Shrink the PhD monster
One of the PhD students taking my online course refers to her PhD as having become an ‘uninvited monster’ that has gotten into her body and her feelings, and doesn’t ever seem to leave her alone, no matter what she is doing. The problem with PhD monsters is that they don’t really go away by themselves once they have taken up shop. But there are some tried and trusted remedies to use when dealing with one. (If you don’t like the monster analogy, and don’t want to admit to owning one, this blog post could also read: how to increase your [...]
Should I quit my PhD?
Last week an old friend and PhD colleague popped up on facebook. In fact I hadn’t spoken to him in eight years, since the moment he decided to quit his PhD. I remember going for a coffee together, him rather pensively stirring his sugar into his espresso, and telling me that was it – he was leaving. “One year of writing a PhD, and I haven’t been this depressed in my entire life,” he said. He also told me his professor was trying to persuade him to stay: his work appeared to be promising (and he was the kind of [...]
My Mentor’s PhD Advice
Having the right mentor to turn to can make all the difference when you’re writing a PhD. The person I turned to most, even if only in my mind, was without a doubt Gordon Smith. I met Gordon when I was studying for a MSc. in European Politics and Policy at the LSE – he was my tutor, and what a terrifying tutor he was! He enjoyed causing a bit of a stir, and he liked to ‘keep me on my toes’ as he called it. But even though I was petrified every time I stepped into his tiny office, [...]
6 Tips for Writing a Guilt-Free PhD
When you’re writing a PhD, procrastination and guilt often go hand in hand. Who doesn’t know the feeling that ‘there’s so much left to do’ and worse: ‘I should be doing it right now’? The issue I have with PhD-guilt is that it’s a) based on sloppy thinking and b) disastrous. Sloppy thinking, because guilt thoughts are most often unfounded, but we believe and act on them anyway. When we’re enjoying the sunshine, we are probably meant to be enjoying the sunshine, not working on our PhD. Disastrous because – well, ever tried to enjoy the sunshine with a guilty [...]
‘How to write a PhD’ with Andrew Glencross
Recently, I had the chance to talk to Andrew Glencross, currently lecturer in International Relations at the University of Aberdeen, about his PhD experience, and his advice to current PhD students. We were colleagues at the EUI, where he defended his thesis in 2007 (and I took a little longer). He describes himself as an ‘accidental academic’, in the sense that he got into university at the age of 18, and is somehow still there now, going on 34. But when you talk to him, you realise rather quickly that academia has hardly incorporated him by mistake. Schooled at Cambridge [...]
HappyPhD Online Course Testimonial
Judith was the first PhD student to take the HappyPhD Online Course. She’s a pediatric resident at the University Medical Centre Utrecht, the Netherlands, and is finishing her PhD on the side (you go girl!). She is the sister of a friend of mine, and I asked her to test-drive the course. Yesterday we sat down to chat, to discuss her experience. Judith, you’ve just finished the HappyPhD Online Course. This is a big moment for me. I have spent many months putting the course together, but as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. I’d [...]
LIBRARY
Free Resources Library
I have compiled some free resources for you to download. An e-book, a short course with encouraging emails to nudge your writing productivity alive, and a worksheet with a mini-course to create an effective and very zen work routine.
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