PhD blog: 6 | Prospects.ac.uk

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Coping (or not) with deadlines

‘I love deadlines,’ wrote Douglas Adams. ‘I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.’ If only I could harness some of that joy, because, for the first time ever, I have missed quite a few deadlines. But let me tell you about the one I almost missed. I have been applying for the Wingate Foundation’s Scholarship. It’s another act of begging, on my part, that is disguised as earning money. The deadline for this was 1st February, and I only realised how close this was yesterday. I had been working on it in a leisurely way, prodding it with a fork, so to speak. But yesterday was a frenzied flurry of form-filling (yes, that again) and panic. I managed to send it in the late afternoon, just before I had to scurry to work – this time in an off licence (the glamour!).

The Wingate Foundation is well worth a look. They offer scholarships for postgraduate study, and grants for individuals pursuing a creative project. They do have a slight preference for creative individuals, but will judge an academic proposal on its merits. The guidelines, however, are pages and pages long, and must be followed to the letter, a very difficult thing to do when you are trying to make the last post of the day, whilst still trying to write the proposal, calculate how much money you actually want and chase people willing to give you a reference. I just hope my application is all in order…

You can read more about The Wingate Foundation at www.wingate.org.uk, but be aware that this year’s deadline has now passed.

Solo voyager

I met with my Director of Studies the other day. He set me some more deadlines, which are now edging closer, threatening to whoosh by and leave me feeling absolutely wretched. But one of the jobs of a DoS is to help structure your work, and mine is doing an excellent job. It’s daunting, when you first start a PhD, to have that one massive deadline three (or, in my case, four) years down the line. There’s nothing else. No essays to hand in, no exams to take, no classes to attend (except the ones you are teaching). It’s a solo sailing trip around the world. Every PhD student is Dame Ellen MacArthur, going quietly mad as the saltwater laps at the side of their vessel. So thank God for that one radio link back to civilisation, the DoS. They ask to see work, set deadlines, suggest books to read, and generally act as your navigator. And they also tell you about begging, sorry, funding opportunities. That’s if you get a good one. I have heard reports of students cursing their DoS to high Heaven while they are floundering on a particularly rocky coastline (I think I’ve pushed this metaphor as far as it will go).

I’m lucky. Every meeting with my DoS motivates me. Last time I confided that I was struggling to start my huge task. He suggested I concentrate on a few books, and write a close reading of them, more like an essay than a chapter of a mammoth thesis. This has worked, to a certain extent. I feel the work is approachable now, but I just need to get sorted and do it. The deadline is very close…

That brings me to another deadline: the registration form that has been hanging over my head since September. I am now in a position to fill it in and my DoS wants to see a draft. It’s a wonder that any PhD student has even read a book, let alone involved themselves with hardcore research!

Having worked as a freelance writer and magazine editor, I’m used to deadlines and I actually thrive on them. Lately though, minutes are seconds and hours are minutes. Time has shrunk. I wonder if this is a common complaint with the PhD student, or if it’s just me. Maybe I should do a survey. Or would that just be another drain on my already limited time?

Oh – In case you are wondering. Yes, I did miss the deadline for this piece too. I think I’m turning into a vile slacker…

Read Graham's previous blogs:

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