Begin with The End in Mind: Storying The Post-Pandemic PhD

This article probes the value of stories, storytelling and storying the PhD. While policies and procedures – rightly – punctuate a doctoral candidature, it is the stories that move a student beyond individual experiences, disappointments and traumas, and into meaning, reflection and propulsion into the future. As the ‘new normal’ of the post-pandemic PhD becomes clear, there is a necessity to understand, support and enable the very specific cohort of students enrolled during Covid-19. The first half of this article introduces ‘storying’ as a reflective practice for PhD and post-PhD students, to configure alignments between beginnings and endings, decisions and choices. The second half presents ten mantras, slogans or triggers to commence meaningful storying in and from doctoral education. The goal of this paper is to move (post)pandemic, (post)PhD students beyond remorse, blame, guilt, anger and shame, and to find resonance and purpose in and through decision making.