3月是申请季中收获offer的季节，很幸运的是我在这段时间收获了一些很好的机会，同时又再次开始反思将来的规划。
如果和老师朋友前辈们商讨择校，他们的第一个问题一定是：你将来要不要读PhD。的确，这个问题从大二的时候一直困扰我到现在，我的同级生已经收到了PhD offer坚定不移地走上了这条道路，然而事到如今，我仍然在彷徨和犹豫。
钻研与领域
PhD的中文是博士，准确地说是哲学博士。但是中文的“博”带有“博学”的意思，以为拥有这个学位就是知识渊博了，但是实际上PhD的研究范围往往非常集中、狭窄。
当然这并不能说明一切，比如材料PhD对于某一种特定材料的知识是可以迁移运用到其他材料的，物理系数学系PhD捣弄PDE的能力也让他们被华尔街青睐。
作为一个工科生，我看到欧洲的工科PhD往往和工业高度关联，而美国的工科感觉在往基础科学分化。这一点可以体现在两个方面——过程方法与产品结果。比如说我曾经参与的过控领域，工业界仍然在使用廉价的传统方法，而一大半控制论的论文都在错综复杂的数学公式中。我当然可以理解科学到应用之间的距离，但是那不应该是鸿沟，而科研不应该只是纸上谈兵。这一点让我感觉到沮丧而失去动力。而产品结果的角度尤甚，因为新品研发到实用性中间隔着经济效益这道门槛。
一开始我以为快消里的研发或许能够更兼具实用性，但是真正在快消咨询里工作之后才发现快消真正的逻辑是营销概念和供应链，而非技术。
科研的独立与孤独
我写在自己的简历上的所谓“科研”经历林林总总也有三四段，但是我自己心里清楚我的投入仅仅在入门级别，产出也近乎为0。这些经历中，有两次是完完全全的独立项目，导师仅仅在advise，而我在庞大的世界里摸不着头脑苦苦挣扎；另外一次稍微有模有样了，有人带着的好处是几乎不会遇到很大的困难和挫折，照着教的做就好了，但是这样却也没有什么自主性。
独立性对于PhD来说是很重要的，但是经历过“独立”才让我感觉到无助。反思我失败的原因，最大的原因还是我个人能力不足，很多东西需要从零开始学习上手，而很大程度上也是因为“题目不好” （是的，我大多数的课题都是自己拟定的），对于研究课题本身没有很明确的定义和范畴，导致思绪满世界乱跑。所以现在做毕设的时候，导师几次阻碍了我的distraction，虽然很严厉但是回过头来我还是很感谢他。
独立性的另一点是孤独，因为大多数时候都是自己一个人，而没有别人帮忙，也没有办法商量，就算和熟人商量也会觉得举措，因为每个人都在各自不同的领域里（当然，我觉得如果真的成为了PhD还是可以和组里的人多多讨论）而在做group project的时候，虽然很多时候队友帮不了自己什么，但是总是能感觉到一些宽慰和慰藉，同甘共苦的同仇敌忾。
两本关于PhD的书
在3月期间，我读了两本有关PhD的书，一本是Zachary Shore的Grad School Essentials : A Crash Course in Scholarly Skills，这本书干货满满，主要是以人文社科为例，讲述了如何阅读、写作、行动和进行研究；另外一本书是 The Ph.D. Process : A Student’s Guide to Graduate School in the Sciences，主要讲的是科学学科里的PhD们需要面临的种种，从Qualifying Exam到DIssertation，从研究到生活到心态，几乎涵盖了PhD生活的所有内容。尽管这几年我感觉已经接触过了很多PhD，但是这对我来说仍然是本别开生面的书。
Grad School Essentials : A Crash Course in Scholarly Skills
How to Read
• Read for thesis, not just content.
• Search for and critique each thesis.
• Use the fi ve-step process to locate and assess the author’s
question, thesis, and key evidence.
• Identify if possible the author’s larger aim.
• Use titles, subtitles, chapter titles, and subheadings as
clues to identify the thesis.
• Restate and write down in your own words what each
important sentence means.
• Restate topic sentences and skip paragraphs that reiterate
or elaborate on ideas you have already grasped.
• Condense complex sentences by isolating the subject,
verb, and object.
How to Critique
• A critique is not a complaint.
• A critique is not a book report: a reiteration of what the
author wrote.
• A critique is a rigorous analysis of the author’s thesis: its
strengths as well as its weaknesses.
• Strong critiques only discuss what the author failed to do
if that omission is essential to our understanding of the
subject.
To make a strong critique, do the following:
• Isolate the thesis in a single clear statement.
• List the main premises and conclusion in simple clear
statements.
• Identify the main assumptions on which each premise
rests.
• Ask whether the conclusion follows logically from the
premises.
How to Write
• Use the Columbo Principle. Tell us your question and
answer in the fi rst paragraph. That way we’ll know (and
you’ll also know) exactly what you’re trying to say.
• Say something surprising. Don’t just tell us what everyone already knows. If you must conclude the obvious, tell
us something new about an old idea.
• Use any of the three formulas for opening paragraphs.
Formula 1: question in fi rst sentence.
Formula 2: thesis in fi rst sentence.
Formula 3: engaging anecdote in fi rst or second
paragraph, followed by question and thesis.
They might make your writing formulaic, but that’s okay
in the beginning. As you grow more comfortable and
confi dent, you can branch out into more creative means.
• Use subheadings for structure. These will help you
organize your own ideas while also guiding readers
through the course of your argument.
• Employ Orwell’s rules, but with my caveats. No rule
should ever be obeyed mindlessly. Use them only when it
is sensible to do so, and you must be the judge.
• Avoid the Bartender’s Burden, and get to the bloody
point.
How to Research
• Know the diff erence between your topic, your question,
and your answer.
• Articulate each in a single, crisp, clear sentence.
• Know that questions are meant to fi ll gaps in our
understanding.
• Use the fi ve-step process to fi nd your question.
• Compress your question into eight words or fewer.
• Link your question to something larger.
• Never draw your conclusions before doing the research.
• Let your questions guide your sources.
• Confront counterevidence directly.
• Make a clear and convincing case
The Ph.D. Process : A Student’s Guide to Graduate School in the Sciences
there are two aspects of an applicant to which there is no set response: independence and a firm idea of one’s research interests.
They blossom into scientists rather incognizantly.Students deciding on dissertation projects should realize the very real possibility that they may not end up in academia.
It is a wise idea to have at least two projects going on at the same time. Simultaneous studies increase your chance of success
Never agree to take on a long-term project unless you are also working on a few short-term projects at the same time.
do not have more than 1–2 projects that require techniques that the lab doesn’t have and that you have to work outA graduate student should always pick the smartest advisor possible
Academia is a world of specialists.
raison d’être = 生き甲斐
Everyone gets frustrated with their research; that’s just how it is.
It is pretty typical for students to finish up while still feeling that they are “not quite done”:
A good graduate student is self-starting, motivated, creative, critical, independent, and able to ask interesting questions. In addition, it is important for one to realize, understand, and make use of the fact that most of the time you are your own best critic.
Become Proficient in Some Useful Techniques or Mathematical Skills
Don’t try to BE someone, try to DO something!
As a testament to how difficult this task was, the woman who helped me type my thesis has been with me ever since and is now my wife.