Getting the most out of

the PhD experience

Work / life / social balance

PhD Process

• Full time or part time• Research (process and methods)• Fieldwork – travel, library• Writing (lots of)• Thinking creatively• Analytical process• Writing up• Viva

Formal stuff

• APG• Annual review(s) and reports• Meetings with supervisor(s)• Training – research and generic skills etc• Forms – lots of!• Writing up (horrors of)• Viva

Extra - Formal stuff• Student representatives• Student meetings• Think Tanks• Blackboard resources• Seminars e.g. brown bags, at other Universities• Conferences – giving papers / listening to papers / planning!• Papers / articles for publication• Book / exhibition reviews• Links with other departments and Universities• Links with academics

Informal stuff

• Attic blog for and by MS PhD students - http://attic-museumstudies.blogspot.com/

• Tea in the Attic (also New History Lab, Café Scientifique, Archaeology Cake, English etc.)

• Socialising – Lansdowne, cinema etc• Museum crawls and visits• Research discussions (in the tea room, corridors)• Getting to know other PhD students

Life – doesn’t stop

• Friends and family + children• House – cleaning, washing, tidying• Cleanliness• Shopping• Health and well being• Work – full or part time• Being ill

Doubt

Fear

Anger (wrath)

Isolation

Time

Gluttony (information)

Over-confidence (fraud)

Limbo

Lost for words

PHD EmotionsInspiration

Excitement

Creativity

Confidence

Eloquence

Community

Independence

Satisfaction

Challenges

• Isolation and loneliness• Anxiety and feeling overwhelmed• Stress and panic• Feeling not good enough• Not ‘intellectual’• Poor health• Deadlines• Perils of always being last minute

Positives

• Your own work• Hard work can be satisfying• Independence – thinking, researching, writing• Part of a wider community = support• Excitement of being creative, thinking on a

higher level, making a breakthrough in theory• Three years (or more) to focus on what interests

you the most• Many people get through it!

Big question…

•What can we do to make the most of our PhD experiences while looking after ourselves mentally and physically?

Some answers – how we cope• Set goals – and be realistic (could develop these with other students)• Making pie charts to show progress (e.g. green done and red not done)• Peer group to support each other e.g. reading chapters, honest dialogue, discuss goals –

outside perspective• If stuck or you fall into the ‘Pit of Procrastination’ (putting it off until tomorrow) set yourself

small, achievable goals – not big goals like ‘must finish my paper’ but write a section or paragraph

• Treat yourself to a day of doing nothing – you need a rest• Ban yourself from the Internet• Treat the PhD as a job – only working 9-5pm• Have a PhD buddy or mentor – but you must be compatible!• Come to know your own capacity for work – also your boundaries• Develop a routine that suits you – learn how you work best• Ask questions – don’t worry about feeling stupid• Use Facebook and social networking tools to your benefit• Change study places e.g. library, PhD room – a new place can work wonders• If you need support be focused on what you need – set clear goals for the person• Talk to as many people as possible – you are not alone• Transferable skills – what skills do you have that can support your PhD work?• Use anxiety productively• Socialise!