
{"id":2942,"date":"2019-06-13T11:11:35","date_gmt":"2019-06-13T11:11:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/my-sunday-plate-of-phd-experiences\/"},"modified":"2025-04-05T06:37:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T06:37:14","slug":"my-sunday-plate-of-phd-experiences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/my-sunday-plate-of-phd-experiences","title":{"rendered":"My Sunday plate of PhD experiences"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">In the South African township where I grew up, we have a special meal on Sundays. It\u2019s called \u201cSeven Colours,\u201d or the Sunday plate. You will have rice, butternut, beetroot salad, a coleslaw, chakalaka, chicken or meat, French beans, spinach or cabbage\u2026 a mishmash of foods and beautiful colors on your plate. Something you don\u2019t see for the rest of the week, where meals are simple and consist mainly of pap (maize meal) with a side of vegetables or meat.\u00a0I thought today I would give you the seven colors of my PhD experience\u2026 it is a mishmash of experiences\/revelations I have had in this journey of PhD so far. Next year I will be in my fourth year, and I thought this is an opportune time to take stock of the last three years.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\"><b>1. On a scale of one to ten\u2026<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">I was speaking recently with my sister-in-law regarding her interest in doing a PhD. And it brought me back to my inaugural blog,\u00a0<a style=\"color: blue; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/sayasblog.com\/2018\/01\/19\/so-what-brings-you-here\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><i>What brings you here?<\/i><\/b><\/a>\u00a0I am always interested in people\u2019s motivations for doing a PhD so I asked her about that. Turns out she is very well invested in her area of knowledge, and seems like the type of person who would actually enjoy exploring more ideas. She asked the basic question \u2013 do you think it is a good idea if I did a PhD? It was almost like, on a scale of one to ten, would you recommend a PhD? And my first instinct was, \u201cAbsolutely!\u201d This surprised me because it wasn\u2019t a particularly positive day in PhD land \u2013\u00a0I still had the perspective of how this process made me grow and made me happy. It is the nature of a beast to have good and bad days because such is PhD life.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\"><b>2. 15 drafts, one paper\u2026should I give up?<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">Even if you have published before, your next paper can be a nightmare. I\u2019ve changed my mind on this paper I am currently writing a number of times. It didn\u2019t help that a conference opportunity came along and I, again, shifted my angle on it. So, a few months later (don\u2019t worry, I have been doing other things), I think I finally have a solid draft \u2013 on the 15<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0try. Well I guess it doesn\u2019t matter, because I have something I am happy with at the end of the day, no? We will see what\u00a0Reviewer 2\u00a0says about this. The point is\u2026 don\u2019t give up! Just constantly improve.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\"><b>3. Technology is nice\u2026 but use your common sense<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">As a PhD student, you come across a plethora of tools for project management, writing, data analysis, etc. I remember one time in particular, discussing an analysis tool with one of the mentors in our department. There are all these neat data analysis tools out there! But these tools don\u2019t do the thinking for you. And on top of that, the machines sometimes just don\u2019t have enough information to give you valuable output. It is like the GPS that sent me in circles for eight minutes, to a building that was right across the street. But it was my first time in that country; I was there for a conference, and I trusted the machine more than my common sense \u2014 to the point of not believing my eyes. So sometimes, trust your instincts, and always use your brain to interpret the outcomes, no matter what the sophisticated programs say.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\"><b>4. Writing retreats are the best thing money can buy<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">To every supervisor out there, if you can afford it, or have the necessary connections, take your students on writing retreats. Two words for how writing retreats work: Mental space. Even if your student comes into the office every day, a writing retreat affords mental space in a way that they haven\u2019t experienced before. I pray that they are the norm at every university in South Africa. A writing retreat is a space where you don\u2019t worry about anything other than your writing. Someone else makes you tea, and food, and there are no errands. A week of writing can accomplish more than a month of trying to write. It\u2019s made more enjoyable by the presence of your peers, who you meet over meals and tea, and informally discuss your experiences, have a laugh, and go back to your books. A lot of down, quiet time \u2013 in a collegial atmosphere. I have a sneaky suspicion that scholarship was always meant to be this way.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\"><b>5. When your proposal is your best work<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">As it currently stands, my proposal is my best work in this entire three-year PhD process (it will be topped by the thesis soon, hopefully). But it is clear to me now why I took almost a year developing it. I read widely; I haven\u2019t done that much reading since. My ideas were consolidated and my plan was solid. When I flail, I always go back to the proposal to ground me. In my mind, my ideas were supposed to get better with time. The proposal was supposed to be something I did just to get into the program and just to get started. But it has become my whole blueprint and my foundation. This week I am attending a writing retreat (high-five emoji) and the one thing that has unlocked all of my creativity was going back to read a section of my proposal. Taking stock of what I have managed to implement and most importantly, the rationale for my entire thesis. I am reading old papers that I haven\u2019t read in three years. All this to say, yes to writing retreats.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\"><b>6. Surround yourself with inspiring people\u2026 people who think their PhD time was the best time<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">Talk often to other people who have gone through a PhD, for perspective. I realize how important it is to talk to people who see their whole PhD journey as a positive experience \u2013because they have faced challenges as well, and can tell you about them. But they seem to focus on the good stuff. Because even when we talk about heavy issues such as mental health in academia, they have a way of showing you that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Those people tend to be solution-oriented, and they motivate you to fight hard to design a positive experience for yourself. And sometimes that means shutting out contrary voices.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\"><b>7. Friendships and the PhD<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">This has been an interesting one. I have successfully retained my old friendships \u2014 but only those that don\u2019t need a lot of time and constant engagement to be sustained. I have formed new friendships within the PhD environment and shared with these people some very personal things, at least as far as they affect work. And yet, these friendships somehow don\u2019t work outside of the PhD environment. I guess it is the same idea as \u201cwork friends.\u201d These friendships have a very useful and important place in our lives. They are in the arsenal of the little things that help you go through the PhD.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"line-height: 115%;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">Well, there you have it! My seven colors of delicious PhD-esque experiences and reflections. Hope you enjoyed, and it inspired you to reflect on your own experiences, especially if you have been on this journey for a while.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a style=\"color: blue; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/sayasblog.com\/past-student-bloggers\/\"><i>Mamothena Mothupi<\/i><\/a><i> (<\/i><a style=\"color: blue; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mamothena\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>@mamothena<\/i><\/a><i>) is in her third year of studies at the University of the Western Cape School of Public Health.This story was published on November 19, 2018, on <\/i><a style=\"color: blue; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/sayasblog.com\"><i>SAYAS Blog<\/i><\/a><i> (available <\/i><a style=\"color: blue; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/sayasblog.com\/2018\/11\/19\/my-phd-sunday-plate-of-experiences\/\"><i>here<\/i><\/a><i>), and has been republished here with permission<\/i>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the South African township where I grew up, we have a special meal on Sundays. It\u2019s called \u201cSeven Colours,\u201d or the Sunday plate. You will have rice, butternut, beetroot salad, a coleslaw, chakalaka, chicken or meat, French beans, spinach or cabbage\u2026 a mishmash of foods and beautiful colors on your plate. Something you don\u2019t [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":955,"featured_media":33313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2414],"tags":[2666,2454],"new_categories":[],"new_tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-2942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-researcher-stories","tag-phd-life","tag-researcher-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>My Sunday plate of PhD experiences<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the South African township where I grew up, we have a special meal on Sundays called \u201cSeven Colours.\u201d It consists of a mishmash of foods and beautiful colors on your plate. 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