How to finish a Ph.D.

A few years ago I was asked by several Ph.D. students what advice I could give to finish a Ph.D.
While I don't think there is only one answer I do have some principles that worked well for me-
if you are a current PhD student hopefully you will find this useful also. If you have any
comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear from you.
"Matt Schonlau's Great Tips - the
Over the years I have received many positive comments
most detailed, honest and useful
from Ph.D. students from the U.S., Canada, and as far as
advice you can ever find on how
China and Korea. Several students have linked this site
to finish your PhD, written by
form their sites. Thank you so much for your feedback. It
Matt Schonlau; he provides you
means a lot to me that some of my thoughts made a
with a concise but thorough
difference to you.
insight into all major aspects of
doing and finishing your PhD.
 Begin with the end in mind
What you have to keep in mind
I found it always helpful to know I what my
doing a PhD: how to focus on
overall goal was. During my PH.D. I aimed to
your goals for a longer time, how
finish in my Ph.D. in 3 years. I didn't make that in
to plan your life in accordance
the end - it took 4 years - but that isn't important.
with your research and how not to
The important thing is that I knew in order to
lose track in order to finish your
make 3 years I had to do a certain course load in
PhD within a reasonable
the first and second term , I had to take the
timeframe. (2003) Start with this
comprehensive exam the first time it was offered,
one!"
I had a rough idea of how much time I had to
write the dissertation. There are road blocks
www.phdtips.com (accessed
along the way and things turn out different than
March 6, 2010)
you expect. But if you know your overall goal
obstacles won't through you off the course, you
are just taking a detour.
 You have no obligation to write an important or even useful thesis
Sometimes students set out to write this all-encompassing break-through thesis and then
fail because they try to accomplish too much at once. Very few researchers achieve fame
because of their dissertation work. Try to write a good dissertation, not a great
dissertation. Further, don't insist on writing a useful thesis. Your primary goal is to get a
Ph.D. , not to change the world. There is enough time for changing the world after your
dissertation when you have less constraints about what criteria your work has to meet.
 Write!
A psychology student told me once that he spends the entire day doing research and then
forces himself at the end of the day to summarize what he found - even if he doesn't think
he found anything that day. This is important for several reasons : (a) writing helps your
thoughts to crystallize (b) you accomplish your daily task which will make you feel good
(c) you can track your progress (d) when you write your thesis you have material to draw
on (e) you won't forget what you were thinking two weeks ago. In my opinion most
students start too late putting their thoughts into words.
 Exercise regularly
I have always found I can work better when I am physically in good shape. During
 stressful times such as exams, I exercise more often rather than less often. The energy I
get from exercise more than compensates for the "time lost".
 Enjoy your "play time"
There is a time to work and a time to play. I try to work hard when I work, and not to
think at all about work when I don't work. For example, every year I fly home to
Germany for Christmas. I never take work to Germany. All that would accomplish is that
I would feel bad the whole time about not doing the work. When you have worked hard
all week and can afford to take the week-end off, try to get out and do something fun. Try
not to think about work at all.
 Talk to others about your problems
After finishing his Ph.D. a social scientist at an Ivy League university told me once that at
some point during his Ph.D. he had so much dissertation anxiety that he went to see a
psychologist at the medical center. To his surprise the waiting room for the psychologist
was packed and he recognized several other people. Everyone was there for the same
reason. He later emailed one of the students he saw whether he wanted to talk about it .
Within 10 minutes he got a reply email : the other student was just as desperate to talk
about it. Most Ph.D. students at some point or another have problems - talking to fellow
students or professors almost always helps. You are not alone. (The above mentioned
student graduated smoothly and now excels working at a very prestigious institution).
 Record your progress
Sometime during my second year of my Ph.D. I started writing down every week-end
what I had accomplished during the preceeding week. I took great care in this and I often
reread what I had done in the past few weeks. This weekly ritual became very important
to me and motivated me a great deal. Sometimes in the middle of the week I would
realize that I hadn't accomplished anything to be recorded at the end of the week and I
would make sure I would get something done.
In addition, I kept a list of things to do at the white board and marked each item off once
I had done it. I wouldn't erase it until a few days later though - because that gave me the
satisfaction of seeing what I had accomplished already. I still follow this habit to this day.

During a Ph.D. you often try something and it doesn't work in the end. That can be
frustrating - but I feel that tracking what you have done helps to overcome this
frustration. The path to success has unexpected twists and turns in a Ph.D. - and while a
failed attempt looks like no progress it really is.
 Don't find excuses - don't do too many other important things.
Some of the brightest students sometimes have trouble finishing because they are so
successful doing other things that may reasonably also be considered important. A very
bright young fellow I know kept taking on temporary consulting jobs working for the UN
in Brazil and all kind of other exciting and useful jobs. Working for the UN in Brazil is a
great experience and you may not want to pass it up. But at some point finishing your
Ph.D. outweighs taking on extra consulting jobs.
 Choose a dissertation topic you are passionate about
You will do your best work when you work on a topic that you really care about. This not
always possible - but if you have the choice go for it. Also, it is better to come up with
your own thesis topic rather than having your supervisor find you a thesis topic. You will
find it easier to care deeply about a thesis topic that you came up with yourself.
  Work on your strengths, not on your weaknesses
I was once fortunate enough to have a brunch with the famous statistician Erich Lehman -
organized by Agnes Herzberg in Kingston, Ontario. Dr. Lehman had an unusual career
and had many things to say. I will never forget the following advice he gave : when in
England the professors noticed that his background in mathematics was much stronger
than in physics. They therefore forced him to take extra classes in physics. On hindsight
Dr. Lehman felt that that was a big mistake. He didn't have any passion for physics and
he claims he wasn't good at it either - so there was an extraordinary effort going into
something that wasn't necessary.
There may be situations where our passion requires us to work on something we are not
good at. For example, my friend Fiona was never interested in any handyman work.
However, she was a theatre major and some point she had to know technical theatre
operations. And when it was relevant to theatre, she all of the sudden took an interest in
handyman work as it related to theatrical set construction.
Unless necessary though I always thought that it was good advice to work on one's
strengths - because otherwise we'll be constantly disillusioned and frustrated.
 Take charge - it's your life not your supervisor's
I have always found taking an active role leads to better results than a passive or reactive
role. It makes life more exciting. For those of us who like playing computer games - it's
like the difference of playing the game and watching the game. Playing is just more fun.
 Do what is right for you - including the choice of discontinuing your Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is not for everyone and I think not to continue a Ph.D. ought to be one of your
options. I am most impressed with Judy whom I met during my time as a student. She
successfully mastered the comprehensive exam, and then decided that she wasn't really
all that interested in research. I still hear her say "You know, it's not for everyone" - not
disappointed but just matter of fact. She is happier now. However , I do think you should
only quit because you have come to the conclusion that you do not enjoy research, not
because "it's overwhelming", "it's too much work", or "I don't know whether I can do it"
or "I don't like my supervisor". People can do more than they think - they just have to
really try.

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