10 February 2025 I started my studies with UC School of Biological Sciences | Te Kura Pūtaiao Koiora. After a break of 20 years away from higher education, it has taken some time to get used to. Being a doctoral distance student, with family commitments, is an altogether different experience to care-free undergraduate ‘party time’ experiences of before.
No attending lectures, detailed assignments, tests or sitting exams. No classrooms, no student halls, or drafty falling apart student rentals. And definitely no student food! I remember a time when combining a can of tomatoes and a can of corn made pasta sauce for a whole week! What was I thinking?! I didn’t even have herbs, salt or pepper. Clearly, also, I had no clue.
Doing a PhD will be nothing like working in a normal job. My income has taken a serious nosedive and the social aspect of working together in a team is now a thing of the past (but hopefully a thing of a very bright future). It’s now all down to me to self-motivate, schedule (stick to the schedule) and direct my research.
The UC Graduate School | Te Kura Tāura likens the PhD research journey to being dropped off swimming in the middle of the ocean and then heading to the direction where you think the shoreline is. The only instruction is: You have is to keep swimming.
Thankfully supervisors are there, occasionally, to point you in the right direction!
Resilient Coasts & Communities 
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