Customer Reviews

How to Survive Your PhD: The Insider's Guide to Avoiding Mistakes, Choosing the Right Program, Working with Professors, and Just How a Person Actually Writes a 200-Page Paper

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Let me start with a little back story of why I bought this book: I am currently in my 3rd year of a PhD program, and the "3rd year slump" has hit me hard. My research is frustrating. I feel alienated from my peers and my advisor/committee. After reading the reviews for this book I thought this might offer some help. I was hoping for advice on how to deal with so many of the frustrations and let downs of getting a PhD. Something inspirational, possibly even uplifting.

Nope. That is not this book.

To be frank, I spent more than half of the book rolling my eyes at various passive-aggressive quips at the author's advisor and fellow students. By the end, this felt more like a book on how to blame other people when your PhD takes much longer than you expected. Which is a pity, because I think this story had good teaching potential. I can't even begin to imagine how frustrating and disheartening it would be to work on my PhD for seven years! The author could have turned that experience into something positive, by giving concrete examples of how he dealt with problems, instead of just complaining about them and then advising to avoiding them in the first place. For example, the author complains multiple times about the frustrations of Human Subjects Committees. We get it. Bureaucracy is tedious and takes a long time. But if you do human research it is something you just have to deal with. How about some tips on speeding up the process (eg submitting a modification of a pre-existing protocol instead of a whole new protocol)? Or advising good time management: while you are waiting for IRB approval, could you be doing some in vitro work instead? Or getting an in-depth knowledge of the literature? Or working as a TA to pay off some student loans? Nope. You will find little of that here. However, you will walk away with the impression that IRB's are brutally slow and are probably plotting against you.

Even more concerning, some of the advice in this book is not only bad, but could actually get you in trouble! The author suggests that you try to "recycle" your writing, claiming that you cannot plagiarize yourself - not true! He also talks often of how he made money on the side by writing for a commercial magazine, but he never cautions that if you are funded 100% by NIH, NSF, etc that you are not supposed to have an outside job. Here's my hint to surviving grad school: if you want to go into academics, don't piss off your main funding agency by publishing plagiarized magazine articles.

By far the most helpful parts of this book were the tips on working with your advisor, like only giving them a chapter at a time to read, or highlighting the relevant changes. I also found the chapter on writing your dissertation helpful, especially the tips on how to write a little every day. Although the list of phrases you should use was particularly horrifying - just because everyone else in science overuses passive voice doesn't mean you should too! Nevertheless, I did find this chapter helpful, and it earns the book 2 stars.

All in all, I suggest passing on this one.

This book intends to help you through your PhD. It is mainly targeted to studies in the US, so only 2/3 of the book apply to the PhD process in general. It adresses important aspects but much of the advice is very awkward: although I can kind of understand how the author got into the situation, offering money to make your PhD advisor read a first version of your thesis faster is clearly very misguided. I had a very severe moment of fremdschaemen (feeling embarassed yourseelf when watching somebody doing something embarrasing) when I read this paragraph and much of the rest of the book. Despite its strange title I recommend to read How to Survive your Doctorate (Open Up Study Skills) instead. Very good book, many important points covered. Last word: find others to talk to, almost all of them go through the same hard time. Also check out the material at the 'nurturing scientists' website by Uri Alon.

This is a great book - I finished this book in only two days. The author breaks down the major parts of doctoral study and uses his own experiences to share what to do in order to be successful as well as "what not to do" if you want to earn a PhD. This is a timely book for me as I have submitted applications and am hoping to start on my PhD in Fall of 2010.

This book changed my life.

As a doctoral student that had "hit the wall", I had lost my motivation, and the dissertation lay lifeless. I was rapidly approaching the dreaded ABD status. A random night wandering Barnes and Noble turned up this wonderful book. As I write this review, I am in a coffee shop finishing my dissertation for proposal submittal. Jason's "been there, done that" approach is not condescending or filled with technical jargon, which is a common occurrence in academia. His comparison of the mindset between an undergrad student and a doctoral student completely changed my viewpoint to this program. In a short span of 15 minutes, I had changed my perception of my dissertation from a 5 year burden around my neck to an important piece of scholarly work that could benefit teachers, educators, and adminstrators nationwide.

I have recommended this book to every student in my program, my instructor, my mentor, and several other students at other graduate schools. If you are struggling with a doctoral program, I would recommend getting this before you even begin your program. Jason has captured the struggles, the experience, and the necessary preparation for being successful in this difficult endeavor.

As for the person that gave it a one star review, it sounds like you have not read the book, but rather just wish to complain. Unfortunately, you are alone in your opinion. Sorry to crush your thoughts but your arguments are illogical and unsound.

Save your money. The author was ill-prepared to do his PhD and provides no new insights for those considering graduate school. There are several factual errors including the career options for people earning PhD's. Do not assume that doctoral programs only prepare you for a career in academia. Robert Peters' book Get What You Came For is much more thorough and helpful.

I cannot tell you how many times I looked for guidance in the local library for basic fundamental assistance in writing a dissertation. The task seemed cyclical - how in the world do you get advice from a process that few ever enter, fewer succeed in, and the entire process seemingly meant to drive you to the literal sense of a `terminal' degree? I actually asked the reference person at the big desk, "Do you have an `Idiot's Guide to a Ph.D." and only realized what I had asked after she gave me a quizzical look. "Perhaps you shouldn't have one" my subconscious told me. Hmmm... and then - just before my defense call where everyone shuts down and offers little to any help or examples... I FOUND YOUR BOOK! Thank you! It is a perfect balance of funny and thorough. Thank you thank you thank you! My defense is in the next two weeks and your list of questions to consider have been invaluable to me. My whole family thanks you!
All the very best,
Audra L. Duvall

Starting on your Ph.D. is never something one should take lightly. With that in mind, deciding whether you should or should not embark on this journey can be a tough decision. Jason Karp takes you through his process and how things worked for him. While he succeeded in obtaining his doctorate, the road was anything but smooth. That is probably the best part of this book. This was not someone who had it easy, rather, it is someone that you can actually relate too. His trials, his failures and ultimately, his success.

Great read.

Really enjoyed this book (though I, myself, remain undecided about venturing forth for my PhD). I especially appreciated that the author had problems & issues to deal with during his process. Had he been in school for four years and found it all fairly easy, the book wouldn't have been nearly as interesting, informative, and inspiring. If he can hang in there through several schools, advisors, and 7 years, why can't I? Thanks for the inspiration & honesty, Jason. I highly recommend the book for anyone considering going on in school.

This excellent guidebook should be required reading during the applications process or before!
If I had known what the author is so eagerly sharing in this small package, I'd not STILL be working on my PhD!
I can not thank him enough for what he has shared with the academic world.
Absolutely essential to maximizing your time, energy, and money when pursuing your PhD.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. Deciding to continue your education and earn an PHD is never easy. Dr. Karp has written a book that answers all the questions and relieves the pressure to the answer "Am I doing the right thing?" It would be an asset to anyone continuing on the journey of higher education. I look forward to further literature written by Dr. Karp.