Letter Twenty-Nine: Dear Baby PhD Student

And the better relationship that stressed out, tired, brain-fried you can have with past you with all the excitement and good ideas and time on their hands who was certain you’d know exactly what they meant with this small piece of info, the better the end of the PhD experience will be.

Letter Twenty-Six: Dear Networking Nerves

Remember networking takes practice! It’s rarely something people intuitively know how to do or feel confident in doing. It’s something you try and get a feel for and can get experimental with. Keep a playful mindset with it, and do check in with yourself at the end of the evening to notice what felt good and what felt not so good. That’s information to help you at the next conference, or even the next day of the conference.

Letter Twenty-Five: Dear Color Me Confused,

When I first felt overwhelmed by the idea of research myself, I went to words. Specifically, to find a definition. Because sometimes you have to break things down into the smallest units you can and make sense in the rebuilding.

Research, in verb form, is to investigate systematically. Systematically is defined as according to a fixed plan or system; methodically. Methodically means in an orderly or systematic manner.

What reassured me at the time was all the objective appearing language of a system and order and fixed plans. Surely then research would be a process that had steps or a pathway or a rubric even. But then I arrived to a place very similar to which you appear to be writing from.

Letter Nineteen: Dear Creating an Academic Brand

The larger picture of this all is yes, I think it is important and meaningful to have yourself represented in some way online. Whether you consider that an academic brand or a personal brand or a professional social media account!