Hello, I am a first year PhD students who just starts my first term. Just in case anyone wondering, I am doing my PhD in Hong Kong. I would like to share my experience, but most importantly communicate with any PhD students from all over the places on this journey that is to be filled with tears, joy, losses and satisfactions.

There are only two terms for an academic year in my university. The first term is going to be a nightmare for me as you will know soon. The full-time PhD studentship is a stipend funded by the government, every ft phd student has to fulfil Teaching Assistant duty for 12 hours a week, luckily only one term an academic year. But to fulfil the 12 duty, I have to be TA for two separate courses. Duties including sitting in the lecturers with undergraduate students, carrying on tutorials, marking assignments, and office time for students to ask questions.

In terms my own study, I have three courses to take this term and four more to take in the second term. Basically all courses involve Research methods obviously, seminar series about the main topics in my discipline, independent study for review paper of which all will be counted as criteria for qualifying my PhD candidacy.

On top of that and more importantly, I need to work on my own research proposal.

My supervisor also asked me to look at some data the lab has and work toward a paper to publish or so.

That's all so far I have understood about my first year.

Look forward to hearing about your experience.