This presentaion is about the main results of the regular survey of the Zusammenkunft aller Physik-Fachschaften (ZaPF). It puts the dissertation phase into the context of the BSc/MSc studies and was presented during the 2019 DPG Spring Meeting in Regensburg under the session code PSV VIII (https://www.dpg-verhandlungen.de/year/2019/conference/regensburg/part/psv/session/8), together with two other presentations. The abstract of the session was: We present three recent surveys studying the actual living conditions including personal and professional goals of today's PhD candidates in physics, as well as their perception of physics education in Germany: (i) About every third PhD candidate in physics in Germany completed the DPG's on-line questionnaire, (ii) the PhDnet Survey of the Max Planck Society covers a broader range of subjects, and (iii) the regular survey of the Zusammenkunft aller Physik-Fachschaften (ZaPF) puts the dissertation phase into the context of the BSc/MSc studies and furthermore tracks developments over the years. After short presentations of the respective studies, the audience is encouraged to ask questions and to comment on specific findings.