Starting a PhD: The decision
So, you got an offer to do a PhD in astronomy. A lifelong dream came true, and you are extremely excited. Three or four years of just research, on a path to becoming an astronomer, a door has opened, and it’s finally happening. Congratulations, and well done.
But before you say yes, stop for a moment and make sure you end up in a situation that actually works for you. You may have heard that PhD students are often miserable and unhappy with their project, with their supervisor, with their path. With everything. It happens. Of course that won’t happen to you, but maybe better to apply some caution. Go and be a researcher, for yourself. The future is unknowable, yes, but some parts of it are more predictable than others. Here are some things you can check before accepting that particular PhD offer. This is advice specific to my field, astronomy. Perhaps it works in other fields as well, but I really don’t know. None of the following items is in itself a reason to reject a PhD offer. But it’s a possible warning sign, and if several of these apply, it’s good to think again.
First, check out the record of the supervisor. You want a supervisor who is actively doing and leading research. Go to ADS and find out. You should find a few publications every year, with some in leading roles (i.e. among the first three authors). Exceptions apply, of course. You can ask about that, too.
Check if the field of the project is something that others are interested in. Check citations to recent papers on similar topics. Check if there are conferences on that subject. Check if there is occasional press coverage. Is this a niche field or a path to build a career? A project in a niche field is not necessarily a reason to reject the offer, but it’s something to consider.
Ideally, your supervisor has worked with PhD students before — try to find out. Were those students successful? Did they publish with the supervisor? Look for papers with the potential supervisor as 2nd author, and a student as first. Look for the thesis of former students, and check the acknowledgements. How do they talk about the support from the supervisor? Acknowledgements that don’t even mention the supervisor — red flag.
Then try to talk to a former student of said supervisor. Ideally your potential supervisor offers to put you in touch, but if that doesn’t happen, cold email a former student and ask questions. They will know. If former students refuse to recommend the supervisor, that also could mean something. A conflict between your potential supervisor and a former student is not a sufficient reason to reject an offer. Those things happen. But it’s something to think about.
Ask your potential supervisor a lot of questions, about the project, about the support he or she is offering, about the style of supervision, about the group, the institution, and so on. Those questions are all fair, in fact a good supervisor would appreciate talking about this anyway.
Try to find out more about the research you are going to do. The first job of the supervisor is to design a project that offers a realistic path for a PhD student. The project plan should give you the broad structure of the project and the questions you want to answer. It should tie in with existing literature. The research plan should not be vague and undetermined. It should be exciting and clear.
It is expected, perhaps desired, that the project is not fully fleshed out, beat by beat. In fact, if it is fleshed out beat by beat that’s probably not great either. Good supervisors can and will adjust the project. Often projects will be tailored to the successful student. Occasionally a project is developed in collaboration with the student. Very rarely do students come up with their own project. But the student should not be asked to do that. If your supervisor asks you to propose a project, think again. Seriously.
Check out the place. Ideally, you get invited to visit, if that is geographically feasible, and ideally the institute pays for it. If not, ask for it. Ideally, the potential supervisor shows you around and makes some time for informal discussions. Ideally you get a chance to meet other PhD students or other professors. If that doesn’t happen, this is not necessarily a reason to reject the offer — but it’s a warning sign.
A few things you can check from afar: Is it a big group or a small one? Tiny groups come with some challenges for PhD students. Very large ones, too. Are all people in the same building? That’s good! A group scattered all over the city can be challenging. Are there other staff members working in the field of your supervisor, at least broadly? That can be a plus. Are there postdocs in that field? Again a plus. Are there regular meetings or talks or colloquia advertised? How is the age structure and the gender balance in the department and the group? Going to a group with exclusively senior male academics is not necessarily bad — but it’s something to consider.
All this will take some time. Take your time. Nobody should ask you to make a decision immediately, or within a few days. Good supervisors should assist you with the decision, and offer information, advice, context. They should give you room to decide. If that doesn’t happen — think again.
