If I were to do my PhD again

Before 2011, I had never thought that one day I would choose to do a PhD.

But I did it! I have not suffered from ‘permanent head damage;’ though it is true that I find it a ‘probably hard to describe’ experience. What I hope to share with you are some of my thoughts when I look back on my journey 2 years after my PhD viva.

I am not going to talk about the sacrifices that one has to make or the hardship that one has to endure (C’est la vie! Life is like a box of chocolate, and you know some of them are more bitter than others).

But I have drawn a list of

1) things that I am glad that I have done

2) things that I wish I had done

If I were to do my PhD again, this list can serve as a sweet reminder, and I hope you may also find something that resonates with you. Please feel free to comment your thoughts.

What I have done and would still do if I were to do my PhD again:

• I would still start a PhD as a happily married couple
  You would understand what I am talking about if you are doing a PhD and already have a lovely family. Of course, you can’t fully plan out your marriage or relationship status. But a romantic relationship and family support can often help you go through difficulties.
  
  I know quite a few tough, highly resilient PhD students who have managed both their academic and personal life well. However, I know more PhDs who would find it impossible to make it on their own, and some even find inspiration while spending time with their children.
  
  What I am trying to say is that having a family or a partner will not influence your PhD study in negative ways. On the contrary, you will enjoy being with your beloved ones while working on your beloved project.
• I would still host/organize an academic conference and set up a reading group
  Cambridge is full of wonderful resources and opportunities, not only in a pure academic sense. My experience of organizing the annual Kaleidoscope Conference was really rewarding in that I had the opportunity to practice my communication and event organization skills. It was indeed a challenging task, as I needed to arrange peer review of submitted abstracts, design the conference poster and programme, invite keynote speakers, coordinate a team of volunteers, contact catering staff, and not to mention the logistics on the day. But I received the support and help of other FERSA members as well as the Faculty of Education. It was one of those exhausting yet exhilarating periods.
  
  Similarly, I organized a reading group on Dewey’s Art as Experience. Though it was a small group of only 3–4 regular members, we were all glad to have the chance to push ourselves to finish the book on schedule and to exchange ideas and discuss our views on the details and theoretical implications of such a hard-to-chew-yet-classic piece. I started it simply by pasting a small poster on the faculty board. FERSA is always there to offer help and the faculty and colleges have plenty of rooms that can be booked for meetings. If existing academic events do not fully match your demands, why not set up something new yourself?
• I would still stick to something that can take my mind off serious work
  I started to cook during my Master’s study in the UK. At first, I cooked my own meals for two simple and straightforward reasons: 1) to save money; 2) to reward myself genuine home-style food that I could not possibly find in college cafeterias and restaurants. But later, I discovered that it was also a soothing and relaxing experience, as playing around with ingredients and kitchenware helped to take my mind off academic work from time to time and forced me to leave my desk and engage myself in a different kind of ‘creative’ task.
• I would still write and publish journal articles
  I did not plan to write and publish journal papers at first, as I had not thought about finding a job in academia and it was not part of the requirements for the degree. My supervisor had encouraged me to do so in a subtle way, and once showed me a ‘call for paper’ notice of a special issue whose topic had some relevance to my research. I talked to another research staff in our faculty and co-wrote the paper with him and my supervisor. The paper was accepted and I got some very useful feedback from the editor and then revised it for final submission.
  
  It can be good to push yourself to write something other than the thesis. It also helps you to gain a sense of achievement, as the turnaround time is much shorter (than a thesis). And you can always start practicing by submitting to a student-run journal and gradually build your way to high-profile journals.
• I would still read books and go to academic events outside my particular area
  It is always helpful to go on a ‘wild safari’ and get to know current research in different areas. Who knows? Maybe one seminar about studies in another discipline can stimulate your ideas and offer unanticipated inspiration, which you might never get by just reading books on your own topic. Visiting a new and unfamiliar environment is itself a gesture of ‘stepping out of your comfort zone’ and can often bring surprises.
• I would mark and follow a few academic-related blogs
  You won’t feel that ‘lonely’ when getting to know that others have been in the same situation as you. Some scholars also offer very practical advice as well as insights on their blogs. Patter is my favourite one. Why not find the ones you like and keep a bookmark folder for these blogs so that you visit them regularly?
• I would still keep a blog
  On my PhD-related blog, I wrote random thoughts, little poems, and reflections on life. The blog helped to alleviate pressure and to document instant ideas. And what was best about writing such a blog was that it helped me to free myself from academic-style writing for a while. It was liberating and empowering, and it offered me time and space to listen to myself and to express myself in a freer way.
• I would still make a critical friend
  A critical friend is someone who can switch between writing with you and offering you critical, constructive, and detailed feedback that you don’t usually get (even from your supervisor). Who can offer you advice when you are frustrated? Who can mark out grammatical problems in details for you? Who can give you critical comments in a not-too-polite way? And who expects you to simply ‘pay’ him/her back with some of your comments on his/her work?
  
  A critical friend can be someone whose research is in a similar but different area, and it works best when you can meet regularly to read each other’s work and talk face-to-face (ideally once in a month or every two months).
• I would grasp opportunities to gain teaching and outreach experience
  Whether you decide to stay in academia or work in other industries, it is essential to cultivate the ability of transforming your own expertise into more engaging and understandable language and formats. The faculty offers opportunities for PhD students to supervise undergraduates; the university recruits volunteer and workshop leaders for two festivals (Festival of Ideas and Festival of Science); some colleges also need people to work on access programmes. And try to explore other things that you are interested in as well!
• I would still attend workshops and events offered by the Careers Service
  The Careers Service offers a wide range of workshops, talks, and activities. They are extremely patient and professional and can offer you insights into improving your job application profile and planning your career.

Selena Yuan

What I have not done and would encourage you to do:

• I would keep a more detailed log during my PhD
  I did have a blog. I did finish the PhD log as required by the faculty.
  
  But beyond that, I really wish that I had kept a ‘muse’ diary where I could have made ‘mind maps’ at different stages of my PhD research. It would probably have contained some handwritten notes, illustrations, collages, etc. It would definitely have facilitated my own thinking process and would also have served as a precious ‘souvenir.’
• I would join a student society and go to events more regularly
  Well, you know how all these societies sound really amazing, and I filled out a few forms and signed up for a few newsletters. And then I got drowned in all the academic work and never made it to the events.
  
  But I know if I had truly committed myself to just 1 or 2 of the societies, I would have learned something and met some new friends with similar interests, and, not to say, the pure fun of it! Many of the activities are free and low-cost compared to what you can find outside of campus.
• I would learn more about the history of my college and of Cambridge
  It is true that I went on some walks arranged by my college. I also did some basic research in order to introduce Cambridge and its colleges to overseas groups when I was working as a part-time tutor in summer and winter schools. But I truly wish that I had gotten to know the history and interesting facts about Cambridge and, particularly, my own college. After all, it was expected from my friends and family, who would love to hear those stories from me, someone who lived in this lovely town for 4 years! I was later able to get first-hand resources and link that to my own experience. I should have kept a database on this, ideally, during my PhD.
• I would try more formal dinners
  ‘Formal dinners’ can seem posh, but they really are a unique experience that you will never get outside of Oxbridge. They are so ‘surreal’ as well.
  
  If I had gone to more formal dinners, I would have had the chance to try different kinds of food, and visit different formal halls built in different times and in different styles (for example, the formal at Queens’ College’s old hall was really a treat! The food was ok, but I got to see the interior design by William Morris).
• I would indulge myself to more work-free days
  Sometimes, you feel stressed and can even suffer from anxiety. We all know that! And we can push ourselves too hard. My supervisor occasionally encouraged me to take a stroll and just leave work aside for a whole day. That was good advice! I just wish I had spent more work-free days enjoying what nature offers or going on more short trips. After all, life is not just about doing fieldwork and writing the thesis, right?

Yanyue (Selena) Yuan completed her PhD at the Faculty of Education in 2015. She is now Assistant Arts Professor at NYU Shanghai and her personal profile can be found here. This story was first published on May 19, 2017, on the FERSA Blog run by graduate students at the Faculty of Education in Cambridge (available here) and has been republished here with permission.