One horror story could be the never - ending research. You keep digging into archives, but it feels like you'll never find enough relevant material. Another is dealing with difficult advisors who are overly critical and not very helpful, making the whole process a nightmare.
One horror story is when my phd advisor kept changing the research goals randomly. It was so frustrating as I had already made progress in one direction, and then had to start anew. It felt like I was running in circles without any real guidance.
One common element is lack of communication. Advisors might not respond to students' inquiries promptly, leaving the students in limbo. Another is unrealistic expectations, like expecting a phd student to complete an impossible amount of work in a short time.
There are cases where a phd student's advisor suddenly leaves the institution for some reason. This can be a horror story as the student has to quickly find a new advisor who may have different research interests or expectations. It can set them back months or even years as they have to re - explain their work, adjust their research plans according to the new advisor's suggestions, and build a new working relationship.
A 'phd horror story' could be the lack of funding at a crucial stage. You might be all set to conduct a major part of your research, but suddenly the funding gets cut. This can halt your progress as you may not be able to afford the necessary equipment or resources. Also, there are cases where there is a lot of internal politics in the department. You may find that your work is being sidelined or not given the importance it deserves just because of power struggles among the faculty.
Sure. There's the case where a student's research was completely derailed because a key archive they were relying on was destroyed in a flood. All that planned research just vanished. Another is when a student was pressured by their department to finish within a certain time frame, but they were not ready, and they ended up with a sub - par dissertation.
Good mentorship is crucial. Having an experienced advisor who can guide you through the research process and provide valuable feedback can make a big difference. Also, the ability to stay focused on the research topic and not get distracted by other things is important. For example, in a scientific research, not being swayed by short - term trends but sticking to the core problem you aim to solve.
There are phd stories novels that focus on the personal growth aspect. For example, a story could be about a phd candidate who starts off shy and unsure of themselves. Through the rigors of the phd program, they learn to be more confident, make friends in the academic community, and finally emerge as a well - rounded individual with a newfound sense of self - worth. They overcome setbacks like failed experiments and harsh criticism from peers to complete their degree and grow as a person.
It's hard to say for sure. Sometimes it's difficult to keep track of whether it's on hiatus or not. You could look for announcements from the creators or in relevant comic forums.