Ask any graduate student how they are doing and the answer will likely depend on how their current experiments are going. Did the growth chamber stop working overnight? Did their samples get contaminated? In a romanticized view of research, every experiment follows a clear hypothesis and works the first time. In reality, troubleshooting and problem solving are the bulk of the work. That is why a successful experiment is at the top of any graduate students’ wish list. 

Rather than hoping to find analyzed data underneath your Christmas tree, consider these three strategies when an experiment leaves you feeling frustrated:

1.) Seek help. In my experience, you learn more if you are willing to admit “you do not know.” No one is an expert in everything, so it is important to leverage your network when struggling with a new protocol or designing an experiment. This is one advantage of working in an interdisciplinary environment or graduate program, like the Translational Plant Sciences Graduate Program.    

2.) Remember it is not your fault. Graduate school can be isolating, but remember you are not the only student who has struggled (and you definitely will not be the last). As this Science Careers column points out, you cannot take experimental failures personally. Science is complicated, which makes it fun, but also challenging. That is why it is okay to fail. The important thing is to learn from your failure and adapt.

3.) Plan ahead. Planning for road bumps rather than reacting to them is a strategy I have used in the past four years. For example, if I know greenhouse pests are at a higher level in the winter, I will plan ahead and schedule those experiments for the spring or block the experiment to spread any risk. Talking to your advisor or other lab members during the planning process is especially important, as they may be more aware of potential issues and provide another perspective. 

There are of course many strategies to take when facing experimental failure and not every strategy will work for every person. Just remember that “you never fail until you stop trying” (Albert Einstein).    

Written by TPS Fellow, Stephanie Karhoff