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A day in the life of a typical PhD student...

Coffee, reading, and the occasional breakthrough.

9.30am Go to the Uni café and obtain a much-needed coffee. Get waylaid by a friend who wants to know “how’s the PhD going?” Struggle to answer such a huge and problematic question while completely un-caffeinated. Escape gracefully, down the coffee, and head to your desk.

10am Answer emails (except the one about “where is that chapter we talked about” from your supervisor.)

10.15am Another coffee. Delicious!

11am There’s a tutorial to lead! Time to help shape the minds of the undergrads. Nourishing the lives of the intellectuals of the future is really rewarding!

11.05am No-one has done the reading. Students are gently berated. (And hey, they have some great original thoughts once the discussion really gets going.)

12pm Lunch time! Catch up with other postgrads at the Uni café for food and more coffee. Discuss being an undergrad and not doing the reading. Agree those were the days. Bemoan all the reading you have to do.

12.45pm Back to the office for some much-needed reading of research papers.

2pm Reading and highlighting, highlighting, highlighting…would it be easier to just highlight the parts that aren’t important? Consider entirely new thesis on how the brain processes illuminated information.

2.30pm Head to Faculty kitchen. Survey the varieties of herbal tea on offer. What exactly is oolong? And should hibiscus really be in a tea? Consider entirely new thesis on the effects of herb-based drinks. Choose coffee.

2.35pm Quick meeting with supervisor who helps you through a tricky research question you keep thinking about. Brain feels clearer. Yes!

3pm Remember why you really, really love researching this topic…and why you love learning at a higher level where you can get really absorbed in it.

3.30pm Overtaken with sudden inspiration, create several pages of research GOLD. Reread while having another coffee, and send through the edited material to your supervisor, filled with a glow of accomplishment.

4.20pm Pack up laptop and bag, say goodbye to everyone, and think “yep it was a good day.”

Embark on an amazing learning journey. Start your research degree at the University of Tasmania.