This week's guest blog is on a subject I've wanted to see more of on the SGSAH blog. It's from Jessica Secmezsoy-Urquhart, a first year PhD student at the University of St. Andrews. They are autistic, chronically ill, have anxiety, ADD, OCD, etc. Their research focus is the role of neurodiverse and bodilydiverse disabled entertainers … Continue reading PhDs with a Disability
Tag: PhD Experience
Starting a PhD with existing mental health problems
I recently read a comment about the stress of a PhD, which personally hit me to the core: “If you’re emotionally unstable or vulnerable, it’s not a good idea.” This was me, 3 years ago. Or in fact, 5, 8, or 10 years ago. I’ve lived with depression, anxiety, and OCD for a decade of … Continue reading Starting a PhD with existing mental health problems
How many hours should you spend on the clock, and when should you spend them?
When you start a PhD, you’ll often hear that your research should be treated like a 9 to 5 job. If you’re like me, this will probably cause you to panic and question what on earth you’re doing – don’t a lot of us start PhDs because we secretly didn’t want a 9-5 job?! I … Continue reading How many hours should you spend on the clock, and when should you spend them?
What to do when you feel like you just can’t do it anymore
There are many struggles you’ll encounter during your PhD experience, two of the major ones being feeling overwhelmed, and feeling completely stuck. Both are things I’ve come up against quite a lot over my 2 and a half years of being a PhD researcher, especially the former due to my depression and anxiety. So, in … Continue reading What to do when you feel like you just can’t do it anymore
MONTHLY ROUNDUP: NOVEMBER 2018
The end of the year approaches! I cannot believe it's already December, I swear it was just October yesterday...where did November go?? If you're like me, you may have been too busy this past month to take much notice of what was going on in the SGSAH community and beyond, so I'm here to help. … Continue reading MONTHLY ROUNDUP: NOVEMBER 2018
From Disney to PhD
A lot of people assume when you're doing a PhD you came up through academia always planning to pursue this path. I have rarely found this to be the case. I've spoken with incredible women who have gone to University, left, had lives and families outside of academia, only to choose to pick it … Continue reading From Disney to PhD
Do what makes you happy
I have generally simple tastes. A good cup of milky tea, a new book, painted nails...things that aren't too hard to come by. People always say a good cup of tea can fix anything, which I've generally found to be partially true- it may not fix my problem, but it certainly wont make it any worse. … Continue reading Do what makes you happy
Misconceptions about the PhD
I don't know about you, but when I signed up to do a PhD I thought I mostly knew how it was going to work. *cue laugh track* The PhD is just about the thesis. Reality- The thesis is only part of the PhD. Which is insane to think about. Over the course of my … Continue reading Misconceptions about the PhD
Asking for help
Sometimes it can be difficult to admit you're in over your head and need some assistance, but I'm sure we've all been there- including your supervisors. I know when I started out my PhD I felt like I was going to take on the world. I was going to be the PGR Representative, take a … Continue reading Asking for help
My Month in Berlin: Abenteuerlust, or Adventures in the German Language
This week's guest article comes from Alexandra Chiriac, who is a third year PhD candidate at the University of St Andrews, funded through the SGSAH AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership. She is researching the impact of modernism on stage design and interior design in Romania in the 1920s and 30s. She holds an MA in Art … Continue reading My Month in Berlin: Abenteuerlust, or Adventures in the German Language
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