By Dr Bochra Kouraichi
In this blog post I would like to share some reflections on how I successfully finished my PhD.
Motigraphs - I discovered this concept when I attended a talk by Dr Kathryn Sidaway as part of the Warwick Applied Linguistics Seminar Series (link to publication). I loved the idea but I didn’t use it for any of my studies. Instead, I did it myself to track my PhD journey. After my first meeting with Prof. Ema Ushioda, I emailed her saying: “Were I to draw a motigraph of my PhD journey, meeting you would be the highest point!”. She kindly replied that she hoped he highest point would be when I finish my PhD. At a first glance, I wasn’t sure if I’d reach that point and how to feel about it. I decided to keep cherishing that joy of our meeting and use it as a drive to continue the journey. The curves in my motigraph depended very much on meeting big names in language motivation research, meeting fellow members of this group at conferences, and winning conference grants.
Find your tribe - Last September, I came across the book “How to write a lot” and felt so blessed when I got to Chapter 4 about the importance of joining a writing group. Throughout the previous fall semester, I made sure I regularly attended the weekly co-working sessions. I looked forward to every Wednesday afternoon to share my progress, grumble and get reassured that I was not alone. It served as a support group of PhD students at different stages of their journey – data analysis, manuscript writing, and literature review. We could connect, check in on each other’s progress, and celebrate achievements from different time zones.
Embrace self-care - At WICAL 2022, I attended a workshop presented by Dr Wang Zi entitled ‘You look too happy to be a PhD student’- Some autoethnographic reflections. In moments of doubt, I would go back to the slides she shared and feel comforted that we shared similar challenges. In her experience, journaling was very helpful. I would say: Let your non-academic passions fuel your academic research. During a research visit, when Covid messed up my research plans, joining a knitting community helped me find the energy to come up with another plan to collect data.
Writing is daunting- do it alongside a passion - As the submission deadline approached, I reached out to a friend who had already graduated, seeking some advice. My friend’s suggestion was to cut back on cooking and baking and allocate more time to writing. I was hesitant about following this advice. I thought that prioritizing writing would only increase my anxiety about the looming deadline, and I wasn't ready to give up on the joy I found in my kitchen after a long library day. Trying new recipes, and sharing photos of my culinary creations was immensely fulfilling to me. Even on those days when I struggled to meet my word count goals, I could still find satisfaction and celebrate my culinary achievements.
Beyond the PhD – what you bring to the table - Your PhD is your project in which you invested so much of your life. In academia and beyond academic research, we are humans first and foremost. There’s more at play at conferences and other academic event than just research output. People will remember your personality, your background, your personal experiences more than your statistical results. I will always remember that after my viva, the director of my doctoral program approached me and said “Bochra, I haven't had such good food in a long time!”. I am glad I left the PhD program with that lasting impression besides a degree with the highest distinction. In the week leading up to my viva, I made a deliberate effort to distract myself with preparations for a buffet. All attendees left not only with full stomachs and happy faces, all thanks to what I had brought to the table(s).
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