Is a PhD for Me? Life in the Ivory Tower: A Cautionary Guide for Aspiring Doctoral Students

by Yuval Bar-Or

Each year, tens of thousands of students enroll in doctoral programs across the United States. The experience can be formative, uplifting, fulfilling, and inspiring. It is also often intense, frustrating, demoralizing and at times even infuriating. While many students are destined to be productive researchers, attentive educators and respected thought leaders, others are destined for failure. With the benefit of hindsight, many of those who leave graduate school without the coveted degree realize they were unprepared for the program and ignorant of the realities of the academic world. "Is a PhD for Me?" is designed to help you, the aspiring doctoral student, in two ways. First, it is meant to help you make an enlightened decision about whether it is in your best interest to pursue a PhD degree. Second, in the event you do decide to pursue the advanced degree, the book is designed to help you anticipate and negotiate the trials and tribulations of the program. Embarking on a PhD program is a significant challenge, and one that should not be entered into lightly. This book will help you determine whether you have the unwavering passion, sustained commitment, and realistic understanding of the challenges, to thrive and succeed.

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Blake Kanewischer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fairly lightweight book that relies, oddly, on largely anecdotal evidence, and it's not clear that the evidence should be the same across disciplines, or that the advice should be similar across disciplines. The author is a finance PhD from a top 5 school, which likely yielded a different experience for him than another person's experience.