Hi all,

I’m new to this forum and have a few questions that I hope someone here is able to help me with.


I start a DPhil in Gender Studies at The University of Sussex in Jan 2010. My educational background has been mostly in Fine Art (BA (Hons) Master etc), but I had always found myself drawn to the theoretical side of Fine Art, and found that most of my essays, dissertation had strong gender related themes. This subject as I’ve discovered is my overriding interest.
I’ve been assigned a great supervisor who from what I’ve read about her seems to be incredibly compatible with my own chosen areas of research.


Firstly I would like to know the etiquette of starting a DPhil/PhD. Should I email/make contact with supervisor to introduce myself? I’m not sure whether or not this is the done thing.


What other kind of prep should I undertake before I begin the course?


I’ve always been told that theoretical work is my strong point, but I’m a little concerned about the quality of some aspects of my written work. Is their learning support given at this level?


Having had a longstanding problem with depression and eating disorders, I wonder what kind of support is available to me, financially, practically etc


On other courses I’ve been on I’ve never asked for or received any help because I was afraid of then stigma of admitting to having what could be viewed as ‘mental health issues’. So I guess I just struggled through. I know this will be more demanding though and I’m determined to be well prepared.


Is it possible to spend part of the DPhil researching aboard if the topic of research demands it? Are there any particular things to take into consideration if wanting to do this, websites, funding etc?


I also plan to work at least part-time during this course, and of course it would be ideal for me to get a job within the University, I’m sure these jobs are highly sort after, any advice concerning how to go about this. I’d really like to go for something like library, but would be open to other things.


That’s it for now, this is a really informative and friendly forum, so if anyone can answer any or all of these question’s it would really useful to me, as I’m really new to this kind of area, but really excited about researching a topic I’m passionate about.


Thanks all!

Ludo


8-)

Hey Ludo! I can't answer all of your questions I'm afraid, but I'll have a crack at some of them!

First off, I would definitely make contact with your supervisor before you start- it's a good idea to get off on the right foot with them and I guess you'll need to arrange an initial meeting to go and talk about the project etc. You could email him/her a while before you start and ask if there is anything in particular you could be doing to prepare for the PhD- it's good to look keen, although you risk getting several pages worth of references to read through! But there's plenty of time for all that in first year.

With respect to your written work, most universities offer a variety of optional postgraduate skills modules, ranging from using particular types of computer software to how to present to how to write in a scientific style etc...there will probably be some sort of coordinator for these types of modules that you can email and ask about availability, and your supervisor could probably point you in the right direction.

I suppose the mental health thing is what I can relate to most. I have bipolar and over the years had to drop out of uni several times and re-start due to long periods in hospital (I also used to suffer from an eating disorder but that was before uni). The support I have received from the uni I am at has been fantastic. I have been seeing a uni counsellor once or twice a week for over 6 years now and I credit her with getting me back on track and through my BSc, MSc and now my PhD. There will be a student counselling service at your uni too and I strongly recommend you get in touch with them when you start. There should also be a mental health advisor there who will be able to deal with the more practical side of things, such as arranging any necessary practical support (usually stuff like note-takers if you are too ill to go to lectures/talks, alternative arrangements for exams etc, although some of this won't be relevant for a research PhD). I believe the mental health advisor can also arrange for financial support if you have any needs which require special assistance or equipment, and they can be quite flexible about what they will provide financial assistance with. I have never gone down this route myself but I know others who have valued support of this type. So go along when you start and get some support set up, even if you're feeling okay it's good to get familiar with the help that is available- you are right to be well prepared!

I'm sure some of the others will be able to answer your other questions, I'm not too sure about the rest! I'd be careful about how much extra work you take on because I know I just don't have enough hours in the day for additional paid work, but I also know that others manage to juggle it all quite successfully.

Anyways, best wishes, enjoy your last few months of freedom! KB

Thanks for all the useful info Keenbean! There's so much great stuff here that I can print off and refer to.

I will certainly try and make contact with the uni counsellor for support, I've never done this before, but now realise there is no shame in doing so. Actually I never knew there was so much assistance available. I will also get in touch with my supervisor before the start of the course, seems like the best thing to do.

Cheers again! And best of luck to you!

Are you still undertaking you PhD?

Ludo

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Have a look at http://www.sussex.ac.uk/equalities/1-2-8.html for the disability policy of your university. They can do a lot to help you, but you need to contact the relevant people.

My university has a Disability Services division and I registered with them early on in my part-time PhD, and they helped me apply for DSA (Disabled Students' Allowance) so I got lots of assistive gadgets which helped a bit to level the playing field with non-disabled students. I've also been very up-front with my supervisors about my medical situation. We've largely been able to work around things, but it could be an issue for my viva (upcoming in the next 12 months - eek!).

Good luck.

Hey again Ludo! Yup. I am just going into 2nd year PhD, so got a good way to go yet! Disabled Students' Allowance was what I was trying to refer to but couldn't remember the name (thanks Bilbo!). At our uni it's the mental health advisor I think who deals with this, or will at least be able to point you in the right direction. I kow what you mean, you never know what sort of help is out there until you need it, and then you can't imagine how you would manage without it. I guess it's also important to find a good local GP and get referred to a local consultant as well if you are moving out of your local area. The student counsellor I see (who is actually a psychotherapist by training) has been happy to liase with my GP, CPN and hospital consultant when it has been necessary, so it's good to have this in place just in case, although hopefully you'll be fine!! I'm much better at the moment and have been for a while but I always feel reassured to have these things in place! KB

Many thanks to Bilbo and Keenbean!

I've got in touch with Sussex Uni's student support unit and i've discovered that they have many different kinds of help on offer, I just have to make contact with them nearer the time I start the course. It sounds as if they provide counselling and all the other kinds of help that you guy's have suggested, actually it sounds like a similar kind of set-up to what's on offer at your Uni KB. I will also be sure to find a local GP that I can trust, and also I'll have to arrange to transfer to a local ED unit, my local NHS ED trust is at Eastleigh in the South East at present, and i've already imformed my counsellor there of my move, so I'm sure they'll support me through that.
The Uni of Sussex has quite a good rep for being quite a openminded kind of place, the various people there that I've spoken to on the phone have certainly been helpful, and also being Brighton based is going to be helpful for me, it's a bigger city compared with where I am at the moment, so there should be more help on offer.

2nd year of the PhD is cool! 8-) That seems such a long way off to me right now!hehe
May I ask what you're researching?

Cheers everyone!

Ludo

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