Getting the most out of the PhD experience

1. Getting the most out of the PhD experience

2. Work / life / social balance

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. PHD Emotions Isolation Eloquence Lost for words Inspiration Community Time Fear Excitement Doubt Limbo Independence Creativity Anger (wrath) Satisfaction Gluttony (information) Confidence Over-confidence (fraud)

9. 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

10. 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!

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

12. 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!