The underlying motives for my application to LSE last winter were curiosity and determination: the willingness to ask questions and the resolve to find answers. In my PhD journey thus far, these qualities have been the focal pillars I’ve been relying on, while also building new skills, to help me progress. Often times, I’ve heard from people who’ve successfully earned their doctorates about how their research journey was life transforming. I’ve tried to keep my eyes peeled for when those effects would start to show up for me. I wanted to find the exact moments when the shifts happened, when the switches were turned, when the new patterns emerged, just so that I could feel how real it is. But it turns out, the PhD experience prefers to sneak up on you slowly rather than announce its impact with a show and display. And so those exact moments of change slip in quietly, ever so elusive and yet, their effects are very much experienced, felt and lived.

Intellectual humility

When you get deeply involved in your research, spend enormous amounts of time developing your ideas, read copiously about your topic, it’s easy to feel like you know it well. But the point of research is that one can never know it all too well. And so, intellectual humility is essential to the process of learning and research. For me, it means two things: admitting I do not know when that is the case and being receptive to new perspectives. I started to hone this important life skill since my initial weeks at LSE. Departmental seminars and meetings with my supervisors have been instrumental in the learning of this. It has helped me communicate better, ask for guidance when I need it, and connect with people.

Appreciation for challenge

At the outset of the PhD, it is common to have big ideas and a huge vision for what you’re trying to achieve from this endeavour. However, as work catches up, the bigger picture becomes hazy, relegated into the background. Sometimes, to the extent that we forget that pursuing a PhD is actually a stimulating and exciting challenge. At every step of the way, there are multiple concerns that require decision-making, problem-solving and other skills for your progress. In my case, reminding myself periodically of the challenges I’ve navigated and reflecting upon my progress has been key. Chatting with my peers and discussions with my supervisors have been an important resource in building this skill. They reinvigorate my ability to deal with upcoming challenges, make me think harder about my work and, most importantly, help me learn new things.

Patient diligence

Typically, PhD projects begin with the aim of solving some crucial real-world problems. Bringing about change with real impact is hardly ever an easy task. In fact, engaging in such a challenge is often arduous and riddled with several complications that require efficient navigation. Achieving that is possible only with patience and perseverance. It can be overwhelming sometimes to deal with hassles, change approaches midway through projects, find creative ways to solve a recurring problem. However, these are inherent elements of pursuing a PhD and are crucial to making the journey an inspiring intellectual challenge. This is a skill that I’m still learning but I’m confident that I’ll be much better at it towards the end of my PhD.

These are some very important life skills that my PhD has already taught me. Every experience with the LSE ecosystem in some way has shaped my development. Whether it be the weekly seminars to exchange ideas or quietly troubleshooting analysis-related issues in the library or presenting my work to an audience, the PhD experience at LSE helps me grow subtly each day. And it leaves me with these imprints that I’ll be carrying into the rest of my life.