Drawing on the literature this article identifies five characteristics that are frequently attributed to the doctoral student experience in the natural and physical sciences. These are then used to assist with the interpretation of qualitative data derived from a study in the earth sciences at a research-intensive university in Australia. Case narrative is employed to synthesise three insider perspectives--a candidate and her co-supervisors--as well as to capture the particularity of the contemporary doctoral enterprise. While similarities to the current orthodoxy can be identified in this study, it is the subtle variations and significant points of departure that reveal a higher level of complexity than is generally acknowledged. (Contains 1 figure and 6 notes.)