The realities of being a PhD student

My PhD research

My research aims to inform guidelines about the provision of CCTV in publicly owned care homes. My PhD study is currently investigating the role of international standards and domestic legislation concerning the right to privacy and safety of residents.

I was initially interested in this topic because of the role that covert cameras have had in uncovering abuse and neglect in care homes. However, over the years I have had to reshape, narrow down and change the aim of my PhD study – something that many PhD students can relate to! This is just one of the things that I wish I knew before I started my PhD, and which I am still learning. This is why I decided to write this blog to share the realities of a PhD student that is not spoken about.

Lessons I have learned

The first thing that I wish I knew about is how lonely doing a PhD is. From doing an undergraduate degree and Masters, I was used to attending classes, and having face-to-face meetings with teachers and peers. However, the reality of a doing a PhD is that you may spend much of the time on your own. When I was not doing field work within the care home, most of my time was spent in front my computer at home or in a library. Meeting up with friends can feel like a distant memory, especially if they specialise in another discipline, such as science and they are in the lab all the time!

With loneliness comes losing touch with reality -losing who you are as an individual, finding it hard to stay in contact with friends, missing out on family milestones. You can also lose sight of what you want to do after the PhD. All of which I have experienced and still going through.

However, there are a few strategies that I believe to have worked.

My tips for surviving your PhD:

• Treat it like a job. Take lunch breaks, have half terms, take holidays
• Try and study in different places if you can, from time to time. Work in your local library or in a coffee shop and try to interact with the world outside your PhD.
• Schedule everything! This includes lunches with friends, a coffee with a sibling, or even social media time. And remember to do everything in proportion.  
• Connect with other scholars and they may just become your friend. Talking to people who have been in your position and have come out the other side successfully helps. However, remember they are busy too!
• Take up a hobby away from your PhD that you enjoy doing.
• Regularly remind yourself why you decided to do a PhD – this is especially helpful when working in an area like care homes research, where the work you are doing could make a positive difference to the lives of staff and residents.
• Think of the end goal when you get to wear the gown and walk on stage as a Dr!

I hope these tips help anyone that is struggling and gives them confidence to make it to the finish line!

About the author

Ruth Onafuye is a full-time PhD student in the School of Law and Criminology at the University of Greenwich. Ruth decided to pursue a PhD study after the completion of her law degree and Masters’ in International Commercial Law. However, the journey to gaining admission was very tough. She eventually succeeded in gaining admission to Greenwich University, after 10 rejections from 10 different universities. She is currently at the stage of putting her thesis together. Her PhD is privately funded.