Wisdom of the crowd: DPhil advice from current students

This is what we learnt...  

1. Deciding to take the plunge is perhaps the biggest step of all:
1. 'I wished I’d applied sooner! I delayed my application (too long) for this reason or that reason but I wish I’d known a passion for my research topic was enough. The rest will follow!'
2. 'I wish I had been a tad more confident in reaching out to other current DPhils and ask how their life as a doctoral student was like. I hesitated to apply as I thought a DPhil was too much of a lonely path. Had I talked more to other DPhils I'd realised that wasn't the case.'
3. 'New place, new university, new project. Sometimes it feels like nothing makes sense.'
4. 'Much of the Oxford system won’t make sense until you’re living it. Don’t stress. Most of us are still confused.'
2. But tips for navigating life outside the DPhil can make a big difference:
1. 'That there’s this Oxford Student Swap FB Group so I didn’t have to buy a brand new bike.'
2. 'Should’ve applied for a bank account before the Orientation Day to avoid crazy long queue.'
3. 'Also if you’re a student parent of a toddler/school-age child, it’s useful to get know OFSTED before you arrive. However, most nurseries/primary schools here are rated “good”, so what really matters is the distance to work/home.'
4. 'From day 1, or perhaps even before, you’ll start hearing that question ‘What’s your DPhil about?’, so you may as well get creative. Get used to explaining your project again and again and again. Use people’s feedback – from the questions they ask to that look of excitement or dread in their eyes when you get a little over excited about your work – to rejig your story. There’s no stopping the question.'
3. Within the DPhil, seems like there’s a theme in the practical guidance our contributors had for their past selves:
1. 'Be kind to your future self by keeping your notes tidy! You probably won’t remember what you meant to say…'
2. ''Your code can never be too well documented — write every piece of code as if *someone else* is going to have to debug it! Also, learn to use git'.
3. '“I’ll remember that.” You won’t! Write it down.'
4. 'What about project planning? How will you fill the 3+ years ahead of you?'
5. 'Be honest with yourself. A fictitious timeline helps no one.'
6. 'Learn how to use the magic words: ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Opportunities will be abundant. You can’t say yes to everything. 
7. Your project will change. Be flexible.'
4. Will it just be DPhil-DPhil-DPhil?
1. 'Non-DPhil and DPhil work converge. Take time away from your project to explore. Trick is to drag yourself back to your computer when the time comes to articulate and connect all those bright ideas and revelations you’ve had whilst mind-wondering.'
5. Our contributors had lots to say on the importance of questions:
1. 'Ask questions. People don’t expect you to have all the answers.'
2. 'I wish I’d had the confidence to question things sooner. Question everything – established research, your supervisors, costs, everything. Don’t think you’re the only person who doesn’t get it, and don’t assume things. Academia is all about questioning everything!'
6. And finally, two mottos to pin above your desk/ post as your Instagram story/ recite to yourself in the mirror every morning: 
1. 'You’re not alone. Support is everywhere.'
2. 'Get it wrote not right!'

With enormous thanks to our wise and wonderful contributors: @DaniKim_02, @lhurilhuri, Jess Renzella, @R_Walms, @AlexBradley14, @becshakir and @diegojehu. This blog post would have been nothing without you!