Ensuring you feel supported as a research student

There are problems at any stage of your academic journey which might require support – if you’ve made it as far as being a research student, you’ll be aware of some of them! However, there are issues specific to research, and it’s good to know beforehand what they are and where you could go to deal with them.

Academic support

Some issues are academic – you might feel overwhelmed by the reading you need to do, unsure how to structure your time, or what your goals are before the big one of “producing a thesis”. While you might have had experience of these worries before, they’re likely to be amplified at PhD level. There are continuities with previous studies, but in other ways starting a PhD is a vast change in terms of the size, scope, and time-commitment of your project.

For academic support, I’d suggest turning to your supervisor first! Don’t feel shy about approaching them – it’s good to get an easy and open line of communication flowing between you and your supervisor at the beginning of your time at UCL. As well as your supervisor, you can approach other academic staff, such as your department’s graduate tutor.

The Doctoral Skills Development Programme

The Doctoral Skills Development Programme offers a lot of courses to help you through your PhD. Some of these are skills-focused – there are courses on presentation, on getting started with your PhD, etc – while some, run with Student Psychological Services, are aimed at managing some of the more personal issues with your PhD. Coming up, for example, is a personal development workshop on “Getting the Most Out of Your Supervisory Relationship”: a great resource if you’re struggling to establish the kind of easy communication with your supervisor I recommended earlier. Similar workshops on various issues run throughout the year.

Emotional support

Being a research student can bring other sources of stress. Humanities PhD students especially often feel isolated – after all, you’re working away at one very niche subject, mostly by yourself, for three or four years! The workload and expectations that academia brings can also be a source of anxiety. One source of support can be your peers – see what kind of research or social groups are available for PhD students in your department! It can be really reassuring talking over your concerns with other people going through the same thing. You can also get more structured, professional support: Student Psychological Services offer counselling, and you should never feel embarrassed about using the service, or as if your problem is too small. Research students can also access support through Care first in the same way that UCL staff can. This service is free and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and is accessible by phone or online. Short term face-to-face counselling is also available - for more information see the UCL Employee Assistance Programme page. 

Finally, if you do have problems, say something sooner rather than later! Even if you’re not sure where the best place to turn is, turn somewhere – someone will point you in the right direction. And remember: you’re not alone. So many PhD students and academics will understand exactly how you’re feeling – so talk to them about it!

Simone Webb, UCL student, PhD in Gender Studies