There comes a point in your PhD journey when you sigh and say “I hate my thesis.” This point may come only once or be a daily occurrence. I know it happened to me. Sometimes I said it regularly (but jokingly) when yet another experiment had failed. I said it once or twice seriously whenContinue reading “I hate my thesis”
Author Archives: Alessa Teunisse
Dealing with Supervisor Feedback
The very first time I sent my supervisor a piece of my writing I was so anxious. I had read it over a million times. I also had a friend read it over as well and got their thoughts on it. I thought I had done a good job. After all, I had made itContinue reading “Dealing with Supervisor Feedback”
Advice for Day One of the PhD
It’s that time of the year when people in the Northern Hemisphere are starting their PhD programs. Here in the Southern Hemisphere people start at random times of the year. Nonetheless, I thought it might be time to write a blog post that outlines some advice I would have given myself on Day One ofContinue reading “Advice for Day One of the PhD”
PhD Student: An Expert or a Skill Builder?
The PhD Student: Expert or Skill Builder? When I started the PhD, this whole process was advertised as a chance to create new knowledge. I was going to become an expert on a tiny thing in the world of knowledge. And this may be true. During the PhD, despite imposter syndrome, I did become anContinue reading “PhD Student: An Expert or a Skill Builder?”
You vs. the PhD
One of the best decisions I made when I started the PhD was to treat it like a job. I would attempt to only work Monday to Friday during business hours. I didn’t realise at the time how radical this idea was (I was not involved in academic twitter at the time). I wanted toContinue reading “You vs. the PhD”
Are you on twitter?
And when I say “are you on twitter” I mean “are you on academic twitter?” It took me a while to understand twitter. But it was worth the learning curve. This guide by Dan Quintana is very helpful: Hashtags/People/Groups to follow: @OpenAcademics, @AcademicChatter, @PhDForum, #phdchat, #ecrchat, #blackintheivory Things I found thanks to twitter (I recommendContinue reading “Are you on twitter?”
Shifting mindsets from competitive to collaborative
In Australia, if you are a psychology student, this is the process: Step 1: Get into a psychology degree Step 2: Get consistently higher grades Step 3: Get into the one year honours program with your fabulous grades Step 4: Go and do a professional masters (e.g., clinical, neuropsychology, or organisational) or a masters ofContinue reading “Shifting mindsets from competitive to collaborative”
Academic Writing Hacks Part 4: Cafe Surfing and Flow
N.B., all the posts in this series were planned prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Your priority at this time should be staying safe. If you happen to have time for writing, then these tips may help. If not, bookmark this and come back to it later when the world has calmed down and we haveContinue reading “Academic Writing Hacks Part 4: Cafe Surfing and Flow”
Academic Writing Hacks Part 3: The Terror of a Blank Page
N.B., all the posts in this series were planned prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Your priority at this time should be staying safe. If you happen to have time for writing, then these tips may help. If not, bookmark this and come back to it later when the world has calmed down and we haveContinue reading “Academic Writing Hacks Part 3: The Terror of a Blank Page”
Academic Writing Hacks Part 2: Batching your tasks and conquering your schedule
N.B., all the posts in this series were planned prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Your priority at this time should be staying safe. If you happen to have time for writing, then these tips may help. If not, bookmark this and come back to it later when the world has calmed down and we haveContinue reading “Academic Writing Hacks Part 2: Batching your tasks and conquering your schedule”
