PhD's at Exeter (Courses in general)

Member Name: TigerTiger

Product:	Courses in general
Date:	05/02/01 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent reputation, facilities, campus, social networks set up my procative graduate school

Disadvantages: can be an isolating experience (wherever you go)

The choice to do a Phd at any university is not a decision to be taken lightly, as I have discovered a Phd is one of those things in which you will experience some of the highest highs and lows lows ever in your life and that can make you truly question how wise your decision to undertake one was.

I thought that I would write about my experiences doing a Phd at Exeter University , although the thing with Phd's is that your experience will vary according to your subject (science lab based doctorates being very different to those in the social sciences for example) , your supervisor(if they are ever there, if you like them and their attitude to what constitutes a Phd -they do vary a great deal as my friends who are also undertaking research degrees and I all have very different experiences, some good and some bad) and mostly I guess the universities provisions for research students. At some universities they seem to forget about the existance of postgraduate research students and there is no doubt that anyone who has gone through the experience will testify, that it can be very lonely and isolating experience at times and the implementation of good social networks set up by the university can be a lifesaver.

I am half way through my doctoral studies and I believe that I have been very lucky in all that Exeter has provided for me. Firstly, I was lucky as one of the top researchers in my field is based at Exeter and so I consider myself priveledged to be there at all. It also helps that I like both my first and second supervisor a great deal. The procedure for supervisors is pretty standard I believe. You have your first supervisor who is someone in your area and they are responsible for academic guidance ( as well as many other things as I have found). Then the second supervisor can either be someone else in your field or if that is not possible then they can choose someone else as a mentor. I am lucky and see both my supervisors regularly and
get on with them very well, I feel able to go to them with any problem no matter how big or small. This experience is very subjective though and it will depend on which department you are in at Exeter. I have other friends at the University who are lucky if they see their supervisor once a semester and also those who are so terrified of theirs that they hope they only see them once a semester!!

On the broader scale, Exeter has an excellent Graduate School in place which makes lots of different provisions for postgraduate students. What I have found especially useful here is that they deal with research students as agroup. Life as a taught postgraduate is it has to be said a lot easier as you have a set programme and you get to see peers in classes. As I said previously research can be a very different and isolating experience and it is important not to overlookl this. Research students have very different needs from taught students.

I have recently been attending a programme of seminars organised by the Exeter graduate school for research students. This programme is spanning the whole year and deals with many different topics in 3 hour sessions. These include, supervisors and how to make the most of them (vital - you use them for your purposes and not vice versa - it is your degree), how to start research - where to begin, a vital and often difficult process. Presenting conference papers, making posters for conferences, career advice etc. There is a wide variety of topics and you can choose which ones you want to attend. Although many of the speakers are from the graduate school, at times they bring in others to aid the sessions , like research students nearing the completion of their study and career advisors. They aim to make these sessions interactive and afterwards send copies of notes to all those who attended the sessions. Although the knowledge gained is the primary benefit of these sessions, the social benefits are also great. In my depa
rtment I am the only research student and so I don't get to spend much time with others in the same boat as me. Although someone else may be doing history or english literature based research they all have the same concerns as me and the experiences are very similar.

The graduate school also offer socials to combat problems of isolation and these are a good experience, although ironically phd students complain about the isolation, yet it is harder than you imagine to get people to turn up.

In addition Exeter aims to to provide all research students with their own desk and computer and for everyone that I know this is the case. I have a shared office, but I have my own pc, computer, potplant and get an allowance for photocopying.

I guess I have been lucky so far in my experience doing a research degree at Exeter, I have had oportunities to travel, I have met a lot of people, gained valuable teaching experience and most importantly have gained knowledge and am on my way to gaining my doctorate and a good career in academia.

Although it depends on your subject area and whether there is someone at Exeter in your area willing to supervise you, if you have the opportunity to do a PhD at Exeter I would advise anyone to snap it up as it really is a great experience. If you want to know more about the university as a whole I also have an opinion on that, as well as postgraduate accomodation (see Exeter cater for all postgraduate needs!!).

Exeter...the best University in the world? MOst probably!

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