Climbing academic peaks: RSU doctoral student Aleksandra Palkova shares insights on her journey

We are launching a five-story series about five passionate, courageous people who challenged themselves and made the decision to embark on a climb. This climb requires willpower, endurance, and flexibility to overcome difficulties that come up along the way, but in return brings new, exciting discoveries, support from a team, and access to dizzying horizons like we hear about from mountain climbers. You don't however always have to pack a backpack to get to the top – you can achieve the same by enrolling in a doctoral programme at RSU!

In this series, our young doctoral students answer the first important questions you might have if you think that academic mountaineering is an exciting prospect and that reaching the top is part of your life plan.

We open the series with Aleksandra Palkova, a political science doctoral student.

How did you choose the topic of your doctoral thesis?

I knew that I would pursue doctoral studies and write a thesis ever since I obtained my bachelor's degree at Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU). At that time, the opinion was that

a good and knowledgeable expert should have a doctoral degree.

Looking back, not much has changed and I still believe that real researchers should have a doctoral degree.

My PhD thesis is therefore about the ability to capture how different crises affect EU policy and integration. For me, it is a whole game where I have to be able not only to observe but also to record the smallest effects that a crisis has and its impact on other spheres. I have to wear my Sherlock Holmes hat, especially when there is a spillover effect between spheres. 

How did you find your thesis supervisor? 

Finding a thesis supervisor was easy considering the limited number of EU experts at RSU.

When choosing a thesis supervisor, it is important to consider their experience in their profession, in academia, as well as with applying an interdisciplinary approach.

It is essential that the thesis supervisor not only understands the structure of the thesis but is also aware of the essence of the topic. This allows for new perspectives and expands the field of research.

How did you choose the university and programme? 

Moreover, my continuing involvement in the university's faculty further strengthened my decision to pursue my PhD studies at RSU. 

What’s your advice on how to draw up an application for a doctoral thesis? 

Drawing up a strong application requires careful planning and preparation. These are my suggestions:

first, articulate your research design clearly – your research question, goal, methodology, and expected results. This is the first step that demonstrates the importance and originality of the proposed research.

Second, you need to be able to organise your application materials well, including a CV, transcripts, and letters of reference to highlight relevant experience, skills, and accomplishments. If the student has previous research experience, this should definitely be emphasised in the application.

What do you value at RSU? 

The main thing is the vibrant academic community that RSU fosters by bringing together students and academic staff from diverse backgrounds. In addition, I very much appreciate the University’s commitment to academic excellence; the interdisciplinarity and quality of education here is unquestionable.

At RSU, you can meet real experts in their field who are passionate about teaching and guiding students. Their guidance and support have been invaluable in shaping my academic journey. Another aspect I appreciate at RSU is the emphasis on hands-on training. Whether through placements, clinical rotations, or research opportunities,

the University provides students with ample opportunities to use theoretical knowledge in real-life settings.