New PhD students feel isolated from friends and hobbies

“how is life? How do you make new friends? submitted by /u/Academic-Dig-3851 [link] [comments]”

“I’m a first year PhD student in STEM (USA) and I’m honestly having a pretty good time despite not having time to do literally anything. I’d say I’m currently pretty satisfied with my school, PI, and peers. Hoping it stays that way… Anyways, I’m not sure if I’m just overthinking things but I noticed I get pretty negative ish reactions when I tell new people I’m a PhD student. They’re kinda like “why would you do that” or “you aren’t gonna make that much money”. Kinda makes me feel a little deject”

“Hi yall, I have few questions: How much did the location of your PhD uni affect your employment opportunities, professional networking, internships? If you attended a university in a mid sized-smaller college town/city, did you feel geographically isolated from relevant employers? Looking back, would you prioritize location differently when applying/choosing a PhD program? I’m from NYC trying to figure out the location side of doing a PhD because alot of the unis I can apply for this year are in”

“I’m a first-year international mechanical engineering PhD student in the US at an R1 university. I work in a group with an exceptionally strong industry placement record. Most of the students are international, and graduates from the group have gone on to some of the best companies in our field. My PI is very well connected within the university and industry, and most of our projects are heavily industry-funded and much more industry-oriented than traditional academic research. That comes with o”

“I am a 1st year PhD student in Physics (experimental). C/o my ADHD n resulting executive dysfunction, I can excel in an unstructured environment (eg, I am high-performing in a lab / with my research) but struggle really immensely in structured environments. Pretty sure i got into my program solely off of the depth of research experience I have had. Anyways, given that, the thought of TAing terrifies me - being the one to *enforce* the very structures that i hardly manage to even exist within?? a”

“Hi !!! I'm in the very early stage of my PhD and I'm genuinely struggling with living away from home. I don't know if I'm overreacting or if this is something other people have experienced too. This isn't my first time away from home. I've been living away from my parents since Class 11. But back then, I was only about 2 hours away. Even if I felt homesick, I knew I could go home relatively easily. Now I'm around 7–8 hours away, and the distance feels completely diffe”

“How the hell do you survive not comparing yourself with your colleagues?? Everyone is so smart and they do all the coursework super easily. Meanwhile, I am trying to keep up at understanding everything and I feel tired all the time ☠️ Actually doubting my intelligence and thinking I may not be able to make it submitted by /u/ani940 [link] [comments]”

“Please answer only if YES. What was the experience like? What did your day-to-day work actually involve, and what was life like outside of working hours? I’d also be interested to hear about the overall lifestyle things like accommodation, social life, isolation, free time, etc. Looking back, did you feel like the experience was worth it? What did you enjoy most, and what were the biggest downsides? submitted by /u/Advanced_Bird7521 [link] [comments]”

“Hi everyone, I’m currently a 1st semester direct PhD student at a T10 (probably one of, if not the most notable engineering university’s in the US) and I have an RA appointment so everything is currently fully funded. I am so lucky to have gotten this position coming directly from undergrad and that is not lost on me, but the transition has been incredibly difficult. I had to move away from everything and everyone I know, give up extracurriculars, and overall am feeling a bit depressed. Due to t”