Are you a first year PhD student trying to figure out how to navigate grad life? Or maybe you're a fifth year looking for the motivation to write out the last chapter of your dissertation? Regardless of where you are or where you want to be, this is the podcast that talks all things grad school! The purpose of this podcast is to highlight some of the things that I, and others, wish they knew prior to starting their grad school journey. We will be covering a multitude of topics such as mental health, good practices, how to ace your first seminar, and much much more!
Episodes
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25. Casual Conversations: Why you're not broken - With Alison Miller, PhD
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! After our short little hiatus, I am proud to announce that we're back and we're starting strong with a brand new Casual Conversations episode with Alison Miller of The Academic Writers Space! In this episode, we spoke to Alison, who has well over 20…
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24. Casual Conversations: Exploring non-academic paths in the PhD - With Dakota, PhD
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! As we always say here on the podcast, every PhD journey is unique. I worked full-time in the laboratory and had the privilege of dedicating the majority of my time to my experiments. While I have talked in depth about the pros and cons of this, not all…
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23. Casual Conversations: From diverse roots, to doctorate - Crossing academic origins - With Cristina, MPH and Sarah, BS
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In the recent past, some of you have reached out asking these key questions: Does it really make a big difference to have a Master's degree? Or does the research experience you completed in your Bachelor's degree really prepare you for the research…
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22. Casual Conversations: How to navigate relationships in the PhD - Creating sustainable connections - With Dr. Victoria Godieva
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! Pursuing a PhD can be a very isolating experience. You may soon come to realize that the demands of being a PhD student can consume your time. This drastic shift in your work-life balance can also significantly affect your relationships, including…
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21. NOTHING IS WORKING!!! - How to properly troubleshoot - Don't be the definition of insanity
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In my PhD, behind every single successful experiment, there were multiple (and I mean a ton) of failed experiments. That's totally normal! It's through failure that we learn how to find success, and you're going to fail a lot in your PhD. As such, it's...
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20. Casual Conversations: Transforming your notes to transform your PhD - Tending to the knowledge garden - With Jorge Arango
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In this episode, I talk to author Jorge Arango about his book - Duly Noted: Extend your mind through connected notes. This episode is packed with information on how to think differently about notes as well as how to use notes as tools to progress your...
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19. Casual Conversations: Recruitment limitations, online PhD, working full-time - With Vinita Puri
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In this episode, I had the opportunity to talk about so many different topics and issues that various students face, but I never had to deal with personally. I spoke to Vinita Puri, an international online PhD student from Canada doing her research in…
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18. Conquering comprehensive exams - Comps, quals, prelims - What are they and why are they so scary?
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! At some point of your career as a PhD student, you will have to take the dreaded comprehensive exams (comps for short). Doesn't sound familiar? Maybe you call them preliminary exams or qualifying exams. Regardless, this exam is a necessary requirement…
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17. How to present with no data? - Seminar and presentation formatting - Ace your first presentation!
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In this episode, we talk about how to give a presentation when you still have little to no data to present on. Whether you're a first year PhD or just starting a new project, you might be expected to present on your work and that can be pretty scary!…
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16. Where has Ferass been? - Updates on what I've been up to - What's to come?
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! This episode is sort of like an update to tell everyone what I have been up to, why I haven't been uploading in a while, and where the show is going to go from here. It's been a long time since I've been recording but I am happy to be doing it again and...
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15. Casual Conversations: Can you be a mom in the PhD? - with Abigail
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In this episode, we talk with Abigail, a political sciences PhD student from Canada about what it is like to do a PhD as a mother. Please help me in introducing Abigail! We talk about what some of the challenges of being a mother in a PhD entails such as...
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14. Make writing easier!!! - Top things I wish I knew before I started writing in the PhD - Writer's block
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! It has been a while and I have missed you guys! We dive right back into the groove in this episode. So let's talk about one of the most daunting tasks in the PhD, writing! It doesn't have to be daunting or scary though, which is something that I learned…
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13. Dissertation committees are there to help - Considerations when choosing members for your committee - Committee meetings 101
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In this episode, we break down the scary dissertation committee! This is essentially one of the first big decisions you will make on your PhD journey. Who should you choose to be on your committee? How many members should I have on my committee? How do I...
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12. Transferable Skills! - What skills will you need after your PhD? - Learning from Dr. Karmaus
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! What are transferable skills and what are some key general takeaways from your time in grad school that you can use after you graduate? I had the pleasure of listening to a great presentation by Dr. Agnes Karmaus at the SOT meeting this year and wanted…
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11. The infamous side projects - Stretching yourself too thin - How to get the most out of them!
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! Have you ever heard of the infamous side projects? The ones that PhD students always reference as taking up most of their time? In this episode we really break down what they are and how to avoid ones that can be detrimental to your progress in your...
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10. Conferences! Pt. 2 - What to put on your poster - How to present your poster
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! This episode is the second of a 2 part series dedicated to academic conferences! Academic conferences host fabulous research and opportunities for all PhD students to learn from. In this episode, we talk about how to put together your poster, what…
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09. Conferences! Pt. 1 - Why you should go to conferences - Making friends outside the lab - Prize money?
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! This episode is the first of a 2 part series dedicated to academic conferences! Academic conferences host fabulous research and opportunities for all PhD students to learn from. We tackle my top 3 reasons to go to a conference, the different ways to…
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08. Casual Conversations: Resilience in the PhD - with Nicole, BS
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! Join Nicole and I in this "Casual Conversations" episode where we talk about what it means to be resilient in a PhD. What to do when an experiment isn't working? What to do with criticism? Tune in as we speak about our personal experiences and how unique...
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07. Breaking the "Sorry" habit - Arrogance vs. Diffidence - Building your confidence
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In this episode, we talk about the "Sorry" habit. Do you find that you start every response with "sorry?" What does that mean to the people that you are speaking to? How can we break this habit, and become much more confident in the way we conversate…
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06. Organization makes the PhD Easier - My top organizational tools for every PhD - How many web tabs are too many?
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In this episode, we talk about how organizational skills are essential to making a PhD easier. This is something that I struggled with greatly in my first years as a student, and one that I continue to work on even now. I break down 3 tips to making...
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05. Loss of Motivation - Could it be telling of a bigger problem? - Apathetic days
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In this episode, we confront a problem that every PhD student faces numerous times along the way: loss of motivation. This is something that I personally struggle with quite a bit and have learned to identify and tackle effectively. Here, I talk about my...
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04. Casual Conversations: Imposter Syndrome - with Arturo, MPH
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In this episode, we tackle a highly requested topic: Imposter Syndrome! This is also the first episode of our Casual Conversations series, where I bring on guests to discuss the posted topic. Please help me in introducing Arturo! We identify imposter...
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03. Essential Skills: Reading - How to not get lost in the literature - The truth behind impact factors
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In this episode, we tackle an incredibly important skill: reading! As a true survival guide, we will be covering some essential skills to help ease you into your PhD. Do you feel like it takes way too long to read a research article? Do you spend a lot…
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02. How to find the right lab for YOU! - Listener comments and questions answered - The guide I didn't follow entering my PhD
Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! I am honestly pleasantly shocked by the kind reception of the first episode of the podcast! I got so many questions and ideas for future episodes, and for that I am very grateful! Please feel free to give me questions, comments, concerns, etc. in the Q&A...
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01. So, you want to be a PhD? - What is a PhD? - How to get started! - Breaking down the 3 biggest myths that prospective PhD students face!
Welcome in to our first episode of the PhD Survival Guide! This episode is more of a prologue, so let's just call this episode 0. In this episode I introduce myself, Firas, a 5th year PhD student. There are many things that I wish I knew prior to becoming a PhD student that I think would've…
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Trailer
Hey everyone! My name is Firas and I am super excited to announce the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! If you are interested in pursuing a PhD or are a current student, this podcast will be very helpful for you! I hope you all enjoy the podcast! Are you a first year PhD student trying to figure out…
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About this show
Are you a first year PhD student trying to figure out how to navigate grad life? Or maybe you're a fifth year looking for the motivation to write out the last chapter of your dissertation? Regardless of where you are or where you want to be, this is the podcast that talks all things grad school! The purpose of this podcast is to highlight some of the things that I, and others, wish they knew prior to starting their grad school journey. We will be covering a multitude of topics such as mental health, good practices, how to ace your first seminar, and much much more!
Hosted by
Ferass
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