Two months ago, on 8th April 2020 (haha), I received my 1+3 ESRC DTP studentship!!!

That time has gone so fast and I feel I ought to be more productive going forward.


Does anyone have any advice on how best to prepare, tips, things you wish you'd known, any advice going into this journey?


Some general things I’ve got on my to-do list are:

1) Create a Gantt Chart roughly planning out the next 4 years, and research when the milestones should be.
2) Read the ‘It’s a PhD, not a Nobel Prize’ paper (jotted it down when Tudor Queen mentioned it previously)
3) Email course representative-person asking about the social science research training masters, as there is little to no info about the course online :(

Congrats on the PhD! You must be so relieved.

My advice, relax before you start. You don't need to do much before you start and you will need the break, as 4 years is a long time. Also, at the start of a PhD read as broadly as you can. Understanding the broader field helps you understand your research topic.

Thank you for the advice rewt!!