Thursday 30 March 2017

Life is a banquet: my adventure as an American PhD student in the UK


Danica Ramsey-Brimberg is a  First Year Doctoral Candidate at the University of Liverpool. In her guest post today, she shares her experience of moving away from her hometown in America to embark upon her PhD journey in England. 



If someone asked you to take a leap of faith, leave your country, and spend hours locked in a battle with books, technology, and your own mind, would you?  Probably not.  Me on the other hand, I recently made the three-year (and potentially longer) jump without looking back or any hesitation.

Ok, I just made it sound way more daunting than it is.  Honestly, it’s not that bad at all.  Being an American PhD student in the UK has been a dream of mine for the past few years, and it is finally coming true.

So you might be wondering, “Why are you doing a PhD in the UK? Why not a PhD in the US?”  These are perhaps the most common questions that I get asked by people on both sides of the Atlantic.  The answer that I usually give varies, but usually centers on the fact that I wanted to be near what I wanted to study (the Vikings in Britain and Ireland).  To give the more complete, longer explanation for my choice requires me to go back further into my past.

Around the time I was 5 years old, I knew that I wanted a PhD.  In what field I wasn’t sure, but I wanted to be Dr. Dan.  Yes, I know most 5-year olds don’t typically think in terms of what advanced degree they want, but at that point, I was also thinking about what colleges/universities that I wanted to attend.  (I was an unusual child.). Fast forward to years later, I decided in my sophomore (second) year at Boston College to take a course called “The Vikings” with Professor Robin Fleming.  It inspired me (as well as a family trip when I was 8 to Denmark where we visited many museums) to pursue further study of the medieval period, especially the Vikings.  I continued taking more early medieval and Viking courses from Professor Terry Barry and Dr. Stephen Harrison at Trinity College Dublin the following year on my junior (third) year abroad.  That year was the first time that I had spent longer than two weeks away from my family.  I was nervous, but excited.  In Ireland, I had an incredible time experiencing new things, making new friends, and visiting new places.  When I returned for my senior (fourth) year, I knew that those classes weren’t enough and that I wanted to pursue medieval archaeology with a focus on Vikings.  Since this particular degree was not available in the United States, I decided to go to the area of what I wanted to study, either Britain or Ireland.

After earning my BA in History with a minor in Irish Studies and spending a fifth year at Boston College finishing my MEd in Secondary Education in History, I went off to York (Jorvik in the Viking age), England. (I’ve learned to say England because there are several places in the US called York as well as a York University in Canada.). Some people thought I was crazy traveling that far or even pursuing a second Master’s degree, but I found most of my family and friends were incredibly supportive of my decision.  In York, I met like-minded people pursuing higher degrees in a number of fields and many came from other parts of Europe, the US, and the world.  The classes in the taught MA in Medieval Archaeology course, directed by Dr. Aleksandra McClain, (Taught masters include coursework and a dissertation, while research masters just involve a dissertation, which is much longer.) provided me a better understanding of the time period, as well as knowledge on osteoarchaeology and ancient biomolecular studies.  I culminated my degree with my dissertation under the supervision of Dr. Steve Ashby; it focused on varying ethnic identities in Viking burials along the Scottish and Irish Sea coasts.  During my MA, I still wanted to pursue a PhD, and I knew that I wanted to do it in the UK.  It wasn’t that the degree was shorter (A UK PhD lasts 3-4 years, while a US PhD can take 5+ years.) or it involved less coursework (A US PhD requires the first 2 years to be coursework, while a UK PhD allows courses to be optional.), rather being close to what I would study and to many of the conferences, books, and academics in my particular field.  As I took a year out substitute (supply) teaching and working retail, I applied to doctoral programs.  Knowing that I was unlikely to get funding (as a non-UK person most types of major funding were not available), I knew that most of my decision would be based on my potential advisor, my specific dissertation topic, the brief feel I would get from the campus/town during my quick trip before my MA graduation, the number of resources in the library, accessibility to the airport, ability to do interdisciplinary studies, and gut instinct.  While I know most of those decision-making processes are based on logic, gut-instinct is by the far the most reliable indicator.  It’s how I chose my undergrad university and my MA university.  It’s hard to explain fully, but sometimes, you have to just go with what feels right.

I chose to earn my PhD in History at the University of Liverpool under the primary supervision of Dr. Clare Downham and the secondary supervision of Dr. Marios Costambeys.  My thesis focuses on the Vikings’ manipulation of Christianity to gain political and social power in the Irish Sea area through burial and sculptural evidence in conjunction with place-names and written sources.  My research uses interdisciplinary evidence drawing upon archaeology, art history, history, and geography.  Among the History PhD students, I study the earliest time frame, but compared to many of my friends in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Classics, and Egyptology, I’m modern.  If I need to talk to someone familiar with my subject, I have my advisors, friends from my MA, and academics and other PhD students that I’ve met at conferences.  Being at the University of Liverpool provides me a unique niche at the University and makes it a lot easier to take books out of the library and not have them recalled.  Since arriving last October, I have made new friends and have fallen in love with the city of Liverpool, which is consistently rated one of the friendliest cities.

Being a US student in the UK has both its’ ups and downs.  I miss my family and pets, but with the availability of Facetime and Skype, it’s almost like I’m with them even though there is an ocean between us.  I miss being able to visit certain places and go to certain stores, but it makes them even more special when I do visit them when I am in the States.  I do miss certain foods, but I’ve developed a system of either searching stores (Co-op has Honest Tea, and several stores have “American” sections.) or bringing them with me in my suitcase (like Jello, Kraft Jet Puffed Mini Marshmallows, Hershey’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Trident or Stride gum).  You adapt, and you focus on all the opportunities available here.  If I wanted to visit a medieval church, it’s a lot easier to find one here than in the States.  If I needed to see the location of a Viking burial or even a Viking skeleton itself, all I have to do is hop on a train or a short plane ride to see one. If I craved Cadbury chocolate, I know there will be less wax in it than if it was made in the US.  In any experience you have, you learn to focus on the positives and be happy.  Would I prefer to be somewhere else right now?  Definitively no.  I’ve had unique experiences, made incredible memories, and developed so many wonderful friends that will last a lifetime.

One of my favorite quotes is from Auntie Mame, a play that was later adapted into a movie and then a musical. In Auntie Mame, the following motivational exchange occurs –

Auntie Mame: Live! That’s the message!
Agnes (her secretary): Live?
Auntie Mame: Yes, life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death! Now come on, Agnes, live!

This features prominently in my mind that whenever an opportunity presents itself, don’t let it slip away.  So, remember this advice if you are considering a PhD whether it be in the UK or the US and have the opportunity.  Take a chance, and go with your gut.  I did, and I’m enjoying every minute of that leap.
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