Congrats on starting! I'm technically about to be a first-year PhD student, but I'll be in the UK, which splits up the Master's a PhD portions of the US combined MS/PhD. Meaning I'm actually in my third year of a PhD program. :) The number one thing I'd say is: If there's something you think is important to understand, sign up for a class in it your FIRST semester. You won't be a super productive researcher then, so it's your best shot at understanding all that really hard stuff you're dreading. I put off filling serious gaps in my math background -- gaps I knew I'd have to tackle eventually -- until my second year, and I really regretted it! I got to learn WAY cooler stuff once I had that extra background. Your first year is for filling in gaps and exploring. :)
This is excellent advice, thank you. In undergrad, I got shortchanged with a teacher who'd never taught before on a relatively fundamental topic. Guess it's time to jump into the deep end. My problem is that I'm already researching. I have a poster session and paper due for a conference in December. Classmates will be primarily focused on coursework, which should definitely take priority over research. I'm skipping an MS and going straight to PhD.
This is common! (I had presented some posters by the time I started grad school.) But I assume that you're switching schools, in which case your research will be interrupted. This process of getting into a project that your advisor is excited about is a good opportunity to get the groundwork you're missing, because soon you'll be expected to prioritize research over coursework even more. At least in my field, this philosophy is pretty roundly rejected. It was even common to hear advice to first-years like, "If you're getting all As in coursework, you're not focusing enough on research." In the US, going straight into an MS/PhD is common (at least in my field). In most European countries, students have to start with an MS, and a PhD is a three year program with no coursework at all. I went straight from undergrad into a combined MS/PhD program, but because I'm following my advisor to the UK, I'm entering a PhD program that assumes a Master's degree background and has no coursework.My problem is that I'm already researching. I have a poster session and paper due for a conference in December.
Classmates will be primarily focused on coursework, which should definitely take priority over research.
I'm skipping an MS and going straight to PhD.
More great advice, thanks. My advisor told me that I needed to get all A's. Then asked me to do research too. He sleeps 4 hours a night, I've found out, and I'm worried that I will eventually have to develop this superhuman skill.
The better you hone your speaking/presenting skills, the faster your name will spread in your field. Sounds like you're doin' it right. Congratulations! :)
I was so confused at first because I thought you were already like halfway through your PhD and then I read the rest of your sentence :). Are you doing your Master's and PhD at the same institution? Thanks for the advice! All the courses I'm taking this semester are very foundational, and I'm super excited about it. Plus I might (crosses fingers) be in a program where I take a couple extra courses and collaborate on projects with comp sci students over the first year. I'd love to make connections with CS people regardless, but this would be an easy way to do that :)