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I have a great gaggle of PhD students who work with me at Essex. I see them together as a group once a week -- simply because it can be a lonely life as a PhD student, and it really is important to feel part of a team and to know that there are lots of other people who can sympathise with (and help you get through) any problems you may be facing, whether personal or academic. I ask each member of the group to produce a discussion paper twice a term, which they circulate in advance in a written form and discuss with the group as a whole (and I also give them a separate set of private written comments on what they have produced). We try and make it as much fun as possible (though they will no doubt tell you that I tease them mercilessly). Discussing your work in a group is an important step in learning how to deal with other people's scepticism about the value of your research, and is also an important potential source of inspiration (since a fellow student working on a different topic may be able to offer an alternative perspective on an issue that baffles you).
PhD students who've worked with me at Essex over the past couple of years include the following: