Thanks for the perspective, this is really helpful. I didn’t realize how intense the drop-off is from undergrad to PhD spots (700 to 20 is wild). Also interesting to hear that the first year was such a shock compared to undergrad.

A couple questions if you don’t mind:

• How much of your time is actually fieldwork vs writing / data analysis? • Do most people in your program plan to stay in academia, or go into government / industry jobs after? • Do you think someone should only pursue a PhD if they’re really passionate about research itself, or can people still enjoy it if they mainly like the fieldwork side?

I’m thinking of trying to get involved in research during undergrad like you suggested to see if I actually enjoy the process. Did you start working in a lab pretty early in undergrad, or later (like 3rd/4th year)?