10 Ways to Make the Most of Your Time as a PhD Student

Step away from the desk (Nathan Flood/GuardianWitness)

by Alison Garden, The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2014/nov/25/10-ways-to-make-the-most-of-your-time-as-a-phd-student

As numerous articles on this network have stated, it can be tough doing a PhD: you might not have the best relationship with your supervisor, you might be poor, you might be overworked.

We all know that it’s getting increasingly tough to get a lecturing job or a postdoctoral position.

Here are some tips to make the most of your time as a postgraduate. Being smart about how you approach things is key, especially if you aren’t sure whether you want to stay in academia.

The importance of getting published goes without saying, as does the need to focus on your thesis, so here are some other ideas to help you enjoy the opportunities available to PhD students. 

1. Network and get online

I hate the word (Caroline Magennis has written a great piece on this – she’s also on Twitter), but it is important and, if you love your research, it can be fun. It’ll also help with those feelings of isolation. Get on Twitter. There’s loads on there, including engaged researchers in your area, commentators on academia and job postings you might not see otherwise. Obviously the top tweeters will depend on your field, but good places to start are @jobsacuk, @thesiswhisperer, @WetheHumanities, @ANU_RSAT, @ThomsonPat, #ECRchat and #PhDchat on Twitter. Another fantastic resource for PhDs and early career researchers from any subject is Nadine Muller’s blog.

2. Conferences 

Now this one is obvious, but it pays to be strategic. There’s no point applying to go to five in one summer (or even worse, in your final year). You won’t get enough of your thesis written and you’ll be stressed all year. Plan to work your way up: start with one or two postgraduate conferences in your first year and work from there. I find it works to balance big, important national and international ones in your subject with small, intimate ones where you’ll present to a room full of experts in your field who will give you better feedback, networking and publishing opportunities. Don’t be afraid to put together a panel. Start with fellow postgraduates. At a later stage, get in touch with researchers who you respect in your field about putting together a panel. They can only say no (and most will be flattered to be asked). Enquire to see if the organisers have any bursaries or travel awards for postgraduates - and if they do, make sure you apply. 

3. If you can, teach and get a Higher Education Academy accreditation for it

Try and get some teaching in your department. If it isn’t offered to PhDs, ask your supervisor if you can shadow them for a few classes. Try and lead one or two tutorials, or give a lecture. You could also ask neighbouring universities if they’re looking for someone to teach (this is a good thing to do towards the end of the PhD when you’re looking for work). Attend training seminars hosted by your university. Try and get HEA accreditation at associate fellow level if you get some teaching experience. 

4. Host a symposium, conference or workshop

It doesn’t have to be a massive, multi-panel, three-day affair. A simple day or half day, hosted with a fellow PhD or early career academic will suffice. You’ll get to meet people who share your passion for your subject and get in touch with academics whose work you really admire. Plus, you’ll probably have to apply for funding and this is excellent in itself (see below). It’ll also give you some handy administrative experience, which seems to keep cropping up on academic job adverts these days. 

5. Apply for funding

Just try first for little pots to host a conference; go on a research trip; develop a skills training workshop; a visiting fellowship at a library. If you want to continue in academia, you’ll have to really perfect your grant writing skills, so you might as well start as soon as you can. Start small, it all adds up. Practice makes perfect. Try your university, any national association for your subject or the research councils. Ask people who you respect to look over your funding applications and reward readers with cake. 

6. Do some outreach work

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my postgraduate study has been the work that I’ve done with our widening participation department and Contact the Elderly. As this blog post suggests, we need to wrestle impact back from the Research Excellence Framework. In England, the very aptly named Brilliant Club do great work. Get in touch with museums, art galleries, schools, cinemas, festivals - they will be so keen to hear from you and there will be a chance to do something creative and rewarding with your research. 

7. Host an event for other postgraduates

While writing is a solitary process, there’s no need to be lonely. Put those funding application skills to practice again and apply for some money to do something for your fellow postgraduates. Run a workshop that allows you to get skills training that is catered to your needs. Take the time to get to know your fellow postgraduates: they will be your peers, your friends, your support network and potential collaborators. 

8. Run a project

Here’s where you can bring everything together: learn how to cultivate your time management skills; translate your research into different spheres; develop blogs and websites; make key contacts inside and outside of academia; work with the public. If you aren’t planning on an academic career or just want to cover your back, honing these sorts of skills is invaluable. 

9. Be interdisciplinary, go to other seminars in your university

Despite specialising in literature, I found it hugely valuable to attend the excellent modern Irish history and diaspora studies seminars at the University of Edinburgh. Interdisciplinary is a trendy buzz word, but venturing outside your subject area gives you new research angles and helps you make other contacts. If you have a gap in your research armour, ask if you can audit an appropriate master’s level course. 

10. Develop a thick skin

The only way to do this is through applying for things and getting rejected. Your PhD is a good time to do this, before the competition for jobs gets truly fierce. Let’s be honest, academia is a tough ride. After all, as Samuel Beckett said: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”

Alison has recently submitted her PhD at the University of Edinburgh. In 2015 she will be a visiting fellow in American Studies at Northumbria University before taking up a postdoctoral position at University College Dublin funded by the Leverhulme trust - follow her on Twitter @notsecretgarden

• Do you have any tips to add? Share your advice in the comments below.
  

Senate Torpedoes Pyne's University Deregulation

 Pyning for destruction? (Photo Credit: AAP/Lukas Coch)

by Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

The Senate has voted down the Education Minister Christopher Pyne’s higher education measures - one of the budget’s key reforms - in a major defeat for the Abbott government.

But Pyne announced the government will immediately introduce new legislation into the House of Representatives - incorporating amendments proposed by cross-bench senators - which would be passed and sent to the Senate early next year.

“Great reform takes time,” he said. “The Senate will have the Christmas holiday period to consider this new reform bill.”

Despite intense government lobbying of the key crossbench senators, the bill was defeated 33-31 on the second reading late on Tuesday. It was opposed by Labor, the Greens and crossbench senators Glenn Lazarus and Dio Wang from the Palmer United Party, former PUP Jacqui Lambie and independent Nick Xenophon.

The legislation was to deregulate university fees and reduce the government’s contribution for Commonwealth supported places.

It was backed by most of the nation’s vice-chancellors and the sector’s peak lobby group Universities Australia. Coincidentally, Universities Australia was holding a reception in Parliament House as the vote was being taken.

The government had hoped to get the bill through this week so that it could salvage at least one of the important budget measures that are stuck because of Senate opposition. Pyne at various times had expressed optimism that he could persuade the crossbenchers.

The government at the last minute offered a A$400 million concession for higher education in Tasmania to try to win Lambie’s support, but she rejected the overture out of hand.

In other late concessions, the government said it would create a structural adjustment fund for universities, focused on those with large numbers of low-SES students. It would provide $100 million over three years for the fund. It would also ensure that domestic student fees must be lower than international students.

It had already agreed to keep the indexation of HECS at the consumer price index and to a HECS pause for new parents.

In an Essential poll released on Tuesday, 56% said the Senate should not agree to the legislation while 23% said it should.

Lazarus, PUP’s Senate leader - who had accused Pyne of “harassing” him with text messages - said he had spoken to Queensland universities and they did not want their funding cut. They had told him the easiest way they could make up for the shortfall would be to increase fees.

“This would only push university degrees out of reach for most Australians,” Lazarus told the Senate. Regional and rural universities would be disadvantaged compared with those in the cities, he said. He was also concerned that some universities would increase the number of international students, so there would be fewer places for local students.

“This bill is about nothing more than budget cuts,” Lazarus said. He challenged the government to take the reforms to the next election.

Outside the Senate, Lambie urged the Motoring Enthusiast Party’s Ricky Muir not to give in to government pressure. Lambie said she wanted to “remind Ricky of his humble beginnings and that in six years' time, like the rest of us, he may not have his seat.

“He has four or five children and I am sure he would like to see them have the opportunity of going to university. Putting that many kids through university will cost a fortune and it will be outside what he can afford if that be the case.” But Muir voted with the government - despite his alliance with PUP.

Universities Australia said in a statement before the vote that it welcomed the government’s latest concessions but warned they were “insufficient to satisfy calls by the sector for substantial changes to improve fairness and affordability”.

Pyne said the government’s bill had “received the historic consensus support of the higher education sector, particularly through Universities Australia, however Labor and the Greens continue to ignore their repeated calls to support reform”.


This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.