Starting My Drama PhD Journey
Posted by Mel on May 25, 2022
Before my first week as a drama PhD student, I spent countless hours on Google trying to understand what lie ahead. The majority of insights online were mostly from scientists, given that a lot of studies are STEM-oriented, so I couldn’t get clear details about my impending PhD journey. However, the nature of PhD learning in the UK is less structured than the US, making everyone’s experience unique, so here’s mine.
I began my journey as a remote student enrolling in a UK Drama MPhil in the hopes of transitioning into a PhD program down the line. For those who want to know what I did in the year before starting this journey, you can check out this post.
The very first week hit with tons of paperwork. The starting date was February 7th, and my contract stated that a full week of work equals 35 hours. On the first day, I had to fix mistakes in my online registration, which took an hour, and then waited for a response from the school’s slow administrative wing.
I remained in limbo until I received a response, then reached out to my yet-to-be-official advisor to check if there was anything extra I needed to do. He advised me to wait a few days for confirmation of his supervisory status. I also spent some time going through workbooks and trying to make sense of the Strands — our school’s system of requirements. It certainly was a learning process!
Fast forward to day two and three – they were quite occupied as I happened to be organizing a show that week in tandem with my school work. With the administrative hiccups sorted and tuition fee fully paid, I got my special 2.5% discount, which was a little win for me.
On the fourth day, I had some extra time and used it to go deeper into the administrative tasks, like brainstorming on a proposal the school wanted us to organize. It stressed me out at first, but I understood the essence after getting through my initial confusion: it’s a step by step process.
Days five through seven were pretty consistent. I spent my mornings reading journal articles and taking notes, as well as ironing out administrative issues. And let’s not forget my reality check – dealing with the ups and downs of technological hurdles and exhausting shows at the theater.
Reflecting on my first week, it did feel like a whirlwind and maybe I didn’t meet the full 35 hours target due to administrative roadblocks. But in time, I found a rhythm: about 20 hours of intense reading and writing for my thesis, and the remaining for administrative work.
In the end, everybody’s journey is unique but I’ve come to realize planning is crucial. I set aside 30 minutes every Sunday to map out my weekly goals. And that’s how I started my somewhat thrilling life as a drama PhD student.
Spread the word:
Save
Share
Email
Print
Published on May 25, 2022 in Adventures. Tags: Drama PhD in the UK, First week of PhD journey, Life as a Drama PhD student, PhD journey.