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.
Hannah Ryan shares her valuable experiences and lessons learnt throughout her PhD journey. She emphasizes the importance of engaging in other activities besides research, combating loneliness, maintaining good relationships with supervisors, consistent writing and using rejections as learning experiences.
Featured Academic
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.
In this article, Jodie Boisvert discusses her experience with imposter syndrome during her journey to earning a PhD. She shares tips she learned from her professors and peers, including skimming reading materials to highlight key points and writing notes in the margins to enhance critical thinking skills.
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.
Get insights from a PhD candidate’s reflective diary on the process of starting, struggling with, and ultimately completing a doctoral research project. Discover the trials and tribulations of getting ethical approval, recruiting participants, and navigating the pandemic while working towards a degree.
Pillalamarri Srikrishnarka shares 10 tips he wish he knew before starting his STEM-based PhD program at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. A final year scholar, Pillalamarri emphasizes networking and time management, he provides useful links to other resources.
Are you overwhelmed by writing demands of academic study? Nathan H. Clarke explores how joining an online writing group can support you during your PhD, an overlooked resource that can help you achieve success in your PhD studies.
In this reflective article, Gemma Rides shares her PhD experience so far and provides advice for new PhD students. She discusses the importance of talking to supervisors and other students, getting into a routine, celebrating small achievements, and remembering that a PhD is more than just writing a thesis.
From the importance of taking breaks, finding a supportive group, to valuing yourself and networking, these tips will help you get through the rough times and make the most of your PhD experience.
