The Struggling Scientists

This is a day in the life of a PhD student.

"To infinity, and beyond!"
Or at least until funding runs out

How to communicate your academic skills when applying to non-academic jobs?

In this episode, we interview @ashleyruba_phd about switching to a non-academic job.

You don't want to miss this👇
🔗 https://youtu.be/QsXnBpvUBBE

"This is fine"

"oooh ... I wrote that 🫣"

Be sure to check out our podcast on YouTube, where we share...
✅ Helpful advice for in and outside of academia
✅ Useful info about AI tools in academia
✅ + advice to make your research life less of a struggle

👉 You can find us on YouTube as The Struggling Scientists

⭐ Remember that rejection is part of the process, not a verdict on your ability.
Papers get rejected for all kinds of reasons.
It doesn’t mean your work is worthless or that you’re not cut out for research.

I hope this helps.
Btw...

⭐ Look for what you can use, not just what hurts.
Even tough reviews often contain something useful.
Find the actionable bits and set the rest aside.

But over time, I learned how to deal with it a little better each round.

⭐ Take a breather before reading the reviewer comments.
Give yourself a bit of space.
Reading criticism while still emotional makes it harder to be objective.

One of the toughest emails I got during my PhD wasn’t about funding or experiments. It was the first rejection of my academic paper.

I had spent months writing and revising it, only to get it returned with what felt like harsh and dismissive feedback.
It sucked.

This shirt can't guarantee that your P-values will be <0.05, but at least you will look cute if it isn't.

Also, makes for a great gift 😁
Check out sizes and color options in the shop😊.

🔗: https://www.thestrugglingscientists.com/product/something-incredible-t-shirt/

We can keep hoping 🥲

Be sure to check out our podcast on YouTube, where we share...
✅ Helpful advice for in and outside of academia
✅ Useful info about AI tools in academia
✅ + advice to make your research life less of a struggle

👉 You can find us on YouTube as The Struggling Scientists

This is not to say that ChatGPT is without its own set of issues, because lord knows it is but in general it is very useful for myself and many others. And besides, there are just better tools out there specifically for researchers. 

I hope this helps.
Btw...

It seems to underperform across the board on a variety of use cases, such as summarization, analyzing literature, answering questions, and many others, so much so that I often wonder why Microsoft spent billions to buy a large stake in ChatGPT only to create a significantly worse product.

I'm always surprised whenever I hear someone actually uses MS Copilot. Like, why would you do that to yourself 😅?

Putting the whole AI discussion aside for a second, out of all the possible AI tools out there, Copilot has genuinely underwhelmed me the most.

This mug is not sponsored by any company that makes pipettes.

Although we would totally be up for it if they are 😂

Also, makes for a great gift 😁

🔗: https://www.thestrugglingscientists.com/product/eat-read-pipet-repeat-mug/

Still can't believe this got passed reviewers😂

PhD's log:

Supervisor: Work hard, and the right doors will open for you.

Me opening the door to the psychiatrist 

✅ Helpful advice for in and outside of academia
✅ Useful info about AI tools in academia
✅ Recent Science news with a dash of humor
✅ + advice to make your research life less of a struggle

👉 You can find us on YouTube as The Struggling Scientists

It’s okay to feel both proud and tired.

I hope this helps.
Btw...

Be sure to check out our podcast on YouTube, where we share...

⭐ Let yourself recover before jumping into the next thing.
You don’t need to start the next paper or experiment the day after acceptance.
Pause. Breathe.

⭐ Remember that burnout doesn’t cancel out your success.
You worked hard, and it paid off. That matters.

It was a win, but I was running on empty.

⭐ Celebrate the milestone, even if you’re too tired to feel excited right away.
Sometimes the happiness comes later, after you’ve had time to rest.

When my first paper was finally accepted, I thought I’d feel pure joy. And I did but it was also mixed with exhaustion.

Getting to that “accepted” email meant months of writing, rewriting, addressing reviewer comments, doubting myself, and pushing through when I really just needed a break.

When was the last time this happened to you ? 

Mine was a 2 month long experiment from 2018 to 2019😅

✅ Helpful advice for in and outside of academia
✅ Useful info about AI tools in academia
✅ Recent Science news with a dash of humor
✅ + advice to make your research life less of a struggle

👉 You can find us on YouTube as The Struggling Scientists

⭐ Talk it through with someone.
Your supervisor, a colleague, or a friend can provide perspective and help you see it’s not the end of the world. 

I hope this helps.
Btw...

Be sure to check out our podcast on YouTube, where we share...

⭐ Give yourself time before reacting.
It’s okay to feel frustrated, but don’t respond while you’re still in that headspace.
Let it sit for a day or two.

⭐ Find the useful part, even in badly worded feedback.
Sometimes buried in the tone is a real point that can help you make your paper stronger.

Getting reviewer comments back on a paper during my PhD was never easy.

Even when they weren’t wrong, some comments just hit harder than others. It felt personal, discouraging, and sometimes made me question the whole project.

Here’s what helped me get through it:

PhD's log:

Me: I signed up to run a marathon during my PhD.

People: You know therapy would have been easier, right?