When people think of someone pursuing a PhD, they often focus on the prestige and intellectual fulfilment associated with earning the degree. For the students themselves, however, the journey is frequently remembered as a continuous obstacle course, with many never reaching the end. Statistics underscore this reality, with studies suggesting that 33% to 70% of PhD students ultimately leave before completing their program. A recent paper in Frontiers of Psychology enlists the various factors that contribute to these outcomes, leading to notable differences across institutions and countries. The academic culture in the nation of study and more specifically the institution plays a significant role in determining the work environment. Additionally, the quality of mentorship, the complexity of the research project, and the stability of funding are all pivotal. Combined, these factors result in the fact that even for those who do complete their PhD, the process often takes much longer than anticipated.
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Completing a doctorate after the onset of a chronic illness: Finding a new way of being by Stacey Anwin
TW: Domestic Abuse
A long time ago (nine years, in fact), I was strong, energetic and capable. I was always active.
Five days a week I taught at a nearby university. Three times a week, I scaled walls at an indoor climbing gym. Twice a day, I walked my three large dogs. On the weekends, I repaired the house and maintained the yard, going to performances at the Cultural Centre at night.
Like many casual academics, my work was tenuous, based on semester-long contracts. Like many others, I found immense joy in guiding and supporting my students. I poured enormous amounts of intellectual and creative energy into designing and producing teaching and learning materials. I saw many casuals move away into often unrelated full-time positions over the years. Yet I stayed, justifying this decision as much to myself as to others, based on the amount of holidays (that is, weeks without pay) I got.
Read More »Silent Battles: Enduring Sexual Harassment in Medical School in Africa by Anonymous
TW: Sexual Harassment, Indecent Assault
“Boy, you will regret denying me access to you, mark my words!”
Usually, a light laugh would follow Mr. Smith’s every sentence but, for the first time, his smile vanished and was replaced by something far darker. I searched his eyes in dire hope that he was joking, and in that moment, I realized how deeply I was entangled in a situation I couldn’t easily escape.
Faculty-student harassment in academia is pervasive, with approximately 25% of students having experienced harassment in academic settings. It is often built on the authority gap between professors and students, leaving those affected in a painful silence, unable to speak out due to the power dynamics at play. This is a system where respect for lecturers is absolute, professors are in a significant position of power, and students have few avenues for recourse. But what happens when this power is weaponised?
In this blog I share my journey through medical school in a large African country in which I endured a nightmarish lesson in navigating unwanted advances, the misuse of academic power, and the emotional trauma that followed. As I will share, the harassment affected not only my experience in the classroom, but my mental health, personal relationships, and my drive to succeed.
Losing a Parent: Guilt and Learning to Forgive Myself by Amanda Nicholson
Six years of studying were almost at an end. It was December, and I was looking forward to Christmas. Beyond that, I was looking ahead to April of the following year when I would complete my BA degree. For anyone, this would be an achievement, but for someone like me, who had left school at 15 without taking exams, I had doubts that I could do it. My string of dead end jobs and long stretches of unemployment made me want to change things. Even my family, especially my dad, thought I was a lost cause, So, I was elated to be so close to the finish line. Then, one phone call changed everything.
Read More »Exploring Mindfulness Methods for Thriving in Uncertainty in Academia by Sarah-Jane Potts
Over my last decade in academia, I have been given many opportunities to work on cutting edge science and engineering projects in a field that brings me great excitement and joy. However, despite the interesting projects and great colleagues, it can be hard to truly thrive and work at your best when you are left with uncertainty. During my doctorate, this often took the form of a lack of clarity on what I was trying to achieve. Particularly towards the start of the project, I felt lost, confused and unsure of whether I truly belonged in academia. Over my five years of being a postdoctoral researcher, I adored the opportunity to work in a fantastic team on work I was passionate about, but this was continuously shrouded by the precarity of the short, fixed term contracts. This brought a great source of stress and anxiety from the lack of stability and constant search for the next few months of funding.
In recent months, I have been appointed onto a Lectureship. This has been my aspiration for as long as I can remember, providing me with an opportunity to combine my passions for teaching and research, as well as offering a more secure future. However, each role comes with its own challenges. In this current financial environment, no job is truly secure and the unending challenge of completing every task to a high standard within the timeframe can be exhausting. However, I have found that I can face these challenges with more calm, composure and courage when using mindfulness techniques during my day. This is my story of how I began using mindfulness to help me manage stress in academia.
Read More »Emerging from Burnout: A Scientist´s Yoga Story by Stéphanie Blockhuys
Are you a stressed academic, feeling the weight of constant pressure and burnout looming over you? I understand—I’ve been there. My journey as a cancer scientist led me to a place of exhaustion until I discovered the transformative power of yoga.
In this blog, I invite you to join me as I recount my experiences in academia. My aim is to share my story and hopefully inspire you to prioritize your wellbeing. Take a step back, pause, and care for yourself. Through yoga, I found a path to rejuvenation and resilience, and I am eager to share these insights with you.
Let’s foster a culture of self-care and strength in academia – one where everyone can flourish and shine brightly in their pursuit of knowledge and innovation. In this blog, I use the metaphor of a caterpillar to describe my journey through burnout and recovery. Like a caterpillar weighed down by exhaustion, I entered a cocoon of recovery during my sick leave, where I discovered yoga and began to heal. Emerging as a butterfly, I transformed my experience into a meaningful career, combining cancer research and yoga therapy.
Read More »Breaking Barriers: My Higher Education Journey as a Disabled and Neurodivergent Student by Alexandra Wilson-Newman
Navigating higher education (HE) is difficult for any student, but for those who don’t fit the traditional mould – whether due to neurodivergence, disability, other protected characteristics or any combination of the above – the journey is fraught with additional obstacles. These obstacles shape our academic and personal lives in ways that are often hard to fully grasp if you don’t share some of those characteristics.
My own story, complete with an autism diagnosis just before adulthood, and the onset of a debilitating chronic pain condition, has been one of resilience, discovery and advocacy. As I’ve moved through the world of HE, I’ve seen first-hand how systemic barriers can hinder progress and damage wellbeing. That said, I’ve seen how these challenges can be a catalyst to drive change for those too stubborn to accept systemic barriers preventing people from reaching their full potential. This is not just a recounting of my story so far, but a call-to-action for a more inclusive and compassionate educational environment for all.
Read More »Returning to Your PhD studies Following a Bereavement by Hema Chaplin
TW: Death and family bereavement
My father was diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer, just as I was completing my Health Psychology Masters, and just before I found out I had been successful in being awarded PhD funding. It is well known that doing a PhD can be challenging for mental health, but this diagnosis meant that things were going to be even harder for me. For the next five years, I experienced a mix of extremely stressful life experiences at the same time: undertaking a PhD, being a caregiver for Dad, his death, and the grief that followed.
I hope that by sharing the good and the bad parts of my experience in this blog, including suggestions about how to make the process easier, it might help others get through the process of returning to their PhD and experience the joy that this finally brings.
Read More »Doing a PhD with OCD by Isabelle Berrow
Write a sentence. Delete it. Write a sentence. Delete it. Why isn’t it good enough? What am I missing? Maybe I need a break – go downstairs, get a drink. Turn the light off, check the door’s locked. Check it again. Sit down to try and write again, delete it. Try again.
The constant cycle that occupied my mind, every second of every day.
I have had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) my whole life, even if I refused to admit it. I had to have two of all my stationery, had to always check I locked the door twice, had to submit my academic work at an even time. I can trace habits and routines from my OCD into every aspect of my life since I was a little girl.
I put an enormous amount of pressure on myself to hide and ignore my compulsive routines, especially when I went into higher education, naively thinking and praying that one day my OCD would go away on its own.
Read More »It’s Also Okay Not to Talk About Your Mental Health by Anonymous
The open conversations around mental health in society today represent huge progress in comparison to even ten or twenty years ago. I am especially in awe of the academics who present their struggles publicly (such as in blog posts here) and find this absolutely crucial for the health of our field. Reading their stories has made a difference to me and helped me feel less alone.
In this blog post though, I want to offer some support for those who can’t or don’t want to talk about their mental health. An important message should be: That’s okay too. As long as we’re talking to someone, we don’t have to talk to everyone. Based on my personal experience, this is an even more important message for people trying to support someone who is struggling. Public health initiatives encourage us to ask “Are you okay?”. The idea is to give people an opening to talk, but for a person in distress, it can feel like the burden is being put on them to reassure others. This was my experience during an event I wasn’t able to talk about and instead of helping me, it forced me into isolation. Sometimes, asking others if they are okay can be problematic—even unhelpful—and we need to be aware that we might have to adjust our strategy if someone is not responding.
Voices of Academia 