A PhD journey: How to survive it successfully?
An online structured course entitled “A PhD Journey: How to Survive it Successfully?” was successfully held on the 19th of January 2021 at 2.30 pm to 5.00 pm via Webex Online platform. It was organized by Postgraduate Student Society, Faculty of Science UTM with the objective to increase the motivation of postgraduate students especially PhD students during this challenging Covid-19 time.
There are two slots for this program, in which the 1st slot is a sharing session on “My PhD journey” and the 2nd slot is a forum session on “A PhD journey: How to survive it successfully?”. The course was attended by 172 participants virtually. The session was delivered by 3 senior lecturers from Faculty of Science UTM and 1 PhD student from Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities UTM.
The invited speakers are Dr Faizuan Abdullah, Dr Nurhafizah Hasim, Dr Ahmad Qushairi Mohamad and Mr Muhammad Talhah Ajmain. The moderator for this session is Mr Muhamad Ramziuddin Zakaria, President of PGSSFS UTM.
- Speaker 1: Dr. Faizuan Abdullah
- Speaker 2: Dr. Nurhafizah Hasim
- Speaker 3: Dr. Ahmad Qushairi Mohamad
- Speaker 4: Mr. Muhammad Talhah Ajmain
The seminar was started with the sharing session on PhD journey from the 1st speaker, Dr. Faizuan Abdullah. He is a senior lecturer from the department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science UTM since 2019. He was awarded a doctoral degree in chemistry by UTM in 2016. He has a keen interest in innovation and commercialization and received Patent Category National Intellectual Property Award in 2017 for the invention of Molluscure¢ technology. “Be the best, help the rest” is his motto. Dr. Faizuan ended his speech with a beautiful advice, “Your journey is not the same as anyone else, so have fun and always stick by your own principles”
The next sharing session was conducted by Dr. Nurhafizah Hasim. She is a senior lecturer from the department of Physics, Faculty of Science UTM since 2019. She became a UTM PhD holder in 2018 and was awarded as a best PhD student in Physics. The reason she wanted to continue her studies is because she loves doing research. She managed to complete her PhD journey in 3 years due to her great commitment and compassion towards the studies. She mentioned that her PhD journey was very enjoyable and fulfilling t hanks to the support and encouragement from her friends. An important message noted from Dr. Nurhafizah’s session is that discover and surround yourself with positive friends in order to make your life as PhD student less stressful and lonely.
The 3rd sharing session was delivered by Dr. Ahmad Qushairi Mohamad. He is a senior lecturer from the department of Mathematical sciences, Faculty of Science UTM since 2018. He obtained his doctoral degree in 2018 and awarded as a best PhD student in Mathematics. He completed his bachelor degree to doctoral degree at UTM, same goes to Dr. Faizuan and Dr. Nurhafizah. He was actively involved in the society activities during his PhD studies. The most highlighted positions that he holds are President of Postgraduate Student Society Faculty of Science and President of Postgraduate Student Society UTM 2016/ 2017. He succeeds in achieving graduation on time (GOT) for his PhD studies even though he actively participates in extra-curricular activities. He managed to balance his research and society works as he has good time management and discipline in completing all the tasks given.
The last speaker is Mr. Muhammad Talhah Ajmain. He is a PhD candidate from Islamic Civilization Academy, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities UTM. He started his PhD journey in 2018 and currently in the 5th semester of his studies. He has an impressive publication record with a total of 69 articles. He mentioned that seeking knowledge is a lifelong journey. PhD is one of the learning process paths that we choose to expand the knowledge. Self-discipline is an import ant part for a PhD student in order to survive it successfully. He made his own working hours from 8 am to 5 pm and try harder to adhere to it without fail. Moreover, it is very essential to have a very strong support from family and friends. Being a devout Muslim, Mr. Talhah owed his success to The Almighty as he always seeks guidance and relief from Him in everything. A good relationship with family, friends and communities must be practiced and not just devoted our life in PhD studies only
The 2nd slot is the forum session on “A PhD journey: How to survive it successfully”. The 1st question on the recommended timeline that PhD student should adhere to complete their studies milestones in 3 years will be addressed by Dr. Faizuan. He mentioned that every PhD student has their own timelines. They need to set well-defined targets or milestones for 1st, 2nd and 3rd years of studies. Good time management is a must in order to graduate on time (GOT).
Dr. Faizuan presented the motivational video from world champion toastmaster winner to give better insight about success to the participants. The next question about the tips on how to stay patient and motivated in doing research work while being locked down at home was directed to Dr. Nurhafizah She mentioned that we must try harder to adapt and practice the new norm such as online class and meeting due to the Movement Control Order (MCO). She suggested that it is time for students to focus more on literature review especially for those who cannot conduct their experiments due to the lockdown. There is always a solution for every problem. She emphasized that students should work harder to ensure there is progress in their research studies. The 3rd question about the comparison in studies life was given to Dr. Ahmad Qushairi. He recommended comparing our studies with the colleagues or seniors as it will be a good inspiration. You need to discover seniors who could be your role model in order to ensure your studies are on the right track. Firstly, the students need to understand well their own capability before comparing their studies performance with others. Positive comparison could lead to a great motivation and success in your studies life.
The last question about the tips to always stay positive in keeping our studies back on the right track was answered Mr. Talhah. He emphasized on seeking and remembering Allah in the good and difficult times. Next, discipline is the main key to succeed in your studies. He recommended recording all the schedules in the planner and being consistent to follow the schedules. Furthermore, you need to actively join societies such as PGSSFS to build up your self-esteem and expand your network connection. The structured course received many positive feedbacks from participants. The gold tips and advice given by our speakers succeed in inspiring and motivating the PhD students towards an outstanding PhD journey. The participants appreciated the organizers, especially PGSSFS for their efforts in conducting this remarkable and informative sharing sessions.