Hey guys,

A while back i posted a thread about whether to stay or leave my studies....after giving it much thought I've decided to give it a try ( i'm mad i know). I'm not happy with my reasons for quitting...the main reason why i did badly first time round was more due to confidence/personal issues rather than anything to do with my academic ability

If i leave, there will always be regret and anger at the fact i let my insecurities get the better of me....even if a few months down the line it starts to go downhill, at least i will know i tried my best. I am in a better place personally than i was before and i have a better idea of what a phd actually involves so i am going to try hard not make the same mistakes again, hence my thread about how to network, finding places to stay in London (thanks for your suggestions guys).

Another question would be (yes, another one) i would ask you guys is- how many of you speak the 'academic language' well? I'm not a confident speaker at all, lots of terms i don't understand- i'm surrounded by well spoken people and feel like an idiot most of the time. It would be nice to find that i'm not the only one and how others deal with it- i wonder if universities offer courses to help students with this, need to find out!!

good luck!! you can always find support at this forum

exactly, give it your best shot, then you know in your heart you tried.
and that is all that really matters, trying your best, and letting the cards fall every which way they do.

angie, i dont speak academic either, i feel exactly the same way. i hate doing presentations, and i never went to conferences. i am an introvert and very shy.

i use very simple english when i am talking about my work. almost conversational and zany! kinda like a preschool teacher explaining it to kids haha. but thats just me, i think if you understand the fundamentals, it doesnt matter how you explain it, no need for fancy dancy language, if thats not your style. thats what i think anyways.

and i too have low confidence and feel intimidated when people around me are spurting out things.. but a friend of mine told me that confidence comes from actually knowing something and understanding it. so if you know in your heart you understand something, even if you cant explain it eloquently, understanding it and explaining it any which way you can , is what really matters. and then your confidence will grow from that.

but yah, i totally feel like a fake! and that someone will point out and arrest me for impersonating a phd student lol. but then i think i am just doing it for me. it doesnt really matter what other people think. if they want to walk around thinking they know everything then so be it. i know the limits of my knowledge, but i am always wanting to learn and understand more, and thats what is more important.

attaining knowledge is difficult. putting it into practice is even harder, being safe from knowledge( ie becoming arrogant thinking you know everything and do not think more or learn more about it or think out of the box from it) is even MORE dangerous.

fundentally we're all students from every walk of life. no one is the expert of everything. there will always be new things that come and change the current held opinion. the ones i admire are the ones that are humble and are always actively learning and listening and realise the limitations of their knowledge.

congratulations on your decision. it's always good to make a solid decision one way or the other.

i don't think there is any need to speak "academically" as such. all you need to do is make sure you can get your point across and preferably to the widest possible audience (i'm very pro open access and reports for non-specialists etc...i think all researchers should be made to disseminate their findings in a way that allows so called lay people to understand). i used to be very impressed by all these big articles with articles i could barely understand but now i realise, actually, they didn't do the job they set out to.

clear, concise and simple language...that's all that is needed.

A

i think once i submit my first draft, i am going to start reading dale carnegies book on public speaking, i am a huge fan of his other books, so maybe i can gain some insight that might help me. i will let you know if i get any tips whilst reading it.

A116
"clear, concise and simple language...that's all that is needed"

exactly!! i completely agree!!

Hi Angie, in answer to your question on academic language, I have a number of different experiences to recount. When I first started my PhD, almost all of my English was colloquial and my writing skills were definitely not up to par. In my first year I did one presentation and was extremely nervous throughout. However, what won the day for me was my enthusiasm for the topic, I think it helped that it took place at my own campus.

In my second year, I joined a reading group that had people from many disciplines. It took some time but as I got to know the others better I was able to engage more with discussions. This helped my confidence enormously. At the same time, teaching undergraduate classes and delivering the odd lecture also helped build my presentation skills.

The lingo, that took a while to accumulate but the more I read the more I was able to understand the gobbledy gook the others were spouting and in time came to spout some pretty weird stuff myself.

I still have a hard time talking to strangers and am hopeless at networking after conferences. I doubt I will ever be at east with the whole notion. While I find it easier these days to talk about my research to those I know, descriptions of it to total strangers always sound so lame to me still.

So, advice? Start talking to your peers about your work, find a friendly, do it in a non-confronting atmosphere first, start a reading group, attend faculty seminars to observe and learn how others respond and what you might want or not want to incorporate into your own research practice.