By Chloe Ashbridge
After four years as an English Literature student at YSJ, last week I learned that an application I’d made for an intensely competitive PhD scholarship at the University of Nottingham had been successful. I was informed that I will be paid around £15,000 a year to conduct my research, my tuition fees will be waived, and that I can apply for further funding to help organise conferences or for research abroad. I will also be provided with opportunities to teach undergraduate seminars, and because the scholarship is provided by a Doctoral Training Partnership, I can make use of facilities and training across six universities in the Midlands. As I read the email, I scanned for ‘we regret to inform you’ that was surely contained within the response, and couldn’t quite believe it when (after the second time of reading it) I realised I had been successful.
After finding a real passion for Literature during my undergraduate, I applied for an MA in Contemporary Literature at YSJ. Having become part of such a welcoming academic community at the University, and not being sure of which aspect of Literature I wanted to specialise in, the course offered the flexibility of studying a range of genres and theoretical approaches. After what seemed the quickest year of my academic life, I realised that the British Literature module had completely transformed my outlook on the study of fiction and, after choosing to study it further through my Dissertation, my specialisation quickly became clear. We studied a range of British writers from around the country: from the Yorkshire Moors to council estates in North-West London and back up to a care home in Scotland for good measure. The geographical focus of the module was fascinating, and my research in this area formed the basis of what is now my PhD proposal.
Upon finishing the MA with Distinction and a range of appropriate experience under my belt, it seemed too good to be true when a PhD scholarship in British Literature was advertised at a university in the Northeast for the next academic year. I eagerly began work on drafting an application, but when I applied, I wasn’t even called for an interview. At the time I felt as though I had completely overestimated my potential, and had no intention of applying for a PhD again. If I hadn’t, however, I would never have received the offer I’ve just accepted (and a second I’ve since turned down). Since last summer, I’ve been working with academics whose work I studied during my MA (who still feel so famous that I get nervous every time I email them) to develop my proposal, which admittedly, is far more exciting than my original application the previous year.
If I could go back and tell my undergraduate self that this would happen in a few years’ time, I wouldn’t believe it. My aspiration to work in academia has always been shadowed by a doubt of whether I could afford to attend conferences, to take time out of my studies to submit to journals, and support my life away from home, while still maintaining the results I need in an increasingly competitive industry. I now realise that confidence was the only thing that could get in the way of achieving my goal, so if you’re considering a similar career but don’t know where to start (believe me, I had no idea!), book that tutorial with your seminar tutor or dissertation supervisor, ask for their advice, and find out what kind of opportunities are available to you. There’s tonnes out there, but it’s a bit of a minefield if you’re encountering the world of academia for the first time! Everyone at YSJ has been through the process one way or another, and I can say from experience that they are incredibly helpful and happy to provide advice – they are there to support you after all!
I can now say that I am being funded by the AHRC to research a topic I am extremely passionate about. As I prepare for my journey from Masters to PhD student, I am reminded of the unique community I was a part of at YSJ, and of the words of Jeanette Winterson, ‘fictions can change, it’s only the facts that trap us’ that unfailingly remain true.