
Even before I applied for my Masters program, I knew I wanted to do a PhD.
In order to learn how to do proper research.
To open up my horizons and my learning.
To be able to work in academia later on.
After I had finished my Masters in 2017, I immediately started applying at various universities around Switzerland – and in some European countries such as Sweden and Denmark. I mainly wanted to stay in Switzerland because of my sister, niece and nephew; in addition, because it is a safe and beautiful country and my home since 2009.
Each university had its own regulations. Most of them though, asked the applicants to find their supervisor on their own. And so started the quest for a supervisor – I started writing to people whose research I had read and/or used in my MA thesis. Hours and hours of writing a different email to each one (the biggest mistake an applicant can make is write the same email to everyone – you need to be very specific and show them what you liked about their research and what matches your topic, which will make you and them fit as a team).
And here was where the odyssey started: sometimes I never got a reply, sometimes I did – that the professor either did not have time to take me on (A-ha pun intended, the 80s music fan I am ; ), or our fields did not really match exactly – I started to learn how specific I had to be in my search for a supervisor. I kept rewriting the proposal, thinking and knowing I could do better.
I cannot say I was brave all the time, and there were days when I thought I am not able to do it – or be accepted. Most days I was okay and motivated and kept applying. I started looking for potential groups I could join online and see what I could do better. And there was a research group at the University of Zurich, where every week two students would present their research and get feedback. I wrote to the person who organised this and asked her if I could go and watch – explaining that I was not even a PhD student. Shout-out to Dr Iris Hübscher, who is this amazing person who organised the PhD events! She not only told me I could go, but later on met up with me for coffee and we talked about my predicament and she mentioned a few names I could write to.
One of them was someone I found all the time in my books and articles while doing my Masters, and admired so much for his work. I thought, should I write to him? Maybe not? Maybe I should? And kept torturing myself the whole day until I mustered up the courage to write. And a couple of days later, he replied that he was interested and would like to meet me. I thought, this could be it! We had a Skype meeting initially in January 2020 and he said: “Well great, welcome to the team!” And I said, “So you are taking me on?” I could not believe that after almost three years of trying, one of THE most amazing academics in my field wanted to be my supervisor! And not only that, he is a spectacular personality as well! This person is Professor Adrian Leemann, to whom I owe a great deal. We have been together for three years - we are now entering our fourth - and I have learned so so much. And even to this day, I sometimes stop and think, he is my supervisor! He teaches at the University of Bern and the University of Zurich as well.
Then, I had to find a co-supervisor, so I started writing again in spring and summer 2020 – in this process I met the most amazing people once again, who could not be my co-supervisors due to time restraints or having enough students on their programs already, but I am so glad I have met them and we are connected on social media. We still keep in touch with a lot of them, and they introduce me to other people and I introduce them to people I know.
And then, in the midst of closing down my business and moving house, I suddenly got a reply from another amazing academic! I could not believe it. I was unloading boxes of books when I stopped to take a break and look at my phone. I got a message from Professor Daniel Schreier! I could not believe that after so long trying, I had two super people accepting me as their student. Dr Schreier teaches at the University of Zurich and is also a super person, apart from a top academic.
However, you have to apply to the university and let them know you have supervisors and then starts the wait for them to say yes. They did! And I could not believe it! And I worked really hard the first year and keep doing so. I will do so for the next two years too, and after that. I love it, and apart from not wanting to disappoint myself, I do not want to disappoint the people who trusted me and took me on, so that I could start my research. I am so grateful to them!
Thanks are in order:
Thank you with all my heart to Professors Leemann and Schreier, who made such a difference in my life and made my dream come true!
Thank you to my family, who supported me throughout the whole application process and motivated me to keep going!
Thank you to my friends who kept asking if I am okay and if I had any news, and were so happy for me when I was accepted!
Thank you to Dr Iris Hübscher who gave me amazing tips and was so generous with her time!
Thank you to all the academics who gave me advice on how to apply and who could not accept me on their programs, but to this day are interested in how I am doing.

Disclaimer: The PhD application process differs from country to country and from university to university, even within the same country. Make sure you read the guidelines of each institution carefully before you apply. What I have just described is only my personal experience.
Recommended Blog Posts to Read:
starting the PhD? 25 things to consider by Pat Thompson
unlearning who you are and what you know? starting the doctorate by Pat Thompson
Applying to a PhD program on InsideHigherEd
Your guide to a strong PhD application by Duke University
Applying for a PhD? These 10 tips can help you succeed by Science
Recommended Book: A book that really helped me before I got into the PhD, but also during and I keep revisiting, is:
What a pleasure reading your journey! And it is such beautiful evidence that the things being meant for you might take their time, but they will fall into place eventually. Just don't stop believing and fighting.