Joanne McCuaig – PhD English Language and Applied Linguistics
PhD English Language and Applied Linguistics student Joanne McCuaig is studying as a distance learner from Seoul in South Korea. We found out more about her experience studying in the Department of English Language and Linguistics.
Why did you choose to study for a PhD in English Language and Linguistics?
“Overall, I am looking to expand my career possibilities and while the PhD doesn’t “open doors” it can remove barriers to entry. A PhD is not the “next step” after a previous degree; you need to have a good sense of why you want to obtain one and an idea of what you might do with it afterwards. The skills developed via the process of conducting research along with a depth of knowledge about the topic is the main goal, but there are numerous secondary skills that can be developed.”
Why did you choose to undertake research at the University of Birmingham?
“I completed my MA, part-time distance with the University of Birmingham. Although I am based in Seoul, South Korea, I had had the opportunity to meet many of the faculty via the Summer School that the department runs annually in South Korea and Japan. That familiarity with faculty, department organization, and the research success of staff made it an obvious choice.”
What are the best things about your course?
“The best thing about the course is the freedom to approach my research project as I see fit. For me that means the ability to read deeply and extensively. This has allowed me to develop my project in ways I didn’t know existed when first writing my proposal. The theoretical background and approach I am taking is stronger and better developed because of the freedom to delve and explore the topic.”
What is life like as a researcher at the University of Birmingham?
“I’m a part-time, distance student; I’m Canadian but live in Seoul, South Korea, so my experience may differ from UK and/or campus-based students. As I have paid employment and a young child, I need to be organised and realistic in my goals, time allocation, and estimates of time completion for tasks. I have online meetings with my supervisors every one to two months, and they are available for additional enquires via email. This works well for my situation as my data collection and analysis can be conducted online."
What support have you received during your PhD?
"I have received both support and encouragement from my supervisors throughout my studies and during the application process. The UK system of doctoral research differs from the Canadian or American systems. For my program I was required to write a research proposal outlining what my project would entail and how I would carry out the research. This was initially daunting but understanding the goals for my PhD and the enthusiasm I, and my supervisors, have for the project has been continually motivating.
"Although I am not in the UK, I have been able to network with other Doctoral Researchers via PG Tips; our department Postgraduate group and I am now one of the organising members for the 2021/2022 academic year. This networking support has been invaluable for connecting with students at various stages of their studies, to ask questions within a supportive group, and for the online social events to share time with one another."
Outside of your research, what experience have you gained and how will it help you in the future?
“As I’m looking to expand my career opportunities that has also included the need to cultivate an online presence to showcase my skills and research. I’ve made it a personal initiative to be able to add three media engagements and one volunteering position to my CV each year. For the last two years, I successfully pitched a radio interview to a local station in Seoul, South Korea; was interviewed for an online podcast about my journey becoming a PhD candidate; have written a guest blog post and submitted two interview write ups; lastly, was interviewed about my topic for a language, education, and society undergraduate course at another university.
"I have volunteered with two different groups focused on open scholarship, and currently co-coordinate PG Tips for my department. I also took the initiative and started two online international meetup groups for PhD students to discuss their research in Applied Linguistics. One group was to share our questions and approaches to research with each other. For the second group, I invited early career researchers from various universities to be informed guests to answer questions from attendees; it was like “a meeting with PhD candidates you never knew you had”. Both groups were well received, and not only did I learn more about Applied Linguistics, but I also got to network extensively with academics around the world, something I didn’t think was possible as a distance-based student.”