King's College London

King’s PhD Writing Retreat provided an opportunity for 12 PhD and postgraduate students across King’s to take a break from London and enjoy two days amongst nature. Over the break, students took part in structured writing sessions and a guided hike through the South Downs National Park. 

Aims of the retreat

Many postgraduate and PhD students struggle with low wellbeing due to self-doubt, lack of work-life balance, and limited social support.

The PhD Writing Retreat aimed to address this by providing a supportive environment where students could focus on their work whilst prioritising their wellbeing.

The goal of the retreat was to help students develop methods to improve concentration, be productive and learn techniques to support their future studies. For example, writing sessions were structured using the Pomodoro technique, a time management method that promotes focused work followed by short breaks.

Students were also encouraged to support and talk to one another, sharing their experiences and building their networks.

How was the impact of the retreat evaluated?

To measure and evaluate the impact of the retreat on our students, we collected qualitative and quantitative data through surveys conducted before, right after, and four weeks after the retreat.

The surveys measured the following indicators:

• General experience at King’s: Assessed using a modified ‘Settling at King’s’ questionnaire.
• Attitudes towards their PhD (e.g. enthusiasm, confidence in abilities, sense of support and motivation): Captured before the retreat to understand baseline feelings, and afterwards to assess any changes in outlook as a result of the retreat.
• Engagement: Measured using a five-item engagement scale before the retreat to assess levels of engagement on and off campus.
• Friendship quality: Evaluated using questions designed by the BE At King’s team to evaluate whether the retreat helped participants build better friendships.
• Loneliness: Measured using the ONS direct measure of loneliness to determine if the retreat reduced feelings of loneliness.

Students were also asked what they hoped to gain from the retreat, whether they achieved their goals from the retreat, and how the retreat impacted their writing and PhD progress.

How did the retreat impact students?

Feedback from students indicated that the retreat had an impact on:

• Boosting their productivity, as it was motivating and inspiring to work in an environment where others were also working. 
• Boosting their sense of connection, as it provided a place to meet new people who supported each other and build a network with others who share similar experiences. 
• Increasing their knowledge of useful writing techniques (e.g. the Pomodoro technique) and of other research being conducted. 

Overall, the PhD Writing Retreat had a significant positive impact on students' wellbeing and academic confidence, particularly in the short-term.

The retreat provided a valuable opportunity for students to connect, learn, and develop the skills needed to succeed in their postgraduate studies.

Find out more and get in touch

The PhD Writing Retreat was led by Dr Ta-Wei Guu.

Want to find out more about this initiative or find out how we can help you with your own? Get in touch with BE At King's at beatkings@kcl.ac.uk.