Pros and Cons of Doing a PhD in Lockdown / Online PhD Student Advice

Doing a PhD during lockdown—working from home, taking online classes, and attending virtual conferences—comes with a tradeoff between flexibility and isolation. The biggest practical upside is control: students can design their day around productivity, reduce commuting friction, and keep momentum through recorded learning and easier access to global academic communities. The biggest downside is social and operational friction: fewer “accidental” connections, harder quick access to supervisors, and weaker accountability when the workspace is also home.

On working from home, the benefits are immediate and everyday. Students can dress casually, cook during the day, and avoid spending time and money on canteen meals. Short breaks become more useful—someone with a 10-minute window can clean, start laundry, or reset rather than simply waiting out the workday. There’s also more room for personal routines, including daily time with a dog and walks that would be difficult with an office schedule. Another overarching advantage is stability during a turbulent period: having the degree program already secured can reduce stress when jobs and other life plans feel uncertain.

The costs are more social and behavioral. Remote work removes serendipitous interactions—running into colleagues for coffee chats or quick conversations that can lead to helpful advice. It can also make it harder to ask a supervisor a quick question without scheduling a call or sending an email. Accountability is another recurring issue; in an office, visible coworkers discourage distractions like scrolling or watching videos, while at home there’s less built-in friction. To counter that, the creator sets up a group accountability/co-working space using gather.town, with optional sessions, a Pomodoro-style structure, and chat-based check-ins during breaks.

Flexibility is both the headline pro and the main risk. Students can split the day into two productive blocks—taking a longer lunch break or recharge period when afternoons tend to drag. But the same flexibility can make it difficult to stick to a schedule and harder to “switch off” because work and home share the same physical space.

Online meetings and classes introduce a different set of pros and cons. Meetings with supervisors become more formal because time must be booked on Zoom, yet online formats can expand collaboration opportunities across countries. Online classes often improve learning control: recorded content can be replayed, paused, and sped up, helping students avoid getting lost mid-lecture. However, online TA support can be less effective. In one computer science demo-hours setup, help moved to a ticketing system—students may avoid asking small questions because the process feels stressful or slow. A later practical-hours model uses breakout rooms for smaller groups, allowing casual questions, though advanced issues may still require returning to the main room.

Virtual conferences bring similar contrasts. Zoom-style presentations can feel easier because slides are visible and questions can be asked via camera and voice, with follow-up chats via email or messages. Other platforms like gather.town and Hoova emphasize chat-based or spatial interaction, aiming to recreate serendipity through virtual movement and closer “bump into people” dynamics. Yet the losses are tangible: no travel to places like Spain, Brazil, or other conference locations, fewer natural meetups, and a lingering guilt about not doing additional work while attending from home. Overall, the experience is portrayed as a mixed outcome—more control and global access, paired with real gaps in social connection and conference “life.”