For me, personally, starting a PhD programme seems like Pandora’s Box of secrets, the weighty lid of which excitement keeps firmly closed. Beyond these imaginings, however, the Postgraduate Research Student Induction event held over four consecutive days from Monday March 17 to Thursday March 20 provided paradisal calm. Its purpose, to introduce the rigours of academic life, the university’s pedagogical expectations, its rich research culture, and the library’s abundance of scholarly resources to attendees. Thanks to those who ran it, I now see a twinkle of light where before there were dark shadows of doubt.

As I strode through campus I stumbled across the Learning Hub and went inside. From then on the registration process proved plain sailing. Quick, efficient, and seamless for me. The warm and welcoming administrators immediately made me feel at ease. A short while later one of the facilitators came to greet us all in the atrium, his effervescent energy alleviating much of my first day nerves. It was clear from the start that everyone working on the Induction was invested in my progression to becoming a PhD candidate.

The Induction itself was full of comprehensive well-balanced overviews of essential elements, themes, and topics I will need to grapple with throughout my studies. Together with my cohort I explored the importance of research integrity, referencing, and data management and other such subjects. Each day followed a logical progression balancing presentations, workshops, and group discussions promoting periods of personal reflection and collaborative learning. The session which stood out for me most was the dreaded project presentations. Thankfully, an ethos of mutual respect, support and understanding was in the air. It was fascinating to learn about other peoples’ projects and their motivations for pursuing them.

As experienced public speakers all of the facilitators proved to be engaging in their delivery. Each captured our collective attention no matter the topic. Whether it was the Zotero reference management system or Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion for Researchers, it did not matter. The appropriate use of visuals, interactive group work and Q and A sessions proved to be extremely helpful when trying to comprehend, remember and recall key concepts that will surely later reveal themselves to be useful.

The fact that the Induction followed an in-person format rather than online or blended approach was of significant benefit to me. An in-person induction helped me to build strong bonds with my cohort. Indeed, a significant benefit from the induction was the opportunity to cultivate friendships and potential future working relationships. There were many group activities interspersed throughout each day with well-timed breaks for small talk. I had the opportunity to meet and work with everyone in my cohort at some stage on a task or while consuming coffee and biscuits.

In addition to meeting my cohort I learned who my subject specialist librarian is, the expertise of IT Services staff who I need when I just can’t get Word to work, and the fact that counselling and mental health professionals are at hand when the meltdown comes. There was also an effort to forge strong connections with current Postgraduate Reps who were further down the PhD road than myself. I now feel reassured that the academic and personal support is available to me should I have the need to cry out for help.

All in all my experience of the Postgraduate Research Student Induction was positive with my fear and foreboding abating for a short while at least. In all aspects the four days

exceeded my expectations and I left with a sense that although the road ahead will be bumpy the university has everything in place to make the journey as smooth as they are able. I would surely recommend the Induction. I am about to discover whether I would recommend pursuing a PhD.

Blog post written by: Michael Bowden