r/labrats•
mustard-drinker

What would you say to undergrads experiencing anxiety about continuing in science/research right now?

I'm sorry if this post is done before. I'm just having one of my weekly (tm) panic attacks related to this.

I have a computer science degree and went back to obtain a B.S. Biology w/ a Chem minor and hopefully try to pursue a PhD. I'll save the spiel but I'm pretty passionate about both subjects, and this feels like the last chance I have to do anything with the things I love.

I (and many of my peers with similar goals) are feeling very unnerved with the state of funding and science in the US right now. I don't want to give up. But I know that if I don't change what I'm doing, and it doesn't work out, I'll be using my two degrees to flip burgers.

I do wonder if it'll help me make better burgers though.

Anyways, I am putting myself out there (which I hate doing) and putting a lot of effort in to school, get good grades, etc. I feel like I am not good enough, or like I am not doing enough. I feel like every moment I relax is a moment I've wasted. Many of my peers feel similarly about themselves, which I absolutely hate to see, because some of them are SO passionate and smart and humble. It would be such a waste to lose them.

Posted Aug 31, 2026, 2:29 AM UTC

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