In our first article, Sandra Dyer (King’s College London) shared what it’s like to start a PhD. Now, Schenelle Dlima (University of Manchester) offers a view from the other end: what it takes to finish, and what comes next.
When Schenelle Dlima describes being a PhD student, she uses an unexpected analogy: “You are the CEO, the COO, the CFO, the PR manager.” In other words, you’re responsible not only for doing the research, but for planning it, managing your time and resources, and explaining why it matters. It’s a conversation she’s had with fellow PhD students, trying to capture just how multifaceted the role really is as they navigate the final stretches of their doctorates.
Schenelle has all but finished her PhD on frailty progression and maintaining independence to age in place, as part of Professor Chris Todd’s co-funded Healthy Ageing PhD Programme at the University of Manchester – she is just working on minor corrections. After completing undergraduate and Master’s degrees in biomedical science and global health respectively, and working as a scientific content writer in digital health communications, she started her doctorate exploring how routine data can help prevent frailty progression and promote independent living among older people.
Now, three years later, she’s reflecting on what the journey has taught her.
The hidden curriculum
“When I started a PhD, I didn’t realise how much administrative work actually goes on behind the research,” Schenelle admits. It’s something many of her PhD peers have echoed: the surprise of discovering everything that happens behind a 10-page publication.
This includes ethics applications, paperwork requiring signatures from multiple partners and liaising with ethics bodies for amendments. Then there are end-of-year reports and coordinating funding applications. “These are all things that we learnt,” she explains. “Even the administrative bits related to the university – I didn’t realise how much unseen work sits alongside the research itself, or how much time it takes.”
But it’s precisely this behind-the-scenes experience that Schenelle now sees as the most valuable part of her training. “What you see online is just a publication, but there’s so much work that goes behind that, and that’s the experience that we gain during these three years. I think that’s the most rewarding bit.”
Her learning extended far beyond research methodology. As someone who came into her PhD with no experience of analysing large datasets, Schenelle had to learn from scratch. “I had the time to actually learn these skills and hone in on them, to then use them in real pieces of research, which was really helpful.”
The writing marathon
When asked about the hardest part of her PhD, Schenelle’s answer is immediate: “I find the writing process harder than the research process.”
Writing, she’s discovered, requires a different kind of mental energy. Her thesis follows a journal format – a series of manuscripts with linking sections bringing everything together into a cohesive body of work. She started drafting manuscripts in her second year, but the introduction, methods, and final discussion sections took longer than anticipated.
“You have to keep up to date with the latest research. You read five papers and then you end up writing one sentence that then references those five papers,” she explains.
Having worked as a scientific content writer before her PhD, producing everything from blog posts to manuscripts for publication, Schenelle thought she’d be well-prepared. But academic writing at this scale proved different. The sustained mental focus required meant finding new strategies.
Some days, she worked better late at night. And because meetings are fewer during the writing-up stage, she could shape her schedule around her energy levels. “Your energy levels differ from day to day, week to week, month to month,” she notes. “It’s just finding what works best for you.”
Her solution? Mixing screen time with activities that let her mind reset: reading, swimming, going to the gym, exploring Manchester. “You come back to it with a slightly fresher mind, a slightly fresher perspective.”
Finding your people
One of Schenelle’s lifelines has been her Manchester cohort – five other PhD students who started around the same time as part of the Vivensa Foundation-funded programme. They created a WhatsApp group from day one, and it’s been invaluable.
“Most of it is administrative,” she laughs, but it’s also about bonding: “If anyone’s coming to the office, we say, ‘Hey, I’m in the office if anyone wants to grab lunch.’” In a stage of the process that can feel isolating, having peers on the same timeline matters.
Beyond the formal cohort, Schenelle has found that the research community is welcoming. “Everyone, at least in my experience, is really nice. They’re always open to hearing about your work, offering advice. People like learning about new things that are going on in their field.”
Her advice for building support networks extends beyond academia. Sports clubs, volunteering groups – these count too. “You just share your experiences as a PhD and they’re always interested. And then you also learn about what they’re doing.”
Navigating next steps
As an international student, Schenelle faced an added layer of complexity as she approached her viva. UK visa requirements mean she can’t work full-time until she has passed, completed any corrections, and received official confirmation that she has completed her PhD from the university. So while she is working on minor corrections, she has been using her time strategically. She’s been working part-time with her research group, curating two CVs (one academic, one non-academic) and lining up her next opportunity.
Once she has official confirmation that she has completed her PhD, Schenelle will start a Research Associate position at Newcastle University in April. She will be exploring inequalities in long-term health conditions, using quantitative methods similar to her PhD, which helped her to get the role.
She’s happy for the opportunity to stay in academia: “I like the research environment, I like conducting research, I like the opportunity to gain new skills.”
Advice for those considering the journey
When asked what she’d tell someone earlier in their PhD journey, Schenelle’s response is refreshingly honest: “I was still figuring things out in my third year, even in the last stretch!”
But she does have some practical advice:
- Lean on your support network: Other PhD students, supervisors, and people outside academia who can offer perspective
- Get exposure: Present at conferences, share your work, put yourself out there
- Try new things: Both PhD-related (like learning new analytical methods) and completely unrelated (hobbies, sports, exploring your city)
- Don’t be afraid to ask “silly” questions: Everyone has them, and people are more willing to help than you expect
- Take advantage of the flexibility: Unlike a traditional nine-to-five, you can work around your energy levels and other commitments.
Most importantly, be open to going outside your comfort zone. “That fed into my confidence in doing a PhD,” Schenelle reflects. “That’s one thing I am proud of – my resilience and my openness to try new things, to put myself out there.”
The long view
If Sandra’s story illustrated the experience of starting a PhD, Schenelle’s reveals what it takes to finish: resilience as her research evolved, adaptability when energy ebbs and flows, and the ability to be proactive about what comes next.
“Everything works out in the end,” she says. This isn’t naive optimism, but the hard-won confidence of someone who’s navigated three years of research and learned to trust the process.
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The Vivensa Foundation supports early career researchers across ageing-related disciplines. Learn more about our funding opportunities here.
