A PhD candidate needs real support to survive the journey. Ask yourself: Is your advisor responsive? Do you have people who understand how lonely this is? Find people who listen and actually help.
Do you have support in your life for this process? Do you have academic support? Meaning does your chair and your committee support you? Are they there to answer your questions? Do they actually answer your question outside of school? Do you have a support network? This is a very long and lonely journey. Sometimes you want to make sure that there are people who understand what you're going through and are there to listen and provide help.
