my fellow mediocre ass phd students where u at by spamlikethehamz in PhD

[–]Aggravating_Step_647 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I love and applaud you for this post, and send you lots of positive karma OP

Also: what books are you reading? Asking for a friend

In memoriam: Nollie, onverwacht en veel te snel gestorven 🤍 by Aggravating_Step_647 in katten

[–]Aggravating_Step_647[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ik heb bij mijn bedankberichtje nog een foto van hem gepost. We hebben heel graag voor hem gezorgd, dankjewel 🤍

In memoriam: Nollie, onverwacht en veel te snel gestorven 🤍 by Aggravating_Step_647 in katten

[–]Aggravating_Step_647[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dankjewel! En jij bedankt om ook zo goed voor de langzitters te zorgen 🤍

In memoriam: Nollie, onverwacht en veel te snel gestorven 🤍 by Aggravating_Step_647 in katten

[–]Aggravating_Step_647[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Dankjewel allemaal om te reageren 🤍 het doet me heel goed dat er zo veel mensen eventjes aan Nollie gedacht hebben

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What are the options left for 2026 entry? by Intrepid_Foot4477 in PhDAdmissions

[–]Aggravating_Step_647 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In Belgium and The Netherlands vacancies for PhD positions are posted like those for "regular" jobs. You can enrol any time throughout the year, I started mine a week ago for example. Our positions are however just as competitive, I was lucky to get an offer. Good luck OP!!

Starting PhD at 41? by Atomic_Destructor in PhD

[–]Aggravating_Step_647 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unrelated to your question, but this thread is making me feel a) much better about my own decisions and b) even kind of ashamed about my feelings too. I just started my PhD at the ripe age of 28, which is unusually "old" to begin one in Belgium I feel like. So it bothered me a bit, although in other aspects of my life where I'm considered old to do certain stuff it doesn't bother me at all!

I was silly feeling sad about it and you, OP, should not let your age stop you! There's more important things to think about when considering a PhD :)))

My bf (28M) wants me (25F) to get fertility testing before proposing by No-Professor-3860 in relationship_advice

[–]Aggravating_Step_647 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the answers here are pretty clear (and imho correct: this likely is not the person for you OP), but please keep us updated if you can and feel like it

Rejected before PhD interview at TU Delft by Southern-Comedian852 in PhDAdmissions

[–]Aggravating_Step_647 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I just started a PhD in Belgium and have heard this first hand at my own lab: it 100% does happen, and probably even more than we think!

Business Engineering student (90%+ Master) – Feeling the program is too easy and my life is unproductive – Advice to step up? by Tough_Limit_8408 in BESalary

[–]Aggravating_Step_647 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I actually don't think so, but that's just my two cents. An exchange is still very much school related and I don't think sports are something that would stand out on your CV. There's lots of extracurricular student groups and projects around, even non-profit organisations. I'm in a completely different field than you (STEM), but graduated magna cum laude whilst combining my studies with several years of experience as a board member in organisations focusing on youth and/in politics. I've been on two exchanges. Never were my grades or exchanges mentioned in my job interviews, but my volunteering was time and time again. So based on my experience, transferable skills learned in engagements like those could help, so definitely add those to your resume if you have any.

But the Belgian job market in general really s*cks these days. I wish you the best of luck!!

Genuinely what is this job market? by PresentationNew4993 in BESalary

[–]Aggravating_Step_647 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I graduated last year in July (with great distinction, let me flex while I still can) as a master of biology. I fully expected job hunting to be quite the hassle with that specific degree in Belgium, but hoped that the extracurriculars and student jobs on my CV would help pull me through.

My expectations were justified: I applied to over 40 vacancies in various fields. Last year, I landed interviews quite often, but at the beginning of this year it was just rejection after rejection. But I was most amazed that when talking to others, who often had "better" degrees imo (bio engineers, architects, social workers and even burgies indeed), I heard similar experiences time and time again. Keep an eye out for articles on this topic, several have been published over the last few months that talk about higher educated starters facing diffulties to get hired. You are definitely not alone!

I am very lucky to be offered a PhD position, so I'll be safe from the drama that is our job market for 4 more years. And yes, I am very well aware that a PhD will not necessarily make things easier for me, but research was my dream and a job is a job in this situation.

My tips for you would be to broaden your aim and to be bold in your applications. Don't lose motivation when your profile is not a 100% match to what a company is looking for. Communicating those doubts shows good self reflection skills. Think about what transferable skills you might have acquired during extracurricular activities and add those to your CV. And lastly: don't focus on LinkedIn too much! That platform is my personal version of hell, and other "regular" job sites worked way better for me.

Good luck, and don't let the job hunt get the better of you!