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Is a PhD a very lonely journey?

Hi everyone! It's Bruna here :) I'm glad to present this brand-new page in our blog: Myth Busters! 

Here we are going to discuss some ideas that might be popular but not so true. As the famous Brazilian alien, "ET Bilu" (which was also a myth, by the way) said: seek knowledge!  

Now, to today's topic: 

 Is a PhD a very lonely journey? 

Before starting my PhD journey, I heard that it was going to be a very lonely experience. This was the only thing that really worried me before arriving in the UK. I come from a very sociable country, and I was teaching music to hundreds of kids before starting this journey, so the idea of being isolated for more than 3 years made me question if that was the right decision. 

The PhD is indeed very different from any other educational or professional experiences that you might have had during your life. You do spend a lot of time reading, reflecting, writing, rewriting, rewriting, rewriting... You are now your own project manager on a project that has never been done before and with no one on your team. You do have your supervisor who will be there to guide you, and you may have friends or family to support you, but at the end of the day, it is your responsibility to make this project successful.  

So, the PhD, in fact, involves lots of individual work, but it doesn't need to be a very lonely experience. Here I present some ideas for how a PhD researcher engages with others and makes their experience more sociable than one would expect: 

1. Go to conferences 

Conferences are one of my top 1 academic events. These are opportunities to learn and network with people interested in the same area as you. Depending on your area of research you might be presented with many options per year, and even if you attend them online, there are many resources to make digital conferences more engaging. Conferences are also opportunities to travel, to meet other cities, countries and cultures.  

2. Work/study in a library, cafe or shared office:  

Most universities offer offices for their postgraduate students to work. You can always study, meet other students there, share your ideas and concerns, or even find your next best friend. Cafes and libraries are also great spaces to see some human faces and be inspired by others who might be working there.  

3. Study together/ Study Stream 

These two platforms offer an online experience that imitates being in a library or a cafe. You can choose an online focus group where other people will be studying or working as well, and you might feel that sense of community even if you don't talk to anyone.  

4. Organise a reading/ study group 

Reading groups, like conferences, are opportunities to learn and network with people with similar interests. Agency is the word here. If you can't find a reading group that interests you, create your own! You might be surprised at how many people were just expecting someone to take the first step. 

5. Engage in a Society at the University 

PhDs are researchers and students, so you might as well benefit from this position. University Societies are not a big thing in Brazil, but when I moved here, I soon realized the great value of engaging in one. You might not take any direct 'academic' benefits from them, but you will feel great doing an activity that you enjoy while meeting other students in your university.  

6. Go to the gym 

This one is not obvious, I know, but going to the gym can actually help you create a healthy routine. We all need to exercise, and why not do it in a collective space? 

Bonus: I feel lucky to have engaged in a project that is part of a network with 2 other PhD students. We have each other's back from day one and will continue this supporting network until the end of our PhDs. Other programs, like ours, exist in various areas of research, and they certainly make this experience less lonely! 

Dana, Emily and I on a study session in
 Nam Song - Sheffield





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