PhD Experience | ihawkes

Jul 29 / 2015
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Lions and tigers and theses! Oh my!

By Olivia Kirtley:

Blog posts and advice columns about writing your thesis abound and the vast majority speak about it with great reverence; it isn’t just a thesis, it’s “The Thesis”, “The Big Book”, the Goliath to your David, the magnum opus of the last 3 or 4 years of your life. The thesis as a portrait of academic Herculean struggle can strike fear into the hearts of many PhD students. It feels like an unknown, a dark forest with lions and tigers and bears, but perhaps writing your thesis isn’t as scary as it first sounds?

May 20 / 2015
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Academia, Matt Jamieson, PhD Experience

Networking advice for introverted researchers

Photo by Samuel Zeller. © 2014. © Creative Commons Zero via Unsplash.

By Matt Jamieson

Every researcher has to network in order to develop their career. However for some this can feel like a difficult and potentially stressful task. Personally I find the idea of approaching admired professors and researchers at conferences daunting, and the prospect of engaging in intellectual conversation as equals seems unlikely. A bit like trying to impress Beyoncé by challenging her to a dance off. With this in mind I asked a few more experienced colleagues how they networked successfully at the beginning of their career and curated together the following pieces of advice: Continue Reading

Apr 01 / 2015
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PhD Experience, Siobhán O’Connor

Imposter syndrome – you are not alone!

By Siobhán O’Connor:

My sister, who is younger but much wiser than me as she is coming to the end of her PhD, warned me of the sneaky “Imposter Syndrome” that inevitably sets in for any student once they begin the lonely road to being doctorally qualified. At first it begins by questioning yourself – what you are you doing here? – you don’t know enough – you’re not clever enough! Then you start comparing yourself to those around you who always seem smarter and appear to work harder than you. The nagging part of your brain keeps reminding you – you shouldn’t be here, you’re a total phony and somebody is going to find you out!

Mar 11 / 2015
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PhD Experience, Uduak Ntuk

Is that the time? How to keep on track during your PhD

By Uduak Ntuk:

Previously, Olivia Kirtley and Arlene McGarty have written about the effort that goes into research and the need to be organised when undertaking a PhD. As PhD students we don’t just encounter academic problems; there are also challenges in time management, motivation and creativity. I thought I could share some practical ways to be more productive during the PhD journey, some of which are based on my personal experience – things I should be doing and things I have done.

Feb 04 / 2015
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Matt Jamieson, PhD Experience

After your PhD – what’s the next step

Photo by Rama Krishna. © 2016. © CC0 Public Domain via Pixabay.

By Matthew Jamieson

In the months before began my PhD I worked in a shopping centre in the suiting department. During this time I would tell my colleagues I would soon be a doctor (though not a proper one) and, being mostly undergraduates, they seemed suitably impressed that I was embarking on what was presumably quite a professional career. This reaction made me feel like I knew where I was going. I was an executive academic, with shiny shoes and wearing a slim fit shirt and tie. Continue Reading

May 13 / 2014
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PhD Experience

Hello from the IHAWKES!

We are excited to be launching our brand new blog today, to coincide with the University of Glasgow’s Institute of Health and Wellbeing Student-Led Conference!

If you have been inspired hearing about the research being carried out by IHW’s postgraduate students today, then we hope you will enjoy this blog where are our regular contributors will be writing about topics related to their PhD research as well as offering perspectives on health-related news stories.

We hope to stimulate conversations both within IHW and the wider public health community so please comment on the blog posts, tweet us (@ihawkes1) and share with interested colleagues.

First up, Olivia a PhD student in Mental Health and Wellbeing is blogging about media guidelines on the reporting of suicides.

Happy reading!

Anna and the rest of the IHAWKES team

Posts Categorized / PhD Experience

Lions and tigers and theses! Oh my!

Networking advice for introverted researchers

By Matt Jamieson

Imposter syndrome – you are not alone!

Is that the time? How to keep on track during your PhD

After your PhD – what’s the next step

By Matthew Jamieson

Hello from the IHAWKES!