thinking of studying PhD but.. - 4 years are too long (Mar/24/2007 )

Dear all,

I am gonna finish my undergrad soon and because i am very interested in cancer research and there is in fact not much practical research work in my undergrad, i am thinking of taking PhD. But 4 years sound a bit too long...

Does anyone know why does PhD take 4 years? Can it be done faster if one works harder or..?

All comments are most appreciated!

Thank you!

Kind Regards,
Wllmch

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Getting a PhD depends on the time required to obtain the right results. Many people change fields and many change labs so it is prolonged and to get results takes time.

I know people who have got their PhD's in 3 years, which includes 1 year of graduate program before the start of the actual project.

Good Luck !!!

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heres my advice;

assuming that you will live at least 80 years, then spending just 4 years for the PhD is more than worth it. Lets say you are 20 years old by now, then sacrifice just 3-4 years in PhD education, then being a PhD from age 25 until you grow old will make a substantial change/impact in your life. Basically having that degree is a feat that not all people are capable of. Well that is, if you wanted to be a scientist or just want to have a science career.

And basically it doesnt matter whether you will do it in 4 years, 8 years or just 3 years. The most important thing is what you will become and what will you contribute thereafter.

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It is possible to complete a PhD in 2.5 years, if you work very hard and are very lucky.
If you finish early, this means you may have less chance to publish more papers.


I am forced to finish my PhD before 3 year (probably 2.75years) due to scholarship ending early . Therefore I must finish by the end of this year. In addition, the lab do not have enough money to allow me to continue doing experiment next year .

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Hey Minnie Mouse, where do you get your motivation considering all the crap you have to put up with?

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In my experience very very very few people finish their PhD's in less than 4 years. ANd, if they do it is usually becuase 1) they get EXTREMELY lucky, 2) their PI is retiring and the department just wants to shoo them out, or 3) they are at a University in Europe (where PhD's are generally much shorter in length, but often have steeper requirements to get in). In the US, where I work, I would venture to say more than 90% of PhD's are more than 4 years. Many are five, most last 5 or 6 and a few last 7 or more years. It really depends on your project, how long it takes to get your own project going, who your adivisor is and what university you are studying at, and your publication rate. Actually, this very topic has been the subject of more than a few editorials in science and nature over the past few years becuase there are virtually no standards. i.e. a PhD from a US University means something completely different than getting a PhD from a school in the UK, France, etc, which is even still a completely different animal from getting your PhD from a university in India or China. Ok, I'm rambling...

I /agree with the previous poster who looked over the whole life-span thing... If you want to be a PI (independent scientist) someday, you must complete a PhD (or 99.99% of them have one). But that is not the same as saying that everyone with a PhD actualy IS a principle investigator.

Of course, you could always go to grad school, have the University pay your tuition bill while you T.A. or do research on a fellowship, and then "master's out" after 2-3 years if you get sick of it.

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Sure.. try the United Kingdom. Our PhDs run only for 3 years.
It is full of hectic fun! ;] (sacasm)

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what about canada?
I will start there on january....and I am also very interesting in finish it fast, since I am not that young....now,28 years old, but not for long... I strated working right after my graduation and then went to a different country for master........any hope to finish it in 3 years?

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My God...why you 20 something year old what all ultra fast???4 years for a PhD is the mean time, but the majority take 5-6 years...building knowledge takes time...so if you what a PhD take the time to do it well, if want something faster think in get a professional certificate that take 1-2 years. Studies should be enjoy..because when entering to the work world you will not have time for anything.

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Hi,

4 years is not too long. There's someone in my institution took 7 years to finish it. When I first start my PhD, I struggled to finish it within 3 years. but as time goes by, I realize that its not the matter of time, its the quality of the PhD which I will get later. Now, I'm in a writing process. what I want right now is to become a REAL PhD holder and an extraordinary scientist. I don't mind even I'm in my 5th. year.I enjoy the learning process, and believe me, you should too. Good luck!

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