Section I:  Adapting to life as a Graduate Student in Gainesville.
Section II:  Bumps in the Road - how to deal with problems.
Section III:  Choosing an advisor who works for you.
Section IV:  An overall plan for becoming a Ph.D.

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Section I:  Adapting to life as a Graduate Student in Gainesville.  
Congratulations!  You are now a graduate student at UF, having applied, been accepted to, and matriculated to the University of Florida's Physics Department.  You've found a place to live (if not, this service may help, and they have an office on the corner of 13th St. and University Ave.), and you're in... Gainesville.  You'll find things to do here -- there's a local music scene, dance scene, lots of nature/outdoor activities, sports, movies, night life, good food... you can find that on your own, or ask someone who has been here awhile.  The purpose of this guide is to make you aware of the difficulties you may face as a graduate student in the physics department, and to make you aware of at least one possible way of handling the situation.  If you're looking for official graduate student information, try this UF site.  My site is neither approved by University nor the department.  That being said, read on.

Graduate students face many challenges almost immediately: the preliminary examination, core courses, having to TA (having a fellowship greatly helps), searching for an advisor, attending colloquium, and for some, facing the TSE.  This can feel like a lot of pressure all at once, but my advice is not to get overwhelmed, and don't panic.  Here is my prioritized list of these 6 items above, in order of importance:

1. COURSEWORK:  You are here to get your Ph.D.  For those of you who are from american undergraduate Universities, there is a large leap from undergraduate courses to graduate courses.  This is going to require a lot of work, and the bulk of your time.  Put the work and time in.  It's worth it.  Your coursework for the physics department should be your #1 priority; your first year should be expressly focused on succeeding in all of the core classes.
2. TA DUTIES:  This should be your secondary focus.  Unless you have a fellowship, you probably have a teaching or grading duty your first year.  Do not be delinquent in this, as there are severe consequences.  At the same time, do not spend too much time on your TA duties.  This is a problem for many students, who wind up neglecting their own studies.  Time management skills are something you will have to learn to succeed here.  Do the best you can in the time you have to do it.
3. SEARCHING FOR AN ADVISOR:  Don't kill yourself on this one.  Think about it, start looking early, and mull it over in the back of your mind.  But this one, although very important, isn't very time consuming.  See Section III for details.
4. TSE:  For all of the foreign students, you must learn English.  Try to speak in English as often as possible; try to avoid solely speaking in your native language.  English is fast becoming the universal language of Physics, and if you do not master it, you will be at a severe disadvantage.  Don't spend 30 hours a week studying English, though.  Take care of the physics first, the English will come with time and practice.  You may want to consult foreign graduate students about this, as my experience is limited.
   
5. PRELIMINARY EXAM:  About 50% of you will pass it your first time.  While it is a nice feeling to have it out of the way, don't worry too much if you didn't pass.  A very large number of students don't pass until the third attempt, and they do just fine here.  My own personal advice is to not even worry about it until your first summer here (studying for your third attempt), when your core courses should be out of the way, and you've got more free time on your hands.  If you pass one of your first two times, even better.  If you have not passed your first three times, I seriously recommend foregoing your winter break, and studying as intensely as possible for your fourth and final attempt.  You cannot work towards your Ph.D., unless a special exception is made for you, if you do not pass this exam by your fourth attempt.
   
6. COLLOQUIA & SEMINARS:  You are told, as a first year student, that you must attend all of the colloquia given in the department.  If you're having trouble managing your time and meeting your other responsibilities, you should skip some of these to meet the requirements of the core courses and your TA duties (or bring work to do there).  However, colloquia and seminars given in the department (by both professors and graduate students) can help you decide what you're interested in working on, and who you might like to work for.  You may attend any seminar you're interested in.  Here's a link to the UF Physics Seminar Calendars.
   

For an overall year-by-year plan, READ SECTION IV!

Keep in mind that graduate school is a full-time job, and you should treat it seriously.  I know many people who have not succeeded here due to the poor choices they made.  You are responsible for your choices, actions, and inactions. 

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Section II:  Bumps in the Road - how to deal with problems.
Ideally, there wouldn't be any problems for you.  But realistically, there are going to be roadblocks, and you're going to have disagreements with people who are in a position of more power than you are.  In general, be courteous and respectful, not combative, and give people the benefit of the doubt.  In most instances, everyone has the best interests of the students in their minds as well.  Furthermore, you don't want to burn any bridges, as a graduate career is a long one, and you don't want to alienate anyone whose help you may later need.  Call your professors "Professor _____" or "Doctor ______", unless they ask you to call them by their first name.

Specifically, the people you will be dealing with most often in your career here will be your current course professors, Darlene, the graduate coordinator, and any professors you are considering working with.  This is an important list of people, and it is to your distinct advantage to have them on your team.  These are all people who want you to succeed just as you yourself want to succeed, and can be powerful allies.  It may seem like a difficult task to please everyone, but have a look at Section IV, which provides what I think is an effective course of action.

If you encounter any problems which cannot be effectively dealt with by directly addressing the person with whom you have the problem (which should almost always be option #1), these are my recommendations for you.  If your problem is with a professor and the way a course is being taught, there is very little you can do beyond speak with the professor.  I recommend speaking with other students and making an extra effort in that course, as you will still need to learn the material.  You may also try speaking with either the graduate coordinator or a prior year's professor for that course if you need more input on what to study/learn.  You won't have a problem with Darlene, so don't even worry about that.  She's also someone you can usually go to if you need an issue resolved, and she will do whatever is in her power to assist you.

If you have a disagreement with the graduate coordinator and are at an impasse, I firstly encourage you to remember that one of the graduate coordinator's functions is to help you obtain your Ph.D.  If you feel that there is an obstacle there, there are a number of other people you can talk to.  GSAC (Graduate Student Advisory Council) is a committee that exists to help graduate students achieve their goals.  The professors in this department on that committee are Mark Meisel, Jim Dufty, Stephen Hill, Charles Thorn, Bernard Whiting, and John Yelton.  They are all available, they are all peers, and you should talk with whomever you are most comfortable.  I am currently the lone student on this committee, and you can contact me if you need assistance in any way.  If you need to speak with someone about a problem I strongly recommend against going to the department chair or the dean except as a last resort.

If you have a disagreement with your advisor, in all honesty I strongly recommend giving your advisor the benefit of the doubt.  In general, if your advisor is doing his job, he will have your best interests in mind.  However, you may feel your advisor is not doing his job properly.  If this is the case, I recommend speaking first with other graduate students, next with members of your supervisory committee (if you have formed one), and finally with other professors whom you trust about the matter.  Switching advisors should be a last resort, and it's best to choose one wisely than to choose one too rashly.  Again, professors on the GSAC committee can be a great asset to you in this type of scenario.

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Section III:  Choosing an advisor who is a good fit for you.
When choosing an advisor, there are a few things which you should consider:

• What do I want to do after graduation?  What skills should I seek out here?  Which professor can best teach me what I want to learn?
  
• What type of student am I?  Do I like to be driven, or am I self-driven?  Do I structure my own work, or do I want someone to set a schedule for me?  Would I be compatible working with this person?
• What are my research interests?  Do I prefer abstract theory or hands-on experiment?  Is the professor funded, or will I have to TA indefinitely?  Would I be able to stay interested in this type of work?  Will I remain motivated and interested doing this work?
  

Choosing the right advisor is imperative.  I recommend that you take the initiative, and meet as many professors who you are interested in working with as soon as possible.  If you aren't positive of what you want to do, that's okay, just be honest with the professors you speak to.  Your goal should be to choose the one or two (or three at most) professors who you are most interested in working for by the end of your first year, and to do reading projects with them during your first summer here.  Reading projects can help you answer the bulleted questions above and help you decide which professor is right for you.  It will also help the professor decide if you are right for him.

New as of Fall, 2005: In order to help you meet the faculty members, there will be a department-wide poster session this fall (probably in October).  Take advantage of this to see what everyone is doing, and to think about what you might like to do.

There are seven official "groups" on the faculty webpage, but I have made my own divisions, as you can see below.  You should also ask the graduate coordinator (or other members of GSAC) for their candid input on working for various professors.  I can offer much more input on professors in theory than I can on professors in experiment.  Some professors have been here a long time and have never graduated a Ph.D. student.  Others have few contacts in the field, and are unlikely to get you a job after graduation.  Still others are more focused on work that is not conducive to helping graduate students.  I don't want to be responsible for slandering anyone, so that information isn't getting posted here, but you can feel free (and really ought) to consult me and other graduate students on our honest opinions about various professors.

The best sources of information about a professor are their current and previous graduate students.  (You are of course welcome to see me in NPB 2157 and I'll give you my input.)  You may want to ask a professor what opportunities their last few graduate students have had upon graduation, and where they are now.  There are many different qualities to look for in an advisor, and choosing one is probably the most important decision you'll have to make during your first two years, so start looking early.  Again, this is not time consuming, but it is essential; therefore don't be timid about meeting professors.

Please note that what I post as specifics may be completely incorrect, it is only what I can say as far as my experience goes.  (The numbers about most professors' records with students are out of date, but people have reputations here for being good, bad, and in-between.  Ask their students.) My knowledge of the fields of Condensed Matter, the Quantum Theory Project, and Low Temperature physics is very miniscule, so don't read too much into my words.  My sincere apologies to anyone left off of this list.  If you are a professor, and reading this, feel free to email me or stop by (2157 NPB) if you have input as to your specific information -- I am aware that some of it may be out of date or incorrect (such as your record or your specifics).

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Section IV:  An overall plan for becoming a Ph.D.
This is a basic plan which I think, if implemented, can lead a graduate student to their Ph.D. in an effective and timely fashion.  This is mostly based on the choices I have made, and may vary greatly for other people.  Still, it may yet serve as a useful guide for some.  I will also include an approximate timetable for success.  An actual "guide" from the department can be found here, with more information appearing here.  (How useful you find the information there, or here for that matter, will vary.)

Year-by-year, here is an approximate plan of what you should attempt to accomplish:

• YEAR 1:  Focus on the core courses.  You must pass them with a 3.3 average or better, which you ought to do if you work very hard at them.  Beyond that, the other things which you should do during your first year are:
• Pass the TSE if you have not already done so, and take the english course ENS 5502 if necessary (foreign students usually have an easier time with the core courses)
• Find one or two professors you would like to work with, and sign up with them for a reading project for the summer
• Adequately satisfy your TA / grading requirements
• PRELIMINARY EXAM: If you have not passed the preliminary exam after your second attempt, only then should you begin to worry.  After a year of courses, you should be well-armed to pass the exam.  However, I recommend that all students who have not passed practice and study together, in addition to your reading project duties (and TA duties, if necessary).  Pradeep Kumar has organized study sessions in the past, and may do so again if enough people request it.
• Other junk: People will tell you things about attending colloquium, attending seminars, sexual harrassment seminars, etc.  While these other things may generally be a good idea, don't sweat the small stuff.  Do what you need to do, which is focus on the core courses above all else.
  
• YEAR 2:  By the end of your first summer, you should have a lot more direction than you did a year ago.  You should be finished with the core courses (if you have to make any up, now is the time to do it), you should have passed the preliminary exam (if you haven't after your third attempt, you only get one more chance), and you should know what direction you want to take your Ph.D. in.  You may have to continue TA duties, depending on whether or not the person you work for can afford to fund you.  The tasks you should complete during your second year are:
• Complete the distribution requirements (3 advanced classes in 3 different sub-areas; this is easy to do)
• Choose an advisor -- someone you can work with for the next few years and can teach you what you want to learn -- and begin working on research
• Take any other classes necessary to your education.  Classes are now no longer your top priority.  Once you have chosen an advisor, your research with him is your top priority as a graduate student
• Once you have chosen an advisor, during the summer of your second year at the latest, you should form a supervisory committee.  Your advisor and his other graduate students are good resources for this.
  
• YEAR 3:  If you've made it to this point, you're in great shape.  Once you've made it here, your supervisory committee is formed, your coursework is done (there may be one or two more you need to take -- your advisor should help you decide), the preliminary exam is passed and behind you, and you should be working on your research.  (In my opinion, this should be the fun part of being a graduate student.)  During your third year, the list of tasks to accomplish gets a lot smaller:
• Schedule, take, and pass your oral and written qualifying examination
• Keep an eye out for conferences/summer schools to attend that are relevant to your research -- perhaps you can even present something on your work
  
• Continue your research, with a view towards publishing a paper on it; publishing papers is important for getting your name out there in the scientific community
  
• Don't be afraid to talk to other professors about their research -- often you can work with people other than your advisor on projects (make sure it's ok with your advisor first).
• (recommended) -- construct a semi-professional looking webpage, where you can talk a little bit about your career in physics.  This is more important in future years than now, but it's a good time.
  
• YEAR 4:  Your qualifying exams must be passed by the end of this year.  Other things you should work on (exclusively research-related at this point) are:
• Continue to further your Ph.D. research, perhaps taking on an additional topic (or two) to research on the side; publishing papers
  
• Continue to meet your TA/RA duties
• Attempt to attend at least one conference and one summer school this year: condensed matter students should definitely attend the APS March Meeting
  
• Put yourself in a position so that next year, YEAR 5, you can apply for jobs [post-doctoral positions; applications go out in October of every year -- or industry positions; a guide for job searches is available here (thanks to Garrett Oakley)], and defend your Ph.D. dissertation.
• YEAR 5:  This is where my advice ends, as this is where I currently am in my graduate career.  However, a good plan for this year is (tentatively):
• Complete your Ph.D. research to a significant and satisfactory degree to be able to publish and defend a dissertation
• Make sure your dissertation meets the university requirements: a template of a successfully accepted dissertation is provided here, courtesy of UF Ph.D. Filippos Klironomos.
• In August/September, go over a list of places to apply with your advisor, and choose places that meet the following criteria (otherwise, don't even bother to apply):
• There is someone there you want to work with
• There is a project there you would be happy working on there
  
• The location is somewhere you would be willing to live for at least two years
• There is an ongoing blog about this current year's (2005-2006) UF students applying for postdocs, as we go through the process
  
• Make sure you meet all the university requirements and deadlines for finishing your dissertation on time, and organize (well in advance) a date and time where all of your committee members will be available for your defense.  One substitution of an intra-department member is permitted, but the external member and your advisor must be present at the time of your defense.
  

Not everybody graduates in 5 years, but I think that is a reasonable amount of time, assuming that you attempt to adhere (more or less) to this schedule.  The department is of the (not unreasonable) opinion that 6 years should be the absolute maximum amount of time required to obtain a Ph.D.  Also, please keep in mind that you probably will not win the Nobel Prize for your dissertation.  It's not going to be the final word on your subject either, so don't drive yourself bananas trying to make it the greatest thing ever written.

Keep in mind that you will meet with the graduate coordinator at least once per semester, in order for him to chart your progress and make recommendations as to your future courses of action.  He is interested in knowing (and you should tell him) what have you done since the last time I saw you that has brought you closer to earning your Ph.D?  Come prepared to answer that, and come prepared with a plan of what you're going to do next semester to take the next step.  He has also related to me that UF Physics is interested in where their graduates end up, i.e. post-docs, professorships, jobs, etc.

Best of luck to you, and I hope this unofficial guide helps!

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**full disclaimer -- All of the information published on this webpage is based on my own personal experiences and opinions of those people in the department whom you are likely to interact with.  I in no way intend any offense to those mentioned or omitted on this page.  I am aware that I use the pronoun "he" to represent gender-neutral persons; no offense was intended.  If there are any comments, questions, or issues you would like to raise, feel free to email me at siegel@phys.ufl.edu, and I will respond in as timely a fashion as I can.