London, 10th June 2018
Hi, I would like to share my thought about some considerations before you start a PhD study. As I am writing this, I am at the end of my second year of my PhD at King’s College London. I reckon that some of you are interested in pursuing similar journey since I have been getting questions recently. So, let’s get started! :)
Why
You might be thinking of pursuing a PhD in a certain field
which is of your interest. Nevertheless, there is a very important question you
need to ask yourself: “Why would I want to be a PhD?”
This is very crucial that people tend to forget; find your
genuine motivation and reasons! Is it:
- to get promoted in your current academic job?
- to learn deeper into interesting subject you are passionate about?
- to pursue career in research?
- due to your dream to invent something extraordinary?
- due to your dream to solve problems you concern about?
- merely due to the love of your intellectual pursuits?
- etc. (Find it!)
Somehow, it must be worth your attention, time and interest!
How
Now that you have decided to get a PhD. You should know how
to get it, right? Here are the processes you can expect:
- Surf deep into the field (engage yourself into it, allow some time)
- Prepare a research proposal (not always necessarily though, if you are joining existing project in a research group)
- List and target certain experts in the field (stalk their work!)
- Contact candidate supervisors and discuss about the potential project with them
- Consider about your funding source: research grant from your supervisors, from an industrial company, from a charity body, from government, or self-funded. The latest is not recommended though, there are so many funding available for conducting research, why should you pay by yourself?!
- If the supervisors say yes, go ahead to the university application processes and quote their names as your potential supervisors (of course, you must also fulfill all the documents and standard requirements from the university)
- Skype/phone-call or direct interviews with the supervisors
- Decision by the university and supervisors
- If accepted, the letter of acceptance (LoA) should be issued from the university (be patient, their internal process usually takes some time)
- Find your funding! (if not yet have one)
- Prepare the funding application simultaneously with your university’s as it will save you time.
- If possible, get the LoA beforehand so that your overhead stake to secure the funding is higher.
What
PhD stands for Doctor of Philosophy. Why is it called philosophy
even though not every PhD was studying philosophy? Because a PhD must be able
to think original, be engaged in philosophical problems and provide discovery/solution/suggestion/explanation
to the core roots of the problems. In this sense, you are considered mastering
the philosophy of that very specific field.
The study:
PhD is not a short journey; normally it is around 3 to 4
years in total for full time students in the UK, whilst in some other countries
it might extent up to 5 or even more years. At the beginning, you will conduct some literature reviews and/or pilot study to sharpen the research
questions. At the same time, it is quite important to attend some courses to enhance
the skills as a researcher, such as statistics, academic writing, project
management, basic technical skill specific to each field, etc.
In MPhil/PhD system, after 9 to 18 months of the study (the period
might vary in different university and department), you will have to
show to the thesis committee that you are able to conduct and finish the PhD
project. To do so, you must write a short upgrade report containing the project
proposal with clear plan and timeline. On the upgrade exam day, you need to present it in front of the thesis committee. A thesis committee usually consists of the
supervisors, one or two other experts in related field and a postgraduate
coordinator (if applicable). Only after you pass that upgrade process, the ‘MPhil/PhD
student’ status is changed to a legitimate ‘PhD student’, first milestone!
After the upgrade, it’s time to start (or continue) the experimentation
or data collection! This stage usually lasts two years or so, mixed with conferences,
(hopefully) writing (and submitting) some paper(s).
When your supervisors think you have done enough for a PhD,
then usually you can focus on the thesis write-up (though the thesis writing
process can also be done as you go along with the project).
When you and your supervisors are happy with the thesis,
then you can submit it to the college. After that, you are ready for your thesis
viva, normally in the next several months after submission.
The viva is a very crucial moment where you are going to discuss your PhD project in depth with external experts related to your thesis topic. You must be able to demonstrate the originality and novelty of your thesis with holistic understanding to your examiners. Only by showing the original contribution to the field then someone is worth a PhD title! Sounds daunting, doesn’t it?! But, here is one stat which hopefully can ease your (and my) fear: people say 99% percent of the PhD students who eventually submit their thesis will pass it. The real struggle, really is on the process before submitting! Obviously, if your relationship with your supervisors is fairly good then they will not let you submit unless they are sure that you will pass; their reputation is on stake too! There are several decisions after the viva that can happen:
The viva is a very crucial moment where you are going to discuss your PhD project in depth with external experts related to your thesis topic. You must be able to demonstrate the originality and novelty of your thesis with holistic understanding to your examiners. Only by showing the original contribution to the field then someone is worth a PhD title! Sounds daunting, doesn’t it?! But, here is one stat which hopefully can ease your (and my) fear: people say 99% percent of the PhD students who eventually submit their thesis will pass it. The real struggle, really is on the process before submitting! Obviously, if your relationship with your supervisors is fairly good then they will not let you submit unless they are sure that you will pass; their reputation is on stake too! There are several decisions after the viva that can happen:
- You pass without correction (very rarely)
- You pass with minor correction (mostly expected)
- You pass with major correction
- You pass with a ‘Master’ degree instead
- You fail completely (very unlikely)
Okay folks, that’s it for now. I hope this short sharing can
help some people to get their PhD dream! Once again, it is not a short journey (and of course not an easy one!). However, the fulfillment is deep and satisfying if you really enjoy the process. From what I have learned so far, it is not only a training to do research, but also a life changing moment where you can ponder upon your life! Are you still thinking (or starting to think) to do a PhD? ;)
Best wishes,
Lilis
Lilis Iskandar a PhD student at Tissue Engineering and
Biophotonics, Dental Institute, King’s College London who started her research on
tissue engineering for bone augmentation in oral and maxillofacial surgery in July
2016. Wish her luck with the remaining of her study! Bless you :)
