• Question: Did you have any worries about doing a PhD?

    Asked by 377epdj46 to Rosie, Liz on 14 Jun 2017.
    • Photo: Liz Buckingham-Jeffery

      Liz Buckingham-Jeffery answered on 14 Jun 2017:

      I did have a few worries when I started my PhD, and I have found it quite challenging at times. But I’ve managed to get through it and I am nearly at the end now. And overall, I’ve enjoyed it a lot. For me, the good times definitely outweigh the bad times!

      The main problem I’ve had is that it is sometimes difficult to ‘switch off’ and properly relax, as I’m always thinking about my project and I know there is always work to do.

    • Photo: Rosie Fok

      Rosie Fok answered on 14 Jun 2017:

      I haven’t done one. My “Dr” is because of my medical degree, and not because of a doctorate. So, as my PhD husband likes to remind me, I am not a “proper” doctor!

Comments

  • christldonnelly commented on :

    It was sometimes very stressful. I did a two-year taught masters course and I really liked the constant feedback – you get x% on this homework assignment or y% on that exam. I knew were I stood. Sometimes working on a PhD it is hard to see that progress is being made.

    A colleague of mine compared doing a PhD to making mayonnaise. (Note – I am taking her word for this.) When you make mayonnaise, it is a lot of work. You stir and stir and stir and for a long time (as your arm starts to hurt), it looks like there has been no progress. But then suddenly all the work pays off and it comes together as proper mayonnaise (=thesis).