Grad School

[close] We are a community for unique science communicators and STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts, Math) enthusiasts. Our Medium publication is dedicated to sharing stories and articles by SciCommers, and we love to uplift our peers! All academics, academic creators, educators, and students are welcome.> Come chat with us (we read books too). Follow us on Twitter @stemfirstgen, and send us your pitches— we are always open for submissions (and suggestions)! stemfirst.gen@gmail.com

[close] This group is for students in graduate school who love reading in their (nonexistent) spare time ;) !! Come and share you favorites + currently-reading recommendations, and if there's enough interest, we can even start a book club of our own! :D

[close] We always talk about how our list of recommended books keeps growing by virtue of being around book lovers on a daily basis. Now we have somewhere to keep track of what our friends keep telling us to read.

[close] The conversations researchers wish someone had with them before starting a PhD. A PhD is often presented as an intellectual journey. What is discussed far less are the unwritten rules that shape the experience: Navigating uncertainty when progress feels invisible. Dealing with imposter syndrome despite years of achievement. Managing difficult supervisor relationships and academic politics. Surviving burnout, isolation, and research fatigue. Building resilience in environments that constantly test your confidence. Making sense of academic culture, expectations, and career decisions. The Unwritten PhD is a community for honest, thoughtful conversations about the realities of research life that rarely appear in textbooks, university orientations, or methodology courses. Whether you are: considering a PhD, currently navigating graduate school, writing your dissertation, completing a postdoc, or reflecting on your journey beyond academia, you are welcome here. This is a space to share experiences, lessons learned, challenges, failures, victories, and the insights that only emerge through lived experience. Our goal is simple: To help researchers navigate academia with greater clarity, resilience, and self-awareness—while remembering that behind every publication, thesis, and experiment is a human being. Welcome to The Unwritten PhD.