ABSTRACT
This portrait provides some guidance to doctoral students, so they have a better doctoral experience than the author had. For her, the “suffering leads to liking” hypothesis did not hold true. She was not able to rationalize away the experiences, and even now they sting. She was not able to convince herself that they were somehow good for her, or that it would make her stronger. This is illustrated with examples from her lived experience, and with some resulting advice. The author hopes that doctoral students can avoid – or at least manage – some of the pitfalls and perils of the doctoral journey. The portrait concludes on a hopeful note with a reminder that doctoral students should not define themselves by their dissertation or their doctoral experiences. They are so much more!
