Bit of an aside: Most people in PhD programs misunderstand the actual objectives (I sure did). They assume that the academic environment is just like the under

Bit of an aside: Most people in PhD programs misunderstand the actual objectives (I sure did). They assume that the academic environment is just like the undergraduate one they have come out of. That is false. To better understand the new rules that they are operating under, I suggest looking to 'literature'. The two best examples that I have found to illustrate the real 'rules' are: 1) The Horatio Hornblower series. It follows the career of a noble, poor, yet educated British naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. It follows Horatio from midshipman to Admiral. 2) The Sharpe series. Also set during the Napoleonic Wars, this series follows the Army instead of the Navy. You read of the career of an orphaned son of a whore commoner who is elevated to officer rank. Much conflict with the inherited nobility and chafing occurs with the commoner protagonist. It is quickly discovered by the protagonists of both series that to survive at officer rank, the lives and interests of the enlisted must be second to the demands of career. Much deeper discussions about this occur in both series. The key for a PhD student is to observe the fighting and jockeying of the officers between each other over career. These dynamics, even through fictional books, are identical to the fights of academics even today. How the protagonists deal with these challenges should be a lesson to any PhD student in their own careers.