20 Things Doctoral Students Need

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  1. Guidance to navigate the expectations of academia and program regulations.
  2. Belief in themselves about their ability to rise to the challenge of conducting research and creating knowledge in their field.
  3. Motivation, grit, determination, tenacity, and stamina to get back up each time they are knocked down and see their program through to the end.
  4. Emotional intelligence to manage themselves throughout the journey.
  5. Courage to do difficult things.
  6. Patience to complete a years-long process.
  7. An outlet for pent-up frustrations about their programs, their performance, and their inadequate support systems.
  8. Encouragement to see their strengths they may have overlooked or downplayed.
  9. Compassion from themselves and others for their struggles to grow.
  10. Self-care to soothe their souls.
  11. Creativity to communicate their research.
  12. Trust in themselves and others to uphold the doctoral process.
  13. Safe space to cope with all of the pressures from internal and external forces.
  14. Integrity to avoid taking shortcuts to just be finished already!
  15. Fueling the journey with love instead of judgment.
  16. A nurturing and distraction-free space to study.
  17. Balance between the doctorate and the rest of life.
  18. Commitment to themselves and their cause.
  19. Support from someone who has been where they are at.
  20. A coach to hold space for them and facilitate their transformation.