Sitting here, working out what first line could possibly start a year's worth of blogging, I have realised that it is very much like when I sat in the same chair working out what possible first line could start my PhD thesis.
It was at this point that someone mentioned to me that you always start from the middle of a thesis and work backwards and forwards at the same time. It seemed like a strange concept at first but I gave it a go, meaning that my first line read something like "the graph below proves that the initial hypothesis of a proportional relationship was correct."
Disregarding the fact that I had not written down an initial hypothesis at this point it certainly made it easier to start. Can I apply the same rule to this blog? Well I'm going to give it a go.
I started my PhD one year ago pretty much to the day, a lot has happened in a year and while I hope to convey what is happening on a day-to-day basis I also hope to get across just how much has happened in my first year of study.
I can safely say at this point that a PhD has been the right choice for me, it doesn't work for everybody but I have thoroughly enjoyed it so far and I am very happy with my progress. Keep checking back to see how I am getting on and how I coped entering the world of academic research.
About Me
- Paul Youngson
- I am in my second year of a PhD at Salford University studying Chemical Vapour Deposition in the Institute of Materials Research. I had offers from a number of Universities but decided to study at Salford because of the freedom to chose my own research path and the excellent links with industry. My Undergraduate degree was a MEng in Chemical Engineering at UMIST and a postgraduate MSc in Polymer Materials Science and Engineering at Manchester University. I spent one year working as a safety case consultant within the nuclear industry to gain industrial experience prior to starting my PhD.
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