Navigating the troubled waters of PhD
by Prof. Basudev Biswal Pursuing PhD is challenging for many reasons, the main one being the confusion surrounding it, partly created by memes and misinformation about PhD struggles on the internet. Many students start PhD with the notion that it’s simply a continuation of their academic journey. In reality, it requires a different level of intellectual rigor. In a blog post I wrote in 2019, I provided a few suggestions for prospective PhD students. In this post, I highlight the importance of being independent during PhD. Broadly, there are two types of PhDs: Type 1 PhD: The adviser hands over a problem statement (research proposal). The student conducts literature reviews to figure out the steps for execution. The student and adviser work together to do the analysis, discuss the results, and frame the story to publish the findings. Type 2 PhD: The student conducts literature reviews and comes up with a problem statement. The adviser helps the student polish the pro...