Being a research student

What lifestyle can you expect?

Research is essentially about discovery and new knowledge. This is how a research degree differs fundamentally from a taught one. You need to accept that you will spend a lot of time barking up the wrong tree so perseverance and motivation are all-important when pursuing a research postgraduate study.Being a research student, your relationship with your supervisor is also fundamental. With this in mind, it is important to make a good choice. The role of your supervisor is to ‘manage’ your project, keep it on track, edit your thesis, select your external examiner and will, of course, be your referee. Your supervisor will also be a mentor, introduce you to their network of contacts and, as time goes on, attend relevant meetings and conferences.If you don’t meet people through your subject, there are a few other ways to make contact. It is very important to avail of whatever mechanisms exist or which are being developed, to help bring postgraduate students together, be it at department or graduate student union level.Developing a network of useful contacts and remaining motivated is critical to a research student. Treating the project as a job, planning your tasks and sticking to them from the outset will be vital for you to do so within the expected timeframe and before the funding runs out.