My PhD Journey - Sophia H

Whether a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is right for you is a very personal decision and not something you necessarily need to be certain of at the time of your application, nor even when you start the degree. While I’ve known since my undergraduate studies that I want to undertake a PhD, I’ve probably not gone more than a few weeks since then without doubting at least a little bit whether this is right for me. Higher degree research can be incredibly daunting, particularly if you don’t know anyone who has taken this pathway, so try not to let a lack of self-confidence guide your decision; focus on whether a PhD is right for you, rather than whether you are right for a PhD.  

All you need at this stage is a general understanding of what a PhD entails, where it may lead you (professionally and personally), and if that hasn’t put you off, curiosity to learn more. While many of us don’t know any PhD students before starting a PhD, something that helped me make the decision to apply for my programme is speaking to academics about their honest experiences and day-to-day lives both during and beyond the degree. It’s often easiest to ask your existing lecturers or tutors, but whoever you speak to doesn’t have to be an expert in the field you’d like to enter – it could be someone you met in a discovery or elective module who you think is especially approachable.  

Something to keep in mind, and as many academics and postgraduate researchers may tell you, higher degree research can be intense. You may spend a lot of time thinking your work lacks direction, reading the same paper over and over again because the points just aren’t clicking, or feeling like you aren’t quite as good as everyone else in the room. In my experience, a big part of deciding (and continuing to decide) that a PhD is right for you is considering whether the positives outweigh the sometimes overwhelming discomfort that accompanies research. That’s not to say you must have a high tolerance for discomfort right now, or that you’ll even need it, but that’s an often unspoken skill that you should be willing to develop.  

When it comes to surviving harder days during the programme, it can be handy having career goals that necessitate research experience, but consider that a lot can change in the three to four years to takes to complete a PhD. When thinking about whether a PhD is right for you, I would therefore strongly recommend that you focus on choosing an area of research that excites you, so your research becomes something you want to do, rather than something you have to do as a stepping stone. Your project will develop a lot over the course of your degree, but for now, what were your favourite topics to learn about during your undergraduate and/or master’s studies? Are there questions you have (or can think of now) that weren’t answered during your degree? Are there any research methods you’ve heard of that would be interesting to test out in new ways? Your ideas don’t have to change the world, but if you decide to undertake a PhD, they will at least temporarily shape your world, and here, you have the intellectual freedom to design something entirely fitted to your interests.  

During a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme, your supervisors will be some of the most important people for your academic development and personal wellbeing. Finding and reaching out to potential supervisors is therefore not just a necessary element of applying for a PhD, but something that will mould the following three to four years it takes to actually undertake the degree.  

When deciding who may be a good fit for you, I’d consider the following: conceptual expertise (i.e. knowledge about your research area), methodological expertise (i.e. experience with the methods you intend to utilise), and supervision style (i.e. how this person will approach working with, guiding, and supporting you as their student). You’ll probably have at least two supervisors so the people you reach out to don’t necessarily need to both have conceptual and methodological expertise, as long as your collective supervision team has this. However, each of your supervisors should be someone you can see yourself working productively and healthily with.  

When searching for potential supervisors, you can usually check the ‘Staff’ or ‘People’ sections of university departments’ websites to read the profiles and research interests of academics. Here, many academics will list their existing PhD students and/or state the broad research areas they’re willing to supervise, so looking further into this can be a great help in determining their fit for you. Alternatively, if there are any journal articles highly relevant to or influential in your research ideas, you can reach out directly to those authors, assuming you’re willing to join them at whichever university they’re affiliated with.   

Assessing broader supervisory compatibility can be much trickier but with academics (especially within the social sciences) increasingly having a digital presence, I found it beneficial to search potential supervisors’ names online. Though it can certainly feel odd at times, this led to finding blog posts, lectures, and podcast appearances that show much more personality than what professional writing typically does. I’d still recommend meeting directly with potential supervisors in-person or online, but this process can be helpful in at least humanising people that can otherwise be quite intimidating to cold-contact.  

If you’re anything like me, reaching out to academics can be a deeply anxiety-inducing process but I can assure you it’s nothing to worry about. Keep your email short and sweet, introducing yourself, your research/professional background, your research idea(s), and perhaps most importantly, how your ideas relate to the academic’s work. You may also want to mention to academics that you’d appreciate them passing your details onto anyone they know who may be more suitable to supervise your project, and many will be more than happy to help out – this is how I connected with my master’s supervisor and I’m so glad I did! Often, what feels like rejection is not a reflection of your capacity as a researcher or the potential of your ideas, but rather, of how academics view their fit for you as a supervisor and/or their existing workload.  

Remember that every academic was once in your position, many actively want to take on students as part of their own professional development, and at a minimum, academics are just people who will appreciate that someone thinks their work is interesting, even if they don’t quite have capacity to take you on as a student.  

My Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is funded by a Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). This is essentially a consortium of universities that work together to provide training and support for doctoral students to become well-rounded researchers. My DTP, called White Rose, includes seven universities from across Yorkshire and Greater Manchester and is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.  

Perhaps the most obvious benefit of being part of a DTP is that it covers doctoral tuition fees, research costs, and a tax-free stipend to cover your living expenses while you study. However, the benefits certainly don’t stop there. Depending on your qualifications at the time of your application, White Rose students have the opportunity to undertake either an additional Masters or Postgraduate Certificate in Social Research. These programmes are flexible, fully-funded, and add additional time to your PhD’s maximum study period, meaning you get dedicated time outside of your research to really focus on upskilling.  

While it can sometimes be frustrating having to continue coursework when you want to hit the ground running with your research, know that many PhD students choose to audit modules to support their development but don’t get the benefit of formal recognition for this work or any additional research time, so the positives within a DTP really outweigh the challenges.  

As part of a White Rose studentship, you will also undertake a fully-funded Research in Practice placement for three months with an external host partner on a topic distinct from your PhD. This enables students to apply their research skills in transferable contexts and provides insights into how a PhD can be beneficial for careers outside of academia. My studentship in particular is a ‘Collaborative Award’, meaning it’s been designed by academics at Leeds in partnership with an external organisation. So, even before my placement officially starts, I get to work closely with the third sector to maximise the policy relevance and impact of my research.  

If you’re considering applying for a Collaborative Award or another pre-designed project, please note that these are often quite broad for PhDs so you should still get some opportunities to shape the project to your interests, conceptually and/or methodologically. It’s good to have a think about how you’d refine the project before you attend the interview as you may be asked about this.  

With most other studentships, you can fully design your own project. In this case, I highly recommend checking out what pathways your DTP offers to see how your proposal can best align with existing foci. For instance, my project is on White Rose’s ‘Space, Place, Environment and Liveability’ pathway. These are typically quite flexible and interdisciplinary so don’t feel like your project has to fit a certain mould; looking at the pathways may just help guide how you frame your work.  

Ultimately, I feel very privileged to be part of a DTP, with access to its plethora of funding and training opportunities, so I would highly recommend applying to one if you’re even remotely considering it.