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Starting a PhD in Australia as an International student
Starting a PhD in Australia as an International student
Australia has evolved its own system of PhD study. Much like Australia's culture, it is a combination of the English model and the American model, with a stronger influence from Britain. As a result an Australian PhD has no required coursework, no thesis defense and lasts anywhere between 3 and 6 years (with an average of four). New PhD applicants should be aware that this is changing, and Australian universities are slowly moving toward a more American system, with some universities adopting the thesis defense and coursework requirements. Be sure to check because the requirements depend greatly on the university with a loose trend that the more prestigious the university, the more they are adopting the American model. So far, changes to course structure only occur to new PhD students, so that if you start a PhD, any changes to occur later will not affect you.
The largest single factor deciding one's experience in a PhD degree is the student's supervisor. Their role is to guide the young person to change from a student, to a researcher. From my experience, there are four types of supervisors. The way they work should be obvious from a meeting with them, I suggest choosing the type of supervisor that would help you become the researcher you want to be, considered along with what your career will require.
Types of supervisors
The hands off supervisor believes that the PhD should be student driven. This supervisor will not give you a direction nor motivation, instead he will simply help you if you are stuck. This supervisor seems optimal to most new students, because they represent the romantic view of a PhD, a student's journey to discover something unique. A word of warning, the work involved in research is often monotonous, time consuming and stressful and a student with a hands off supervisor spend more time stuck and without motivation than other students. However, the experience breeds great self determination, and the student often gets the opportunity to, spend time with students from different disciplines and experiment with other ideas.
The slave driver is a supervisor that takes total control of the student's experience. This leads to quite a stressful and busy life for the student, but will often result in a PhD done on time and with a significant number of papers published. These students usually evolve a strong work ethic, but will often find themselves lost in a job where they have more freedom. It may seem like such a strict boss may reduce the student's enjoyment of science, but it can actually aid enjoyment. The thing is research can be boring, the only respite from this are the fantastic feelings of discovery, which only come after grueling work, something a slave driver generates with great efficiency.
The mother bird is what I call the supervisor who consciously tries to be the happy medium of the two above. Often they are part of a small research group who does everything together. The group will go on conferences together, work in the same room and have lunch together. The positives are that the student has a comfortable PhD experience with sufficient papers by the end. The negatives can be that the experience is too comfortable. The student meets no one from other disciplines, social opportunities are reduced and self determination suffers.
The paper machine is an increasingly common PhD supervisor. This professor (it is very often a professor) often has what I refer to as a conveyor belt' system of supervision. Often with over ten or more PhD students, the paper machine provides precisely the required supervision for each student to allow them to move forward. The students generate many papers that all align with the supervisor's well engineered research agenda. It is an impressive efficient system resulting in students well-versed in research. However, self determinism can suffer and the feeling of being another cog in the paper machine' can disabuse many students of the romantic view of science they once held.
Staying passionate about your degree
Which brings me to an important aspect of the Australian PhD experience (which may be shared with other countries), the real risk of becoming disillusioned with the experience of doing actual research. This thankless, repetitive, work involved in research is often at odds with the romantic scientist searching for the truth' that students love. I want the reader to know that these two things are not at odds. Indeed hard work, research dead ends and the bureaucracy are compatible with the romantic scientific searching for the truth' so long as the encouraging process of work work being rewarded is honored. It needs to be honored by the supervisor, in that the supervisor needs to reward work done by the student and ensure the student is always moving forward, and the process needs to be honored by the student by buckling down and doing the work when required. So long as both do their jobs (and it is important to note that all the supervisors above can honour this process).
Staying sane
Of course all this hard work on behalf of the student can lead to problems. Lack of social interaction and basically, keeping sane. Of course, keeping sane is also compatible with hard work and a love of science, so long as the student takes time out to enjoy social activities. It seems condescending to tell people to be more social, but in reality, some PhD students feel so pressured to work and to get results, that they go to extremes like working 16 hour days, sleeping in their office and overdosing on coffee. Don't be afraid to fight for days off or free time, these things are part of keeping you sane and holding on to your love of research.
The main benefit of Australian universities
This is where Australian universities really shine. Australian universities are much more laid back, relaxed places than universities of other countries. The student refers to her supervisor by their first name, and active social activities like sport are very common and supported by supervisors as healthy additions to the PhD experience. The number one benefit of Australia is that Australian supervisors are more likely to accept a freer working arrangement. A common Australian supervisor attitude is so long as the work gets done, I don't care how you do it', and all of the supervisor types above can believe this. This opinion allows the freedom of time that staying sane demands, and the continual progress that success requires. Bangladesh vs South Africa, ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Live Score Card Check your tyres before you holiday trip Saving money while studying in Australia, a guide for Australians and International students Himachal holiday packages: true glory of nature International students: one of Australia's biggest exports Safety in Australia following attacks on Indian students The culture of an Australian university, and the problems international students may face How to maximise your grades when studying in an Australian university Malaysia Top Places to Visit with Malaysia Package Tours Finding Nemo at the London Aquarium To Buy Or Not To Buy A Franchise Golfing Placing Tips: Getting Is More Crucial Than Traveling Watch Bangladesh Vs South Africa Cricket World Cup 19th March Live Stream