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Writing well comes from writing a lot, so get comfy with your computer.

"The novice writer makes a big mistake in blaming language knowledge for everything," says Mary Ellen Kerans, chair of the Mediterranean Editors and Translators association in Barcelona, Spain.

Your writing should reflect the same clarity and concision as your research.

It was like being a first-year graduate student and having long, one-on-one meetings with Harold Varmus, Francis Crick, and Craig Venter.

Very few of the factors that will make you successful are out of your hands.

"It's on-the-ground, in-depth research with a very qualitative component." --Olivia Salcido

"Generally, I find that people are attracted to enthusiasm if it's unfettered and for the right reasons," says Hendrik Poinar, director of McMaster University's Ancient DNA Laboratory.

A Ph.D. is great on fundamentals--it teaches you how to make something completely on your own--but it falls short on the practical stuff every entrepreneur has to master.

If you're entrenched in something that isn't your lifelong passion--see below--you've got to get off those rails and find some way to get back on the right track.

It's worthwhile to throw a party every now and then. Apart from the fun involved, it is a great way to celebrate your success and acknowledge your co-workers.

"Earning a Ph.D. is not a vocational qualification anymore. It equips people to go into all sectors of society."

"Listen to everyone who has something to say, file the opinions, and make your own decisions anyway." --Avi Spier

My attitude is that if you are stuck, you should do anything you can to get unstuck as long as it's not illegal, unethical, or obviously foolish.

"The priority for most researchers is an independent career in research. For me, the next step is either another postdoc or getting my own funding. But if the funding doesn't come through, I'll probably quit." --John Bothwell

“Used properly, this tool will encourage you, and your lab mates, to operate outside your normal mode of thinking.”

For students brave enough to dust off their passports in seeking a Ph.D., the rewards can be great.

Science Careers provides direct links to GrantsNet's funding database, so you can find your next science scholarship, internship, or research opportunity.

You don’t have to leave scientific training to have an enjoyable (and lucrative) side business as a technical consultant.