Oli: I did the 1+3 route. It was really nice having that year to adjust to the supervisory team and my postgrad studies.

Dan: I already had an MA in Mathematics Education from the UCL Institute of Education, but after having assessed my prior training and experience, the ESRC offered me a +3.75 studentship (which is one of the new studentship durations, allocated based on individual circumstances, from the following range: 3.5 years; 3.75 years; 4 years or 4.5 years). This gave me the time to focus on advanced qualitative and quantitative research methods within the first year of my PhD.

Jess: No, I did not, so to be offered the 1+3 route was the perfect solution! 

Oli: As I came straight in from my undergrad, I had the advantage that a lot of things were still very fresh in my mind (especially when it came to statistics!). Having the Masters year to get settled and used to the new work structure definitely helped to ease the transition.

Dan: Not too bewildering, as I had spent some four years conducting and publishing research independently, co-authoring with PhD students primarily from UCL, since my master’s there. For me, it seemed a natural and perhaps overdue next step. 

Jess: At first it was strange to not have the strict routine and to be able to decide what tasks I did each day, however I much prefer it now, because I feel like I have so much more freedom. I am also someone who thrives when the to-do list is never ending, so knowing there is always another job to do keeps me motivated and on track. 

Oli: I feel like I’ve grown so much as a person over the last two years, and it’s the “soft” skills that I’m most proud of. I’ve met so many wonderful people and had so many different experiences that I wouldn’t have been able to if not for the PhD. Coming into the PhD, I was most worried about whether I’d be able to do “enough” to keep up with work. I have a long-term disability and I find myself deciding what I “should” be doing in a day, based off some imaginary able-bodied person. It took me a long time to temper the expectations that I had of myself, and it’s something I’m still working on. However, having a supportive supervisory team and department has been really helpful. I’m doing a PhD for myself, not for some imaginary person who works like a robot and never takes breaks! 

Dan: I enjoy the independence and freedom to choose what I do, working in an exciting and new interdisciplinary research programme with my supervisors and socialising with my colleagues. I find more difficult the maintenance of momentum at times especially when trying to juggle commitments, as these are multiple both within and beyond my PhD and there is always more reading to do and news to stay abreast of especially because of the tech aspect of my research. 

Jess: I enjoy the opportunity to continue learning and bettering myself. I also find psychology fascinating and so having the freedom to conduct research on the things I am interested in is thrilling. However, I am a perfectionist, and this was quite difficult to battle with at the start; I wanted to know everything and do everything correctly straight away – which is practically impossible. I had to remind myself that the point of a PhD is to LEARN how to be a good researcher. I was putting pressure on myself to be as good as my supervisors – who have been doing this for many more years than me.