Thesis Boot Camp 2024 Reflections
Silence descends, a moment of great thought fills the air, then the regular beat of tapping keys starts up, quickly becoming the identifiable sound of shared progress, accountability, and silent support from all corners of the room.
From 19th−21st April, 23 PGRs gathered together at the Egham campus to take part in the Thesis Boot Camp writing retreat, facilitated by Dr Vicky Penn, Dr Laura Christie, and Dr Laura Ventura Nieto. The Boot Camp was preceded by two online meetings in which researchers could meet their groups for the weekend, discuss their ‘thesis roadmap’ (the plan of their overall thesis and the chapter or section they intended to work on during TBC), and share writing tips and advice to boost productivity and support each other through the long writing sessions to come.
We began in-person on Friday evening with some goal setting for the weekend in small groups, declaring writing goals that would act as a yardstick for progress at the various reflection points throughout the weekend. This was followed by a hearty dinner, and we then got underway with the first writing session of the weekend, bolstered by the communal feel of working together towards a shared goal. Despite the various interpretations of this goal across different disciplines, degrees, and stages of writing, it was encouraging to know that others were focusing all around, and that the writing produced this weekend would be something ready to be edited and polished later.
Saturday morning began bright and early with breakfast before we settled into the second writing session, in which many researchers made great strides towards their personal writing goals. The aim of the weekend was to get writing down, to ‘write first; edit later’, or, in the words of the TBC philosophy, to ‘make a mess, clean it up later’. Throughout the day there were wonderful examples of connections made, support given, and like-minded colleagues recognising each other’s strengths and successes. While the recognition of significant writing achievements through squishy Lego blocks might seem rather strange, the determination to achieve 5,000, 10,000, 15,000, and the highly coveted 20,000 words written became almost visceral, and the silent applause and smiles that received each triumphant researcher as they came to the front to claim their Lego block was truly heartwarming.
Sunday continued in the same vein, and though by the end we were on the ninth writing session, many researchers were still typing away when the clock struck 8pm, and the incredible 16 hours of focused writing across the weekend finally drew to a close. In the last tantalising ten minutes, several researchers reached writing milestones, providing an inspirational, unforgettable finish to a really wonderful weekend full of shared experiences, support, food, discussions, and writing, writing, and more writing!
Thank you so much to all the researchers who took part in the weekend, for sacrificing your time and also for sharing your fascinating research with each other in discussions, walks, and group sessions. Best of luck with the next steps in your research!