Surviving Year 1 (and Beyond): Candid Insights from New Ph.D. Students

Quindelda “Q.” McElroy (Ph.D. student) and Stephanie Schupska (Ph.D. student). “Surviving Year 1 (and Beyond): Candid Insights from New Ph.D. Students” was accepted for a panel presentation at the 2026 Georgia Communication Association Conference at Mercer University in Macon in February. Abstract: The transition into a doctoral program can be exhilarating, empowering, terrifying and transformative – in some cases, all at once. This panel brings together diverse Ph.D. students who have completed at least a full year of study to offer candid reflections on what Year One really looks like. Panelists will share practical advice for future and early-stage Ph.D. students, including steps to take before formal study begins, building peer networks, navigating advisor/faculty relationships and managing workloads – notably the emotional labor of doctoral study (e.g., imposter syndrome). A central question guiding this session is, “Knowing what we know now, would we still choose to pursue a Ph.D.?” By leveraging honest conversation and interactive exercises, we aim to demystify the first year and offer a realistic sense of the demands of doctoral studies.