Assalamualaikum & Hello
This entry is my presentation
script during the “Living Research” Conference organized by the Graduate
Studies Office, held on 8th-9th Nov 2012. One of the
conference themes is Strategy along the Candidature. I took the opportunity to
present at the conference just to challenge myself, get a feel of attending
conference and for the FREE food.. Hahaha
The Beginning
Deciding to pursue a PhD is
driven by various motivations for most of us. As for me, the ultimate
motivation is to be a ‘licensed’ researcher followed by self-satisfaction. To
me, getting a PhD is as if I have achieved the Self-Actualization stage in the
Maslow Hierarchy of Need Pyramid. I call
it the journey of self-discovery because getting a PhD means a person is pushed
to his or her limit. Through the obstacles we find our greatest strength, will
power and our true self. That is what I think a PhD is. A PhD challenges a
person not just mentally but the entire aspect of physical, spiritual and
intellectual. In a different prospective, PhD helps you rise to your outmost
potential as a human being.
Strategies
At this stage, I manage to
identify five main strategies that I will apply along the journey. I believe
this is just a fraction of multiple useful strategies. I will definitely
discover more through interaction with other students, my own experience and
from my readings.
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| Notice the work 'Perpustakaan'? Yes, this is our library |
Strategy #1- Optimising use of
resources
In conducting a research,
obtaining substantial amount of resources is crucial to guarantee a worthy
outcome. Having access to the best and latest
databases, online journals, books, reports and other types of resources
is a ‘luxury’ for any researcher. The Library provides abundance of resources
to support research student. The only wise thing to do is optimizing the use of
resources available to your research advantage. I have to admit that I have not
had any problem finding journals, books or reports from the library to date. Besides
that, the library also conducts a variety of workshops for the students such as
the EndNote and Researching Skills through the Swinburne Library. I have to say
those workshops were really helpful and valuable for a beginner like me.
Besides that, the liaison librarian appointed to every faculty is definitely an
additional bonus to us. I met the liaison librarian Jane O’Donnell on my third
day at the campus and she is really wonderful and always ready to help should
any problem arise.
I have to admit, I am amazed with
the speed of the internet available in the campus. That is another crucial
resource for any researcher in this era. Being a PhD student, we are allocated
a work space, a desktop, printing facility and many more. Even though all this
seems normal or basic but it means a great deal to me. Working with fellow PhD
students offers a positive environment especially when you need to discuss
research issues or simply catching up for small chats
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| No, its not my SV in the pic (he looks wayyy better) |
Strategy #2- Provide clarity
around the role of the supervisor and student
The next point I would like to
share is probably the most important of all the strategies. The process of PhD
involves a very important relationship between the student and the
Supervisor/s. In my opinion this it is very critical for both the student and
Supervisor/s to understand their roles along the journey. As a student, I must
always maintain a positive mindset about my research from the very beginning
till the end. This might sound rather impossible as we are human being and
bound to encounter different kinds of emotions on a daily basis. But what is
more important is to get back into perspective following the emotional
roller-coaster. Get a grip and keep going. That is the only way to maintain a
positive mindset, which is thoroughly crucial for any PhD student. I personally
believe that it is vital to start with the end in mind. I often practice
visualization, which is imagining me at a graduation ceremony wearing the gown
and hat. There are also times when I visualize my name on my office door with
the Dr. initial. This might sound ridiculous but I truly have confidence in the
law of attraction.
Another important aspect of the
role of a student is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It is vital to keep a
balanced life throughout the candidature. The wise things to do are exercise
regularly- even a short walk every day is a good way to exercise. After all,
walking is the best exercise, right? Besides that, eating right is also crucial
in order to maintain good health. Next is to get enough sleep, at least 6 hours
a day and preferably at night. The
quality of good night sleep is important to ensure the brain is fully recharged
for the next day and the body is fresh again. I am aware that there are times
we would be burning the midnight oil, but let’s hope this is not a constant
demand for us. A fatigue mind and body would not be able to work productively.
Many people said that PhD
students always suffer from the feeling of isolation and are always
disconnected from the world outside the PhD domain. I agree with this statement
to a certain extend because PhD demands rigorous work in the office or lab and
the tendency to be disconnected is possible. But isolation is not worthy to our
personal well-being and it is alright to have a social life outside the office
or lab. This serves as a platform for us to unwind and forget about PhD
temporarily. It makes a perfect sense that we set a target to travel or plan a
get-away after achieving our short-term target or simply because we need a break.
Time spent away from research would help clear our mind and perhaps result in
better productivity when we get back to it.
Moving on, I would like to
discuss about the importance of maintaining a good relationship with your
Supervisors. During the course of your PhD, it is fair to say that your
Supervisors are the key person in your life.
I feel extremely lucky to have two Supervisors who are very encouraging,
always guiding me through the right direction and never fail to provide an
advice or feedback whenever I need it. Dr. Chris Mason is my Principal
Coordinating Supervisor, he never stops offering suggestions and comments when
we meet or even through email communication. He is always available to meet up
should any issue arises. I take this as a blessing from God.
On the other hand, my Associate Supervisor,
Dr. Catherine Prentice is nevertheless a kind-hearted and helpful in providing insights to my research.
She is a caring person and always motivating me to work hard and achieve my
target. The pro-active plans help me manage the expectations of my Supervisors
and the process throughout the journey.
Another very important element in the relationship is to keep in touch
with your supervisors along the journey and since we live in the digital era,
email, Skype and Facetime eases the process of maintaining the effective
communication process between the student and Supervisors. Again, I believe
both of my Supervisors are Godsend. I am truly grateful for that.
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| I am still struggling with this section |
Strategy #3- Seeking language
assistance if needed
Being an international student,
PhD holds another potential challenge for me; language. Coming from a
non-English speaking country I have to admit that writing, especially academic
writing is going to be an issue for me. I mentioned this to my Supervisor
during our first meeting and he recommended that I get in touch with Dr. Elena
Verezub from Language Support for International Student for assistance. So, I
did just that. We set up our first appointment and she helps me in the area I
need improvements such as reading and writing. Prior to the meeting, I would
have to email her some write-up and she would discuss the problems I have
during the meeting. She is also very accommodating if there is an urgent need
and her assistance is required. She would do her best to schedule an
appointment and help me. I am grateful for that. Her advice and assistance has been really
useful and I believe in time I would definitely improve and be able to write
independently.
Strategy #4- Networking
The following strategy is
networking. “No man is an island”, this idiom suits perfectly to define the
significance of networking among researchers.Networking is a great tool for
any researcher because it presents various benefits such as ability to discuss
research topics, exchange ideas, a good platform for future research
collaboration and many more. Networking involves the community within the
campus as well as outside the campus. Having a good network of people in the
same research area is a great advantage for any researcher. Networking allows
our ideas to be viewed by others from a different perspective and enable
discussions and suggestions to be generated from the networking process.
Moreover, we are able to learn from others through their experience and research
process.
Being a new student, I have got
several chances to network within the research community from the faculty as
well as the campus through the HDR Mini Conference and the workshops I
attended. I have to agree that I have benefited a lot from the networking
sessions because I get to know about what others are doing, their challenges
and contribution as well as obtaining some useful insights for my research. I
hope to be able to network outside the campus research community when given a
chance. Networking present not only short-term benefits but also in the long
run especially for future research collaboration.
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| Network, network, network |
Strategy #5- Ensuring a good
support system
Apart from all the strategies I
have mentioned, the next strategy is of great importance for any PhD student.
It is the human nature to seek for support, recognition, love, care and
security. In fact these are our basic needs. I believe that establishing an
external support system is necessary for any PhD student. Having good support
system within the campus is not sufficient, therefore securing support system
from our friends and loved ones would make a great deal of difference along the
journey. I believe family and friends are important people in our lives. They
might not understand what we are doing, what we go through but it is important
to gain emotional and moral support from them whenever we feel demotivated or
discouraged. Ensuring continuous support from them can boost our motivation and
morale facing the up’s and down’s of a PhD journey.
Thank You for reading
Miss F
