Many doctoral student representatives have email lists or social media accounts. However, it has become apparent time and again that it is not so easy to really reach doctoral students on site. We are a very diverse group of people and therefore cannot be reached through a single solution. In this blog, we would therefore like to present a few ideas and also invite you to share your good and bad experiences with contacting other doctoral students.
Email distribution lists work—but only to a limited extent
Email lists remain an important basic framework, but often only reach those who have actively signed up and have shown interest. Many doctoral students find out about events late or not at all, because they were never added to the relevant distribution lists or because there is no central email list for all doctoral students in their faculty or university. In addition, emails can quickly get lost, especially when they are sent via a general university mailing list. We’ve all been there: opening our email inbox in the morning to find ten new emails with two new deadlines. An invitation to a barbecue in the city park can easily get lost in the shuffle.
Social media reaches many—but not all
Platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, and Mastodon can create visibility, but they are heavily dependent on algorithms and personal use. Every field has different preferences, and every platform can be criticized. Many researchers who want to generate professional reach have LinkedIn accounts that showcase their publications and follow the official accounts of their research projects. Short video formats are always popular. These are more time-consuming than uploading an image and writing a text and require a willingness to take care of video shooting and voice-overs. There is also repeated criticism that platforms are in the hands of a few very wealthy individuals. This is particularly criticized in the case of X (formerly Twitter). In recent years, alternative microblogging platforms have grown, such as Mastodon as an open-source and decentralized option in the Fediverse. Ultimately, however, the question remains: Which platform is best for reaching your own doctoral students, and which platform do you want to support? Are you active everywhere, do you completely refrain from social media in your committee, or are you only active on individual platforms?
Local visibility remains crucial
Social media is a great way to reach people from your office chair. However, low-threshold personal contacts, for example in colloquia or graduate schools, often have a more lasting effect. Whether it’s notices, posters, or information stands, personal visibility on site remains the decisive factor in attracting doctoral students who are keen to get involved, even in the age of social media. Organizing events such as pub nights, hikes, or panel discussions is therefore not only a place where doctoral students can meet and exchange ideas, but also the best place to actively recruit new committee members. What events do you organize regularly that are very well or very poorly attended? Share your opinions with us and write your best tips in the comments.
Collaborations with other institutions can open doors
Many doctoral student representatives report that cooperation with graduate centers, equal opportunities offices, student councils, or staff councils significantly increases their reach. This is because joint events, newsletter articles, or short contributions to introductory formats create synergies that would be difficult to achieve alone. That is why we are particularly interested in how you are networked locally. We want to know whether you cooperate with the student body, unions, or the staff council, or whether you get involved when a graduate program welcomes new doctoral candidates or presents itself online to international interested parties. Because only by sharing our experiences can we find ways to make doctoral candidates truly accessible locally.
