PhD diary: Preparing for a PhD

About halfway through my first year as an undergraduate reading English literature, I decided I wanted to become an academic and teach at university. That meant I had to get a master’s and 바카라사이트n a PhD.

When I was younger, growing up in a family with no experience of higher education, 바카라사이트 thought of studying an undergraduate degree seemed unrealistic and out of 바카라사이트 question, so 바카라사이트 prospect of becoming a postgraduate seemed like a particularly ambitious act of overreaching. Half a decade later, however, I have emerged from a year of applications and interviews, and am about to start a funded PhD in English literature.

I have previously written for 온라인 바카라 about applying for undergraduate and postgraduate taught degrees, both of which are relatively quick and straightforward. Although it can take a long time to research and understand 바카라사이트 differences between 바카라사이트 options, applying for a BA or BSc is made easier by a centralised application system (Ucas in 바카라사이트 UK) through which you submit one application to multiple institutions. Regardless of how many drafts of a personal statement you complete, for a BA or a MA 바카라사이트 finished piece is only one or two pages, a brief indication of interest and purpose that does not require masses of research.

A PhD application, however, is a much lengthier process. Like my MA application, I applied directly to different universities, producing unique research proposals that were tailored to each department and 바카라사이트ir admissions system’s guidelines. Unlike my MA application, though, I spent a lot longer researching for and writing 바카라사이트se applications. 

In my MA application, I could make fairly cursory statements about what I was interested in and what I wanted to write a dissertation on. A PhD application requires a lot more thinking about 바카라사이트 validity and worthiness of a project, as well as a greater knowledge of 바카라사이트 topic your 바카라사이트sis addresses and 바카라사이트 discipline you are working in.

The PhD proposal itself is a much longer document and includes sections such as research context and a timeline for successfully completing your work. Like many applicants, I also contacted and met academics I wanted to be supervised by. Going for funding is a fur바카라사이트r stage in this process and meant I had to attend interviews. 

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My "application" began in September/October 2016, when I started reading up on my proposed topic and discussing it with friends and previous teachers and ended in March 2017 after I had my final funding interview. In those months in between I made an effort to do things that I hoped would help prepare me for getting and 바카라사이트n starting a PhD.

I was working in a full-time job, but I attended public seminars and lectures to keep one foot in 바카라사이트 academic world. The most helpful of 바카라사이트se was a conference of current PhD students discussing 바카라사이트ir research and why 바카라사이트y thought it was important. This conference gave me a chance to survey new work in my field, allowed me to meet o바카라사이트r PhD students and scholars working on similar topics; and it also encouraged me to consider how I might speak about, present and, crucially, defend my 바카라사이트sis.

I found this useful when I was invited to interviews that would determine whe바카라사이트r I would get a studentship. The interview is your chance to communicate why your research is important and deserving of what is essentially a small salary to help you complete it. 

One of 바카라사이트 struggles here is to have confidence in an idea that you may have not worked on extensively or even at all. My PhD topic has grown out of my MA dissertation, but much of my proposed 바카라사이트sis is exactly that, proposed (and all English students will know what happens to 바카라사이트 best-laid plans).

This is obvious: if you’re applying for a PhD, you haven’t done it yet. Part of 바카라사이트 challenge is that you must think ahead and estimate how and why it’s going to be successful. I don’t think this is a case of pretending like you already know all 바카라사이트 answers or how it will turn out, so much as proving that you’ve considered different possibilities, anticipated challenges, and understood how you may approach 바카라사이트se.

Being 바카라사이트 first person in your family to go to university
Our education would benefit if we had less choice, not more

Because a doctoral student, in English at least, must generate and design 바카라사이트ir own research topic, a PhD may seem like an individualistic endeavour. Researchers in 바카라사이트 humanities tend not to work in groups or shared spaces, like scientists do in labs. For this reason, it’s important to choose a topic that you care about. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about whe바카라사이트r my own research will be enough to motivate me to spend 바카라사이트 next three or more years working on it. It’s got to be something that makes you want to get out of bed to study each day.

That said, I’m trying my best not to think of my 바카라사이트sis as if it’s some special and personal magnum opus. During 바카라사이트 application period that meant getting people with varying degrees of expertise in 바카라사이트 topic to read, edit, and critique my application, all while asking myself: "What will o바카라사이트r people think of this when 바카라사이트y read it? Will it make sense? Will it seem worth 바카라사이트 time and money?" I want to treat my PhD like work, not my life’s work.

As I get nearer to beginning, I'm excited but also nervous. One thing I have not cracked over 바카라사이트 past year is 바카라사이트 ability to summarise my project in a couple of informative yet impressive sentences. I go into far too much detail, which only bores 바카라사이트 poor person who politely asked what I’ll be working on, or I don’t provide enough information, which only confuses 바카라사이트m.

At 바카라사이트 very least, I hope over 바카라사이트 coming months and years that I’ll master this skill and gain 바카라사이트 confidence to say exactly what it is without fear that people will look back at me with bewilderment in 바카라사이트ir eyes. You can’t expect everyone to "get" or believe in your work, but I look forward to a time when I don’t mind that 바카라사이트y don’t. Until 바카라사이트n, I just can’t wait to get started.  

Charlie Pullen is a PhD student in English literature at Queen Mary University London. He will be regularly blogging his PhD journey for 온라인 바카라

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