Writing a PhD During A Pandemic

2020 began as the year that everything would change for me. On the 1st January 2020, I was finally enrolled onto my PhD programme after 6 months of waiting. I was incredibly excited and couldn’t wait to get my teeth back into academia after a long break.

Just two weeks into my PhD, I was offered a role as an Associate Lecturer on the Criminology programme at UWE. I was absolutely delighted, particularly given that I was under the impression that I would not be able to commence my career in academia for at least another year. January had set the tone for the rest of the year - hard work and success. I quickly settled into the shared PhD office, meeting some incredible colleagues and peers, and began my role as an Associate Lecturer in early February.

February continued as January had. I found myself enjoying my first steps into the world of academia - delivering exciting workshops, attending interesting conferences and networking with incredible members of staff and practitioners. I was also offered a teaching role on a number of Law modules, which I found very exciting. I was earning good money in a job that I liked, and was making good progress towards the RD1 stage of my PhD.

The RD1 is the application to officially registration of your PhD project. It is comprised of a detailed research proposal. I received good feedback from my supervisors, and was looking forward to submitting in April in order to begin research for the first chapter of my PhD. I enjoyed being in the office and mingling with like-minded people, each of us going through a very unique experience together.

March set about well, and I was gaining more confidence, both in my teaching and my research. I was excited for the year ahead of me and was busy making lots of plans, both academically and in my personal life. Then Covid-19 hit. I think it’s safe to say that at first, we all believed life would go back to ‘normal’ within a few months. I had space for an ‘office’ at the back of my lounge, and quickly went about setting up a work space.

Unfortunately, my role as an Associate Lecturer was temporarily suspended. Whilst I received some marking to do at home, I was itching to kickstart my career in academic. Nevertheless, by the end of April, I had passed my RD1 and had began to engage in the research for the first chapter of my PhD. I did not mind the aspect of working from home, though I missed my colleagues and the fast-paced working environment.

April became May, May became June, June became July, and here we are nearing the end of September. I would be lying if I said that working from home during a pandemic had not been a struggle. I became incredibly unproductive, procrastinating at any given opportunity. Moving away to attend university also meant that I was unable to visit my family, who live over 170 miles away. My PhD was making little progress, but I remained calm at the thanks to the university, who offered an extension on deadlines as a result of the pandemic. Nonetheless, I was anxious and concerned about the following academic year.

Fast-forward to the end of September, and I now have an office set up in my spare room. I’ve also been offered to return to teaching in late October. I have had an incredibly productive and enjoyable week, learning how to better-manage my time and creating a healthier working environment. My PhD is making excellent progress, and I am finally feeling excited about what’s to come!

But, this is also an important time to reflect on the obstacles that the past 6 months have faced us with. Though being stuck at home, I have been able to spend time at home with my gorgeous rabbits, who were only just settling in at the start of the pandemic. I have spent precious time with my partner and my housemate, engaging in activities that we once took for granted. I have rekindled my love for reading, baking, fitness and writing - all things that most of us felt we were ‘too busy’ for in a fast-paced lifestyle.

Though the pandemic has disrupted our lives, and some have sadly lost loved ones, it’s incredible to reflect and be able to see what it has taught us.

Stay safe, everyone!