News: The 12 things I wish I’d known in grad school

Here’s the practical advice nobody gave me before I started my PhD.

Caroline Boudoux | MIT Technology Review MIT Alumni News

Twenty-five years ago, I packed my Jeep Wrangler and drove south for six hours to start a life-­defining journey: a doctoral program in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST). My old ride was filled in equal parts with books and apprehensions. Soon I would discover a campus where not even the sky was the limit, and where I’d learn the name for what I was feeling: impostor syndrome.

Today I mentor PhD students at Polytechnique Montréal. With them—and you—I share what I wish I had known when I first moved into Edgerton House. These are 12 things every PhD student should hear early, even if they often go without saying.

1. Understand what makes a PhD unique. 

Yes, it involves classes, psets, and exams. But unlike other degrees, a PhD demands that you find and solve a problem no one has solved before. You’re expected to break the frontier of knowledge, write a lengthy dissertation about your work, and defend it before experts. If this sounds hard, trust your instincts.

2. Choose your lab wisely. 

Research shows that the quality of the student–advisor relationship is a strong predictor of success—right up there with adequate funding. Many programs offer rotations so students can explore groups before choosing. Take full advantage of opportunities to meet lab directors and group members, and keep an open mind. Research advisors have styles ranging from hands-on to hands-off. There are no right or wrong choices—just (im)proper fits with your goals, work ethic, and personality. I initially thought I wanted a big-name lab but ended up joining a small, dynamic team led by two junior professors, who I soon learned were pioneers in a brand-new field. As their first PhD student, I had plenty of independence and guidance. My advisors’ unwavering support shaped my experience, and their knack for building an awesome team made the loooong hours much more fun. Base your choice not only on research topics but also on fit, values, and people.

3. Manage your project. 

Don’t just embrace chaos; ponder what management method works best for you. Though a jury determines the outcome, a PhD program is not a prison sentence, and just serving time does not grant you a diploma; you must manage a research project. Set short-, medium-, and long-term goals. Break down the scope. Know your resources. Understand when and how you work best. Time management, though often overlooked, is as crucial as technical skills.

4. Broaden your repertoire. 

Campus life is so rich. If you’re a grad student at MIT, use the Independent Activities Period (IAP) to learn new skills: From machine learning to charm school, there is something for you. Hedge your bets through a side project with collaborators. Explore gym classes—if I made it onto a volleyball team, anyone can! And if the gym hours are too short, break a sweat salsa dancing at Havana Club in Central Square.

5. Write. Write. And write some more. 

Writing is unavoidable: conference abstracts, research publications, and, of course, that dreaded PhD thesis. Improve your skills by reading papers, editing lab mates’ drafts, or reviewing for journals. If English isn’t your first language, use tools (science phrasebooks, translators, and AI) to assist with nuance—but write. Unpublished research is invisible research.

6. Ask (more) questions. 

My impostor syndrome prevented me from asking questions for fear of revealing ignorance, only to hear them asked minutes later by more confident peers. Asking questions allows you to progress faster, keeps you engaged in the conversation, and creates a rapport with the presenter or teacher. 

7. Invest in your network early. 

Like compound interest, trust and networks grow with time. The students you meet as early as orientation week become part of your network. And if you’re getting a PhD at the Institute, you and your fellow grad students are all part of MIT’s unrivaled international one. Seek connections within and outside your research group. Generous and genuine networking lasts a lifetime. 

8. Break barriers, sometimes hardware, and ultimately ceilings. 

Books on our shared bookshelf in the Edgerton House apartment I lived in during grad school were adorned with titles in Greek, Korean, and French—languages that use three different alphabets. None of us roommates were native English speakers. While we fearlessly tasted each other’s poutine, spanakopita, and even foul-smelling durian, in the lab I was hesitant to touch expensive equipment, afraid of damaging it. But once you’re adequately trained for operation and safety, you should dive in and explore, test, and, yes, break things (unless your lab happens to do experiments in a nuclear reactor). Thankfully, my fear of breaking hardware was matched by the resolve of (patient) postdoctoral fellows eager to try out the latest lab instrument. Their enthusiasm was contagious: Slowly, unknown apparatuses turned into new toys. Eventually, I saw scratching the occasional diffraction grating as the price to be paid for pushing the limits of imaging systems. It was a rite of passage, just something that happens on the way to smashing the frontier of knowledge and, sometimes, glass ceilings too.

9. Book a weekly meeting with yourself. 

Your university, PhD advisor, professors, and professional societies will fill your schedule with classes, seminars, group meetings, psets, exams, experiments, and conference deadlines. Carve out a standing date for sports, leisure, friends, and family. Treat this rendezvous with yourself like a dentist appointment: essential but somewhat negotiable (in case of emergency, reschedule). And plan for something fun: No one feels refreshed after an hour or three of doomscrolling. As a grad student, I used to walk across the Longfellow Bridge to let off steam and—gazing back at the dome—dream of that Cambridge skyline on my future Brass Rat.

10. Ask for help. 

Life continues during your PhD. You may fall in love—or out of it. Plans may fall through. Friends may fall short. Parents may fall ill. Family members may die. I spent the first half of my PhD traveling back and forth on I-93 to visit my ailing father and the second to comfort my grieving mother. At MIT, I fell back on friends, colleagues, faculty, and staff members. Whenever I asked, I found support. When asked, I gave it. So ask. And offer.

11. Be kind to yourself. 

A PhD is hard (see above). You’ll work hard and still stumble. Learn from failures—but give yourself grace. That, too, is part of the process.

12. Tame that impostor syndrome. 

Look it up—many of us feel it. Adam Grant, organizational psychologist and author of Think Again and Hidden Potential, suggests it can be turned into confident humility. I am still working on it.

A PhD is as much about growth as it is about knowledge. While the challenges are real, so is the metamorphosis. Be intentional, curious, and compassionate—with others and yourself. You’re not just earning a degree; you’re shaping the researcher, colleague, and person you’ll become. And that’s worth the journey.

Caroline Boudoux, PhD ’07, is a professor of engineering physics at Polytechnique Montréal and cofounder of Castor Optics. Her book It Goes Without Saying: Taking the Guesswork Out of Your PhD in Engineering was published by MIT Press. 

• Originally published in MIT Technology Review