I realize that I am somewhat late to the game when it comes to “journaling” my Ph.D. journey, at least publically. I do promise that I have some things set aside for myself to reflect upon later, but for now, I wanted to branch out and be a bit more public-facing as I really start to get into the part of the Ph.D. that will be unique for me, my research and the work on my dissertation.
I guess I am not one for much introduction so let’s waste no time and see what the next steps look like for me:
- It’s time to hit the ground running on my dissertation prospectus. I have some pages that are done and a good idea of what I want my dissertation to look like, but the literature review section is the next hurdle. I have a stack of books ready and waiting to dig into some more that were a bit too niche for my comps lists and some that were on my comps list that I am ready to revisit. This means that in the next eight weeks, I will focus largely on getting those books read and that section complete. I will be planning this “sprint” with a basic project planner notebook that I have. Another side goal for me for 2023 is to not buy any more stationery and instead to use what I have.
- I am also working on a digital mapping project that I hope to take the next steps on soon – i.e., now that the data is collected and the skeleton for the project is set, coding the last few bits in Folium to generate the map. I am working with an awesome professor on campus for this project, and we are excited to see it come together. Then I can begin to plan what it might look like to get that into a mobile app format. I would love to have a skeleton of this ready for my trip to New Orleans next summer to do some field testing with it. This doesn’t require as strict of a plan, but I do need to spend a few afternoons testing a bit of code, and then I will set up the next meeting with my professor about pulling it together.
- Two of my proposed chapters are expansions on conference papers that I have submitted to give at two conferences, one in July 2023 and the other in November 2023, so those will be the first two chapters I will dig into next. I have a lot of smaller sections in progress and a research paper that I will break into the starting point for two separate chapters a bit later down the road when I complete my summer research trip because that trip will really allow me to flesh out those chapters to draft form. This will be my sprint after the prospectus, but because I will be working on my prospectus and reading relevant literature, I will be able to make notes and make a bit of progress during these first 8 weeks of the year.
- And that brings me to the looming thing: the big three-and-a-half-week research trip I have planned this summer, and more specifically, finding and securing the funding opportunities to pay for it. I have a grant due on January 18, and as my advisor suggests, I will use the introduction to my prospectus as my research statement, so two birds, one stone there. Work smarter, not harder, and all that. The another is due on March 2. And anything else I find which will keep this one fluid.
- One side project for me, but that is sort of related, is I want to open an Etsy shop. I have been creating all of these planner sheets and templates and resources for myself as I have gone through the past two and a half years of coursework and comps prep, and I have put my heart into making them really pretty because I do live for a good *aesthetic* so I want to have that be part of my quintessential grad student side hustle. That’s going to involve setting up a business and taxes and all that “fun” stuff but will be a journey that I will also be undertaking this year. I have even made a couple of listing photos in preparation for the launch, which I am quite proud of. A close friend tells me I have a bit of a knack for graphic design, and she might be right! And I take her opinion very seriously because she does it for a living.
So come along with me!
Erica Anne Price 