Emma Smith (she/her) is a doctoral candidate in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. Her research is focused on understanding gender disparity with those who use substances and their treatment outcomes.

Juggling Parenthood, Disability, Work and Academia

Is it possible to juggle being a single parent, working in paid employment, having a disability and being part of academia? Definitely possible, but it can be a demanding and overwhelming experience. This article discusses the struggles and achievements of one such PhD student juggling these areas, and hopes to encourage you to not give up and ask for help whenever you need it!

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Building a Rainbow: Ideas and Coalition Building on the American Left, c. 1973-88

To some observers, the emergence of Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other parts of the American left can appear to have come from nothing. Yet by looking at the intellectual and political changes of the 1970s and 1980s, we can see that they in fact have clear historical origins. The idea of a ‘rainbow coalition’ in particular reveals how they owe much to concepts developed in this foundational period.

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They Said I Was ‘Too Old’ – My PhD Journey

Donna L. Halper’s PhD journey began after she lost her job in radio and wanted to reinvent herself as a full-time educator. However, being in her 50s and a woman applicant meant that she faced rejection from several universities, making her determined to prove them wrong.

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How to Handle the Jump Straight from Undergrad to PhD 

Are you considering going straight from an undergraduate degree to a PhD, skipping the master’s? At 22 years old, Tess shares her experience of this and provides some valuable insights about how she prepared and applied for her PhD in Computing without doing a master’s degree.

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