вЂњThere is a lot of pressure to only convey the positive,вЂќ says Fyfe, who quit their PhD in volcanology at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom in 2018, and has not returned to academia. It can be difficult for students to admit that theyвЂ™re struggling, but reaching out to supervisors and other lab members can offer some much-needed perspective, says Frey Fyfe. вЂњSome of the most common reasons students quit have nothing to do with their ability to do a PhD.вЂќД«elow are three questions that can help a candidate decide whether to quit or continue with their doctoral studies. вЂњStudents need to separate the fake and real reasons for leaving,вЂќ says Shane Huntington, deputy director of strategy and partnerships at the University of MelbourneвЂ™s Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences in Australia. While walking away without a doctorate will be the right choice for some вЂ“ and perhaps the only choice for those with inadequate financial support - itвЂ™s important to ask the right questions before making a decision. Roughly 45% of PhD students expect to disengage with their studies within the next six months due to financial hardship related to the pandemic, according to a new survey of 1,020 doctoral candidates in Australia. Amid lab shutdowns and cancelled fieldwork, many PhD students are facing tough choices regarding the future of their research career.

The insurmountable quiz question 15