The Dutch PhD coach Blog
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I am Arjenne Louter and I will help you to finish your PhD successfully and in time. You will find many tips and other useful tools on my website which will give you a boost in your working attitude and also make sure you will take a break now and then.
The Dutch PhD coach Blog
23h ago
Recently, I met Taylor Krohn, an academic writing instructor. She asked me to check out Really Write, a free editing tool she created with a software developer to help researchers write clearly and concisely. How does Really Write work? Copy your text to the website, and you’ll receive feedback sentence by sentence. Fortunately, Really…
Het bericht Get started with Really Write verscheen eerst op The Dutch PhD coach ..read more
The Dutch PhD coach Blog
4M ago
Chances are, you’ve attempted to use AI for your research, such as ChatGPT. AI can be an incredibly useful tool for you as a PhD candidate. Whether it’s brainstorming ideas, writing articles, or getting feedback when you need it, AI can streamline and enhance your research process.
AI responses not good enough
Are your AI responses not always good enough? They might be too vague or incorrect, unrelated to the question you asked. Or perhaps it’s unclear where the answer comes from, which is crucial for you as a researcher who needs sources for the information you share. It can be particularly f ..read more
The Dutch PhD coach Blog
7M ago
It’s such an itch-inducing word: networking. Immediately, I’m reminded of networking events where you don’t know anyone and have to pretend you’re having a good time, and of forced introductory rounds with games. Yuck…
Maybe I’m projecting my own discomfort onto you, but I know few people who say, ‘Great, networking!’. Yet, a good network is incredibly important. And I’m not just talking about an academic network, including mentors, fellow PhD candidates, peers in your field, but also about relationships outside of the university: friends, family, professionals from other sectors. A network in ..read more
The Dutch PhD coach Blog
8M ago
Suppose you want to learn how to bake bread. You look for someone to teach you and find Charles, a wiry, enthusiastic master baker with traditional checkered baker’s trousers who is eager to get started with you. He has won various awards, been featured in professional magazines, and presents at baking conferences. You couldn’t ask for a better mentor, right?
You visit him at the agreed time, full of expectation, and ask, “Baker Charles, what’s the first step?”
“Just bake a loaf.”
What?
“But Baker Charles, how do I do that?”
Charles places flour, a jug of water, yeast, and salt on the baker’s ..read more
The Dutch PhD coach Blog
8M ago
Regularly, I am asked why I organise writing courses, “…after all, there are academic writing courses available, and if I’ve taken those, why would I need another writing course?”
Good question.
Academic Writing
Academic writing courses focus on theoretical and analytical aspects; they cover topics such as the structure of a scientific article, correct use of sources, and specific conventions of academic writing in various disciplines, verb tense usage, grammatical structures, and so forth. They teach you what does and doesn’t belong in a scientific article. Incredibly important and very usefu ..read more
The Dutch PhD coach Blog
9M ago
I’m not really into New Year’s resolutions because they don’t tend to work. I’m more about learning from the past and applying that knowledge to the present. Or focusing on how you want to feel first, and then setting your goals accordingly.
And I can certainly attest that there’s a lot to learn over the course of a year… I’ll tell you all about it in this video (in Dutch, English subtitles available via the wheel):
Here you’ll find the link to the two gifts I mentioned: Secrets to Thesis Succes – guaranteed to provide fresh inspiration – and a personal catalyst session with me. Perhap ..read more
The Dutch PhD coach Blog
11M ago
A cliché, but true: researchers and scientists experience stress. It has various causes: competition for research funds and the race to be the first with publications, financial pressure to secure sufficient resources, the pressure to regularly publish in renowned journals, time pressure due to various deadlines, no proper work-life balance, uncertainty, and teaching obligations. I’m not telling you anything new.
Where I might be telling you something new is that the chronic stress resulting from these factors can lead to a plethora of health problems. From a decreased functioni ..read more
The Dutch PhD coach Blog
11M ago
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.”
Julia indicates with this world-famous line that a name is just a label and that a name, in itself, means nothing.
Are names important?
In the context of Romeo and Juliet, Julia expresses her frustration and laments the societal importance placed on names and family ties. The love between her and Romeo is sincere, regardless of their family names. That is also what the play is about: the feud between the Montague family – Juliet being a Montague – and the Capulet family to which Romeo belongs. The love ..read more
The Dutch PhD coach Blog
1y ago
Do you live in a house with an alleyway? An alleyway is a path at the back of blocks of houses to get to the garden or shed. The reason such a path is called an alleyway is that the fire brigade uses that path to reach difficult places and roll out hoses, and alleyways help ensure that fire does not spread from one block of houses to another. It works as a buffer.
In forests you have alleyways as well: here, too, they are intended to make life easier for the fire brigade and to slow down the fire. Because of the width of such a firebreak, the fire is less likely to spread easily: they are buff ..read more
The Dutch PhD coach Blog
1y ago
“We would appreciate it if you could stay for a few days. That way, we can better monitor how you respond to the medication.”
And so, what I thought would be a half-hour appointment turned into the beginning of a four-and-a-half-week hospital stay. During my time in the hospital, it became increasingly clear that my heart was in very bad shape, and without surgery, I would likely not survive for long. The operation they could offer me came with no guarantees.
The cause of all this, according to the doctors? Just plain bad luck.
Two weeks after the open-heart surgery, I was allowed to go home ..read more