“In the previous article, we had a story from Raisa Annisa, our previous mentee of Indonesia Mengglobal PhD Bootcamp 2021 program. Raisa mentioned that Indonesia Mengglobal PhD Bootcamp program helped her to prepare her PhD application better.“
“In this article, Yogi Saputra Mahmud, Editor in Chief Indonesia Mengglobal shared his experience as a mentor of Indonesia Mengglobal PhD Bootcamp 2021. Indeed, this program benefits not only the mentees but also the mentors.”
My Journey into A PhD Program
In January 2020, I became an English lecturer at President University, West Java, with the expectation that I could apply what I learned from my Master of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) degree at Monash University, Australia. The unprecedented shift to online learning due to the global pandemic struck my entire plan, and, at first, I found it emotionally challenging to manage online activities for the English courses that required intensive communication and interaction with the students.
I was so lucky to have adequate technological resources and capabilities, so that I could cope with the transition swiftly. But then, I often wondered how early-career teachers dealt with this sudden change at schools where the technological resources were less developed than what I had at the university. So, that was when I began thinking about pursuing a doctoral degree focusing my research area on early-career English teachers. By knowing how they lived their teaching life during the pandemic, I wanted to help them to become better post-pandemic teachers.
Long story short, in September 2021, I received the admission announcement into the PhD in Education at The University of Western Australia with the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship.
In my opinion, Indonesia Mengglobal played a substantial role for the successful admission and scholarship applications. Even though I did not formally join the inaugural PhD Bootcamp in 2020, I managed to learn about material being delivered and read relevant articles published on the website regarding finding supervisors, taking the IELTS test, and even writing a research proposal.
That’s why when I was invited to become a PhD Bootcamp mentor, I immediately accepted the invitation. You can read the way I turned “pandemi” to become “potensi” to pursue PhD in this article.
PhD Bootcamp from The Perspective of A Mentor
As a mentor, I believe that the organised structure of the program is the main excellence of Indonesia Mengglobal’s PhD Bootcamp. Throughout the series of workshops, you will be exposed to the real admission process for the doctoral study from the beginning to the end.
Another important element is the sense of collegiality where you will engage with like-minded people who are also pursuing their dream of studying a doctoral degree overseas. Being involved in this kind of positive environment will surely boost your motivation for the PhD application.
During the workshops, you will be categorised into several groups based on field of study/interest. The mentors also come from the same field of study of yours. So, you will have opportunities to ask personalised questions related to your contexts.
I was amazed with the spirit of my mentees during the PhD Bootcamp in 2021 since all of them had a more “senior” career than myself. On the weekend, they had to juggle between mentoring, parenting, and working responsibilities. This moment really revealed how high their passion and perseverance in pursuing their dream of studying PhD overseas. Being a PhD student requires significant commitment in time and spirit throughout the candidature journey. And the mentees already showed that they were potential candidates for a doctoral degree.
The sense of curiousity became another thing that I noticed from the Education mentor group during the PhD Bootcamp 2021. All of the mentees were not afraid of asking questions and willing to learn from one and another. As a current PhD student, this kind of mentality is essential in order to ensure the successful candidature journey during the PhD study.
Being A Mentor and A Learner
As a mentor, there are two important aspects that I learned throughout the PhD Bootcamp 2021. First, there were strong mutual advantages that I gained during the program. For example, even though I enacted as a mentor, I also learned from the mentees’ experience, particularly with the way they presented their strong intention to pursue a doctoral degree and composed compelling arguments in a research proposal. During the first six months of study, I have to write a comprehensive research proposal to be submitted for my candidature, and it is important to learn from many others, including the mentees.
Second, I always believe that sharing knowledge is an everlasting process where knowledge is transferred from one person to another. At the end of the PhD Bootcamp session, I expressed my hope to the mentees that they would share what they gained from this program to the other doctoral candidates, so the beneficence is eternal.
IM PhD Bootcamp: Engaging with Like-minded People
For those who are currently thinking about pursuing a doctoral degree in the near future, PhD Bootcamp is the best place for you to begin your preparation and shape your motivation for the PhD study. Motivation is indeed very essential for all PhD students to ensure that they are on the right track throughout the long candidature journey.
As I told you earlier, PhD Bootcamp allows participants to engage with like-minded people who have similar intention and passion. This sense of togetherness is essential to remind everybody that they are not alone in preparing the doctoral study. We are in this together.
In terms of technicalities, you will learn various strategic skills through the PhD Bootcamp to better prepare for your application documents. For example, you will learn about writing a convincing PhD proposal and motivation letter, and even listen to best strategies from past and current PhD students regarding non-academic matters during the candidature.
Luckily, the PhD Bootcamp 2022 is currently recruiting potential participants from 17 September to 2 October 2022. You can register yourself for the PhD Bootcamp 2022 by clicking this link.
The application process, however, is very rigorous. So, I highly recommend you to prepare for the best application documents in order to be selected into the program. I will see you in the PhD Bootcamp 2022!
Editor: Dessy Nur Amelia
