Student Wellbeing: Managing your PhD Journey

Lecture slides will become available here

Abstract

It's very easy to overlook the most important part of doing a PhD: YOU! PhD students often struggle with a wide range of challenges that can affect their wellbeing. Meeting deadlines, balancing research against other life commitments, building relationships and adjusting to a new environment are just some of the difficulties experienced by students during their degree. By looking after your wellbeing, you will be better equipped to overcome any challenges, you will be more productive and you will fully enjoy your time as a PhD student. In this interactive workshop we discuss ways to help you manage your wellbeing during your PhD Journey and we will learn from the experience of those who have successfully completed their research degree.

Session Outline

• Part 1 (15 minutes): Introduction to the session. Participants will be asked a few questions which will guide them through the workshop.
• Part 2 (45 minutes): We will have a speaker who will tell us how to look after our wellbeing during a PhD and how to manage stressors in order to have a successful PhD.
• Part 3 (30 minutes): We will have an interactive question and answer session where previous PhD students and researchers get to share their experiences.

Learning Outcomes

• LO1: Students will identify goals and challenges of doing a PhD and the importance of looking after their wellbeing during their degree.
• LO2: Students will learn methods to manage their wellbeing and overcome challenges in order to have a successful PhD and enjoy their time as a student.
• LO3: Students will be able to draw from the experiences of previous PhD students and researchers to ensure they make the best of their PhD experience.

Additional Information

Prior to this workshop, it will be useful if participants can write out some of the goals they hope to achieve before the end of their PhD. Also, this workshop involves pure honesty to make the best of the sessions. It is advisable that when answering all questions asked particularly in the introductory session, the participants are as honest as possible. It is important to note that while the session might benefit any PhD student, it is particularly suited for early stage PhD students.