It is, however, not uncommon, when halfway through a PhD or Masters by Research, to find your spirits lagging. At this point you are probably into the long haul of gathering data, searching archives, running experiments or sifting through documents. Social isolation is a common experience for research students at this time, particularly if they are not part of a research team or laboratory group. But there are ways to sustain yourself throughout the course of your research, perhaps by establishing a mentoring relationship with someone in your faculty. Some research supervisors see themselves as mentors and will go out of their way to support and guide their students.
Some students break social isolation by doing part-time teaching in their faculty.
Others find it worthwhile working in a group or establishing a network of research students in a faculty or department, through either academic activities such as colloquia or social activities which can help develop a sense of solidarity or camaraderie. Learning Development can help postgraduate students develop academic and language skills, which are useful for thesis writing. The Careers Service is a useful port of call if you need to discuss with a professional careers counsellor where you're heading with your career. Postgraduate students can also subscribe to the Careers Service Job Seekers database , which lists research work vacancies. Personal counsellors are also available within Student Services to help students manage the stresses and strains of juggling personal life and research work.