Grad school is supposed to be hard because research is hard. Challenging your thinking and learning a bunch of new information at the same time is hard. All of that helps you become a scientist who wants to discover ethically and methodically. HOWEVER...

Grad school should not be hard because advisors and other faculty get in the way of your success. It shouldn't be hard because you can't afford rent on your low stipend. There should be more mental health and financial assistance for graduate students.

Additionally, funding shouldn't be so hard to find. There is so much money flowing in the hands of a select few while we are trying to scrap by. Don't even get me started on how disadvantaged international students are in the US when comes to funding (AKA citizen requirements).

These are some of the harsh realities of grad school. We don't get the support we want and need. Even when you have good funding and support, the pressure of academia can be so suffocating.

This feeling that you aren't a good scientist because you don't have enough publications, haven't been to enough conferences, haven't gotten enough awards, haven't done enough talks, haven't networked enough, haven't done enough lab work, etc.

It's just hard to feel like you are doing a good job when there is always so much to do and always this feeling that you aren't doing enough, fast enough.

So, yes, grad school is hard. It's best to be honest about it with future applicants so they know what to expect.

I only knew about the harsh environments within academia before my PhD because I was born into it, which is a huge privilege. But most people don't know what it is like, and it is better to be informed than completely thrown into the ocean without even a floatie.

Okay, bye. Just some of my thoughts. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.