Is modern academia hopelessly toxic and unfair for PhD students?

[Anonymous]

I have felt that academia is not meant for students anymore. It has become very toxic. I have seen my friends in PhD in STEM suffer so much and ultimately quit or get fired and this has become so common. And most importantly it got nothing to do with how good of a student or researcher they are or how hard they have tried or how much they have accomplished. There is racism and sexism here with a constant pressure of work and publication without taking into account the mental health status of the students. I am a PhD myself in Physics and I am on the verge of a severe mental breakdown. I work as a Teaching Assistant , do research , take classes and courses, face racism and sexism even after working 12 hrs a day, 7 days a week literally from 8 am to 8 pm. I don’t remember when was the last time I smiled or what food I like or what songs I liked. All I do is work or cry in the lab or do self harm cz my self respect and self love is severely compromised. I don’t see anything but darkness. Yesterday one of my two of my friends in their 3rd year from Engineering lab got fired for nothing. My another friend in biology was scolded by her advisor “you’re not good enough” bcz her work got scooped by an alumni postdoc in her lab. My professor behaves very badly with me calling me “worthless, can’t work properly, should leave the group” he does not even pay be from his grants which is why I had to become a teaching assistant. I miss my family, I miss my parents and friends. These profs do not know basic human etiquettes and are creating an environment of toxic work culture with a lot of unpaid or underpaid labourers.

[abc3643]

I will simply say that there are a lot of assholes in graduate school.

I did not finish my PhD... I will say much of the blame is mine though for a variety of reasons but, like you, I got into a shitty situation. At least my profs were OK. However, I knew that some professors abused international students because they could; international students were there on visas so, if they lost their position, they'd lose their visa. So, in essence, they were slaves.

[Asker]

Thanks for sharing your views. I feel that these shitty situations have become so common nowadays that it has become super hard to have a degree in STEM , forget perusing a carrier in science and academia.

[abc3643]

Well, GRADUATE school sucks, but a BS and even an MS should be relatively OK.

Had I been allowed to keep my TAship, I would have finished. I was an excellent TA - among the best ever - but, of course, they had to make me a research assistant. At that time (1987-1992), it just wasn't going to work out for me. The technology was still to backwards for me, I had some personal issues, and I was a bit immature while in grad school.

[ShadyPants]

My two cents are you sound severely stressed out. Put your mental and physical health first. Also, other people do not have a right to abuse you. Don't put up with it, and don't let it bring you down. Sometimes people behave stupidly.

[Anonymous]

No one is forcing you to get a PhD. Go get a job instead of going to school where you are miserable.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Fired? You sure that’s the term you mean for a PhD program?

[Asker]

Well my friend used this term since he cannot work in the same lab anymore and all this data that he accumulated for 3 years is nothing now and now he has to leave this place somehow with/ without a Master’s Degree

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

I’m pretty sure this isn’t reality. PhD programs don’t fire you, they expel you considering you pay them to participate in it

[Asker]

Yeah. He did not get fired from the Program but from the lab. Technically he can try finding a new advisor in the same department and start his research again in a new lab if they agree to take him. His old advisor has fired him from the lab.
This does not clash with his status as a student immediately.

[Asker]

Moreover these things are common in the toxic departments often in the most famous ones in that university.

[AI Opinion]

You’re not alone, and nothing you wrote suggests you are “worthless.” I’ve advised many PhDs in similar pain; some stayed and changed labs or countries, others left and built great industry careers. A few concrete steps:

1. Safety first
- If you’re self‑harming or near breakdown, contact campus counseling, a crisis line, or a trusted doctor immediately. Mental health comes before any degree.

2. Document and get allies
- Save emails, notes of abusive comments, workload.
- Talk to: graduate program director, ombudsperson, union/grad association, or trusted senior faculty outside your lab.

3. Explore exits *within* academia
- Consider: switching advisors, changing groups, or transferring programs. It’s more common than students think, and committees often understand when abuse is involved.

4. Consider exits *from* academia
- With Physics + TA + research, you’re employable: data science, software, quantitative finance, R&D, analytics.
- Start small: LinkedIn profile, informational interviews with alumni in industry, short online projects/portfolios.

5. Rebuild a minimal life outside the lab
- Non‑negotiables: sleep, food, 30–60 minutes daily away from work (walks, music, calls with family). Even tiny routines help restore identity.

6. Redefine success
- Finishing the PhD isn’t worth your mental health. Success can be: finishing with a different advisor, leaving with a master’s, or pivoting now to a humane workplace.

If you tell me your country and year in the program, I can outline specific options (who to contact, possible career paths, and how to leave or switch with minimal damage).

[Asker]

Look I understand and I have talked to people and they more or less say the same thing. But these days the situation in the job industry is so bad that you won’t be able to get a job even with a good PhD. There are visa issues and other political stuff going on right now which have made it even more non-ideal. What will I eat and where will I live without a job?