How to set yourself up for success as a research student.
Published Date 18/08/2025
Tom is a PhD student at Monash. For his first year, he was on track with his research and meeting his milestones. However, when Tom received the news that a family member in his home country was ill, it began to impact his research journey.
At first, Tom’s supervisor was very empathetic and understanding of his situation. For this reason, he assumed that he could travel back and forth from his home country, putting his research aside while dealing with these stressful family issues.
But then, his supervisor began applying pressure, reminding him that despite his lack of preparation, he needed to meet his milestone which was only one month away. This almost felt like a threat, and only made Tom feel more stressed.
Tom failed his milestone and was given a list of things he needed to do in order to pass. He is doubtful that he can meet these expectations in the short timeframe provided.
What should Tom do?
Firstly, Tom should have applied for a leave of absence. This would’ve paused the clock on his PhD obligations when he needed to travel. He wouldn’t have lost precious time to work on his research.
He should also not have attempted a milestone if he wasn’t very confident that he would pass. When his academic progress had fallen behind, he should have explored ways to delay his milestone and earn more time to get his work up to standard. If he fails again at his reconvened milestone, this would likely lead to a termination of his PhD.
However, he also has other options to buy more time to meet his milestone. These options include:
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Taking a leave of absence now until he has the capacity to continue with his research degree.
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Taking annual leave and sick leave if he is feeling burnt out, stressed or overwhelmed.
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Dropping down to part-time to make more room to catch up on his milestone.
He can learn more about University processes for managing milestones here. But first and foremost, Tom should speak to an MGA advocate. Our helpful advocates have a lot of experience with milestone management and will be able to guide him through his options and next steps.
Having trouble navigating milestones? Get in touch with an MGA advocate today.
The sooner you reach out to us, the better we can help you! Email us at mga-advocacy@monash.edu.