Thanks for booking a coaching call. Here are some (optional) questions you might like to consider before our call (ignore any questions that don't apply to your situation).

To set expectations, please realize we are a small team of generalist coaches. We are not experts in your academic field. You will likely know more than we do about your specific topic area. Instead, we can offer general coaching, discuss your uncertainties and current options, and help you strategize about the next steps in a general way. During our call, we will probably recommend that you speak to others working within your specific field of research. 

How to have an impact

  1. How are you planning to have an impact during your studies or later after you graduate? 

  2. Why/How do you think this will be impactful?

  3. Is the topic related to any of the research directions on our website?

  4. Have you considered the scale, neglectedness, and solvability of your topic?

  5. What are the most important global problems, and how have you formed those views?

Your Thesis

  1. What does a successful thesis look like to you?

  2. What prevents you from advancing with your topic choice right now?

  3. Are you hoping to learn anything else during your thesis or studies or acquire any other helpful information or skills relevant to your future direction? 

  4. Have you found a supervisor or have some initial ideas about who might be a good supervisor for you? (We think it’s essential to find a suitable supervisor you get on well with and can offer you good mentoring). 

  5. Do you have any significant deadlines approaching? 

  6. Are there any urgent or important decisions you must make in the next few weeks or months? 

Career in research

  1. Are you planning to have a research career? 

  2. If so, would you like to research inside universities/academia or outside (in government, think tanks, NGOs, charities, business, industry, etc)? 

  3. Are you hoping to test your fit for research with your thesis?

Additional Questions

  1. What are you uncertain about?

  2. How are you generally feeling about your answers to these questions?
    Excited / nervous / unsure / confident / anything else? 

  3. Is there anything else you would like to get out of coaching?