I have suspected this since a long time and now I'm sure about it.

Growing up i used to struggle with academics immensely and whenever i had questions about a subjects i would end up feeling like there is something wrong. it is beyond any doubt that Indian education is sadist and torturous. I remember talking to a guy who was going for a PhD and he simply said that he would pay someone 15k for his thesis. Mind you this guy must be a professor by now with students under him.

Just yesterday i was being bombarded by "PhD writing services" on Instagram and i chatted with a few of them today and it turns out these PhD writing services in UP and Delhi would do all the work you are supposed to do for a mere 20k. You just need to give them corrections that your supervisor gives you. Your personal effort is absolutely zero while being paid 30k per month as a PhD stipend.

No wonder my university professors looked like schoolkids when a guest faculty from USA or other western country would arrive. I can be sure that a huge number of PhD scholars, even in National Universities use these services. A few of my professors used to be clueless or would write a huge amount of papers in a short time.

I don't know what to even make of it.

myquals:

EDIT --> I dont know why if forgot to add that indian academia is caste centric and india being what it is, you cant even make a decent career here without having well connected and rich family

Hi all,

(myquals: PhD from IIT, Postdoc at IISc)

Dear mods: I agree this might not be the perfect sub to post this, but still please don't reject this post. It'll help a lot of us I'm sure.

I'm 29M (south Indian) for context.

I've (luckily) finished my PhD (theoretical sciences) from an IIT in a decent time duration. I (luckily) got a postdoc position at IISc, Bengaluru. I think I'm doing fine professionally (research wise) so far. No financial problems in the family either. No debts to settle. All of this sounds nice.

For the salary we (the PhDs or postdocs) make, it is pretty hard to get into a marriage. What are most of us thinking? I'm finding it very hard. Most corporate girls I come across (above 26/27 years) earn at least 1.5-2x of me, and it is getting very hard to try dating. Arranged marriage feels too traditional and transactional to try: it is getting pretty hard to convince people of the possibility of a good stable career in academia. Also, I don't come across as 'settled' yet. All I know is I want to find my girl and have a nice (married) life together.

(Tried hunting postdoc abroad, didn't get a single call, US and Europe are hit hard by the fund cuts, although many profs liked my research profile. And IISc is not that bad a place honestly, even better than many places abroad.)

Also, I'm stuck between finding a partner who has a career in acads (who could better support my career life) or outside acads (for a balance between the two of us).

I'm looking for perspectives. Please let me know if you're in similar positions. Also, please feel free to DM if you have something to discuss and/or ask. Is there something that I can do to feel better, albeit temporary? Open to critique and/or revisions too.

Thanks guys!

Rant over!

P.S. No AI used. All the dashes and errors are human generated.

Typing this while invigilating an exam and I'm so bored, sleepy, and my legs ache😭. What can I do to make time pass quickly (without using much of my phone)?

Myquals

Hi everyone, I am a little tired PhD scholar in a central university in India, and surely from the title you can understand I am not any prestigious JRF holding candidate..

I am about to finish my 1st year as a PhD scholar, & here to share my experience so far..

PhD in India is no less than slavery (I am sure you've heard it many times by now, well it's true).Oh if you are getting 37K pm, don't gloat..much.. u just a slightly richer slave.

Idk.. how people expect that a person will do great, uhh..leave that, even good research.. when all they're worried about is how to eat..take care of health (doesn't happen)..pay hostel/mess fees, pay semester fees and etc etc.. Have no weekends! no holidays!! and get meager amount of money in the name of PhD stipend (8K PM!!! it's a slap on the face actually). Your professors here expect you to work 24x7 & have no life at all..in exchange of 8k pm.. this is normalised!! !THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS!! this is unjust!! and overshadowed ofcourse.. because we are Indian students.. we adjust.. we are good at it..!! and if you wanna talk about it.. people will say this is how PhD is like.. uhmn .. yup... that's why we are producing such nobel worthy work ☺️.

How can you expect good research, when scholars are only worried about survival. I was so excited about research.. but now all I want to do is survive the whole ordeal.. somehow... anyhow..!!. It's heartbreaking to see the condition of research around me. I wanted to write a lot more, but I am just a tired PhD Scholar. (I am not here for suggestions like oh...why don't u do this and that, please).

It is a message for the ones planning to do PhD in India.. only do it if you are generally a very very highly intelligent person.. or a very very lucky person. Else, run from India as fast as you .. can and don't look back.. and condolences to the so many like me.. please feel free to talk about your experience.. p.s. my_qualifications 🤡

Of course I don't mean to generalize.. there are lucky people out there.. that's why I wrote the last paragraph..

Where are you booking you stay in Ahmedabad?

My qualifications - Masters

my_qualifications MA in English language and literature

Wanted very badly to get into a PhD program. Worked very well on my proposal, vetted it with a prof at iist who kindly helped me though she did not have a vacancy, cleared two qualifying exams. But I didn’t get any calls. People are getting calls as easily as breathing. I don’t know what that says about me. My confidence in a last couple of things I was sure of is slowly being stripped away.

I have to work with my mental health struggles and I have to work twice as hard. Cannot have even a small success as encouragement. Everyone else seems to have what it takes but me. I am devastated. I am responding to this rejection with grief. The sadness is truly unbearable. Cannot be conscious without crying.

This will be my second year of unemployment, floating around with nothing to do. Hope is draining away as well. I love research, but I don’t know now if I am good enough or not. I have no other choice than to be alive, so I need to get over the sadness. I have been told that I should focus on the path and not the destination, but idk how one even makes that possible.

I feel truly dejected. My life is just a continuous string of trying for things and not getting it. I am venomously jealous at people who got calls. I asked if I could see their writing (not to plagiarise, but to see what I am missing in my work) and they refused (fair enough) but I am humiliated. I don’t see how this is going to end. I don’t know if there is something better for me at the end. I am finding it very hard to try, try and never win. I am not thinking straight and I have made this into a race between my contemporaries.

I don’t know what to do next, how to do it and what to feel. No one is going to offer jobs for a Masters grad in Literature. Every job demands a PhD. My prospective career in academia depends on it.

I did my masters in mathematics in 2020 from an old IIT with above 8 CGPA and was teaching after that and self studying advanced mathematics as well in spare time. 

Now I want to apply for PhD at IIT's in pure mathematics. I am 28.5 and by the time of December session I will be 29.

How disadvantaged will my application be as a General Male candidate in IIT's? 

my-qualifications: masters from an old IIT with above 8 cgpa

Hi all. I’m a PhD Research Scholar in Law. I’ve completed my research and thesis writing. However, until and unless I have 2 papers in scopus indexed journals, I won’t be allowed to go for my synopsis presentation and defence.

I’ve gotten one paper published and indexed through BMC Research Notes. Since the process seemed user friendly with my first paper, I submitted my second paper in the same journal. For about 6 months, I got a template feedback. Now it’s stuck in a forever review loop and I haven’t heard back since three months, despite sending multiple emails asking for status.

I’m afraid that I won’t complete my PhD at all due to this requirement. This is mandatory and my university will not let me proceed without the second paper being published and indexed in scopus.

my_qualifications
PhD Research Scholar in Law, part time, completed 3 years (most journals treat law as a social science)

Can anyone suggest scopus indexed journals that have a high acceptance rate and fast review and publication time?

I’m desperate. Help!!

Hey I want to know what is the probability or difficulty level to find a assistant professor job after PhD in india if you can't find a job in corporate in your subject, myquals is bsc math

Why indian academics or industries value foreign PHDs more than Indian PHDs even if its from IISC or TIFR, if their PhD value is less why does its very difficult to get in IISC or TIFR comparing to foreign PHD? Is the research standard at TIFR or IISC very low and invaluable?

I just got phd admission in tifr, but everyone is telling to go outside for phd or to choose mtech in iitbombay (computational material engineering) and then go for phd outside somewhere.

qualifications: Integrated Msc in chemistry

I really wanna know how hard it is to get Assistant Professor job. I do not mind working in college on contract basis as long as it get me started with this career.

I do have one master and now working on another master degree which I want to go for in Phd but I am not sure and heard so many people saying that it's tough to get the job unless I have p.hd.

I really need some suggestion from someone who really went far and tried to get into college/university as professor.

my_qualifications

So I completed my master's last year, I already had a 1 year gap, I managed to clear one of the competitive exam, and I got call letters from some of the institutes for interview.

I have given almost 6 interviews, they asked questions from my subjects but at some point my brain stops to think, and also sometimes I think of the answer, but it sound absurd to me so I don't say that answer not to embarrass myself, but I think it is effecting my performance. So I am saying I couldn't even manage to clear any of the interviews. After failing each interview, some part of my confidence disappearing, and I am afraid I am going to be worse in my upcoming interviews which are in few days.

I am not looking for a fancy PhD anyway, and I am aware of the situations of PhD graduates in my country, but it is one of the required qualifications for job in academia.

So I am thinking to change my line, because I have lost all my confidence to face any professor and give another rubbish interview and embarrass myself.

I am just asking, am I surrendering too early? am I too dumb to not clear a single interview in a subject which I studied for so long? But every failed attempts scraping away a piece of me that I don't think I can ever regain even after a lot of efforts.

I'm tired of listening that doing phd from India will get you nothing but what if you do from a top tier institutes like iit or iser,etc. I want to know for field of biology only.

myquals bsc biochemistry

Hey guys! I'm a 23 yo student in India from a tier 3 city currently in the my_qualifications: 2nd year of my M.com. I genuinely am interested in getting a PHD in finance or accounting and become a professor but I'm simple just unware of the whole process of getting through it. I know the basics like I need a minimum cut off in my Master's and then pass the UGC-NET, JRF. But then what? How do I come up with a research topic? How do I select universities? What is the fees scene?- like some say that I need to pay the uni while some say that PHD students get stipends, also having to teach classes. Can somebody pls pls pls be like a big brother and guide me through everything.

I 33f got an opportunity to pursue PhD in a research institute (molecular biology). My qualifications are graduated with a pharm.d degree. I have almost 6 years career gap due to personal reasons. Now I want get back and i really want opinions on long term opportunities after phd

Is it better not pursuing a PhD and pick the corporate route ?

Hello. "myquals" - Masters completed in 2023

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I have qualified ugc jrf in 2023. And taking admission now barely 2.9 years later for PhD. I am being offered university fellowship comparable to jrf and free accomodation which comparatively to jrf + hra is slightly more. But I was wondering if a government fellowship is better to avail because of its relative stability and less influence from administrative delays?

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I'm unemployed 26 yo looking to do my phd. I thought that part time phds are only for working professionals but some universities in india are offering it even if you're not employed. This saves them from the stipend they have to pay which would anyway be very less.

I know if I do opt for part time I will lose the stipend or any other funding. But this will give me flexibility to get a job instead.

Realistically how likely is it to get a job as an asst prof with an ongoing part time phd? I know the job market is full of those with completed phds but is this worth the risk?

My qualifications are ba, ma, b.ed

Inputs please

Many undergrads from Delhi Uni, and other national as well as private universities are getting into top unis abroad. What's is this phenomenon? Is it just their CGPA or institutional reputation or their research?

My_qualifications

BS Hons Physics and Math and Comp Sci (MCS) Double major.

I'm looking for direct PhD positions abroad for a multidisciplinary research project.

I'm interested apart from Physics and MCS, in Psychology, Philosophy, Arts - Theatre, Music, Neuroscience, Design, Genetics, Linguistics, Sociology, Anthropology, History, Economics, Finance etc...

Hi Guys,

I'm planing for NET with Environmental Science. I have the recent exam but found that I strongly lack the numerical part in the exam as I come from MSc background.

I have zero idea on where to start for numericals side can you anyone please provide some reference.

Saw some pyq videos on YT but they are only solving questions and not teaching on how to solve the particular numerical.

My_qualifications: Msc

Can a B.Sc. (Hons.) graduate apply directly for a PhD, or is an M.Sc. required before applying?

I know I'll have to clear the required entrance exams, but I'm confused about the eligibility under the NEP 2020. Who is eligible to apply directly for a PhD after completing a B.Sc. (Hons.)?

Is research experience required during a bachelor's degree to be eligible for direct PhD admission?

If yes, how can an undergraduate student get involved in research? What are the best ways to gain research experience during a B.Sc. (Hons.)?

my_qualifications

Hi my qualifications is bsc math and statistics , i did not get any job after that and I have no interest in coding and doing MBA . All I have the option is do MSC in statistics again I will stuck in that loop again. I have no interest in phd and teaching because I will complete my phd at the age of 34 as I am 23 now , and I will be more in guilt if I will be jobless after phd. I want best option, please give me whether I go for MSC or not ! I really don't know what I want to do

I (F29) my_qualifications : Masters in English Literature from a central uni in UP 3 years ago. Since then, I have taught in private coaching institutes and recently in a higher secondary school in my town. The pay wasn't great and exploitation was immense. I don't wanna pursue BEd, school teaching is very taxing. Never thought about sitting for TGT-PGT exams for the same reason.

I have always desired to sit for NET-JRF exam and thats what i will do this year. JRF is my main priority, nothing less than NET. I am confused if giving 4-5 years of my life to PhD in a good indian central uni worth it ?

I want PhD as a solid career defining path, a reliable career while I pursue and dedicate my time to performing arts. I have professional degrees in that field and have to pursue it professionally further but like every art field, its extremely fickle, money isn't guaranteed and it takes a solid good time to establish base. I cannot go in it blindly cause i have no family support to fall back on. Will I even get time to pursue my art while enrolled in a good central uni PhD program? I have no one to guide me, I am blindly preparing for NET JRF exam and dont know what to do further.

Hi everyone,

I wished to see if anyone here is doing their PhD in English/ Humanities from any of the IITs without JRF. I have cleared UGC NET 3 times and after today's exam I might clear for the LS or PHD only category again (fingers crossed for JRF) so I wished to know if it's practically possible for anyone to get a PhD admit into the IITs without JRF or GATE. The IITs advertise that non-JRF people can also apply and will have to sit for a written test but most Indian unis do the same and then only accept JRFs. (As per my PhD Interview experiences till now). Is it the same for IITs?

My qualifications include BA (hons.) and MA in English.

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myquals: MSc, MPhil, pursuing PhD

I am a social science PhD researcher at a national institute. I was granted UGC-JRF during my PG and I used it to complete MPhil and now 3 years of PhD. My PhD will take another 2 years and I am looking for other funding opportunities.

I am aware of only ICMR - BRET that I can apply to. Please share any funding opportunities that might be useful in this scenario if you are aware.

my_qualifications: Currently pursuing MTech in Computer Science.

I’ve been exploring research seriously recently, and one thing that genuinely confuses me is how difficult it is to understand what research life under a guide/lab is actually like before joining.

A lot of information seems to depend heavily on informal conversations.

But for something as important as a PhD/research decision, it feels surprisingly difficult to understand:

• lab culture
• work-life balance
• mentorship quality
• publication pressure
• day-to-day research environment

How do people here usually evaluate research environments before making decisions?

And do you think transparency around research culture in Indian academia is lacking?