My first day as PhD student

My first day as a PhD student started on Tuesday, April 1st, 2025. That meant I had Monday off—but even then, I couldn’t stop thinking about the next day. Of course, everyone gets nervous for their first day at a new workplace. I’d be joining the CESCA lab. I had already met a few people from the group, but there were still plenty of new faces. On Tuesday, the department secretary gave me a quick tour and handed me the key to my new office. I’d be sharing the space with two postdocs and another PhD student, which are very sweet office mates! The desk at the window was reserved for me —perfect, since I like staring outside to think from time to time! :)

I noticed a plant on my desk. Was I supposed to water it? I’m not exactly known for my green thumb—but thankfully, the secretaries take care of the plants. Most of the day was filled with introductions and the usual admin tasks to get access to the university systems. Even though I had already studied at Radboud University, the sheer number of logins and passwords was a little overwhelming. My supervisor sent me the grant proposal and some papers to get started. To make my space feel more like mine, I brought in a plant from home. Well, sort of. Meet Pim the Pluchee — a low-maintenance desk buddy who just needs the occasional story (or debugging rant).

As expected, not much work gets done on day one between meeting new people and struggling with login screens. Oh well, that’s totally fine. I’m curious for the days to come!