Just the Right Place

Originally published in the Scotsman.

A wonderful time at the department Christmas party has reminded me just how fortunate I am. Last year, while searching for a place to do my PhD, I saw a lot of departments where I imagine my experience would have been far less than wonderful. As with any occupation, colleagues and culture are just as important as the actual work. In theory, I could do the same PhD at any university in the world. In reality, I had to find just the right place.

With a vague idea for a project, I scoured the websites of universities across Scotland, looking for suitable supervisors. I soon discovered that even the most perfect fit on paper meant nothing if personalities did not mesh. In one department I visited, I was treated like a burden, as if I was wasting their time. My ideas were summarily dismissed, and I felt like an idiot for even thinking about a PhD. At the end of that meeting, I was invited to submit an application – imagine that! They expected me to pay good money to be a whipping-girl.

Another potential supervisor looked like she was sucking on a lemon. She obviously thought she was doing me a favour, just by meeting with me. But with narrowed eyes and a scowl, she made me feel I was apologising for some horrible transgression, rather than sharing ideas I was passionate about. How could anyone voluntarily choose to work with such a mean supervisor? I felt bad for her students, and almost ran down the stairs when I left.

A third woman was friendly enough, but the far-off look in her eye during our meeting indicated she didn’t have the slightest interest in what I was saying. She offered vague advice about how to write an application, and wished me luck. But as a new PhD student, I didn’t need luck so much as I needed practical help – and if a supervisor wasn’t willing to look over my application before I submitted it, how could I expect any support during three long years of a PhD?

The reception I got from potential supervisors in my current department could not have been more different. At a very early stage in the process, I was shown around the department, introduced to lecturers, and treated to a long conversation about what a PhD entails. Later, my ideas were enthusiastically embraced. At a spirited meeting, two of my three current supervisors helped me flesh out a good proposal, and offered help and support with the application process if I needed it. There was a sense of respect, that they were interested in having me around – and in the end, that’s what won me over more than any kind of prestige or reputation.

I shouldn’t be surprised. I first heard about this department through the Centre for Human Ecology, where I did my master’s. The CHE attracts creative, visionary people who want to change the world, and the course helped us find our own unique paths to do so. To an outside observer, teaching methods at the CHE might seem strange – where else do you get bonfires on the beach, singing, and wilderness experiences as part of an MSc? But the unconventional elements provided a refreshing counterweight to the more traditional exams, essays, and mountains of reading.

CHE now has a partnership with my department, and while the unconventional practices are left to the human ecologists, the spirit of radicalism and optimism is the same. Which means I get to do my PhD surrounded by positive, politically savvy, brilliant people – cause for celebration indeed.