Dear Dora: Introducing Dora Farkas, Ph.D.

We are very excited to announce a new segment at BenchFly called “Dear Dora,” a monthly advice column featuring Dora Farkas, Ph.D., author of “The Smart Way to Your Ph.D.: 200 Secrets from 100 Graduates.” Here, we introduce Dora by peppering her with questions, like any good scientist would…

Dora, for those of us just meeting you for the first time, give us a quick rundown of your scientific background.

I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering at MIT, and during my senior year I decided to explore other departments. I applied to a Ph.D. program in Toxicology, also at MIT, and after the interviews, I knew immediately that this interdisciplinary program would be a great match for me. After graduation, I diversified my scientific background even further by doing a postdoctoral fellowship at Tufts University in Pharmacology, which is another hot area in the pharmaceutical industry.

People frequently ask me why I switched fields so many times, but for me, this was a natural progression, where I always followed what I was passionate about. I also found that my three fields of study, Chemical Engineering, Toxicology and Pharmacology, complemented each other very nicely, and I also had the opportunity to work with world-class leaders in all of these field, namely: Linda Griffith, Steven Tannenbaum and David Greenblatt.

At what point during your Ph.D. process did you realize that the problems you were dealing with were not unique?

I knew in my first year already that many students were dealing with the same types of issues. The most common ones were difficulty communicating with advisors, feeling like their research was going nowhere, and confusion about career paths. I saw older students being bitter about their experiences, and wishing they had never enrolled in doctoral programs – a great way to motivate younger students!

I remember wondering whether there was a better way, but everyone else seemed to accept that graduate school was meant to be miserable. Fortunately, I was able to uncover some myths about graduate school, and I realized that graduate students do not need to suffer in order to get their Ph.D.’s. It was, in fact, possible to be happy, or at least content, in graduate school.

Why do you think we seem to reinvent the wheel constantly when it comes to the process of graduate school?

As one of my friends put it, graduate school is inherently an inefficient process. Students spend a lot of time exploring thesis options, and they don’t realize that years can go by without tangible progress. I think the key to getting your Ph.D. efficiently, is to have a vision for the course of your studies and your career goals, and to communicate your ideas clearly to your advisor. When you have an end-goal in mind, you will be more efficient and focused.

To give you a concrete example, I knew several MD/PhD students who managed to get their PhD’s in 4 years, even in groups where other students stayed for 6 years or longer. One student in particular, told his advisor the date that he wanted to return to medical school, and they planned a suitable project accordingly (they ran a few months over, but the looming deadline was a motivator for both the student and his advisor).

Clearly, it is not always possible to impose deadlines, and most of the time research does not go according to your plans. In fact, students felt that, on average, their studies took about 3 times longer than predicted. In my book I collected over 200 tips and tricks to help you work more efficiently, communicate better with your advisor, and become an independent and self-motivated researcher.

Many of us felt frustrated at one point or another during graduate school, but got through it and, outside of therapy, never looked back.  What drove you to take action and write your book?

I had an epiphany to write a graduate school survival guide book while studying for my qualifying exams, arguably one of the most stressful times in graduate school. I was having dinner with one of my close friends (who majored in another department), and naturally I was complaining about how much I had to study and how miserable I was. My friend listened attentively, and did not complain about her problems at all. When I asked her whether she was available for lunch the next day, she said: “Oh, my qualifying exam is tomorrow, and it will run through my lunch hour.”

“What, your qualifying exam is tomorrow, and you didn’t tell me?” I asked in disbelief.

“It’s not that big deal, I’ve been studying for this for awhile,” she replied modestly. Her department had a reputation for very challenging qualifying exams, but she passed on her first try. In fact, she was among the first to graduate in her class, but I rarely saw her stressed.

My friend had what I would call an “ideal graduate school experience.” She worked out regularly, took dance classes, volunteered for community events and even got married. Somehow, she was able to maintain a schedule that allowed her to pursue all her interests and lead a balanced life. I think that finding the right balance is one of the toughest challenges for graduate students, because there are so many demands on our time.

After I saw how calm my friend was about her qualifiers, I realized that there must be a better way to get through graduate school. I searched around for graduate school guidebooks, but none of them explored how to get your Ph.D. and have a meaningful experience along the way. That was when I decided to write my own book.

Were there any surprising trends that emerged as you conducted your interviews?

One of my surprises came about when I interviewed Ph.D.’s in the humanities and social sciences. The most common challenge in these fields is finding funding, and many students have to work part-time or take out big loans to get through school. Other than funding, however, I realized that these students faced the same issues as scientists and engineers. For example, they also reminisced about how difficult it was to communicate with their advisors, to clarifying their thesis topics, and to navigate the job market.

Another surprise came about when I asked people whether they struggled with repetitive strain injury (RSI), a condition caused by excessive typing or pipetting, which can lead to pain in the shoulders, arms and hands. Not one person mentioned it during the interview, but when I brought it up at the end, 28 out of the 100 interviewees (more than one in four) said that they were affected to some extent by RSI. A few people were unable to type for weeks or even months! As someone who also suffered from RSI, I encourage everyone to seek help for this condition. From personal experience I can tell you that it is possible to recover. Hey, I wrote a book to show for it!

So please welcome Dora by sending your questions to DearDora@benchfly.com or simply leave a question in the comment box below.  All questions will be anonymous, so no need to be embarrassed or scared.  There’s no need to struggle through situations that can be easily resolved – let Dora show you the way!

Tune in tomorrow when Dora tackles the challenges facing three graduate students!