Let the discovery begin!
WELCOME to the St Andrews PGR Community, we love to have you on board. Whether you have already arrived in-person to our wee town on the banks of the North Sea, or are currently studying remotely, let us repeat to you once more, as you have probably heard quite a few times by now: congratulations! Your hard work and thirst for knowledge, which brought you to our beloved university, are seen. And your drive to commit the coming year(s) to academic discovery is meaningful and deeply inspiring to those around you. As C.S. Lewis famously stated, “education is only the most fully conscious of the channels whereby each generation influences the next”, so the task lying ahead of you is urgent and noble.
As the academic year progresses, our CEED (Centre for Educational Enhancement and Development) Team and fellow students and alumni will in this blog posts series bring to you some information, reflections, and inspirations, which might help you along the way. They will share with you their experiences and skills – and you are cordially invited to use this space to also share yours with others. Such space – a space that would keep you informed about possibilities you might not have known the university offered, or experiences you might not have known you shared with others – will be a joyful addition to your Scottish academic experience – believe us!
The main sections you might come across here over the coming weeks and months, which will alter in frequency throughout the year, are:
- Knowledge section: from this section you will learn more about our upcoming workshops and courses offered as a form of support to PGR students new and old. Keep your eyes wide open, as some opportunities are sure to be referenced here you did not yet know about!
- Skills section: here you will learn about the transition into the PGR community, finding some useful resources. This section will cover topics such as: making networks and welcoming conversations, getting involved, planning for the year ahead, developing academic and leadership skills, forming wise influence and impact, and else.
- Experience section: from this section you will learn about your fellow students’ and alumni’ experiences, as well as about some funding opportunities, internships, fellowships and international projects. So that you can be sure to make most of your experience in St Andrews!
- Inspiration section: finally, tips for staying focused, keeping balance, managing learning difficulties, time and space well will hopefully come in handy. We will also reference some recent conferences and presentations on academic skills and education, which seem of particular novelty or relevance to the PGR experience.
In all that (which by now should sound very tempting for you to read, doesn’t it?), we are looking for contributions from PGR students and alumni! If there is something you wish you would have known when you were first starting your studies, or something you discovered or learnt and found particularly useful and interesting – this is your chance to shine and help fellow students. We would like to invite you to submit brief c.100-words abstracts for these blog entries. We are looking into c.400-600-words-long contributions from PGR students and alumni alike. As mentioned above, the blog will focused on postgraduate experience, skills able to enrich it, and inspirations for the future careers. The contributions may regard, but not be limited to articles about ways of approaching study, preparing for exams, taking care of your wellbeing and staying focused, sharing about GRADskills workshops already attended, or extracurricular opportunities found in St Andrews. If you are interested please email: [email protected]
CEED is so excited to hear from you and have you with us on this journey!
“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can (…)”―
Selected GRADskills highlights you should consider in the coming weeks to support your academic skills (researching, writing, publishing, communicating):
- Funny research: Bright Club stand-up comedy workshop, Friday 23 September 2022.
- The writing process: getting started, Wednesday 28 September 2022.
- Research data: why, when and how to publish them, Friday 30 September 2022. Also happening: Monday 17 October 2022.
- Getting and staying organised for success, Monday 3 October 2022.
- Writing a literature review in the Arts, Tuesday 4 October 2022.
- Careers beyond research: applying your skills outside academia, Thursday 6 October 2022.
- Attracting your own research funding: writing and applying for fellowships, Thursday 6 October 2022.
- Finding your (public engagement) voice, Thursday 6 October 2022.
- Posters and graphical abstracts: how to present your science visually, Friday 7 October 2022.
- Positive habits for your doctorate: Managing your time and wellbeing, Friday 7 October 2022.
- Writing well: coherence, structure and argumentation, Tuesday 11 October 2022.
- Communicating your research, Wednesday 12 October 2022.
- Publish or perish: academic publishing in a nutshell, Friday 14 October 2022.
- How to be your own best editor, Tuesday 18 October 2022.
As the busy period of research becomes intense, don’t forget to take care of your wellbeing:
- Student Mental Health Toolkit: for teaching and research staff, Thursday 13 October 2022.
And why not enhance these IT skills along the way?
- Endnote and Endnote web: an introduction, Thursday 6 October 2022.
- Software Carpentry 2 day workshop: Shell/Git/Python, Wednesday 19 October 2022 to Thursday 20 October 2022.
See you there!