7 Resources to Help PhD Students Succeed on Their Doctoral Journey

Maybe you're preparing, like the majority of our doctorate students, to enter academia after earning your PhD. ‘Today's professors and researchers frequently have the chance to present their findings to audiences outside of the traditional university classroom’ (BAW, 2022). Your doctoral path is designed to equip you with the broad range of abilities you'll need to be successful whether you're speaking in front of a classroom or at a conference.

This includes the poise needed to present and speak in front of a group of people with ease, the writing and communication skills needed to craft your dissertation and journal articles, the analytical skills required to conduct in-depth research and gather useful data, and the capacity to teach — whether to colleagues, students, or the general public, depending on the situation. Furthermore, if you have relatives, you will need assistance in guiding them along this trip.

1. 5 Slides 5 Minutes

Through mass media and social media, researchers frequently have the chance to communicate their work with a wider audience. However, this demands sophisticated communication abilities. How can you convey complex facts to a broad audience succinctly without oversimplifying the point?

This is the main subject of 5 Slides 5 Minutes. This low-stakes, high-potential event was introduced in 2014 and allows PhD students to practice presenting an abstract to non-experts by practicing with students, faculty, and staff. The Doctoral Programs Office sends an email to students inviting them to take part.

Students who present can consult the Wharton Communications Program to have their presentation reviewed and receive advice on how to strengthen their communication abilities, this can be a great Ph.D. dissertation help for them. Renowned Wharton teachers frequently provide students with insightful commentary on these talks.

2. Dissertation Boot Camp

Dissertation Boot Camp may have a scary moniker, but some students view it as a two-week writers' vacation. It's intended for students with dissertation status who haven't yet presented their proposal and is held twice yearly by the Graduate Student Center.

The writing camp provides a setting and encouragement for rigorous, concentrated writing time in addition to a review of the procedures, due dates, and university policies (Lukins, 2021). The small group, which is only open to 20 students, allows writers the ability to engage with other people going through the dissertation process and gives members the structure and inspiration to overcome common barriers along the route.

3. Wharton Communications Program

The Wharton Communication Program aids PhD candidates at the Wharton School in improving their communication abilities, which in turn helps them become better presenters, public speakers, and writers—all crucial academic talents. In-person, one-on-one writing tutoring is available to all doctorate students throughout the academic year.

First-Year Communications Workshop in the autumn and First-Year Writing Workshop in the spring are two programs that Wharton Ph.D. students are expected to attend. The courses' skill-based methodology aids students in creating their own distinctive communication styles and boosting their self-assurance.

The program gives students a solid basis in communication theory through numerous practice opportunities, voice recording on video, and rigorous evaluation; for doctorate students, the program places a special emphasis on research presentations and job discussions.

4. Teacher Development Program Workshop

The Teacher Development Program is a four-session course provided by the Center for Teaching and Learning. It provides Ph.D. candidates with a base in fundamental teaching techniques to assist their teaching at Penn.

The training equips students for a career as faculty by assisting with presenting techniques and academic job placement. The workshop was defined as "a collective, collaborative program" by Ian Petrie, Senior Associate Director, the Center for Teaching and Learning. Demonstrations of "microteaching" are conducted each week, in which participants teach a brief lesson and receive feedback from their peers and the directors.

In order to acquire essential teaching techniques, it is intended that graduate students and teachers would interact and learn from one another. Every Ph.D. student has the opportunity to graduate with fresh teaching resources and Scholarships to pay off student loans, according to Petrie. When doctoral students "observe bright colleagues from other departments to acquire a taste of how they teach," an interchange like this takes place.

Additionally, students have the option to register in the CTL Teaching Certificate program to refine their teaching abilities and demonstrate their dedication to professional growth. Petrie stated, "I'd like everyone to leave the event feeling more secure in their abilities as an instructor or presenter. "It is incredibly rewarding for me to do anything I can to assist doctorate students in reaching their objectives."

5. Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS)

With more than 50,000 corporate, academic, and governmental users, Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) is the industry leader in data management, research analytics, and innovative thinking you can get help on your Aviation dissertation topics. This highly regarded research platform and business intelligence tool is used by researchers at more than 450 universities across 36 nations, and researchers at Wharton are working to expand it.

The platform enables academics to access more than 350 terabytes of data from many fields, including accounting, banking, economics, ESG (environmental, social, and governance), finance, healthcare, insurance, marketing, and statistics, all in one place.

6. Wharton Behavioral Lab

The Wharton Behavioral Laboratory (WBL), a resource available to all Wharton academics, offers a wide range of services to assist in the data collecting for behavioral research on business-related themes. The main objective is to reduce operational costs associated with conducting research in order to increase the research output of Wharton professors.

Doctoral students can collect primary data through lab experiments and panels in two locations—one in Jon Huntsman Hall and the other in Steinberg Hall Dietrich Hall—instead of using secondary data produced by others. About 23,000 subject hours of data are gathered annually by the lab.

The Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics, and the Journal of Business Ethics regularly include research from WBL.

7. Support for Families

Many PhD students who attend Wharton must move their families to a new city. The Maternity/Paternity Workshop, an annual event that discusses the services available to Ph.D. students with families, is hosted by the Wharton Doctoral Program Office to assist students and their families in adjusting to life as a PhD student.

Here are a few of the crucial sources they emphasize in the workshop:

·         Students who meet the requirements may apply to the Doctoral Programs Office for up to an additional year of school-level funding after their designated funded year. Students may also choose to take an unpaid Family Leave of Absence and are entitled to up to eight weeks of leave for adoption and childbirth.

·         In order to meet the requirements of students with families, Penn's Family Resource Center offers extra materials and amenities including a kid's playroom and two private lactation rooms. The Center also offers two funding programs to PhD students to assist with the cost of childcare, family expenses, and dependent health insurance.

·         Required Financial help for students from low-income families, can benefit from these online tools.

·         A student-run online tool called Wharton Doctoral Partners & Families was developed to inform partners and families about the options available in Philadelphia and at Penn. Providing members with the tools they need to adjust and acclimate to new lives is its goal.

References

BAW (2022). How Academic Help Providers Save the Students’ Future? https://bestassignmentwriter.co.uk/blog/how-academic-help-providers-save-the-students-future/

Stephanie Lukins (2021). 8 Top Tips and Pieces of Advice for New PhD Students. https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/choosing-university/8-top-tips-pieces-advice-new-phd-students