When I entered a business Ph.D. program, I did not understand what I was getting into - I was - I thought - a good writer, able to follow an academic article, & could run a few numbers.
In fact, I thought that I was better prepared because of my prior experience taking seminars in another discipline than the average incoming business Ph.D. student.
I was wrong.
In my first seminar, I quickly learned that the skillsets required to succeed in my earlier experience did not map well to my business Ph.D. program.
What was different?
Priorities - faculty values differ by field - esp. about what dependent variables matter.
Postures - some fields value qualitative & critical stances, other fields value quantitative & traditional approaches.
Styles - some fields prize exploration of broad themes, other fields have more structure, treating the first two years as a boot camp in the literature, leaving exploration for later.
Job markets - some fields offer limited opportunities, other fields offer many, with implications for topics & time horizons to completion.
Community - some fields are comprised of small, loosely connected, groups working on related topics; others have closely knit value social systems, focused on a set of methods with strong norms about acceptable topics.
I was confused. I was a trainwreck. I questioned what I had done?
Two years later, I understood the values of my new field & understood how to tell a story in a voice that "fit" the new topics/theories/methods of my community.
So how can you shorten your cycle time? To fit in? & be ready for your Ph.D.?
First, humble yourself. Everyone is smart. Everyone is well-trained. You will no longer be the smartest person in the room.
Second, open your mind. What you did in practice or your master's program will likely not map to your Ph.D. program. Take time to learn what your #faculty & your field value & study.
Third, upskill. You will need to learn new writing conventions. Identify your field's top journals. Look at papers. Ask what is the structure? What are the methods? How do they tell stories?
Fourth, write. Start writing. Write every day. Run what you write through #grammarly. Learn your errors. Fix them. Iterate until you stop making mistakes.
Note, it doesn't matter what you write about - the point here is to write early & often.
Fifth, talk. Spoken English shapes how faculty perceive your ability - to teach, write, or find a job. Even native English speakers struggle with articulating ideas. So practice.
Sixth, practice. When courses start, fundamentals will be hard to pick up. You will be busy. So train now. It will help you later.
Finally, don't forget to take a vacation. #Selfcare is important.
If you humble yourself, learn about your field, & improve your communication skills, you will find #PhD#student life easier.
Good luck. You have challenging (and fun) years ahead.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jason-thatcher-0329764_faculty-grammarly-selfcare-activity-6920392514906591232--M_u?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web
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