PhD-vice

This is, hopefully, a pre-PhD-submission post, just to try to record a few insights that might be useful for other people at this stage in the process. The 'stage' in the process that I'm at, is one where I hope to hand-in within 10 days. As I write (or not quite, as I can't multi-task to that extent) drafty is metamorphosing into a moth/butterfly, from the slightly under-weight caterpillar that was crawling around, rather aimlessly, for the last several months. The proposed deadline of 10 days time is somewhat incompatible with the 30 days of work I still have left to do....but miracles can happen and I saw a UFO once.

Here are a few thoughts from me, that have come to mind as possible strands of advice over the last few weeks (bearing in mind that these are ideals and I'm finding preaching much easier than practicing):

1. Finish the draft as soon as possible, as you get a massive sense of achievement and relief, and it gives you something to work with, hassle your supervisors with, and add pretty pictures into. Don't let it make you complacent though. A fine line, for sure.

2. Find a very bored, hugely literate and accomplished younger sister, or brother (although I'm not quite so experienced with those), who's had good grammar and punctuation hammered into her for 18 years, and jokily one evening, whilst she's upset about being very bored, propose to her the honourable opportunity of reading and editing your thesis. It works! Then perhaps buy her some cake. It is amazing how you trick yourself into thinking there is a "the" in your sentence when isn't. And who would've known I've been using commas incorrectly all of these many years? (rhetorical) (I'll regain my pride one day.)

3. I think the PhD wall, along with the ~20 mile marker wall in a marathon, is completely avoidable. Sleep enough, eat enough, see people enough, and keep it in perspective. For that last bit on perspective, it helps to be around lab mates who've written more words in the last 3 months than you've written over 4 years, and supervisors who are spending their weekends reading over 15 MSc students' 15,000 word dissertations.

4. Bear pragmatism in mind. I had a long chat with a recently-finished PhD friend in the toilet today about the fact that so few people remember their PhD as their best piece of work, or are even very happy about the final thesis that they hand in. Obviously, it's far more satisfying if you are, but it's not the end of the world if you're not. Ideas, research, writing skills, life just become more defined and more great after you've bound those few years of early-career work together....apparently. It's only got to be good enough. (Repeating that to myself 5 times a day doesn't seem to be helping much though.)

5. Maybe my biggest insight (which I feel is a bit overdue, and probably obvious to most people) is that the writing and re-writing and editing of your thesis is still very much part of the complex, multivariate training process that is your PhD. You won't be perfect at writing by the end, and any feedback you get from anyone, especially supervisors, is a wonderful opportunity to learn more whilst they still have a bit more time for you. And their input doesn't mean it isn't your own work. There are years of microscope-induced blinding behind each confusingly-written sentence and each wrongly-labelled diagram. And you'll have editors working on your articles throughout your career, but it's still your work and your career. (I've got to get better at accepting criticism, whilst it's still productive!)

6. And on the supervisors-making-time-for-you theme, I think you're justified in demanding, politely, some of their time at this point, almost above all other times during your PhD. Supervisors are there for a reason....and no-one likes to fail. (Though it's good for us, every-so-often....but I think a PhD viva is not one of those occasions). Again, I would suggest buying them some cake afterwards/during. I find Welsh cakes are quite effective. (The wonders of Wales might be a future blog post.)

7. Finally, if you need a break, I would recommend rearranging your underwear draw....or perhaps idling away an hour (oops!) blogging.

7.a. Oh, and this is another of those one-time-in-your-life-that-you're-allowed-excess-amounts-of ice-cream moments. Make the most of it.


Nearly there.

(And thank you to the special people who are being extra lovely right now, including Pink Man and Yellow Man, who finished their tour of Washington D.C. in order to come back and support me through this final stage.)