Completing a PhD – Does it have to be a lonely existence?

What a ride! One year into our journey as PhD candidates, it is time to reflect on the past 12 months and the opportunities that have arisen during our time at the university. The most important lesson we have learnt is that a PhD is not just about conducting research, it is about the multitude of skills you can develop as a researcher and academic; the importance of having a good social support network, and the impact you can have within the wider university.

It's more than just conducting research.

The essential foundation of your PhD starts with workshops designed to further your development as a researcher. Although the workshops are not mandatory, they provide many opportunities to enhance your knowledge and to gain new transferrable skills. At our institution there are over 85 workshops taking place periodically over the academic year that include topics such as career planning, writing for scholarly publication and critical analysis of research.

Taking part in these workshops, alongside writing your thesis, also provides an excellent opportunity to meet fellow postgraduate research (PGR) students. From the very outset of your PhD journey, you are told that 'networking' is an invaluable part of the experience. It allows you to disseminate your research and that of others as well as build relationships that can last a lifetime.

This can be difficult for someone starting from scratch. One of us had studied at the University of Wolverhampton previously, so she had already built up some networks; however, the other had to start from the beginning as she came to the university from a different institute. This is the case for many doctoral students, so it is important that these lines of communication can be opened and developed easily.

The adage of 'you get out what you put in' certainly applies here. If you just complete research during your PhD and do not take advantage of the numerous opportunities available, you will miss out on valuable learning experiences and the chance to grow, not just as an academic but as a person.  Grab hold of all the opportunities you can and embrace the whole journey! 

Everything you do as a researcher from enrolment to completing your viva is a form of personal and academic development – and every aspect of the PhD journey is a learning curve, sometimes a steep one. You must adapt to everything along the way and make sacrifices, which can become mentally draining.  

A big transition – adapting to manage your own learning

While literature on student transition to undergraduate study has been well documented, transitions to postgraduate level have been overlooked. This is mainly due to assumptions that postgraduate students are considered higher education 'experts' for whom education transitions are considered 'natural' (McPherson et al, 2018).

We found it a big change from the previous regimented and structured way of studying at an undergraduate level to PhD study. You are given very clear guidelines for all assessments during your undergraduate journey. However, in PhD research, you can feel like you are 'left to your own devices'.

We would like to note here that your supervisory team are instrumental in your academic journey. They can offer support and some guidance. However, unlike undergraduate study, you have no clear direction at the beginning of your PhD experience and you are responsible for your own learning. This is a big shock to the system and we feel more support for this transition would greatly benefit students taking their academic journey in this direction.

When you finish your undergraduate/postgraduate degrees you are filled with confidence (you did it!), then moving on to a PhD can feel like a factory reset. You can lose the confidence you have gained and the dreaded 'imposter syndrome' can rear its ugly head.

Managing your own destiny (cliché, yes) and time management become key from the very beginning! Being a PhD candidate can quickly take over your whole life but we cannot stress enough how important a work-life balance is.

All for one and one for all – the importance of support networks

It has been well documented through literature that PGR mental wellbeing is a cause for concern. Surprisingly, most doctoral students recognise poor mental health as a 'normal' outcome of the PhD process (Hazell et al., 2021). So how can we address this? Aside from finding a good work-life balance that works for you and managing your own development as an academic, we have found the biggest impact on motivation came from peer support.

Having each other throughout our academic journeys really helped to support our own and each other's wellbeing. Another cliché, but a problem shared is a problem halved, this definitely applies here. Having somebody who relates to and can understand what you are going through, even if you have different things going on in other aspects of your life, really helps ground your thinking and provides you with some stability in your mental wellbeing. Having a 'study buddy' really helps combat the issues highlighted in the literature.

The networking opportunities provided by the University of Wolverhampton have supported this sense of belonging and community, but these could be promoted more widely and be made more visible.

Help – What can educational institutions do to address the issues faced by PhD students?

The number of people deciding to embark on an academic journey is increasing year on year (HESA, 2022); however, when looking at doctoral research specifically, it can be seen that the number of people obtaining their qualifications is decreasing. It is therefore important that educational institutes ensure that all students are supported throughout their journeys.

PhD students are not just researchers, they are people who manage and juggle numerous aspects of their lives. As with most things in life 'communication is key' – having clearer communication channels would help in so many areas of the PhD journey from a better understanding of what is expected, helping to get time management structured and organised earlier, and building a strong sense of belonging and community. This would allow PhD candidates to feel less like a 'lone wolf' and build strong support networks during their academic journey.

At the University of Wolverhampton, we can socialise with each other at the PGR (postgraduate researcher) hangouts that allow us to be more than just researchers and academics. Give PhD candidates opportunities to showcase their work will allow them to gain transferable skills and more importantly, build the confidence that may be lost during the transition period.

One important lesson we learned during our first year is that undertaking a PhD is not a linear experience – educational institutions must recognise this.  No two PhD journeys are or will be the same, but what we can say is there will always be ups and downs. You will have days when your data collection is finished, and you feel a great sense of achievement, and days when nothing is going right, and you feel like giving up.

Everyone has the same goals and aspirations, but we all follow different and individual paths to get there.

It would be beneficial for educational institutes to focus on the mental health and wellbeing of PGR researchers by incorporating specific mental health workshops and embedding them in the whole PGR process. The addition of 'Mental Health check-ins' by trained individual is worth further discussion, as it a mentoring/buddy system.

Finding your way of dealing with the stresses of completing a PhD is crucial. One of the authors regularly does yoga and meditation, which really helps. However, we must remember that one size does not fit all, so educational institutions should ensure a wide range of techniques for reducing stress and dealing with the imposter syndrome are readily available and, more importantly, visible for everyone.  The fear of the unknown is a massive barrier for new PhD candidates so allowing them to speak to someone who has gone through that journey can only be beneficial.

Final thoughts and where do we go from here?

No matter who you are, where you come from and why you decided to embark on a PhD, everyone wants the same outcome - to become an expert in their chosen field. There will be barriers to overcome, bumps in the road and moments of a great sense of achievement. Personally, we are excited to see what the next year has in store for us, the skills we will develop and the knowledge we will gain.

Completing a PhD is hard, but it is also an incredibly rewarding experience.

About the authors

Bethan Jones is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing at the University of Wolverhampton and a Mental Health and Wellbeing Accessor with Great Healthcare Limited. She is a PGR student representative and is passionate about mental health within the education system and community settings and would like to improve services, advocate change, and implement interventions from her research.

Stephanie Brady is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing at the University of Wolverhampton and a distance learning team leader. She is the School of Psychology representative at the Student Union Wolverhampton, PGR student. Stephanie is passionate about cognition, mental health and the stigma surrounding crime and criminality, and would like to improve the processes within the criminal justice system.

References

Hazell, C., Niven., J., Chapman, L., Roberts, P., Cartwright-Hatton, S., Valeix, S., & Berry, C. (2021). Nationwide assessment of the mental health of UK doctoral researchers. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, 8(305), 1-9

HESA. (2022). Higher education student statistics UK, 2020/21 - student numbers and characteristics. Retrieved from https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/25-01-2022/sb262-higher-education-student-statistics/numbers

Mantai, L. (2019). 'A Source of Sanity': The Role of Social Support for Doctoral Candidates' Belonging and Becoming. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 14, 367.

McPherson, C., Punch, S., & Graham, E. (2018). Postgraduate transitions from masters to doctoral study: Managing independence, emotion, and support. Stirling International Journal of Postgraduate.

Woolston. C. (2021). Depression and anxiety 'the norm' for UK PhD students. Nature

Article from the East Midlands Branch newsletter, December 2022