Life as a PhD Student | The Halfway Point

[@nhabib114]

Learning about English educational environment. I go to school in Houston Texas. Love the way you share specifics of being in advanced studies. Thanks.

[@InfiniteText]

you are so inspiring

[@juliequick5526]

I’ve said it before, but I’ll repeat it, you will be the Brian Cox of the Classical world! Mary Beard is wonderful, Natalie Haynes is funny and wonderfully imaginative, but you are honing in on the complete package. IMO you have a charisma that will propel you beyond the achievements of these very talented ladies. Thank you for inspiring me to look at ancient works and see beyond their fusty exteriors 🤓

[@sharniephillpott9922]

I also study at the University of Wolverhampton! I am in my second year of Mental Health Nursing. You are doing incredible!

[@AscenettStefanie]

Hi! Thank you for the content you are publishing. I start my PhD in September via Distance Learning full-time and videos like yours encourage me. Thanks! And good luck! You got this!

[@psmith207]

Hi Jean, Brave of you to put yourself out there. You should be proud of yourself.

[@joannecarnevale7737]

I've only joined your channel in 2018, but will follow your progress through to completion. Continued "mazel tov" wishes as you proceed.

[@JeansThoughts]

Thank you ^_^

[@phillipedwin2833]

..Halfway home - WOW!! Congratulations, & sensational video!!

[@rosemannering]

I find your phd journey so interesting and inspiring, thank you for sharing 😊

[@OpheliaVert]

I am loving your podcast and it's so great to hear about your progress. How do you find doing your PhD part-time? Thank you for sharing!

[@JeansThoughts]

I mean it's so dependent on circumstance but I am so glad I did my PhD part-time. I'd be graduating next year if I'd done it full-time which is unimaginable to me aha. Various reasons though, I like being able to do things other than my PhD, I like giving my mind a break from the harrowing nature of my topic and practically speaking given that I spent most of last year caring for my dad and all of the grief I've experienced since, not having the pressure of being full-time has been much better.

[@anettebecker1659]

Your topic is fascinating! All the best for the rest of your Phd. I'm sure you'll be great! 🙂

[@JeansThoughts]

Thanks a lot :)

[@eileensc6189]

Found you through your wonderful podcast and have also been loving your book recommendations! I’m also hoping to start a PhD next year so hearing some first hand accounts of the experience is great. Wishing you all best of luck with it! 💪🏼

[@JeansThoughts]

Aw thank you so much!

[@smitamehta9755]

Show us your Classical books. Would also be interested in knowing how you do research? Research cards/stationary etc.

[@thefrancophilereader8943]

A 5-6 year PhD is the norm in the US. Many people take longer than that. The reason being that we have to take courses for 2-3 years. Good luck on your first defense!

[@JeansThoughts]

Yeah in the U.K. you start your undergrad with a far more narrower focus than in the US as well so that continues :)

[@JustCallMeMrsDarcy]

Good luck with your interview! 💕

[@KittyAndTheBooks]

This is so interesting but at the same time gives me so much anxiety about my own PhD project. xD I am trying to ignore all of that for a week now before I go down that rabbit hole again but yeah... it's stressful and hard work and still the best job in the world. I think I do love teaching best as well, all the publishing aspects of it still scare the hell outta me.

[@TommyRogic18]

Exact same feedback regarding a lack of assertiveness! Oh my God I’ve heard that so many times and still the British apologetic streak comes out whenever I’m writing. You’re definitely not alone there. Also, do you think assertiveness and style in general is promoted enough in an undergrad degree? The feedback I’ve had from MA up has so much more focus on style. Now you’re teaching your own undergrads do you pick their essay styles apart? Congrats for reaching the halfway mark. You’ve done amazingly and are an inspiration to all of us plugging away.

[@Xenu]

This video warmed my heart. Congrats on your upcoming publication in the academic anthology. So happy to see a fellow nerd go so far. :-) Good luck with your interview next month! Now that you're writing on Helen of Troy does this mean you'll be giving "The Iliad" another try? I've always been curious to hear more about your experience as a teacher but I also wonder whether you prefer to keep your work/KZbinr worlds separate.

[@maryap8821]

Hi Jean! Do you have published essays available online that I could read? I'm very interested in classics and would love to read something written by you. Good luck on your PhD!

[@JeansThoughts]

I have a short article published on the dangerous women's project - it's meant to be accessible so it's not necessarily as lengthy or in-depth as I would write for a journal but it might be of interest :) dangerouswomenproject.org/2016/09/15/philomela-procne/

[@maryap8821]

@@JeansThoughts thank you very much!! :)

[@samantha.irenes]

Talking about assertiveness in writing culturally was so interesting! I'm an American, and I was taught at an early age that if you don't think your writing is vitally important and necessary then it isn't, and that that assertiveness needs to come across in the prose itself. I guess I thought that's how it was taught everywhere but of course upon reflection that sounds SO American lol. As your topic got more narrow, did you ever feel like you were getting locked in too much, or was it nice to have more of a focus?

[@JeansThoughts]

It's super interesting isn't it. I definitely don't feel locked in, if anything there remains an endless amount of stuff to talk about in my thesis. If I talked about more broad history it would end up vague and lack analysis. I can also research different topics in the future ^_^

[@irum9264]

This is great! Very helpful as I am considering a PhD, just in science rather than humanities. How do you balance your reading of stuff for your course versus stuff for fun like fiction? Love this video btw!

[@JeansThoughts]

I mean at the end of the day you have to take breaks, you have to take care of yourself, do things you enjoy and give your mind a rest - for me that's reading ^_^.

[@mohankashyap3534]

Nice video about PhD,

[@stardust5379]

When time travel happens soon, who in ancient Greece will you be interviewing for your primary sources. It would be interesting to see who you would invite to your feast including gods, playrights etc. Would you have Centaurs, Lapiths etc. What piece of literature would you bring back? Something fun to think about this hogmenay

[@JeansThoughts]

I mean Demosthenes is my major source so in that regard him but honestly I want to actually talk to some women and see what they thought! I'd also love some texts written by women or some more law codes.

[@JeansThoughts]

Oh and the rest of Sophocles' Tereus which only survives in fragments aha.

[@cupofjae]

New friend here! I'm considering going back to school to obtain a graduate degree/PhD in Classics with hopes to become a professor. Currently, I'm struggling with all the negativity about the job market and the politics in academia. How do you battle that moving through your coursework? Is this something you've worried about?

[@dr.apoorvabhatnagar9262]

Can you give some tips on how you keep up with literature review?

[@annalisaslibrary]

I really find researching sexual assault very draining, too, so when I have been looking into it for a while for various reasons I find it important to take breaks, too.

[@emmaletham6514]

Do you sometimes find it difficult to find research materisals for such a specific topic? Also, the assertivenes is a struggle, I'm only just applying for a degree in social sciences/the humanities and constantly feel people's judgement and the need to justify my choice, ugh🙄 all the best to you!😊

[@fionapassiadou3326]

Was your masters a taught or a research degree?

[@JeansThoughts]

Taught :)

[@fionapassiadou3326]

Jean Bookishthoughts thaanks!! I was told that you cant get a phd with a taught masters but they were obviously wrong haha