<p>As I was reading through some of the threads here I seemed to notice that a couple of times it was mentioned that most grad students are unhappy. So, for those here who are experienced to answer, I would like to ask, do you think that most grad students in general are unhappy? Or does it vary greatly from location to location?</p>
<p>And what do you think is the most likely cause for graduate students to be unhappy? Is it</p>
<p>1) Realizing that a Ph.D isn't really for them
2) The workload
3) Trouble with the supervisor
4) Trouble with staff
5) Not having a social life..at all?
6) Living frugally?</p>
<p>I think these questions might also help in deciding how much the non-academic aspects of a particular graduate school should be taken into consideration is selecting a university.</p>
<p>I don't think most graduate students are always unhappy, but I think most graduate students are sometimes unhappy. A PhD is a somewhat masochistic endeavor, and it's always popular in academia to loudly proclaim how overworked and miserable you are.</p>
<p>I have been unhappy from time to time in grad school, because I work a lot of hours and sometimes want a break, and because I get frustrated with the solo nature of my project. Sometimes I don't know what I should do next, and it can get overwhelming. But generally I would not say I am unhappy, and I am glad that I'm in grad school and in my particular lab.</p>
<p>A good friend at my University dropped out of a PhD program this year because he was unhappy. The biggest reasons he stated...sick of working so hard for the amount of income, and sick of reading so much theory based stuff.</p>
<p>While all of your numbered factors probably contribute, you left out 7) Many grad students are used to the structure of undergrad programs where people tell them what to do, and have derived their academic satisfaction from performing well in classes, and have trouble with the independence of a PhD program and the fact that their research now matters more than being able to get top grades on exams.</p>
<p>Most grad students are sometimes unhappy...but so are most <em>people</em>.</p>
<p>I would say that the general level of unhappiness in graduate school is probably only slightly higher than the general level of unhappiness in the real world. This is undoubtedly because getting a PhD is generally much more challenging than the average job in the real world. And of course, it varies from school to school, program to program, and person to person. The good news is that you can stop whenever you want, so why not give it a try?</p>
<p>
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7) Many grad students are used to the structure of undergrad programs where people tell them what to do, and have derived their academic satisfaction from performing well in classes, and have trouble with the independence of a PhD program and the fact that their research now matters more than being able to get top grades on exams.
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Ahh, this is exactly what I was trying to say in post 2. The nonstructure of grad school can be pretty anxiety-inducing in people who like structure, and people who do well as undergrads often really like structure. Having to construct your own structure can be pretty stressful, and does not always work well.</p>
<p>The feeling of not knowing what to do next can be incredibly frustrating. I had a very supportive advisor who led me thru the first stages of my research. Then, such a great feeling when "it" hits you - the next steps for your dissertation are suddenly clear in your mind. Bottom line - the PhD taught me to think.</p>
<p>DS is having fun. Funded MS degree and his prof has given him the option to return to school on a phD funded program, doing essentially what he is doing now as a researcher/investigator/prototyper. </p>
<p>I've been unhappy, miserable, and tired as a graduate student/researcher... however I've also had many other jobs that left me even more unhappy, miserable, and tired. Honestly, I felt unhappy for many of the same reasons (overworked, needed a break, constantly broke, lack of social life, etc...) whether I was working in retail, nursing the sick, or working for my PI.</p>
<p>I can't speak for others, but in my case, the only thing that makes me "unhappy" as a grad student is your option No.6: living frugally. Having no money all the time sucks. </p>
<p>jessiehl's point is also very important: it may or may not actually make you "unhappy", but the drastic decrease in "structure" is a big deal. I'm a first-year in math, and I had no homework or exams in any class this semester. This was a <em>huge</em> adjustment from the rat-race intensity of the classes I had in undergrad. Suddenly, no one is forcing you to learn a fixed amount each week or month; you're responsible.</p>
<p>"Ahh, this is exactly what I was trying to say in post 2. The nonstructure of grad school can be pretty anxiety-inducing in people who like structure, and people who do well as undergrads often really like structure. Having to construct your own structure can be pretty stressful, and does not always work well."</p>
<p>This is good to know for me. =] I am curious what people think in this thread, because I am hoping grad school will be a time I really enjoy, given I've been the sort to just read math and work exercises at my own pace outside of courses, and even prefer this to the structure of courses at times (though sometimes, a greatly structured course is what I need). What worries me most, though, is the prospect of being responsible for my own solo research! Not that it doesn't sound very fun, but nevertheless, it's a relatively new thing.</p>
<p>I hate having to attend class and sit through boring lectures. Self-learning is my style and I am looking forward to the independence of PhD (except first year is all coursework, doh!).</p>
<p>My 2 cents. I would say yes, most graduate students are unhappy. I think even this isn't extreme enough. Graduate school is a lunatic asylum where most students are chronically depressed. Mind you I go to school in seattle and I think the weather and city also has a lot do with it, but I think a few generalizations can be made about graduate school in general and why it has a correlation to depression. </p>
<p>For one, graduate school often means being transplanted into a strange city in order to carry out work which is very solitary. Having to form a new set of social contacts, adapt to a new city, all this can be difficult while navigating a ****ton of academic work. </p>
<p>Also, research can be a very solitary task... there will probably be only a few people in the entire world who have a clear idea of exactly 'what it is you do', and so it can be difficult to relate your research to those outside your field, etc. </p>
<p>Aside from that there is the immense amount of pressure associated with graduate school, your supposed to work like a superhuman while part of a half decade journey into professional academia. Inevitably questions arise like, 'ought I be doing this?', 'what the hell is the point of all this?', 'is attempting to become a professional academic make financial sense?', 'Should I quit graduate school and become a professional Dj?' </p>
<p>To sum up, a quote from a sociology grad student which I think captures the graduate experience for at least a large segment of those who endure it... "I have an existential crisis every time I get on the bus to come to school"</p>
<p>Here's something to stress out about. At the school that I work at, one department is discussing a policy change requiring grad students to be at work from 8a - 5p on Saturday and Sunday (as well as weekdays). I have asked around and nobody has heard of this kind of policy being enforced before. However, I think this is indicative of the possible abuses of grad students that can occur.</p>
<p>Goodness, belevitt. I think the grad students in the department should protest this new policy ruling. That is overboard. Grad school life should be treated like a full-time job (5 days a week, 40-50 hours per week). Nothing more.</p>
<p>That is particularly absurd. I mean, I work weekends, but I would be orders of magnitude more irritated about it if I were required to work them. (And both days? Are they trying to burn people out at max speed?)</p>
<p>One thing that I value about my lab is my ability to set my own schedule -- I work pretty regularly from 8:30am-7pm, but some of the other students in my lab are on the 11am-9pm shift. We even have a postdoc who comes to work at 3pm and works until about 1am. There would be some seriously unhappy people in my lab if we were required to come to work at 8am.</p>
<p>What's their justification for the policy change?</p>
<p>I hate having to attend class and sit through boring lectures. Self-learning is my style and I am looking forward to the independence of PhD (except first year is all coursework, doh!).</p>
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<p>Pretty much same here. I hate working to other people's structures, which are often very different from how I would do things. I hated it as an undergrad, so I guess this is actually good news.</p>
<p>As I look back to my first semester, much of my unhappiness came from the lack of social life and structure in my courses that left me anxiety-ridden every single week. I also just came from undergrad where very few students complain so often as grad students here do about their work (as mollie said about academia feeds on competition to see who has the most work). But I am working on self-defense thinking so I can be a happier student next semester. It also helps a lot to talk with the more experienced grad students (particularly those who come from similar backgrounds and interests) to make sure what you're going through is normal.</p>
<p>One thing people haven't mentioned is self-confidence. Grad students have a lot of issues with self-confidence in their own work (also related to the Imposter Syndrome) since they don't receive as much feedback from professors and reaping the rewards takes a good while.</p>