Discover how Vanessa Corcoran, a historian with a focus on medieval witchcraft, pivoted her dissertation topic to the Virgin Mary after immersing herself in coursework on medieval religious history. Learn how her decision was received by her professors, the challenges she encountered, and what inspired her to make the shift.
Max Portman shares his experience of doing a PhD with a chronic illness in this personal essay. He talks about the challenges he faced due to his illness, including fatigue and the inability to travel, and how his PhD helped him stay focused during tough times.
‘Side projects’ are valuable additional endeavours alongside your PhD that can build your skillset, relevant connections and future employability – both in and outside of academia. This article discusses some common side project ideas for PhD students, and highlights some of the short-term sacrifices required to complete them.
This article explores the experience of a gay man entering academia in an oppressive conservative culture, creating impossible contradictions between who they are and who academia wants them to be. Professional norms of academia clash with stereotypes of what ‘gay’ looks like to produce a suffocating costume that we often feel is necessary to survive. The article advocates for representation of minority groups in academia to expand ideas of who we can be – and for PhD students to care for one another and embrace our unique stories and identities.
