All universities structure PhDs slightly differently with different internal asessments and requirements. Currently we have an appraisal style assessment that we need to complete every 6 months; it is a form that asks if you have any problems and if you are going to finish on time (and if not, why not). I know that I am doing OK in my PhD, I have some good results and I am making progress. But what is good? Is good very good? How can I make sure I stay on track and improve beyond ‘good’? As I am at the end of the second year I felt that I wanted to get some constructive criticism from my supervisor, rather than just getting told that things are ‘good’. I felt the current asessment form is a little limiting and didn’t answer some of the questions I had. So.. I created my own list of questions (some I invented, some I borrowed from appraisal style forms that others had shared with me) told my supervisor what I wanted, then arranged a time to meet!
These are the questions I asked her:
1) Do you think I can finish in 1 year? Am I on track?
2) Is my PhD so far, ‘good’… – what would make it better?
3) What would make me more employable as a scientist?
4) What do I need to focus on?
5) Do you think I am performing to my potential?
Before speaking to her and while I was putting these questions together I carried out a little self assessment. Where did I think I was, where did I feel I could do better? I did this so I could target the discussion towards issues that would really help me, to be better.
I had the meeting this afternoon, it went really well. We had a very open, frank but relaxed chat about my PhD using the questions that I had asked as a guide. She liked the idea of the appraisal, felt it was lacking from the PhD structure and was pleased I had put these questions together. I gained an awful lot from the discussion we had and have pin pointed some things that I should focus on. Mostly though, this discussion helped me think clearly about how I work and about what I would like to do once I finish my PhD.
If you are feeling a little lost, confused or are just at a decisive point in your PhD (or anything for that matter). I would recommend arranging to have a discussion with your supervisor with some targeted questions and the idea of getting some constructive feedback/criticism out of them! Don’t be afraid of asking, or wait for your supervisor to ask you. A PhD is your own project and you, not your supervisor, has to manage it.
Interesting. I completed my PhD a couple of years ago. I would have loved to have had that sort of feedback, but I only properly realised the point of a PhD after I finished it: it’s a test of whether you can be independent or not. Unlike a job or an undergraduate degree, what you are told what to do and are expected to do it, a PhD requires a lot of independent thought. Your supervisor should be there to advise, consult and fund you, but they shouldn’t directly tell you what to do.
That does make it quite difficult to get feedback as to how well you are doing if you are doing well. If you aren’t doing well however, it should be pretty obvious to your supervisor. Remember, the ultimate goal of a PhD is to produce a piece of work that is original to your field, and it’s quite difficult to exactly define what that is. It’s very easy to paranoid, thinking “is my contribution enough?”, but it’s equally easy to be complacent, as if you haven’t done enough research, what you may think is original work could have been done 10 years ago. Your supervisor should be able to call on their experience and help you here.
Employability is a pretty thorny issue. I’ve found out the hard way that a PhD does not make you more employable outside of academia, unless the job in question is explicitly related to the PhD. Most employers won’t know what a PhD entails, and you’ll be at least three years behind everyone else in the job market. However, a PhD is of course pretty much essential for a career as an academic.
“I’ve found out the hard way that a PhD does not make you more employable outside of academia, unless the job in question is explicitly related to the PhD. Most employers won’t know what a PhD entails, and you’ll be at least three years behind everyone else in the job market.”
Hi Tom – that’s a really interesting insight into the (difficult) translation of a PhD into the world of work outside academia. But as you’ve pointed out yourself, one really helpful skill is the ability to work independently (depending on your subject, in isolation, perhaps?!). I’ll have a little think on this…check back for a future blog!
Hi Tom,
Thanks for your comment. I do think there are lots of transferable skills you can pick up from a PhD that are very useful in the world of industry. I worked outside academia before I started my PhD (see here for a little post about moving from work to a PhD http://www.jobs.ac.uk/blogs/phd-student/2011/08/08/leaving-work-to-start-a-phd/).
Also doing a PhD gives you an amazing opportunity to ‘try out’ different career paths during your three years. There is nothing to prevent PhD students from gaining experience in different areas and building skill sets outside of their PhD which can help in job applications.