It’s that time of year when PhD deadlines are approaching, so I’ve been reflecting on my journey from a postgraduate taught programme to postgraduate research at Queen's.

I left a warm and sunny India with my family in September 2023 and landed in a cold and wet Belfast with no familiar faces. My first night in Mount Charles was a mix of excitement, nerves, and a chilly draught through a slit in the window. I had no idea how much the next year would change me. Within three months of starting my intensive master’s in Cancer Medicine, I was already thinking about what came next...

Developing a profile

Balancing a new education system, a different academic culture, and the pressure of planning my future within a year was overwhelming. As an international student, shifting immigration and graduate regulations added even more uncertainty and pressure. The only thing I could control was my effort - so I applied to every relevant PhD and industry role I could find across the UK, even though my profile was still developing.

Looking back, many of my early statement of purposes and proposals were far from perfect because I lacked mentorship, especially for projects outside my master’s expertise. Resources from the Thomas J Moran Graduate School and workshops by Careers and Employability helped me build a stronger CV with the limited skills I had. I remember constantly editing and re-submitting my CV through the MyFuture app’s CV checker - it became my lifeline during that phase. I regularly reached out to anyone who could help me improve my CV and proposals, even though my professional network was still very limited.

Mount Charles

The PhD application process

Thankfully, a batchmate pointed me to a fully-funded (Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland) PhD project advertised on the Queen's website. I drafted the research proposal that same afternoon and sent in my application. Even though the project was new to me, emailing the PI and speaking with current students of the group helped me understand the work and frame the proposal.

Soon after, I was asked to submit a video explaining why I wanted to pursue this PhD. My nerves were so high throughout the application process that it felt endless, and I eventually stopped expecting anything, focusing only on completing each step. Then, out of nowhere, I received an interview invite. I was terrified - I knew almost nothing about Pharmacy at that point and expected tough technical questions. I prepared using FindAPhD blogs and framed answers based on the limited experience from the first five months of my master’s.

Ironically, the interview included no technical questions at all, and my attempt at confident communication paid off. I ended up third on the reserve list, and after months of silence, I finally received the offer in June. In hindsight, I think meeting the supervisory team during the initial application process might have quietly highlighted my interest and left a small impression. With over 200 applicants, I still consider myself somewhat lucky to have gotten the position.

Belfast at Christmas

My PhD so far has been like most first-year experiences: learning new techniques, making mistakes, and rediscovering the project from a new angle every week. But there have been wins too - publishing a review article, presenting at conferences, and turning colleagues into close friends.

A PhD isn’t just academic training; it teaches values you carry for life. In my experience, that’s what the interviewers really wanted to know - whether you have the perseverance and resilience to complete the journey. After all, you have three years to learn about the subject. Here’s to a few more years in Belfast...

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Postgraduate study at Queen's

Fully funded PhD studentships

Adriparna Paul PhD Pharmacy | Postgraduate Research Student | India A second year PhD student at School of Pharmacy with a knack for writing, playing cricket and reading books. You will find me quite often at my friends’ whiling away doing nothing. A lot of my time goes in finding the best place to get hot chocolate and making itineraries for trips; and most of my money goes on getting hot chocolate for myself and saving for trips (I won’t talk about the dozens of books lying on my shelf).