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
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?
I’m in the slightly unique position of having lived in catered university halls throughout my entire academic career, from the very beginning of my BA to the (almost) end of my PhD. Since I’ve now got 7 (seriously, 7?! I just did a double-take) years of experience of halls, from both an undergrad and postgrad … Continue reading Should you live in halls during your PhD?
Like many people around the world, when the new year rolled around I found myself binge-watching the new Netflix series ‘Tidying up with Marie Kondo’. I’d heard of her book The Magical Art of Tidying Up some years ago, but had never been interested enough to read it. In fact, I secretly resented the principal. … Continue reading ‘Sparking joy’ in my life and research
Today, sadly, is my final day as the SGSAH blogger. It has been an absolutely rollercoaster past 6 months, but I wouldn't have picked a better time to have the blogging role in my life as I now have a paper trail of my progress over that time, as well as the proof I can … Continue reading Final thoughts on blogging
On the 27th of November, SGSAH held a Heritage Careers Day at the National Galleries Scotland for researchers looking to explore their prospects in the Scottish heritage sector. Registration for the event filled up extremely fast, so for those who were not able to attend the day in person, I've made note of a few … Continue reading SGSAH Heritage Careers Day
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
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
This semester I began my journey not only as the SGSAH blogger and a 2nd-year PhD student AND a wife...I began GTA-ing. Being a Graduate Teaching Assistant had been my M.O. (loving the acronyms here) since I first experienced teaching University students during my undergrad when I was a Peer Facilitator. This role had me … Continue reading 6 Tips for New GTAs
Every PhD student has their health struggles. Be it a short-term illness, stress, anxiety, or just needing someone to remind you how to function normally (cue Birdie, the adorable PhD assistant) we've been there. There's an immediate connection that forms when you join up with a group of PhD students and someone throws out 'and … Continue reading Invisible Illness and the PhD
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