4 reasons people do not finish their PhD | The most common!

In this video, I talk about the main reasons why people do not finish their PhD and it's not for lack of capability...

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▼ ▽ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – introduction
0:25 – they see the true cost
3:46 – they leave to write up
5:14 – change in personal circumstances
6:59 – poor topic selection

[AB-guui]

Reason 5: Common sense finally kicked in

[emiyo]

I am in the final year of Ph.D. Very exhausted from the process. Over the year the value of a Ph.D. is getting lower and lower and I think I will eventually have my own business instead of working for someone else.

[nicky_bee]

The phd used to be the most important thing in my life until my mum passed away and my dad got cancer. I'm sorry for your loss Andy

[regina]

I am in my fourth year and the “rolling down a hill” analogy is really spot on. It’s tough, but I’m trying to keep my momentum (even if it’s really super tiny right now) going!

[lolixxxx]

I know what you mean by "earthquakes", I have lost my mother too and became my disabled brother's primary caretaker in only three months, during my second year. Then, the pandemics happened and we weren't allowed to go to school or use public transport for a very long time. I feel that there's no catching a break. I am about to enter my fifth year and nowhere near the end. I have been considering quitting for several weeks now. One reason I am still "hanging in there" is that I don't think it's right to make life altering decisions if I am not in the right frame of mind. The frame of mind changes and I will regret it later. But I am not going to lie, it is not at all easy. Each day, just showing up, is a struggle. I already knew that academia was not the right fit for me when I started, so that's an advantage I had, there was no deception in my case. I knew there are other opportunities for people with PhDs, particularly in my field. But nothing sounds exciting anymore.

[tanned]

When seeing your seniors who graduated their PhD many years ago are still doing their postdoc fellowships, and the postdocs who work in your lab who completed their second postdoc placement are still struggling to get even a job interview for an academic position. And some of those PhD graduates who finally ended up getting a job after years of job search are working in a team mostly with only Master's and even Bachelor's qualifications.

[Teilnehmer]

I am two months in my second year and I am about to quit. All the reasons in this video - except "leaving to write up" - are valid for me. Especially realizing how academia really works was a big letdown. My field also further complicates this issue because it's a very dry and boring subject. The majority of researchers in my field are very cynical about their work and it's very clear to most people that it shouldn't be founded anymore. But because of how the system works and political reasons from decades ago a lot of work is still being funded even though it is of absolutely no consequence to society.
In addition to that I have experienced too much harassment at the institute and I just don't want to deal with that anymore. I tried bringing it up with the supervisor but it only got worse, she went on to further harass me, threatening to fire me because I criticized her racist remarks while other people who harassed me got away scot-free.
Another reason is that I get almost no benefit from having a supervisor because my topic is completely out of her expertise. She actually could be of help in some areas because they touch on the theoretical foundations of the field. But it has become clear that she is actually completely clueless about that as well - in fact most of her supposed advice or plans have turned out to be a net negative because of how fundamentally wrong she misunderstood underlying basics of the field. Now at first the independence was very interesting because of the challenge and freedom but more and more it becomes a negative.
And I basically realized that I don't want to be a researcher. I thought this was a childhood dream of mine but I realized it's not. I still love learning but there are better ways for me to make a contribution to society than research in the area of my PhD. Because of health reasons I will probably die decades earlier than the mean life expectancy. I don't want to spend the time I have with something I don't really believe in anymore.

[spacescienceguy]

I very nearly quit my PhD halfway. Sometimes I wish I did. I just finished, but I don't feel like it was worth the pain.

[madhurisawant]

Dr Stapleton, your voice is quite motivating and topics are quick to point, encourage to keep doing more video. It really helps.

[nonee]

I am in in 7th year and in extreme disagreement with my guide . Everyday i want to quit and end this misery..

[swathimenon]

I have just seen my own group member on the verge of dropping out of the PhD due to poor narrow hard topic selection.

[anggaraadhari]

Andy, could you do a video on mental health issues of PhD student and how to overcome it.

[Katadori]

Andy, I really appreciate your videos. Thank you for making them.

If I could only give one piece of advice to, say… my own kids, I would tell them this:

Your life will have ups and downs. These will be amplified in academia. Your lows will be really stressful and could last for long periods of time. Your highs will be really exciting, but may only last for moments.

Try to balance them out for yourself. When you are low, reflect on exciting moments that you are proud of. When you are at one of these great moments, do what you can to preserve it for later use. Pictures, memories, framed documents, mementos, a saved emails folder, whatever it takes to bottle that up for later use.

In the long run, you will have so many ups and downs that it doesn’t make sense to make major decisions when you are at nadirs or peaks. Just try for an even, balanced outlook with a long-term horizon and short-term patience.

[janswanton]

I am so sorry about your Mum, Andy. But, the 'oh crikey, that's going to be me, one day' bereavement thoughts are very real.
Your timing as always is uncanny!
I'm doing a PhD on The Monkees and their lead guitarist, my crush of 56 years, died on Friday. My first thought was to abandon the PhD. I hope that thought goes away! But it was the first one.
I've known loads of people give up on a PhD and the overwhelming reason has been that thinking about having a PhD is more pleasant than actually doing one. I don't think they mean not to do one, they just never get round to it. They register, tell everyone they are doing a PhD and talk endlessly about why their topic is so interesting and that turns out to be enough for them. No one is more surprised than them when the University chucks them out!

[ernestinalefebvre]

I have 6 months to submit my thesis for examination. I'm so exhausted after 6 years. I have 11 years experience in higher education while full time M&D candidate in different universities from where I worked & lived. I'm 36, relocated many times, no family, lost close associates & aunt (2021-22), an original chapter but rebuilding & enriching my life with creative things.

[sutiko]

Great points doing write up myself after stipend ended and money running out. Aiming to get to the end.

[shinra]

Sorry to hear of your mother’s passing Andy.

[jarrodsio]

All your points are valid, Dr Stapleton. That said, this is from one specific perspective - the traditional student's. As a mature student who did and completed my PhD part time while holding down a full time job, I found that one can indeed have one's cake and eat it. Then again, I am not a STEM PhD, which has a very different set of demands altogether, with labwork and such.

[fdias]

Hey
The of your video.
...hit hard ....I keep asking the same question

[geoffrygifari]

The 4th reason, having the topic of research not fitting enough, sounds like it could be a video on its own. What is the best kind of research topic? Maybe from your own chemistry experience