Six months flies by so fast! It is very surreal to have completed my confirmation yesterday!
What is known as an “upgrade” in the UK is referred to a “confirmation” here in New Zealand. It is basically the approval of full enrollment after the period of conditional enrollment, once you have shown that you are able to progress on to do research with the plans you set out (in a 14,000-word document reviewed by the graduate research panel) and a 20 minute presentation.
To have arrived in New Zealand where I am so far away from anyone who knows me, and achieve reaching confirmed enrollment, was a huge accomplishment for me. I feel very proud of myself, and grateful for the amazing support I received from my supervisory panel.
After the presentation and grilling, I had a nice sushi lunch at the infamous Bongo Cafe and a wonderful pot luck to celebrate.
From what I have heard, a PhD changes considerably over the course of the research. New ideas come along, old ideas become expensive or do not adhere to the time limit. I thought I would document this day on here because it was a very hard journey for me to get here. I joked to Andrew saying “phew, it’s over!” to which he replied: “it has only just begun…!” 🙂
If you would like to read my PhD proposal, please get in touch with me directly! 🙂
