Explore the world of doctoral research and academia with insights, tips, and guidance for prospective and current PhD students. Navigate the challenges and rewards of the doctoral journey.
PhD students often face loneliness during their journey, and it’s important to have a support system. In this article, Alicia Wickert shares her advice on how to find your team, including reaching out to family, joining a community at university, and connecting with other students in your department.
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Starting a PhD can be daunting at the best of times, but even more so during a pandemic. In this article, Olivia Eve Arkley shares her experiences and advice for making the most of the first month of a PhD, including practical tools and mental skills to aid completion. She also discusses the importance of becoming part of the academic community and carving out your own place within it.
In this article, Badryah shares her personal journey of overcoming fear, stress and perfectionism around public speaking, by seeking support, enrolling in a skills course, and shifting her mindset.
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.
‘If a PhD is to be an ordeal – and indeed, it is – then let it be an ordeal wherein you find meaning in something that is true to yourself’. This article explores the feelings of imposter syndrome and the pressures to follow academic trends at the start of your PhD journey, disconnecting you from your true interests. A translation project helped the author realise the value of embracing his authentic self and focusing on what truly resonates with him. By shifting to linguistics and translation studies, the author found fulfilment and meaning in his research.
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.
What is it like to be a PhD researcher in Law? Rebecca Hall tells us about her experiences as a research council funded first year PhD student, six months in.
In “What Do I Know Three Years On?” Daniel Walker reflects on his PhD journey and offers advice to those embarking on a similar path. He emphasizes the importance of perspective, self-awareness, and remaining humble, and shares a reflection exercise that helps maintain focus and motivation.
In this article, Keira White reflects on her challenges of pursuing a PhD during the Covid-19 pandemic and shares her top tips on maintaining wellbeing during this difficult period.
