The transition from a taught MSc programme to autonomous PhD research can feel slightly overwhelming, and as much as students can be provided with information and resources to help with this transition, nothing compares to hearing from those who have actually lived it.

Each year the newest Cohort to join the AgriFoRwArdS CDT come together in an online student-led session to hear from those who have already started their PhD. The event gives a brief look into the transition to PhD life at each of the three universities, and allows our students to share thoughts and experiences with each other and to support each other through this process.

During the session Students had the opportunity to ask questions of their fellow students, and even learnt things they didn’t know they needed to know!

“The students running the session had prepared questions themselves, so once all of our questions had been answered, they continued with a quick-fire few minutes of answering their own questions. This was useful as we don’t know what we don’t know, and did not think to ask some of the questions they answered for us.”

One of the key takeaway’s from the session seemed to be the positive impact our PhD Supervisors have on student’s experience of the PhD.

“I realised how it is normal to feel intimidated by other published research and how we are not expected to produce work of that level right away. The supervisor will help guide us throughout our first year and we’ll drive the direction of the project more independently later.”

Thank you to all our PhD students who engaged with this session to provide support for their fellow students.