Hand Me Up

We are back! This episode provides a summary of what to expect this season, alongside an overview of what the HMU ladies have been up to the past couple of months. Enjoy and as always, share with your communities and engage us with feedback!!”

In this episode we talk about the Covid-19 pandemic has affected our individual  research plans for 2020. We discuss how our inability to travel to data collection sites and conferences has impacted our progress and how we have and still are navigating this period. We also talk about funding opportunities and how the pandemic has impacted what and how we can spend any awards. In discussing the importance of conferences, Ru also shares how they not just about the networking and collaborating but how it‘s also a means for academics to socialise and have fun!

As with many other journeys in life, the PhD journey is often isolating and cumbersome... As such, creating a community and identifying a support network that you can rely on throughout the process is of significance. In this episode, the HMU ladies walk you through their experiences of finding ways to thrive on the journey. For example, how their research community and social networks became a reliable source of support and comfort. Detailing how these support systems became spaces where they could share their experiences, get tips and insight into strategies for overcoming challenges common to the PhD journey, amongst other things. 

In this episode, we delve into what our individual PhD topics are and how we got to studying them. Ru shares more about her research titled: “Fostering community support for mega events: a narrative inquiry of stories and experiences in the context of Cape Town, South Africa.” and Gwen hers on “What happened after we put our guns down: Reconceptualising the social reintegration experiences of former female combatants in post conflict Sierra Leone”

In addition, we drop nuggets on how you could go about defining your topic, data collection and analysis. Again, taking into consideration what resources you have available at your disposal to establish what makes a good project for you. We hope that you will enjoy this topic as much as we enjoyed recording it, do get in touch and let us know your thoughts! 

In Episode 4, we shared with you the application process so it's only right that the next episode is applying for funding for your studies. 

We canvass the wide range of funding options available, how one can make themselves eligible to meet the selection criterion, the many different ways one can apply for, and access PhD funding; the diverse monetary values attached to the awards, and finally; we touch on some of the benefits from receiving PhD funding and the small print that we often neglect to negotiate and or consider. 

Because we went to different institutions and studied different topics we do share different approaches, processes and some details about the funding that we got. Our experience is by far non-exhaustive of the funding opportunities but will definitely give you a flavour of the process that will be ahead, especially as it's a very competitive process.

In this episode we discuss the PhD application process. We both share our experience with the two different UK institutions we enrolled in and any tips that we have for anyone applying. This is really worth a listen if you are considering applying for a PhD just make sure you have a notepad and a pen ready!

In this episode we discuss some of things that anyone interested in doing a PhD should think about before they start applying. We discuss the knowledge level/qualifications needed, how you go about choosing your research topic, identifying a Supervisor and the institution you want to study at.

We also discuss how skills and knowledge developed in a work environment can help you on your PhD journey.

The main message from us in this is that if you are passionate about a topic, have grit, tenacity and are able to secure funding then you should definitely consider joining the PhD journey.