Hey, I'm a fourth year!

Sunset-Tibet  by Katarina Stefanovic "Flickr"

I can't believe it has been four years since I've started this Ph.D. journey. Although I'd love to say that it has flown by, if I did I would be lying to you. A former teacher of mine once equated a marriage to peaks and valleys. Sometimes up and sometimes down. The same metaphor is true for science or graduate school. At each phase of graduate training there are highs and lows. Apparently, it has been revealed that most Ph.D. students begin to experience a depression phase between years 3 and 4. I was there. I've seen my friends and colleagues go through it too. Sometimes it is referred to as the post-quals slump. Been there. Done that. Just like a mountain there is no way around it but over.