December 8, 2023
Dr. El-Shaimaa Abumandour

El-Shaimaa Abumandour

The dream and joy of pursuing knowledge are the triggers for thinking about applying for postgraduate degrees in general and PhDs specifically. If you are someone who admires searching, exploring, solving problems, and coming up with solutions and new ideas, a PhD may be the best path for you. Appreciating research and providing innovative solutions and initiatives to help develop the community, like me, you will be charmed by the postgraduate researcher voyage. Let me share with you some sparks from my own journey before, during, and after the PhD. 

Firstly, you should prepare your plan carefully before starting your studies. Knowing the procedures, process, reason, and reward of completing the postgraduate degree are essential to your plan. 

As a postgraduate researcher, you will be committed for several years to research in a specific field of your interest and a specific topic within it. This is why I advise you to choose a topic that you admire, because this will have a great impact on your academic and personal improvement. The life of a researcher, especially in the early phase, usually does not follow a uniform track; each day may carry tasks, activities, learning, challenges, obstacles, failures, and accomplishments. Hence, do not be shy to ask for help whenever you need it; your supervisor, peers, colleagues, friends, and family could be a great support for you when needed. 

It may be shocking for young PhD students to handle the rigor and precision requested during each stage of the study. Hence, I encourage you to make up your plan before starting your study by gathering all the information you can about the best research topic you would like to study, the best educational organization you could join, the expected time plan and budget of your research project, and finally, the expected output personally and professionally you will gain. Planning may seem overwhelming in the beginning, but trust me, it will be a strong foundation for your path, so take your time and do your homework.

In most cases, postgraduate research is not just about gaining knowledge about a specific subject but also about developing your own skills as a researcher. Remember that you could earn great experience during each phase of your PhD that could help advance your decision-making and interpersonal skills, and help you grow academically and personally. I encourage you to work on developing your communication skills, including your writing and presentation skills. 

Start writing all your research details as soon as you start your study, not when you finalize. This strategy could be of great help to you in enhancing your writing skills and will save you a lot of time during the dissertation writing stage. It could be a great opportunity for you if you are doing your research with a team or a cohort of other researchers and peers. This would be a great environment to discuss and present your topic with peers having the same academic background and learn from each other’s experiences. Open discussion and working with others will help you expand and deepen your approach to your field. One of the best activities I encourage you to do whenever you have the chance is tutoring younger researchers or undergraduates, as this will enhance your knowledge about your topic and your interpersonal skills. 

Finally, being a PhD holder is a distinguished achievement any researcher could dream of, which reflects your acquaintanceship, the high level of organization, leadership, technicality, critical thinking, and creativity. All these skills qualify you to do great work and be innovative. 

Do not let stereotyping and people’s norms limit your dreams. Having a PhD means that you have limitless skills that could help you grow and shine, either in academia or in any other sector. You have gained and enhanced your critical thinking skills, which could help you find solutions to any problem and help your community develop.

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