In this week’s blog, Mengyuan Yue shares her wisdom and advice for making the transition from a Master’s degree to a PhD, rethinking “perfection”, and trusting yourself and your work.

The decision to pursue a PhD isn’t made lightly. It’s a commitment of years, fuelled by ambition and a vision of what the journey might look like. We consult with friends, scour YouTube videos, and devour PhD guides, all shaping our expectations and visions. But for Arts and Humanities students, the reality of a PhD can be a different story. 

Arts and Humanities PhDs can be solitary endeavours. Our companions might be a laptop, a stack of books, and the solitude of the library or archive. We might spend hours navigating complex theoretical frameworks or deciphering historical documents – a far cry from the team-oriented research portrayed in media.  Here’s the thing: comparing your PhD journey to others’, especially those meticulously documented vlogs, only amplifies that sense of inadequacy. 

You might expect a steady stream of groundbreaking results. The reality? Research can be a messy process. Unexpected turns, inconclusive data, and substantial revisions are all part of the journey. You might envision a steady stream of groundbreaking results, but research rarely unfolds so neatly. Even the weather can conspire to dampen your spirits!  

When reality clashed with my expectations, self-doubt and anxiety started creeping in. The gap between what you imagined and what you experience can be disorienting. The gap between the vibrant PhD life I envisioned and the solitary grind I faced felt overwhelming.

In an attempt to reinvigorate my PhD life and make sure I wouldn’t regret anything, I followed some practical steps. Here are my tips for filling your PhD with energy and a sense of accomplishment:

Acknowledge the Gap

Sometimes, simply writing down your feelings can be a powerful tool. It helps you untangle the jumble of thoughts in your head and see the reality of your situation more clearly.  By externalising your anxieties, you can start to identify the gap between your expectations and the PhD experience you’re actually having. Remember, self-doubt often leads us to blame ourselves, but the truth is, PhD life can vary greatly depending on your subject, university, and even the experiences of alumni. Embrace the fact that your PhD experience will be unique, and there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to PhD research.  

Don’t be afraid to step away for a while

When we’re bogged down in research, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. A break, even a short one, can work wonders. Take a day trip to a new city, explore the local parks, or simply enjoy a change of scenery. Immersing ourselves in nature or a new environment can be incredibly refreshing, helping us return to our research with renewed focus and energy. It’s no exaggeration to say that some of my inspirations of the research come from hopping on a train and exploring a new city. 

Develop Other Pursuits

This wisdom came from my second supervisor during our very first meeting. Cultivate a passion outside of research. When your research gets stuck or veers off course, having another pursuit can be a lifesaver. It can be a cherished hobby that demands time and effort, a side project that brings a sense of accomplishment, or even a creative outlet like handcrafting. This “harbour” helps me weather the storms of research setbacks. 

Reimagine “Perfect”

During my Master’s degree, my days were meticulously planned, filled with scheduled courses and a constant hum of activity. The transition to PhD life felt like jumping off a cliff. Gone were the regimented courses, replaced by the vast, open landscape of self-directed research. It was exciting and intimidating the same time. 

My perfectionist tendencies went into an uncontrolled state. The image of the “perfect PhD student” in my head fuelled my ambitions and inflated my to-do list. But the reality was a jumbled mess: revisions, setbacks, days of agonisingly slow progress. This constant comparison fuelled anxiety and self-blame in my stomach. 

Scrolling through the documented vlogs of seemingly hyper-productive PhD students and some efficient peers did not help. They became a constant reminder of the gap between my own chaotic research journey and this idealised, carefully planned PhD life. 

The realisation dawned on me later – the relentless pursuit of peak efficiency is a myth. Striving for the idealised “perfect” PhD student only fuelled the anxiety and exhaustion. Being highly motivated and ambitious is fantastic, but it’s unrealistic to expect constant peak performance. Embrace the chaos in the research and celebrate the progress, no matter how small it seems. Our research journey is not linear – it is filled with twists, turns, ups and downs.  

Comparison is inevitable, while we might be told not to compare ourselves with others or not to worry. Ideal and reality, others and self. We just compare consciously or unconsciously. But it shouldn’t become a source of misery. Ideals and expectations, while not drawbacks, shouldn’t cause suffering. They can be a powerful motivator – a way to strive for a more organised, efficient research process. The frustration we feel when reality falls short of the ideal isn’t a sign of failure, but of growth. We’re on the right track, even if it feels like a winding path. 

So, welcome to the world of PhD research! It may not be what you envisioned, but it’s your journey, and with a touch of self-awareness and happy scrambles. 

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