The challenges, experiences and everyday stuff of PhD life
I can’t believe my time as SGSAH blogger has come to an end! Tomorrow I’m passing the torch into the capable hands of Jimmy Johnson, and I’m really excited to see where he goes with the blog! I’ve spent a lot of time reading posts written by my predecessors, and it’s incredible how diverse a … Continue reading Reflecting on blogging
This guest post is written by Dorothy Lawrenson, a 2nd year AHRC-funded PhD student in Creative Writing at the University of Edinburgh. She tweets @djlawrenson. Helping to host a conference may feature among the competing demands on your time as a PhD student. The job, which is unlikely to be compulsory, involves a commitment of … Continue reading 5 reasons you should organise a conference during your PhD
As I come towards the end of my time blogging (I can’t believe I’m almost finished – the time has flown!), I’m also nearing the end of my PhD, which I’m hoping to finish at the end of this year. Coming to the end of my doctoral study is …. I’m struggling for words. It’s … Continue reading Coming towards the end of the PhD
This guest blog comes from Emma Brunton, a first-year PhD student at the University of Glasgow. Her thesis is titled: ‘Transformations in women’s spiritual power from precolonial to early colonial Rwanda’. Here, she discusses her experience conducting fieldwork from May to June of 2019. When I started my PhD about eight months ago, I knew … Continue reading Research in Rome
This guest blog comes from Ruth Salter, who is finishing the first year of her PhD in Celtic and Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh. Ruth researches the cultural-political position of the mid-twentieth century Scottish Folk Revival and its relationship with theories of cultural dominance. This blog looks at Ruth’s incorporation of listening to podcasts … Continue reading Podcast Your PhD
In one of my earlier posts, I discussed what it’s like giving a paper as a sufferer of anxiety. In that blog, I briefly talked about some of the tips my counsellor gave me at the time, and how I got through giving my first talk. I thought it might be helpful to expand more … Continue reading Top 5 tips for giving papers
Learning when to say ‘no’ is something of a fine art. It’s something that a lot of people struggle with in their daily lives in general, but I think the struggle is equally, if not more, applicable to PhD life. From personal experience, I know how hard it is to say no to both requests, … Continue reading Learning when to say no to yourself and others
In theory, a PhD is simple – research a topic, come up with some original ideas, and write about it. Easy, right? Nope… Academic work-wise, we all know that a PhD is never so simple. It’s not a straight line that you follow with no bumps in the road, it’s a winding path, a rollercoaster … Continue reading Self-funding my first year
This guest blog comes from Conner Milliken, a first year PhD student in Theatre Studies at the University of Glasgow, undertaking a PhD entitled 'Queer History-Making in Performance: Interrogating Scotland’s Narrative of Liberalisation'. Here, Conner reflects on participating in the Oral History Training workshop. “Oral history is a unique way of doing history, involving the reconstruction … Continue reading Oral Interview (?) with PhD Student Conner Milliken
For a long time, my self-care has been an afterthought, and it felt like things were just happening to me, rather than me making anything happen – like I was in the ocean with waves crashing over me, but I wasn’t swimming (I love a good simile). I’m not sure how or when even I … Continue reading Taking self-care seriously
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