College Tips
Dissertation Writing Guide : Getting Started
One of the hardest things (to me anyway) during my academic career is being motivated to sit down and put words on the paper (aka writing up my research). As with any degree, and mainly postgraduate degree, one of the most critical aspects to finalising that you have enough to graduate is your dissertation/thesis. The dissertation is your defence that you have done enough to prove you know what you are talking about and that at the end your research had a 'valuable' contribution to society (or the academic world).
As for me, my biggest challenge for my masters was producing the 104-page document, better known as my thesis. It was a challenge that included multiple revisions, edited content, continually doubting my self-worth as a student, and finally, the thing that stood between me and starting my PhD.
At the end of my thesis defence, I still had revisions to do, but my committee felt confident that I had done enough and presented my research in a manner which made sense. The hard part was done, words were on the paper, chapters were formed, and my story worked.
Now I am at the point in my PhD where I need to start thinking about the writing portion. My research is still not finished, but I need to start forming 'the story' (aka the dissertation). This is the hardest part of the whole postgraduate degree to me, I love research, and I love looking into new theories, but I HATE writing it all up.
Writing is the pain in my ass, the one reason why keeping up the whole student forever situation is a doubt in my mind. Unfortunately is the one thing that you can't say 'screw it'. You have to write research reports, you need to write publications, and you most defiantly get to write a dissertation before you get to wear any fancy academic regalia and call yourself a doctor.
So starting today, I am going to really focus on writing up my research, getting words on the paper, chapters drafted out and forming my story. Along with this goal, I want to share my tips and tricks that I am using to get the dissertation drafts done, reviewed and hopefully in a little over a year submitted for review.
Dissertation Writing Guide -
A new series to help anyone who struggles writing up their thesis/dissertation/research!
#GetFit
My Workout Gear Wishlist
Since starting the consistently going to the gym/working out over 4 months ago, I have grown to love it. I used to be a gym hater/idiot/quitter, never having any idea what to do, hating every second of cardio, and consistently ending my goal to 'get fit'.
Now with my new found happiness and my regular gym date during the week, I am on the hunt for some new workout gear. One of the perks of having a new routine is making sure that you have enough gear to cover you for the full week because doing laundry every other day is not fun. So here it is my Workout Gear Wishlist, also if you have any recommendations on your favorite gear please let me know!
Now with my new found happiness and my regular gym date during the week, I am on the hunt for some new workout gear. One of the perks of having a new routine is making sure that you have enough gear to cover you for the full week because doing laundry every other day is not fun. So here it is my Workout Gear Wishlist, also if you have any recommendations on your favorite gear please let me know!
Foam Roller // Gym Team Bag // Training Tights // Resistance Bands
Workout Clothes
2. A go-to gym jacket. Most of the time after leaving the gym, I have no desire to put something extra warm on. A light-weight and stylish jacket would be an amazing and I personally love the colors on the one above!
5. A new pair of gym sneakers and I am loving the above options. I managed to grab a pair at a Nike outlet a few months ago, but would love to add another pair to my options.
6. You can never have enough gym tights to pick from! I need to add 2 or 3 more pairs that way I have enough for the whole week. One thing that I am always on the hunt for is tights that I could also use on my casual weekend days.
7. A proper sports bra so I no longer have to double up on sports bras. I currently have a few not so great sports bras that I use, the only problem is that I have to wear 2 for each gym session. Having a proper sports bra would fix my problem and make sure that I can do weight training, HIIT and everything else all while my girls are taken care of!
8. Possibly one of the biggest holes in my gym clothes wardrobe is shirts. I have 2, yes ONLY TWO, real workout shirts. I have some over t-shirts that I use for my other gym sessions, but having a few more shirts must happen soon!
Workout Gear / Extra Items
1. My own personal foam roller to keep at home! Since starting focusing on weights at the gym sometimes my muscles are just dead at the end and killing me for days after the workout. That was until I started foam rolling, a painful and amazing thing to add to my routine!
3. A new gym bag that will work for my early morning gym sessions meaning that I need to pack my 'get ready essentials' , shower essentials, and a change of clothes. I have been using a combination of a backpack and a tote bag to carry my uni and gym essentials. Something that I could constantly have ready for the gym would be perfect!
4. One of the newest wishlist items that I have added is resistance bands. Most of my workout inspirations have been coming from watching YouTube fitness people and most of them utilize resistance bands during their warm-ups , workouts, and stretches.
So there it is my Workout Gear Wishlist like I mentioned before if you have any recommendations on gear that you love just let me know!
Blogging
Being Happy & Being Me
It's funny how well plans of mine seem to play out. I thought I was ready to get back into everything, jump in head first and kick ass.
Turns out I was wrong. The long silence (multiple ones at that) from the blog could be blamed on many things, but the one thing that I think it really came down to was being unhappy with myself.
My Ph.D. was not going great, my dreams of working in the lab and visiting sites were slipping into a research plan that never had a chance. Looking at myself in pictures and all I saw was a person I was unhappy with. My weight, my body shape, just me, in general, turned into something that I was unhappy about.
Well while I thought I was ready to step back into the blog world, the 'your life is together' world, I was mistaken.
It has been 4 months now of me working on myself, my Ph.D., my happiness and I would like to think that I have finally got my life back on a path that I am happy with.
I have been going to the gym, working out, eating better(ish) and trying to maintain a more active lifestyle. This led to me just being happier in my own skin.
I have finally reorganized my Ph.D. project into something that 'will contribute to the overall knowledge of my field'. I even managed to share my new research twice at conferences, both with overwhelming support from experts in my field.
While I am still not where I want to be, I am getting there. I am happy with the progress that I have made over the last few months and I can't wait to see how things continue to progress over time.
With this whole post, what I really want to say is that I am back. I am planning on sharing my life as a misguided Ph.D. student, my life as a person trying to be happy in their own skin and someone who plans on getting their act back together.
A blog full of nonsense ranging from the life of a student who doesn't know when to stop, a person who moved to Scotland on a whim (and dreams of being a conservation scientist) and a person who is know taking life one coffee at a time (or on most day 3 or 4).
Turns out I was wrong. The long silence (multiple ones at that) from the blog could be blamed on many things, but the one thing that I think it really came down to was being unhappy with myself.
My Ph.D. was not going great, my dreams of working in the lab and visiting sites were slipping into a research plan that never had a chance. Looking at myself in pictures and all I saw was a person I was unhappy with. My weight, my body shape, just me, in general, turned into something that I was unhappy about.
Well while I thought I was ready to step back into the blog world, the 'your life is together' world, I was mistaken.
It has been 4 months now of me working on myself, my Ph.D., my happiness and I would like to think that I have finally got my life back on a path that I am happy with.
I have been going to the gym, working out, eating better(ish) and trying to maintain a more active lifestyle. This led to me just being happier in my own skin.
I have finally reorganized my Ph.D. project into something that 'will contribute to the overall knowledge of my field'. I even managed to share my new research twice at conferences, both with overwhelming support from experts in my field.
While I am still not where I want to be, I am getting there. I am happy with the progress that I have made over the last few months and I can't wait to see how things continue to progress over time.
With this whole post, what I really want to say is that I am back. I am planning on sharing my life as a misguided Ph.D. student, my life as a person trying to be happy in their own skin and someone who plans on getting their act back together.
Hello and welcome back to ChemGradBoom.
A blog full of nonsense ranging from the life of a student who doesn't know when to stop, a person who moved to Scotland on a whim (and dreams of being a conservation scientist) and a person who is know taking life one coffee at a time (or on most day 3 or 4).
Travel
Travel Cheap : Accommodation
When I moved to Scotland I pictured that I would be non-stop busy with my PhD and site visits. Well truth is that I have time on my hands, or at least I can not sit in the office at University for 8 hours a day doing my research.
Once I realized that my dream PhD was a bit lackluster, I had to re-evaluate my time here in Scotland. I needed to find ways to have a balance in my life, something that I am still working on today. My solution to this 'need for balance' was to get a job.
I would be able to meet people, have some set work hours every week, and of course making money isn't a bad thing either. When I was on the job hunt I had no idea what I was looking for. I simply put in my CV into a few places and waited to see what happened.
Yes there is my extra money that I make by working, but the absolute best part about working at a hotel is the
Once I realized that my dream PhD was a bit lackluster, I had to re-evaluate my time here in Scotland. I needed to find ways to have a balance in my life, something that I am still working on today. My solution to this 'need for balance' was to get a job.
I would be able to meet people, have some set work hours every week, and of course making money isn't a bad thing either. When I was on the job hunt I had no idea what I was looking for. I simply put in my CV into a few places and waited to see what happened.
I am now sitting here with almost a year under my belt working at a Hotel, the golden ticket to cheap accommodation when traveling .
Yes there is my extra money that I make by working, but the absolute best part about working at a hotel is the
STAFF RATES WORLDWIDE.
While budget travel often means that you need to stay via couch surfing, hostels, or on the outskirts of town--- those options simply are not my idea of a holiday.
Instead I simply search up to a year in advance for room availability anywhere and everywhere. This means that I can book a room in Bali for our anniversary for under $50 USD a night!!! A visit to Rome to stay in a 5 Star hotel at only $62 a night and visits to London for as little as $16 a night!!!!
These staff rates even include breakfast and breakfast and half price drinks and food during the stay!
Sure there is the issue of not having complete control of where and when you will get to visit a destination, but for rooms this cheap, I follow availability.
So if you are ever looking for a part-time job that allows you to travel, my advice ----
Work at a hotel!
If you have any other tips on how to get deep discounts on holiday, I would love to hear them! Also if you have any questions about working in a hotel or using the benefits feel free to ask!
Travel
Spain Mishaps
Another country down and another easy city break from Edinburgh! To start off, I will say this trip has taught me some valuable lessons about travel planning with the BF which will come in handy for future travel.
To start the trip we landed in Barcelona with an hour drive ahead of us to Girona. We rented a car for this trip... This is the first exciting tidbit that happened!
To start the trip we landed in Barcelona with an hour drive ahead of us to Girona. We rented a car for this trip... This is the first exciting tidbit that happened!
The Rental Car
I was very diligent when planning this trip and knew that we would have over an hour drive away from Barcelona and a very early morning flight. This meant that the best option for this trip was renting a car, which also meant that we would be able to explore a bit of the coast! Win-Win!
Well, I initially rented an automatic, but then was persuaded at the rental counter that if we were OK with a manual, they had us a free upgrade. Well, the thing is our last car was a manual, and I thought for sure that it would be no problem hopping back on to drive a manual.
ANSWER - Wrong, I freaked out, I panicked, I absolutely fudged up trying to leave the parking lot. After a 20ish minute meltdown, all me, with the BF laughing. We decided to go back and get the automatic. Which is when my manual driving skills came again, and I perfectly pulled the car back into its original spot! Oh, the joke is on me it seems...
One thing is for sure if we would have been filming my car meltdown, I would forever be known as the crazy American who freaks when trying to drive a manual.
Another fun fact is that when I went to get the new keys, the guy even said I knew that an American wouldn't be able to drive a manual, enjoy the automatic!
Barcelona Pick-Pockets
As you can imagine from the heading, another shenanigan that happened was the BF getting pick-pocketed...
We were strolling outside the city centre trying to make our way to the Arc de Triomf, when all of a sudden I hear the BF behind me saying 'No Espanol, Lo Siento' or No Spanish, I am sorry. This is when I then hear a loud bang, and the BF getting much more upset with the guys harassing him. I turn around to see a much smaller guy pushing the BF up against the door and consistently kicking at his feet. After a moment or two of more non-sense we turn around an begin to head the direction we came from. Following that a moment later, a guy stops us and returns the BFs wallet. Nothing was taken, although nothing was in there, to begin with.
Lesson - Don't head outside the central parts of the city, keep a lookout for stupid guys that begin to pester you and always keep a check on your stuff.
All in all, that moment slightly ruined Barcelona for us, which is ok because Girona was terrific and the beaches surrounding it were better than imagined.
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