What's doing a PhD like? Q and A

Did I meet you at the Postgraduate Study Fair?

Twice this year I’ve had the chance to meet potential students looking to join the University of Huddersfield for their postgraduate studies. The postgraduate study fairs in March and June were a fantastic opportunity for future learners to talk to current Masters and PhD students, as well as staff, to find out everything they’d want to know about studying here in future.

I really enjoyed them, and loved discussing my PhD and experience, so here’s my reflections on the issues that cropped up and information about what to expect when you attend a postgraduate study fair.

The most popular questions:

What is different about doing a PhD compared to the undergraduate experience?

Doing my PhD in a different school in the University to my degree has meant that I have had an entirely different experience from time as an undergraduate. There are so many opportunities that are exclusively available to postgraduate students that are not available to undergraduates. Learning about how to build my academic profile, or developing an impact plan for my research are just two examples of matters I’ve had to tackle as a postgraduate student.

Can it get lonely doing a PhD?

There is a lot of support in place from the research office, supervisors and other staff. I can understand how some people feel alone when studying a postgraduate course, but I have had completely the opposite feeling throughout my experience - there is plenty of support in place here at Huddersfield. There are also lots of opportunities to meet other postgraduates at the multiple training courses that you can enrol on.

What does your week look like?

Another big difference from undergraduate study is that you define what you want your working week to look like. This means that you need to be honest with yourself and your supervisors about the progress you make with your work, as well as the guidance and training you need and how much help you need or want. There is no issue with having a bad week. But it could be an issue if you keep having a bad week, and do not do the necessary things you need to progress past it.

There’s another postgraduate study fair planned for November, but if you have any questions get in touch at postgrad@hud.ac.uk