Sharing PhD experiences across the University of Warwick and beyond
To gain some valuable teaching experience in higher education institutions in the UK, most doctoral students will choose to be teaching assistants (GTA). I am one of them. This blog is about my personal experience of being a teaching assistant and some tips on this role. By Ivy Zhuo Overall, I have contributed to the... Continue Reading →
Since her last instalment in November, Ellie is on her final push to the end of the thesis road. Read about what she’s been getting up to below. By Ellie King Since I last published a blog, it feels like my thesis has come on leaps and bounds and that I am, dare I say... Continue Reading →
The process of achieving a PhD can represent different things for different people. In this week’s blog, Riss shares their thoughts on what connects these different meanings and what achieving a PhD means to her. By Riss Muller. Having hit the midway point of my PhD, I’ve found myself reflecting on how my PhD experience... Continue Reading →
Many doctoral students, like me, start their publications with a book review. However, this is not to say that a book review is easy or requires no skills at all. Instead, it plays a vital role in training our skills in academic writing and boosting our confidence in academic publications. In this blog, Ivy shares... Continue Reading →
Have you ever started a new planner, but then abandoned it for good? Maybe you’ve never planned anything, but suddenly want to try? In any case, Daria has some tips and tricks about finding the best ways to organise your daily life without pressure. By Daria Akhapkina Goal First and foremost, you need to know... Continue Reading →
Grounding has become a buzzword in wellbeing talks, but what exactly does it mean and how can it help you personally? In this week’s blog, Daria talks about finding peace and power in nature. By Daria Akhapkina The end of the term is approaching, the days get darker, the deadlines get tighter, and the stress... Continue Reading →
Following on from her previous posts, blog editor Ellie documents her writing up journey for November. By Ellie King. I can’t believe I’m already writing about November. I know we say it every year, but this year has really gone quickly. It feels only yesterday that I was starting to write my thesis back in... Continue Reading →
The PhD experience can often be full of rejection. Rejection for funding, rejection from conferences, rejection from academic journals. Today Iona explores how rejection can be understood from a developmental perspective by looking at attachment theory and how this can then be applied to dealing with rejection throughout our PhDs. By Iona Craig. Rejection is... Continue Reading →
The annual review happens usually at the end of 2nd year of our PhD study or in some cases, at the end of the 3rd year. This review serves for two purposes: to ensure you are progressing as planned, and as an opportunity to gather feedback and guidance on your work. In this week’s blog,... Continue Reading →
In the latest instalment of her writing-up diaries, blog editor Ellie shares what she got up to in October. By Ellie King Last month, I was working on my discussion chapter and tidying up some of my work after supervisor comments. This month I turned to the chapter I’d been dreading the most: the Literature... Continue Reading →
As part of your PhD, you may attend a number of conferences to meet with researchers, network, and hear about new research. But have you ever organised one? PhD Life blogger Ivy has, and she shares her experiences in this week’s blog. By Ivy Zhuo. This was a one-day conference event- a conference on language,... Continue Reading →
In this week’s post Daria shares her thoughts on the workspaces around the campus and how easy it is to keep focus while trying to study there. By Daria Akhapkina. As an easily distracted person myself, once I get too used to a study space, I can’t work there anymore as it doesn’t stimulate my... Continue Reading →
In this week's blog, Greta and Arokia share their practical insights for navigating academia as a mature student. It is the result of many conversations of what it means to return to academia as (international) full-time students who had been working (and still work!). By Greta and Arokia. Mature students are an integral part of... Continue Reading →
As summer comes to a close and we settle back in to another academic year, blog editor Ellie is documenting her road to thesis submission in March 2024 with a series of writing-up diaries. By Ellie King Summer was a busy period for me, with my head down over July and August to get going... Continue Reading →
This week, blogger Ivy shares her experiences of applying for and receiving a funding grant for organising a conference. By Ivy Zhuo. As well as having core funding for our PhD research activities, we may come across other funding opportunities as part of our time at Warwick. These grants come in carious shapes and sizes... Continue Reading →
Warwick’s Modern Records Centre is turning 50 this year, and to celebrate it’s put on an exhibition celebrating fifty of its best items from the collection, chosen by staff, friends, researchers, and supporters. Blog editor Ellie explores. By Ellie King ‘The MRC in 50 Objects’ was launched on Tuesday 12th September and is currently on... Continue Reading →
Often PhD students complete their master’s degree before moving into doctoral studies. This might be an exciting but anxiety-inducing period. Greta shares how she’s readying herself for the start of the PhD by providing three actionable tips. By Greta Timaite. This academic year I am officially starting my PhD. As part of my ESRC funding,... Continue Reading →
As we say Welcome to Warwick to another group of students for another year, blog editor Ellie introduces you to the PhD Life blog and the Community Engagement team in the Library. By Ellie King. Week One: Take the Library tour You can pick up a self-guided library tour by the Library entrance. Image: University... Continue Reading →
PhD life is more than just sitting still reading and writing research. It could involve much more than that. In this week’s blog, Ivy shares her summer school experiences. By Ivy Zhuo. What summer schools did I attend? Summer schools for research students are usually offered by some higher education institutions, particularly universities. However, it... Continue Reading →
Blog editor Ellie is currently in the process of writing up her thesis, after four years of research. Read how she got on in August below. By Ellie King. August was a time for some holiday for me, which means theatre trips! Image: Ellie King Since my first instalment of the writing-up diaries in July... Continue Reading →
As an international PhD student in the UK, one of the common experiences we may encounter is to have families visiting us in this foreign land where we are living and studying. In this week’s blog, Ivy shares her experience of showing her families around the UK. By Ivy Zhuo. Since living and studying in... Continue Reading →
Eating disorders are a mental health illness that can impact anyone and have been on the rise since lockdown. In this article Iona discusses what eating disorders actually are, how they stem much deeper than being about food, and some pointers of where help can be accessed if you feel you or someone around you... Continue Reading →
Setting out for a PhD can be exciting and terrifying at the same time. In this post, Daria identifies some common ideas on your research journey that may be hard to accept before you start but make perfect sense as soon as you get to it. By Daria Akhapkina. Looking back, I had many expectations... Continue Reading →
In the first of a series, blog editor Ellie takes us on her journey of writing up her thesis in preparation for hand-in in March 2024. By Ellie King I began my PhD in October 2019. Since then, I’ve been through a pandemic, a year off in industry, an internship, various conferences and seminars, and... Continue Reading →
As we head into the summer vacation period, you may feel yourself yearning for the usual family comforts that you'd normally get at university. But being a researcher means you spend less time at home. This week, blogger Gunisha recounts her experiences of feeling homesick as an international student at university and shares some advice... Continue Reading →
Warwick is home to the Modern Records Centre archive, and in this week's blog archivist Melissa discusses life as an archivist and what a career in archives may look like for you. By Melissa Prior. Traditionally Archivists have been seen or have seen themselves as guardians of the past, protecting valuable historical material from the... Continue Reading →
Small mindset changes can have a big impact on overall day-day living. Iona has brought together the four books she has come across that have the most useful, researched based tips to improve mindset and experience success during your time at university. Over summer is a great time to give one or two of them... Continue Reading →
A few weeks ago, Iona attended one of Warwick's Human Library events. In today’s blog she writes about her experiences at the event, what she learned, and why this is really an event worth going to. By Iona Craig. Prejudice refers to a positive or negative attitude towards a certain group that is applied to... Continue Reading →
Summer break needs to be super productive, right? No. In this week’s blog post Greta talks about the importance to find balance in the face of feeling pressured to do as much as possible. By Greta Timaite. Summer can be a strange period for students: no lectures to attend, essay deadlines to meet, or exams... Continue Reading →
As we come to the end of term and the undergraduate students vacate for the summer, blog editor Ellie talks about the importance of taking holidays and adding breaks into your day. By Ellie King. We’re slowly coming to the end of the academic year, and you may have noticed other students finishing their exams,... Continue Reading →
One of the biggest concerns at the very early stage of our PhD journey is to complete participant recruitment. How are we going to reach out to our potential participants when we already have a clear target demographic group of people in mind? It seems easy to identify but so hard to approach them and... Continue Reading →
Students are often faced with a dilemma: should I pursue another degree or take a break to gain work experience? There is no simple answer, but in this week’s blog post Greta reflects on how work experience shaped her approach to PhD. By Greta Timaite. Are you about to graduate and wondering if you should... Continue Reading →
Everyone knows how important a work-life balance is, but it can be especially hard to achieve for neurodivergent students. In this week’s post, Daria shares some advice on how to balance your life when your mental state sets extra requirements. By Daria Akhapkina. One of the hardest things I’ve experienced as someone struggling with their... Continue Reading →
Where do you begin with new connections, and, most importantly, why do you need them in the first place? In her new blog post Daria tells you about the possibilities of networking and the opportunities to get started. By Daria Akhapkina. Sometimes doing a PhD sure seems like a lone journey. It’s so easy to... Continue Reading →
Recently, the Community Engagement Team at the Library, who look after the postgraduate study spaces of the PG Hub and the Wolfson Research Exchange, ran an art competition to brighten up those spaces and encourage students to reflect on Warwick as their home from home. In today's blog post, blog editor Ellie looks at some... Continue Reading →
PhD study usually involves huge sets of data, and the command of some software makes it less painful to deal with this matter. In this blog, Ivy introduces three types of software to improve your academic output. By Ivy Zhuo. Transcription generating tools Transcribing is indeed a challenging task for a lot of qualitative researchers... Continue Reading →
Being a research assistant (RA) is not an unusual experience for research students. It is a great opportunity to learn how a research project is operated, allowing us to gain experience relevant to our CV and potential future funding applications. It is also one of the best ways to support ourselves financially or to earn... Continue Reading →
Open science help researchers make their work more accessible to the public. This also means that students can use research to support their own learning! In this blog post Greta discusses how open science can benefit data science learners and how to take advantage of the best data and code sharing practices. By Greta Timaite.... Continue Reading →
Warwick is home to around 12,000 postgraduate students, and many of these are researchers. Studying for a doctorate of some kind, Warwick’s research students contribute to the vibrant research culture at the university, whilst having a strong community of their own. Balancing commitments of supervisions, writing conference papers, and teaching, research life can be busy,... Continue Reading →
Doing your PhD as an international student can sometimes feel a bit scary and overwhelming. In this post, Daria discusses several ways of fighting the common fears of not fitting in or being left out. By Daria Akhapkina Settling in a new environment is hard, especially coming from a completely different academic and cultural background.... Continue Reading →
Did you find yourself, January 1st, setting a load of New Years’ Resolutions? Going to the gym 5 times a week, no alcohol, 10,000 steps a day, 2 litres of water, going vegan, calling your mum every week. Do you find yourself, as we head into April, feeling like you’ve failed miserably at all of... Continue Reading →
As a PhD researcher, GTA and lover of ‘cute sayings’ one of Cherisse’s favourite quotes is ‘In the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I’m blessed’. At last, these She has taken some time to reflect on the confusing, complicated and difficult journey called a PhD figuring out how to stop and... Continue Reading →
Intensive academic reading is what every PhD student would experience during their study. Reasons to read varies, ranging from identifying a research gap, to justifying our study, to writing for publications or to preparing for an academic talk. Or sometimes, simply to answering a question that our colleagues raise to us. This experience is usually... Continue Reading →
As PhD students, we are often focused on research and very little else. But taking a step outside of your PhD to look into the world of work may be worth the time. Having just finished an internship, blogger Ellie talks us through her experiences, and why an internship could benefit you too. By Ellie... Continue Reading →
Presenting at conferences to share our research is part of our life as a PhD student. It is natural to have butterflies in our stomach if it is our first time doing a public presentation. However, even for some experienced speakers, presenting at conferences could bring huge pressure, since anyone could be among our audience,... Continue Reading →
Spend countless hours doom-scrolling when you should be working? Tired of the incessant pinging of inane notifications? This week, blogger Clarissa shares some tips on how to optimise your phone for focus without downloading a single app! By Riss Muller. If you’re anything like me, your phone is somewhat of a time drain. It pings,... Continue Reading →
In this blog post Greta continues sharing her experience on what helped her to break into data science. Previously, she discussed the psychological side of learning programming, today she gives three practical tips that have helped her to get a job in data science and hone her programming skills. By Greta Timaite. A few months... Continue Reading →
This week Library staff member Emil gives an overview of the social, wellbeing and skills activities currently happening in the Library, and invites you to develop a positive work-life balance. By Emil Rybczak When the Christmas break is just a memory and you’ve committed to multiple deadlines before Easter, how do you keep on top... Continue Reading →
The PhD is the pinnacle. The highest educational qualification you can receive. Beyond then, it’s just professorships, and who wants one of those? But does the PhD being the pinnacle of education mean it’s the pinnacle of your education. Should it even be a pinnacle at all? Not necessarily. In this week’s blog, Ellie discusses... Continue Reading →
As we return to campus for term two, you may find that Warwick has so much to offer which you might not have discovered yet. Emily shares her five favourite hidden gems of Warwick you may not have heard about before and why they should be a must on your Warwick to-do list! By Emily... Continue Reading →
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