Quinn’s story

Quinn* is a doctoral researcher doing a part-time, online PhD. Here is their story in their own words.

*Quinn chose their own pseudonym

I think online doctoral study has impacted wellbeing in a very unexpected way. What it has done, is in the times that outside of my PhD, I have had some struggles, the flexibility, the approach having my own time, the agency that it has provided me have really benefited my wellbeing. The fact that I had that flexibility, I had that opportunity to do it in my own terms, that’s what’s been essential for me. Its allowed me to do so many other things, I am so happy that I chose this route.

I had to go back, a couple of times to my home country to get treatment. And that in itself was negative, but not because of the studies. It was something unrelated to the studies, but this is why I’m saying that it was an unexpected benefit because of the online studies, and because of the flexibility that it provided you and the agency that it provides you, then I knew, that I could deal with all that and put my attention and my focus to get better. So that’s what I mean by the negative moments that I’ve had are not academic, but the negative moments that I have, have really helped because of the programme architecture of the academic process.

The wellbeing comes from everything else that I do and how the PhD helps me with that wellbeing. For example, one of the things and activities that I do is exercise. I go to the gym, I play tennis, I go for runs. And I know that if I do that, in my own terms, then I study better, I do better, I perform better. And that’s really helpful. Why can I do that? Because I have flexibility with my PhD. If you had a full time PhD, you’re in person, you have to travel to the place, you have to do your thing, then you have to come back.  

So one of the other activities that I do that helps me with my wellbeing is actually doing the PhD itself, like doing it in my own terms, doing it in my own time, feeling that I’m being productive, feeling that I’m moving forward, feeling that things are getting done.

But the most important thing, like what’s the common denominator? What is the common denominator of all the activities that I do? Is that I have time to just switch off. I have time that is my own time.

You have the weight of your own deadlines and our own timelines you put on yourself, but I’m capable of doing that. That doesn’t give me stress or pressure, but it’s more like the fact if you had to be somewhere at a certain time, at a certain date. I guess that some of the technologies that have helped are just the flexibility of the team spaces and Moodle.

I felt very cared for. I feel very part of the community. I feel very proud to be a student of this university. And for me, it has been great. I’ve absolutely loved it. Like every person that talks to me about my online studies, I mean, amazing. I love it. There’re no complaints from my end. 

Isolation and feeling lonely, which happens to every PhD student. It doesn’t happen to me, but I’m talking from conversations that other people have had, because I don’t mind doing my own thing. But I know a lot of people that would appreciate the opportunity to speak to others, the opportunity to have that, that space to rant, to that space to know that you have people going through the same process.

This is a face-to-face human connexion conversation that I think I don’t think an AI bot could do, like to help with the loneliness, because I’m sure that’s something that universities are thinking about. Yeah, we’ll just do like an AI coach or something, but I don’t think it would have the same effect as that human conversation that you can have.

Every student and every person can certainly get better, but I don’t think it’s for everyone, and when you link this back to wellbeing, I think it comes a lot with personality. So, let’s say in my case, I’m very happy to be in my study at home, do my work. I don’t have to speak to people; I don’t need to be in a campus doing something. So, for me, online study is perfect because it really fits with my needs and what I do.

But if someone says, I need a campus, I need a routine, I need something, then it’s going to be much more difficult for you, because this is not a routine study. This is not a 9 to 5 situation.

I think one of the things that you really, really need to have a lot of discipline. If you don’t have a lot of discipline as a person, then there’s two options here. Either you would like to develop discipline by doing an online PhD, which is a big ask. But if you do have discipline, you can build your own timetables and you can build your own things, I think that’s a very important.  Discipline and motivation, those two things that can help you so that your wellbeing does not get impacted.

I think that sometimes if you’re from the same country that your supervisors are from you can also feel a bit more cared for because you’re singing from the same hymn sheet. And if you’re not then that’s where sometimes you may feel a little bit less cared for or you feel more like a number because of course international students also pay quite substantial more fees than home students. So there’s also this conversation of, am I being cared for? Am I A commodity? Am I just a number?

If you make an effort with your supervisors, if you make an effort with your online colleagues it is much more likely that you’ll feel part of a community and cared for than if you don’t or if you decide not to use all the support and all the things that are available for you.  Maybe you’ll find it a little bit more isolating and a little bit more difficult because you’re not making the most out of your online university experience. Just because you’re online, it doesn’t mean you’re not a student.

I couldn’t tell you specifically about the wellbeing services because I haven’t used them but I’m very aware of what the university has. I can always speak to my supervisor. I know those services are useful. I know how they’ve helped other people because I’ve spoken to my colleagues.

I think that what could be done differently is having more of an online community, but formalized, because a lot of the online community and things comes from like a bottom-up approach. So, it’ll be individuals that organically are making those connections, are making the effort, are making those things, but there is no real structure from a university

The other thing that I think that would be helpful for wellbeing is clarifying expectations of what online doctoral study is, because I think some people come to PhD study thinking it’s going to be structured and we’re going to have these conversations and actually the PHD process is independent

It’s as simple as having just an open space that people can join at their own time at different time zones to meet, like an online common room, that people can just go in and out and if it happens to be someone there at the same time, then you speak to that person. And if not, then you can wait or whatever it is that is useful for you.