Marika (she/her) is a first year PhD student of English Literature at Swansea University doing a project in comparative literature. She is researching the presence of Giacomo Leopardi, the most important Italian author of the 19th century, in James Joyce’s masterpieces. Before moving to the UK, Marika completed a Master’s Degree in Modern Literature and Philology, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in International Communication. Marika Strano’s interests range from classical philology (with a particular focus both on Petronius and Apuleius’ novels, and on the reception of the Greek Myth in Italian and Irish Literature), to Modern Italian, Irish, English and American authors. Twitter: @GiacominoJoyce

My PhD Journey As An International Student

Marika Strano, a first-year PhD student in English Literature at Swansea University, shares her journey as an international student in her PhD program. Despite the difficulties and rejections she faced before being accepted at Swansea, Marika was thrilled when she finally received her offer to study in the UK, but she also shares the challenges of being an international student and how it affects her mental health.

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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 Use SciSpace Library to Organise and Understand Your Research

The SciSpace Library is built to help you organise research papers, pull out what matters, and actually understand the papers you are working with. It turns a mess of PDFs into something searchable, interactive, and manageable without the constant back-and-forth between tabs, folders, and notes. In this blog post, we will introduce SciSpace Library and outline the various ways in which you can use it and its key features.

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From Stay-at-Home Mom to Doctorate Student at 50

Not all doctoral degrees are earned in your 30s and 40s. While many pursue doctoral degrees during those years to attain professional gains and financial security, this article shows how enrolling in a PhD program in your 50s can bring a fresh lens due to entering a new season of life and finally having a window of opportunity to step outside your comfort zone.

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