Contemplating what’s next after your PhD? Go to GRADschool
Issue: Biogeography
27 August 2013 article
For more than 10 years, Vitae have run a highly regarded intensive 3-day residential practical learning and development programme for PhD students called GRADschool. Here is why you should attend!
GRADschool is designed to make you think about you – your strengths, your weaknesses, your aspirations, your life outside a PhD. It is about getting to better understand your professional skills, and using that knowledge to think more deeply about how it might affect your future career choices.
In addition to the Vitae-run GRADschools (the next Vitae GRADschool takes place 22–25 October 2013 in Windermere), many universities also run in-house GRADschools. Find out if your institution (or a nearby one) runs a GRADschool that you can attend.
To support our student members to make informed choices about their next career step, the Society offers grants to contribute the full course fees of a Vitae GRADschool. Two grant recipients from 2012 describe their experience at GRADschool and what they learned about themselves.
Emma Trantham
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
Third-year clinical veterinary science PhD student studying carriage of Campylobacter in chickens
'I’m really grateful to the Microbiology Society for funding my place on the GRADschool. It was a great experience and I can barely contain my enthusiasm (or my wildly gesticulating arms!) when I speak to people about it.
GRADschool isn’t about showcasing every single type of career that is on offer, it’s about finding out your own strengths and weaknesses and using this knowledge to help with your decision-making.
'Over the 3 days we were given a series of tasks to do – some were obviously relevant (like interview practice), but I didn’t fully appreciate the purpose of some (like climbing trees and ropes at Vertical Air) until I reflected on them later. For me, the most helpful aspect of GRADschool was that it clarified the values that are important to me (I found that previously I had mostly just assumed what was important to me and not spent an awful lot of time thinking about it). It also made me feel more motivated about my PhD and better able to handle getting it finished.
'Tip for 2013 attendees: It really will be as exhausting as they say it will be!'
Rachel Roberts
UNIVERSITY OF READING
Third-year soil science PhD student studying Rhizobium diversity and green manure
'Not to sound corny, but everything about GRADschool was useful! There was a lot of group work where we told each other what we thought (in a constructive and helpful way!). This included a ‘mock interview’ session where I was interviewed by my group for a job I would have applied for in real life and then given some amazing feedback. I learned that I appear confident even when I don’t feel it (my group thought my ideal job would be presenting Gardener’s World!).
GRADschool improved my confidence enormously and I am now much more likely to apply for positions that will really challenge me.
'Before the course I had written a list of what I want to do when I finish my PhD, which included science policy, science communication, charity work and postdoc-ing, or some combination of the above! After GRADschool I’m not any clearer on what I want to do, but I am much more aware of what my skills are, and am much better able to look at job adverts objectively and see if I’m likely to be right for them – and them for me. I’ve realised that my job prospects are actually far broader than I initially thought, and that traits I’ve sometimes seen as weaknesses can be turned into strengths.
‘There is a lot of opportunity for self-development, but it really is up to you how to use that!’
Karen McGregor, SGM
Email: [email protected].