Postgraduate Study in Aotearoa New Zealand: Surviving and Succeeding by Christopher McMaster

This book is a survival guide to help postgraduates at each stage of their studies. The editors gave each contributor a simple task: "If you could go back in time to when you started your postgraduate studies, what would you tell your younger, less experienced self? What advice could you give to prospective or current postgraduate students now, with the wisdom of your hindsight?" What sets this book apart is its focus on the New Zealand context. The diverse group of authors brings a range of perspectives and fresh insights. They share stories, advice and wisdom in practical and down-to-earth ways. Many tell openly of raw feelings and vulnerability, especially as they work to deadlines, at a distance, in isolation, under pressure, while sick or with English as a second language. This book is written primarily for postgraduates in the arts and social sciences. Key features of the book include supervision, preparing for the viva voce, writing and publishing, maintaining wellness, navigating culture, working full time and juggling life's many challenges. It does not prescribe how to be a postgraduate student but it begins to identify a set of common practices at the heart of postgraduate student culture in New Zealand.