Day in the Life of an Oxford PhD Student
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- No two days for a PhD student are alike, and no two PhD students’ days are ever alike either, but here’s a day in the life of this one as accurately as I could make it.
5:30. Wake up and work on hobby for several hours over breakfast
8:00. Head in to department
8:30. Start lab chores
12:00. Sandwich time!
12:30. Analytical techniques
15:30. Thermodynamic calculations
18:00. Tea in college
19:00. Back home with time to chill
20:30. In bed :)
I don’t talk much about my science in here, but if you’re interested here’s what my Martian experiments are trying to figure out: • How to Make a Martian ...
Yes, I do get up that early every day, but it was hard going at first and requires you get to bed equally ridiculously early every night (any later than half eight and I’m suffering the next day). I made a video diary of my first week trying it here: • Rising at 5:30 am for ...
A huge thank you to my college, St. Edmund Hall, which has been extremely kind to me and is a continual source of joy and beauty in everyday life in Oxford. Thank you also to the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) for funding my PhD, and to my department, Earth Sciences, at the University of Oxford.
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New video every other Wednesday (ish). Please comment to suggest a topic relating to postgraduate life that you’d like to see covered, or get in touch:
Twitter: @LeKissick
Website: lucykissick.co.uk
Email: lucy.kissick@earth.ox.ac.uk
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Thank you to the post-rockers You Break You Buy for use of their beautiful music. The two tracks played consecutively in here are Inertia and Into the Clouds, both of which you can find on their bandcamp here: ybyb.bandcamp.com
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My name is Lucy Kissick, I’m a third year PhD student at the University of Oxford, and I’m a northerner from the seaside town of Southport. It’s near Liverpool but regrettably I do not have the accent to prove that.
I’m in my first year of an arts PhD and I’m always so surprised how the day-to-day life can be so similar, hitting walls, pushing forward, I don’t think many people realize how solitary pursing a PhD can be! Creative writing is one of my outlets as well... thank you for sharing, it’s inspiring ☺️👍.
The best PhD vlog I have watched.
Agreed
I'm a geology student and I've been struggling to find content like this which gives insight into my field of interest! So glad I've found you, such an interesting video :)
Lucy, am planning for a PhD and I discovered your videos in the process ... they are actually a source of motivation and inspiration for me especially when you talk about some of the challenges you face ... thank you for sharing, you are doing an amazing job ... Best of luck with your project.
Loved your saying at the end! It's my motivation currently for just pressing forward. Just keep getting up each day, do my normal, productive routine, and eventually that PhD will be mine. Thanks for your videos! :)
glad you liked it and thanks for watching! Motivation is something I really struggle with and I think that every PhD student deals with, so just finding a way to get though each ordinary day can be tough.
@@ThePhDiaries please I need a help from you can we talk once please
I’m starting my PhD this October and really excited. People did warn of the isolation and working alone but I love it!! Watching this has made me even more excited to have the freedom to come and go into the lab. Love your channel!
How have things been since then??
I'm a geoscience undergraduate. It's so cool that you work with martian conditions! This is like my dream project!
Appreciate you sharing it. Can imagine how hard it is to record everything.... looking to start my PhD soon... looking for inspiration..
Your office looks really nice! I am a Master's student thinking about doing a PhD, and to be honest my current office gives me a sense of confinement
Hi Lucy that was great. I'm the same, up early but you don't seem to see anyone until supper - is this normally the case? Your dept seems really empty. Hope you are still with the b/f.
Thank you! I filmed this on a Sunday because I'm shy about filming in public, and not everyone in academia is supportive about running this channel. But the lack of me talking to anyone is normal(!!). I didn't really realise until I made this video, but I can go a whole day without talking to anyone in person, except family etc on the phone. I'm an introvert and like it that way.
Also, I do sometimes work weekends if I've had time off in the week for whatever reason, but this is only to stay balanced -- I won't do a full week and then the weekend too, because that wouldn't be good for me. On this occasion I think I'd been hiking on the thurs and fri, so I worked the sat and sun to make it up :)
Once upon a time, I watched you use a glove box to simulate Mars and I thought that was so cool. Now I use a glove box to study the chemistry of iron-sulfur clusters so maybe we can find life on Mars one day. :) Thank you for sharing and inspiring others!
I love how loving and warm you look to be. I love nature as well, and I would love to read your papers on geology 😊
Great video demonstrating the rigor of doing a PhD. Second year PhD here :) Good luck with your studies.
thanks mate! good luck with yours
Thanks for sharing your journey and insights! These are really useful.
I have the sudden urge to do my school work now, thank you lol
Excellent work !
This is really quite fascinating. You've got a new subscriber in me. I'm pursuing my degree in Mathematics and thinking about getting my phd in physics
can you do a video on how to make a plan to write your thesis and stick to it? monthly or weekly. it's such a giant task and it's easy to get lost or caught up on other things in the process. I would love to hear your thoughts or how you've made progress in writing so far.
Same here! Would appreciate some guidance on that! :)
Hello! I'm not quite up to that stage myself yet -- I'm only writing papers in between running experiments. But as this will one day consume my waking life I will once I'm at that point :)
Loved your video! But where are your lab collegues? I work at a much crowded lab....also we have and ATR-FTIR so we put smaller amount of sample even with moisture, but I enjoyed watching you work, I am not just as diciplined, I hope I can have a day like yours soon!
Ah man I filmed this on a Sunday because I'm too shy to vlog in public! But I was actually in just as a normal day that Sunday (I'd been at my family's house earlier that week so had pushed my working week into the weekend). Usually though, it is just me in the lab as the other PhD students are writing up. Nice and peaceful :)
Thanks I just need to hear that we need keep pushing forward till fly over the wall
I published my first paper at Oxford Uni. last year
Wow I never knew that you can do a different graduate studies as opposed to what you study at undergraduate. I always thought that it might not prepare you enough.
Wow how different mine is just shocked me. This is what it should be but it is not the case for everyone i guess. Mine is ripping me apart torn me into pieces and f me off like there is no tomorrow. Just search your advisor wisely.
Now, I have an idea what should I do when doing a Ph.D. stuff without cramming, everyday.
I could do that, mix stuff! LOL ... but I wouldn't understand what I was doing, and it'd likely explode in my face. I really enjoyed this video, thank you!
Started the lit review immediately and made sure to use a non-proprietary application like word or pages as I've heard way to many risks of corruption
I'm a big fan of Pages, super minimal and stylish.
Thank you madam for your beautiful content. This really helps to boost up my phd life in ore geology.
I’m in the wrong PhD program. The hard sciences look so much more fun than organizational behavior.
Beautiful dedication and discipline!!
Thank you Lucy, Amazing Videos.
subscribed to your channel. I'm currently in my fourth year now. Wish u the best future Dr.
I'm knackered.
Love your videos Lucy :-)
Thank you so much. Greetings from Popayan, Colombia.
Long way away! I've heard you get big condors just chilling out on the streets, sounds amazing :)
Recapping a syringe needle is a big NO NO!
Wow interesting research area
So a typical day of a PhD student is devoid of any human contact?
I am inspired to push forward my PhD in Media Studies :)
I am a third year social sciences as well.. Thnks for sharing this
It's interesting to see what I strongly believe in. You simply can't do brain intensive work for 8 hours a day. In Germany we get paid quite well as a PhD "student" but we have to do our 8,5 hours a day (0,5 is for the break). That's too much I think. I accomplish more in 6ish hour days because than I don't have this lifetime vs money thing in my head, but it's not allowed.
Hey this was very informative. Good job :)
Hi, I love your videos! If I may, why are you doing this? What does make you go through that much work and difficulties? :)
What happens when you find a worm form or something like that?
Hey Lucy, we both have similar handwriting. The difference is you are left handed and I am right. :)
Inspiring
Very inspiring
Your video is so awesome >
Is it possible to download and read your PhD thesis?
I’m in love ❤
Just wonder about the creative writing that you did. Is it scientific or just random themes?
Hey completed my masters in geology. Want to pursue Ph.d in something that is of commercial value in geology world , can provide me with jobs. Can you guide me through?
From where have you done your masters?? Pleases reply.....
You live on st Edmund's Hall? I slept there for one week during one workshop and it's a really nice place you're really lucky
It's sooo nice isn't it! I really am lucky, it's a beautiful college and they're really kind to their students
Greetings from Oxford too. Iam at Blavatnik school of Gov. would love to talk to you about productive working tips
You do so much work that can be automated and computerized like ez, ask robotic undegrad for help and you will be fine)
Thank you I decided not to do PhD, enough with master 😂😂😂😂😂😂
What are you going to do after your phd?
Goodness knows. Probably not this. Might make a video some time on that.
@@ThePhDiaries please do :) I love your videos!
liked your videos , can u help me in ftir analysis , want to deconvulate my irradiated protein samples.... if u help me in that or provide a software for that ... i will be highly thankful
I want to cry becuse i will not complet phd in that lab 😢.
great PhD Student
This is I called as healthy jobs professionals
You are very lucky
I wanna take Earth Science in Oxford for my PhD😭😭😭😭😭
Me too
I’m tired for you
I envy you your life at Oxford.
Shouldn’t you actually be working in the ‘mars sciences’ building?
Just kidding, nice video
Lucy, do you have an instagram? I am also a phd aspirant like every other viewer of this video. ... And i have got bunch of questions to ask to you related to phd... I hope i would get reply from you.
And then along comes an ancient aliens enthusiast claiming things about Mars without a scrap of evidence and people watch their videos and read their crap. Sad.