SoLL Event: SoLL Postgraduate Club Kick-off Picnic
Hangyu Zhang
The SoLL Postgraduate Club organised a kick-off picnic event on 19th February 2024 at the 1888 courtyard on campus.
The picnic event was an informal gathering allowing GR (graduate research) students at the School of Languages and Linguistics to catch up with each other and kick off the academic year. As one of the main organisers, Pip (Philippa Jane Mackey) described the club’s motivation for organising this event, “It’s a good opportunity to get together with other PhD students of different years, especially those first-year students who just embarked on their PhD journey this year. This event helps us kick off the new academic year and gives us insights into future events and activities within the SoLL Club. As our first event, this picnic allows us to gather together and get to know each other better in a relaxing and interactive environment.”
Commencing at 4:30 pm on a Tuesday, this delightful gathering unfolded with delicious pizzas, fresh sushi, and a myriad of drinks, beckoning the arrival of graduate research students. It fostered a relaxing atmosphere where PhD students engaged in lively exchanges. During the gathering, senior PhD candidates participated in discussions spanning various topics, including teaching experiences, advancements in data collection and analysis, academic conferences, publication endeavours, and strategies for maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Concurrently, first-year PhD students took the opportunity to introduce themselves, sharing their academic backgrounds and research interests. They actively sought insights from senior peers, fostering connections with their fellow students. Through this event, the Club kicked off the new academic year with both senior members and first-year PhD students who are new blood in the cohort.
From the event, we received feedback as follows:
Hannah Wang: I think I am motivated to meet some new people at this event and especially to get to know someone who has similar interests at SoLL. Meanwhile, it’s a good opportunity to talk to other PhD students while enjoying food and drinks.
Yue Li: For me, I think it’s important to form your cohort, and especially in the PhD period, we need to perform better time management and achieve research-life balance through events and activities like this, where we can communicate face-to-face in a nice atmosphere. It definitely helps us to achieve research goals and better well-being.
Patrick Huang: Here we have free drinks and food. Besides this, I think meeting some new people is really good, especially for research and PhD beginners. It’s important to get some insights from other people, especially the senior PhD students. The event is so nice!
In addition to the picnic event, the club has been organising more activities to create opportunities for promoting collaboration, communication, and research among GR students at SoLL. Starting in April, the Club will host “Shut Up & Write!” events in a hybrid format, which are good chances for some social study and dedicated writing time, with drinks and snacks provided! Below are further details:
- Week 6 (Babel, 506 or Zoom): Tuesday, April 9th 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
- Week 8 (Babel, 407 or Zoom): Monday, April 22nd 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
- Week 10 (Babel, 506 or Zoom): Tuesday, May 7th 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
- Week 12 (Babel, 407 or Zoom): Monday, May 20th 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
- Week 14 (Babel, 506 or Zoom): Tuesday, June 4th 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
After the delightful picnic event, the SoLL Postgraduate Club is looking forward to bringing together GR students in various ways, building shared memories and enriching experiences throughout their research journey at SoLL.
If you are a GR student and haven’t joined the club, register your membership now through the code below to get informed about various upcoming events!
