I’ve written before about how my coursework set me up for confirmation of candidature. What I haven’t really talked about is how stressful the whole confirmation and ethics stage actually was. So here’s the honest version.
On paper, I was prepared. I had my drafts, my feedback, my neat little list of things to address. But confirmation isn’t just a document. It’s the first time your project is formally judged by people outside your supervisory team, and it felt like my whole doctorate was on trial. In particular, as a qualitative research spanning a few niche fields I really copped some harsh critiques from people in specialist areas that didn’t quite get the “big picture”. I got through it, but I came out the other side exhausted.
Then came ethics. If you haven’t done a human research ethics application before, imagine filling in a very long form where every answer creates three new questions. Because my research indirectly involved children in schools through drawing (as well as adults working with them), there were a lot of moving parts. And of course, after my original program withdrew, parts of it had to be reworked. There were moments where I genuinely wondered if I’d ever get to collect data.
What made it harder was feeling like I was the only one struggling. As an external student in WA doing qualitative research in a niche area, I didn’t have a cohort to compare notes with. I didn’t know if my experience was normal or if I was doing something wrong. Spoiler: it was very normal. I just didn’t know that yet. So when I saw the call for HDR Student Mentors at my uni (CQU), something clicked. I’d just spent months wishing someone further along would tell me “this is hard for everyone, here’s what helped me.” I could be that person for someone else.
I applied, and was offered a casual role in July 2024. In the role I have been working with two other student mentors to revamp the program. We are running online drop-in sessions, meeting one-on-one with students, helping with milestone prep, pointing people to university services, attending in person intensives and planning to introduce shut up and write sessions as well.
The thing I love most is that my messiest experiences are now my most useful ones. When a student tells me they’re panicking about their confirmation panel, I can say “me too, and here’s what I’d do differently.” When someone is on their third round of ethics amendments, I can tell them it’s not a sign they’re failing. It’s just ethics.
A few things I find myself telling mentees over and over:
Your confirmation of candidature panel wants you to succeed. Their questions are there to strengthen the project, not to catch you out, even when it doesn’t feel that way in the room.
Ethics takes longer than you think. Build buffer time into your plan, then add a bit more.
Talk to people. Your supervisors, your graduate research school, other students, the ethics committee. So much of the stress comes from thinking you’re the only one.
If you’re a doctoral student who’s come through a hard milestone, consider whether your university has a mentoring program. Your rough patch might be exactly what someone else needs to hear about.
