6 Months In...

Blog Shmog

So...I'm 6 months in to my PhD already. Wow, time has FLOWN.

Having sat through all the introductory 'How to Manage your PhD' type sessions rolling my eyes and thinking 'please... can I just get cracking on doing my research already?', I must say, I had firmly deflected any claims to the benefits of starting a research blog. Thoughts of 'I won't need that', or 'oh, that won't apply to me' definitely flitted through my mind in those early months. 

Yet here I am, all of a sudden appreciating the value of a little space wherein I can lay out all of the thoughts, ideas and anxieties I might have about my research, or just about being a PhD student in general. 

Looking back now, the months since starting out have been such a whirlwind. Despite staying in the same university where I had studied for my undergraduate and masters degrees, my first semester as a PhD student was like nothing else I had experienced. 

Even the (slight) increase in e-mail traffic to my university inbox stressed me out. I remember thinking, 'oh my god, I am literally going to spend eight hours a day just organizing emails'. Of course, it really doesn't take long to realise that most of the extra stuff finding it's way through to you is from the many postgraduate networks and communities the office automatically affiliates you with to ensure that you are given ample opportunities to make a few pals. Which is nice. No one wants to be a lone wolf for the entirety of the 3-4 years it takes to complete a doctorate.

So I guess these little reflections are what I want to articulate in this space, but also I suspect you will see more specific research musings and perhaps, who knows, entries unpacking more severe anxieties than those induced by a little academic spam.

Until next time, 

Kath

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