Rediscovering the Joy of Postgraduate Research
A guest post by EK McAlpine
October is when the academic year begins to feel real. The excitement of new beginnings is settling into routines, deadlines and the demands of research, whether you’re just starting your PhD or continuing a journey that has already tested you in unexpected ways. In this guest post, EK takes us somewhere a little different. With her wit, imagination and affection for the everyday, she reminds us that the experience we’ve worked so hard to have is also one we ought to enjoy. This is a post to save, revisit and perhaps share with someone who needs it this semester.
If there’s one truism for the SGSAH postgraduate student community, it’s that we all wanted this. None of us fell into graduate study by accident – we made it happen. But if there’s another truism, it’s that the shine can wear off. After three years of ✨manifesting✨ and begging the universe for this, you’d think that momentum would carry me through the entire degree, but within a year, parts of the PhD were becoming rather quotidian. But I didn’t spend those three years on Pinterest just to lose the magic less than a year in, and so I have set about re-romanticising the process, the project, the experience. Reminding myself why I’m here, taking joy in the everyday, and recreating that mood-board dream life.
‘Organise your study space’ is not novel advice. But the principles under which I curate my desk accommodate – nay, encourage – mess; studying amidst stacks of books, pens lying carelessly on open notebooks with several dozen post-it notes on show, makes me look productive, and therefore feel productive, and therefore be productive. Fake it till you make it. And having a few cute pens, a nice journal, and some fun post-it notes can make study more appealing. I surround myself with a similar atmosphere digitally; Pinterest is my most-frequented social media, and I have a board littered with soft-focus, low-light photos of people’s desks, inspirational quotes (highlights include; ‘doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will’ and ‘ur a diva keep goin’), and collages of Evie from The Mummy.
Sound is important; lo-fi playlists and rain sound albums are great for soft study (save the William Tell Overture for when you’re in the weeds with citation managers, and AC/DC’s Thunderstruck for when you’re ready to pack it all in). As we head into the ‘ber months and Scotland decides daylight is overrated, a soft playlist, low-light, and a scented candle just hit different.
Another tactic is roping other people into it. We all know group study can keep things fresh, build community, and keep you accountable. Unfortunately, I’m too much of a yapper for IRL group study, so I keep things online. I use my instagram stories to live-blog my progress, whether it’s monitoring a word count, tracking how many readings I’ve done, or just the thoughts and feelings I’m having about my studies (the good, the bad, and the really bad). Some people actually livestream their study sessions, but I will not subject anyone except my neighbour to me singing along to my Taylor Swift instrumental playlist. I also do mini-vlogs as instagram reels, including recording the occasional time-lapse which is especially satisfying if I’m handwriting.
My final trick for romanticising my studies is to be used with care; if you push yourself too hard, you compromise the sustainability of your studies, but it’s a gem for when deadlines are growing but the word count isn’t. I give you; the Movie Montage Mindset. You need to visualise this piece of work as part of a cinematic study-glow-up montage. This is the moment in your biopic where the audience enjoys footage of you, the main character, locking in. Studying late at the library, reading textbooks on the train, going to every class to ask (and answer) excellent questions. There’s a killer 00s soundtrack. You look determined and studious in every clip. You push through distractions, you put in the hours, and eventually you win the Nobel prize (which occasionally feels more realistic than getting the doctorate). The ultimate example of this is, of course, Legally Blonde, but the key is that it’s a montage. It takes place over a period of time. It’s about studying effectively, steadily, and often. Consistency, not intensity. And enjoy the moment, for goodness sake. Because Miley was right; these are the moments you’re gonna remember most.
About the Author
EK McAlpine is a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh researching gender and the veneration of saints in medieval Scotland. EK’s instagram account ‘@ItsLikeHistory’ posts informal yet informative history content through the lens of popular culture to over 20,000 followers, and she is a co-founder of the Medieval Social Media Society. EK writes a monthly newsletter on Patreon at patreon.com/itslikehistory with historical commentary and reviews of visiting heritage sites as a wheelchair user, and publishes longer form content at itslikehistory.wordpress.com.
We are always seeking new guest bloggers! If you have an idea for a blog post or would like to informally discuss writing for the SGSAH blog please get in touch with Olivia via email at olivia.shaw-lovell@glasgow.ac.uk or connect with the blog on social media.
