A Good PhD is a Finished One

Let’s be honest, the romanticized image of a PhD – endless lab experiments, groundbreaking discoveries, and effortless writing – often crashes against the reality of late nights, data analysis headaches, and the dreaded writer’s block. I know mine did.

My biggest hurdle wasn’t the lab work, surprisingly. I loved running experiments, troubleshooting code, even wrestling with my temperamental SDS gels. (Though, let’s be real, coding was way less frustrating.) No, my downfall was the write-up. I had this insatiable urge to keep exploring, to chase every shiny new research idea. “Just one more experiment,” I’d tell myself, and then another, and another. Before I knew it, I was drowning in data and miles away from a finished thesis.

My supervisors, bless their souls, finally staged an intervention. “Hang up the lab coat,” they said. “Turn off the server. Start writing.” And so I did. I learned to let go of perfection, to simply put words on the page. Methodology was my salvation – a structured starting point that allowed me to find my writing rhythm. Those conferences I thought I would write papers on during the flight? Yeah, maybe one, if I was lucky.

Then came the dreaded missed deadline. Ouch. Seeing my carefully laid plans crumble was a painful experience. I’d even won the Alex von Holy prize, consecutively, and felt like a failure. But, after a week of self-reflection, I reminded myself: I had never written a PhD thesis before. It was a learning curve.

If I could go back and give myself one piece of advice, it would be this: “Journey before destination.” And start writing as soon as you have results. Don’t wait for the “perfect” moment, because it won’t come.

My perception of the “perfect PhD” shifted dramatically. I realized it wasn’t about running every conceivable experiment or conducting every possible analysis. It was about focusing on the essential, the fundamental, and what aligned with my initial goals. “Finished” meant meeting the faculty standards with a complete thesis, not chasing an unattainable ideal.

The rewards of finishing? Immense. The biggest surprise was the confidence I gained. I learned that I could tackle any challenge, that I had developed a growth mindset that no one could take away.

If you’re struggling with your PhD right now, know this: keep going. Break down your challenges into granular details, and you’ll find half the solution.

And for a bit of levity, let me tell you about my trip to Germany. I’d saved up to attend a conference on metaproteomics, hoping to crack my final thesis chapter. I arrived with barely enough money for accommodation, and survived entirely on conference food. The kicker? It was a vegetarian conference. Every time I reached for a plate of leafy greens, I’d think, “This better be worth a killer chapter.” It was.

Ultimately, a good PhD isn’t a perfect one. It’s a finished one. It’s about perseverance, learning from setbacks, and embracing the journey. And trust me, crossing that finish line is worth every struggle.