So after the research induction days, today was the first clear ‘lets get going’ day, so I was settled and ready to focus on some serious reading. Instead the day melted away in paperwork and admin.

While I accept there is a certain amount of hoop jumping and that any major project spends considerable time initially in the planning and set-up, it still feels a bit of a drag. The OU PhD process gives off the feel of wandering through a dense forest with a bureaucratic monster hunting you down. Perhaps I’m just paranoid… but it’s hard not to think that the process couldn’t be a little more student focused and streamlined. Each bureaucrat with a specific responsibility e.g. probation or skills development seems to create their own form, process and timetable.

Oh well, if you can’t figure it all out then perhaps you shouldn’t be tackling a PhD. It’s a kind of Darwinian selection process. There is a point to it all however, the skills auditing is very detailed and does get you thinking about your weak points, how to improve and prove you can do certain things. So skills like building networks with other researchers will be a practical life skill and I’ll try to improve on it by participating in online forums, seminars etc.

Formally accepted the offer of a place, paid up (aggh!) and generally sorted out a filling structure along with a Dropbox to share the appropriate stuff with supervisors.