Postgraduate students

[NicciLovesSundays]

Any Postgrad students here? What are you studying and what age are your children? What challenges do you face?

Can you say what you are studying or planning to study yourself?

I’m studying for a PhD (social psychology) FT, funded having come straight from an MSc in child and adolescent psychology (paid for by redundancy money). My children are 10 and 18. How about you?

Im not studying at the minute. My UG is in Health and Social Care and Im contemplating what to do next. Interested in Social Policy and Childrens Rights. Expecting my first baby in September so probably not a good time to start anything new.

@ScrunchSE18 how are you finding it? How long have you been working on the PhD?

Thanks for asking Nicci- I treat it as a job and go into the office every day (but things are flexible). I share an office with other PhD students and it’s a really supportive environment where I feel part of the group rather than like their mum (I’m 50 next week!). I’m half way through now and will soon have my upgrade viva having gathered data for two of my studies (gulp). I feel really lucky to be able to do something I enjoy even though I have days when I still have a touch of imposter syndrome.

@scrunchSE18 I think a lot of people have imposter syndrome, but it seems pretty prevalent in academia! Great to hear a positive story about the environment your working in :)

I’ve just finished my Masters in History. My dd is 8. As I work ft, I only have lectures once a month, and I had to take dd to a few.

I found it really hard when I couldn’t get the day off work as it was a whole month of lectures missed. Dd was quite understanding but I tended to do most of my studying at work / after she had gone to bed.

I don’t know about imposter syndrome, but I did wonder what the hell I was trying to do. My tutor laughed and I think it was quite normal.

@Orchidoptic What are you planning to do next? Any thoughts about a PhD?