A Week in the Life of a PhD Student in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

My name is Haya Ali Genawi, and I am a PhD student in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Liverpool. This blog post is a Monday-to-Friday ‘week in my life’ as a PhD student. My PhD is in English; specifically, I am researching depictions of women’s hunger and denial in late nineteenth-century literature, and looking at how these impact ideas of Victorian femininity and social class.

Being in the first year of my studies, I have spent the last several months working out which routine works best for me. I keep a study journal to record my progress and remember any questions that come to mind whilst writing. My laptop calendar is also my best friend when it comes to keeping track of everything!

As spring is here, we have had some lovely weather recently. The brighter days lift my mood and make me appreciate going on long walks, especially when I need a mental break from studying. I love seeing cherry blossom trees in bloom as summer approaches. But whilst I have been enjoying the weather, I have also been busy with conference prep and my end-of-year review approaching...

Here’s a summary of a week in my life recently:

Monday

  • In the morning, I began by checking my emails and calendar to see what I have scheduled. After this, I wrote a to-do list for my day and the week ahead. I love a list, but I try not to put pressure on myself to get everything done quickly.
  • Next, I did some socio-historical reading on the mid-Victorian period for my thesis and made notes on the latest draft of my work. I am currently exploring how relationships, class and manners of consumption intersect in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Wives and Daughters.
  • Midday: a Boxfit class. I always feel a lot better after moving my body!
  • In the afternoon, I carried on reading several essays on the Victorian middle class that I had begun the previous week. I also researched some books I am hoping to get stuck into over the summer, which will deepen my historical knowledge of nineteenth-century Britain.
  • After a few hours of study, it was time to tutor students online. I work as a private tutor and appreciate both the flexibility of my job and the fact that I am teaching a subject I clearly love: English!

Tuesday

  • The following day was my department’s annual PGR conference. So, today was mainly for last-minute preparation as I practised presenting my slides aloud and noted down some questions for the presenters on the panel I would be chairing.
  • I am the group lead for the new School of the Arts PGR-led podcast called ‘Researcher Reflections’ (now on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/033nYrig64S0L4ESqa3CyW?si=5f391b14c3284c05 ), so I had a few admin-related tasks to complete later in the afternoon. Setting up a podcast from scratch has been both challenging and exciting. As PhD study can easily feel a bit isolating, it’s great to use these opportunities to meet new people.

Wednesday

  • PGR conference day: I spent the whole day on campus. I chaired a panel in the morning, which was particularly interesting as I got to hear about the role of artificial mothers in science-fiction literature. Later, I had my own presentation which was about another Gaskell novel titled Cranford. I was one of the last to present, but I managed to stay motivated and received some good questions about where my research is heading with this novel. The highlight of the day was presenting at an academic conference for the first time but also getting to catch up with friends!

Thursday

  • I switched up my study environment by going to a café to do some work. I spent most of the morning organising my notes from Wednesday, including questions and ideas for my research which came to mind after my presentation. I tend to scribble things down a lot, but later I like to take the time to transfer them into my study journal or add them as comments to the relevant sections of my writing. I also spent some time lesson planning for my students.
  • I worked on Chapter 1 of my thesis, which is gradually coming together.
  • Evening: another gym class – this time it was Body Conditioning. I like to exercise solo, but nothing beats exercising with a large group and feeling energised by the atmosphere.
  • Towards the end of the day, I spent time on my hobbies. I played the piano, which I try to do several times a week, and had a short poetry free-write session. I have been sharing some of my poetry on social media for quite a few years now. I believe that having interests outside of your PhD is important; it not only inspires me to engage with other things and fuel my creativity, but also to remember that my degree is not my entire life!

Friday

  • Not to sound like a broken record, but this morning was also spent answering and writing emails. However, whilst I would normally spend Fridays studying in the library or at home like every other day, today I had errands to run.
  • I left my desk as I had a dentist appointment in the late morning and then headed into town for lunch and to pick up a few parcels.
  • I took it easy on myself for the rest of the day. I had quite a full-on week of study, so I gave myself the rest of the afternoon to do what I like – and of course, it was more reading!

As a PhD English student, most of my week consists of (surprise, surprise!) lots of reading and writing. However, listening to what I’m feeling and acting on it enables me to take rest days when I need them, or to spend time focusing on a non-academic interest. I try to keep my weekends set aside for downtime with family, seeing friends and tutoring.

I hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into a week in the life of a PhD student!