Why are our PhD journeys so lonely?

When I started my PhD, at Staffordshire University in January 2023, there were no other psychology students at my induction. There were lots of students studying gaming and various other subjects, but nobody doing the same thing as me! It's a strange feeling walking into a room where you're the only person from your subject area, knowing everyone else has someone to compare ideas with. Now when I walk around campus, I see some of those faces and say hello, but not having a fellow psychology student can feel lonely.

Fortunately, my supervisor introduced me to another one of her psychology students who had started at a different time – she was asked to be my PhD buddy and we became friends. We attended lots of events for PGRs at the university, but it was usually the same small group of students. It seemed to me that everyone had become so used to being isolated during the Covid pandemic that in-person events are often avoided and even online events are poorly attended.

The PhD course I am on has no taught sessions or seminars as everyone gets to choose their own research topic within the field of psychology – mine focuses on children's digital resilience. We have professional development activities and socials, but these are not compulsory. So, are my feelings of PhD loneliness common, and, if so, what can be done to ease them?

Not alone in feeling alone

Following the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (AdvanceHE, 2023), two relevant areas were rated with low satisfaction: feeling a sense of belonging (62 per cent) and feeling part of a community of PGRs (57 per cent). These were new questions to the survey, however: when other areas are rated much more highly (e.g. 'My supervisors provide feedback that helps me direct my research activities', 89 per cent), it is concerning that areas related to student wellbeing are so much lower.

PhD students that I have spoken to frequently express that when they started their research, they were told that it would be a lonely experience, as I found. There are so many reasons for this, but here are a few that I have gathered from experience and conversations:

• PhD students are rarely at the same stage in their research as their peers, so finding mutual conversation can be difficult.
• Lots of PhD students have children, jobs outside their university or other responsibilities meaning their time is already precious before they think about their studies.
• Teaching timetables and meetings make finding a convenient time for everyone tricky.

Despite all these reasons, three (or more) years is a very long time to spend working on something without the support of your peers, who are likely to have had similar experiences to you. Wouldn't it also be nice to celebrate all the successes together too, when someone publishes, or presents their work or submits their final thesis?

How I connected with others

I have just started the second year of my PhD journey (January 2024) and although I have a few connections at my university, the idea of building a community seems to be a very slow process. Initially, PhD students have to be reliant on their supervision team for support. Many PhD students start their research without knowing anyone at their institution and I cannot express how valuable the support of your supervision team can be. I discovered that at my uni, the Graduate School and the wider subject departments hold events for PhD students, and I have attended many of them. These have been a great way to meet students and academics with similar subject interests as well as different subject areas.

My institution also has a PhD buddy programme, which can be a really good way to make a new friend. It gives you someone to answer your questions, without always having to ask your supervisors, it also lets you talk about your experience as a student. If this doesn't exist at your university, maybe you could suggest it?

I have also been appointed as the student rep for Psychology PhD students at my university – part of the reason I put myself forward for this was to try and change the way the students engage with each other, to avoid feelings of isolation. I have been discussing events with the course leader that may support students and bring together the PhD community.

Joining an organisation related to your course (like the BPS for Psychology) and being active on LinkedIn and X (pre. Twitter) have also been great ways for me to find peers to engage with. Since starting my PhD, I have already attended two BPS conferences and had the opportunity to present my research and have conversations with others. You can connect with academics and other PhD students online too. Great hashtags to search for include #AcademicTwitter #PhDvoice #PhDlife. Using these helps you to find advice and connect with other students and academics who have had or are having similar experiences to you on their PhD journey.

You've found an event, how do you actually network?

• Start local: does your university hold any conferences? This is a good starting point for presenting in a familiar place and networking with others at your institution.
• Be open to just saying hello! Tell someone you enjoyed their presentation, ask them about their poster, what might their next steps in research be?
• Is there a common interest in research topics that you could discuss?
• If someone is sat alone at lunch time, ask if they would like to have lunch with you.
• As much as these conversations can be academic and often are, they don't have to be!

Tips to overcome isolation

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix solution. Starting a conversation about the experiences of PhD students seems a good place to start.

There are plenty of steps we can take to try and a make a difference.

• Engage with your university! Talk to the staff to organise events. Find out what other students want; this might be through a survey or a group chat conversation.
• If you feel that you are struggling to find your community, reach out to your course/student rep. The student rep will be able to provide you with information on anything currently taking place, as well as feeding back any concerns or suggestions for events.
• If you speak to your university and there doesn't appear to be many options for networking and creating a community, could you be that catalyst for change?
• Go to conferences, keynote speaker events and professional development sessions and be open to having conversations.
• Organise writing sessions, lunch meets or a shared time to talk about your research. 
• If you are a university staff member or other organisations that works with PhD students, could you do something on a larger scale to create PhD communities across local and national areas?

Students need to see the value in spending time with their peers. The support that peers can provide covers such a wide range of areas and this is being missed out on by so many, especially since the pandemic. Peers can offer social and emotional support, academic support as well as providing motivation and anecdotal advice from their own experiences. Regardless of where someone is in their PhD journey, there will always be something they can learn or share with others.