Amanda Nova: Completing a dual PhD

Introducing Amanda 

Amanda Nova has been at UWaterloo for the entirety of her post-secondary education. Obtaining a bachelor’s degree in health sciences with a minor in gerontology and a master’s in public health and health systems, she is now in her fourth year as a PhD candidate working on a dual PhD (also known as a Cotutelle) between the School of Public Health Sciences at UWaterloo and the Department of Biomedical Sciences at KU Leuven in Belgium. Her research focuses on quality of life in long-term care homes. Amanda also works as a TA workshop facilitator at the Center for Teaching Excellence where she has improved her skills in public speaking, facilitating discussions, and creating a positive classroom environment. Outside the university, Amanda enjoys exploring the outdoors through hiking and loves playing boardgames.  

Completing a dual PhD 

While working on her masters, Amanda was torn on what to pursue afterwards. She had previously visited KU Leuven for a conference and really liked the city, but also loved the environment and her work at UWaterloo. Talking to others about her thoughts, she was introduced to the idea of completing a dual PhD, “a friend of mine mentioned, “why don’t you do both?”, and they explained the whole concept. So, I looked around online and realized this is something I could do”. 

The dual PhD allowed Amanda to pursue both options - working in Leuven, while continuing at Waterloo – but there have been some challenges Amanda has faced working on her dual PhD. Amanda shares, “You do have to juggle a little bit within your role. My supervisors are both fantastic, but studying in two universities comes with its challenges […] you’ve got different perspectives and different time zones. Sometimes I was having meetings at like 10:00 PM over there”. But for Amanda, she hopes to share her experiences to help other students: “a lot of people don’t know this exists. I think they don’t know the dual PhD is an option. But it should be an option because different universities see the world differently.”

Experiences while travelling abroad 

As part of the dual degree, Amanda travelled to Belgium for over a year to learn about their healthcare system, access data and learning opportunities, and broaden her research network. One of the struggles she faced before her trip was the process of documentation, “I had to apply to both universities of course, and they create a contract. So, there’s a lot of negotiation between the two universities. Everyone has to sign it and get on board.” Between the negotiations, and getting a student visa, Amanda says the process took approximately a year and a half. “You need your ID and passports, your medical record, police checks, proof of financial means. You’ve got to tell both countries’ governments you’re going. There’s a safety abroad app (Anvil) that UW pays for, which was nice. And then tickets, and housing, and opening a bank account.” The experience taught her to be organized and keep track of a lot of different things. A piece of advice from Amanda, “Start early if you’re interested because there’s a lot of documentation, a lot of bureaucracy.”  

Another part of Amanda’s travels included experiencing a new culture for the first time, “I’d never lived outside of Waterloo. It was really out of my comfort zone.” While she notes her shock wasn’t as drastic, since Canadian and Belgian cultures can seem pretty similar, and many Belgians speak fluent English, there were still small differences in everyday life. She shares a story about an experience in a grocery store, “Even reading the labels in the grocery store. How do you navigate a grocery store when you can’t read anything on the shelves? There was one moment, I had a jar of what I thought was raspberry jam and it was actually onion paste. I put it on my sandwich and I was like, ‘there’s something wrong with this raspberry jam!’” When it comes to going outside of your comfort zone, Amanda suggests, “you’re going to say to yourself, ‘OK, I’m feeling scared’, and then go out and do it anyway”.

Her travels offered more than just work benefits, “I also travelled lots on the weekends around Europe for fun! I went to festivals and carnivals, ate new foods, and learned lots about Belgian and European culture. I met so many wonderful people. […] One thing that I found surprising was that after a little while it really felt like home in a way. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did.” With this being her first time travelling and living solo, Amanda first thought that she would be a little lonely, but she found many coworker connections and friends who always offered to help.

Advice for other students 

Amanda’s biggest piece of advice is to dive in headfirst. “Start conversations with people you don’t know, ask questions, join a club, volunteer, and try to learn a little bit of the language by taking classes.” Even connecting with others by sharing your own language knowledge is a great way to make connections! “I was offering to proofread people’s work. When you’re the only native English speaker in office, it’s a way to learn about other people and what they’re working on.” Now that she is back home in Canada, she is grateful to have had the experience: “You can improve the impact of your research, improve your learning, and go on an adventure! I would highly recommend it to anybody.”