Prática de Shadowing: I am officially a PhD candidate! Qualifying exam prep, personal growth, overcoming uncertainty - Aprenda a falar inglês com o YouTube

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It's April 1st today, which means I have about five weeks till the oral component of my qualifying exam.
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It's April 1st today, which means I have about five weeks till the oral component of my qualifying exam.
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I thought I'd document my time over the next five weeks
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because not only do I have to prepare for my qualifying exams,
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I also have a couple of deadlines for some courses that I'm taking,
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and I'm attending a conference a few days before my oral exam.
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So it's gonna be a lot,
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but I think with good time management, it should be okay.
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Slightly more than a month before my oral qualifying exam,
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I had this wild idea to document the whole preparation process.
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Not just the studying and planning and deadlines, but the full picture.
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What life actually looks like during this really intense stretch of time.
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I've always believed that there is more to life than work,
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and so no matter how much I enjoy my work,
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I like to think that I also make time to appreciate the things and experiences have no relation to work.
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My oral presentation comes right at the end of the spring semester,
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which also happens to be when every course deadline collides with ongoing research responsibilities.
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And on top of that,
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I was leaving for a three-day conference the week before my oral presentation.
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So naturally, it's been a lot.
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But I figured that there is no better time to start recording than now.
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So this video is just that.
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A window into what these next few weeks look like as I prepare for my qualifying exam,
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try to stay grounded and remind myself that there's room for both ambition and joy even during the busiest seasons.
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One of the first things I did was jot down every deadline I could think of.
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I added them into my notes app and my calendar so that I can better visualize the timeline.
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This makes everything feel more manageable
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because now they become simple tasks on my checklist rather than an overwhelming immeasurable amount of work.
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So PhD qualifying exams are a set of exams you take midway through your PhD journey.
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The idea is to assess your grasp of your field and determine whether you're ready to move forward with your dissertation.
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The types of exams vary across fields and programs but in my program,
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the qualifying exam is pretty practical which I really appreciate.
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Instead of a traditional written exam,
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I'm required to submit two manuscripts and give an oral presentation on one of them.
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I had already submitted one manuscript earlier this year,
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So at this point, most of my focus is on prepping for the oral.
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And of course, juggling everything else that comes with the end of the semester.
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It's a lot, I won't lie.
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The to-do list is long and the days feel packed,
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and there's always something waiting for my attention.
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But I've realised that this is kind of my sweet spot.
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I actually enjoy having multiple things going on at once.
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I find it energising switching between different types of work.
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When I get stuck on one task,
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I move to another, and that shift in focus often helps me see things more clearly.
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It's like each project gives me something to look forward to.
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It's definitely busy, and sometimes in a chaotic way,
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but it's a rhythm I've learned to move with.
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And weirdly enough, when I'm juggling a few things at once,
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I actually feel more grounded.
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I know it's not for everyone,
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but for me, having multiple things in progress helps me stay engaged and excited about what I'm doing.
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I'm left with the discussion section of the manuscript for my qualifying exams.
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The deadline is technically two weeks from now,
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but I'm hoping to get it done this week so
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that it frees up more time for any other thing
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that comes my way and also for all the other things on my checklist.
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I don't think I can finish the discussion section today because I have class in the afternoon,
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but I'll try to see how much I can get done.
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But it wasn't always this way.
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During my first year, I felt so unsure about everything.
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What I wanted to study,
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who I wanted to become,
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and how to even begin carving out a research identity.
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Some days, I felt like I was just floating and trying to grab onto anything that made sense
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or seeking out work to do just so I could feel productive.
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Back then, my advisor reassured me and told me not to worry
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because I still have such a long road ahead of me.
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She's right, of course.
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Rationally, I knew I was getting ahead of myself by worrying
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about my research identity before I had even finished settling into the program in the country.
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But at the time, it felt very real.
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I think it's because I work best when I have a clear structure and something concrete to move toward.
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Having that kind of direction gives me a sense of purpose and a reason to show up every day with intention.
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And so the uncertainty of not knowing what kind of work I want to commit to
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or where my research is headed scared me.
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And it still does sometimes.
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There's a strange vulnerability in realizing that research is all I know
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and probably all I can do at this point in my career and yet I have no clue what I'm doing.
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I'm learning that this is part of the progress and the path doesn't have to be clear from the beginning.
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I'm at the end of my second year now and looking back,
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I can say that things do get less uncertain with time if you keep trying and working on it.
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It's not that I have everything figured out because I definitely don't
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but I have a better sense of where my interests lie and that clarity,
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however partial, feels like a win in itself.
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That's it, I know this process isn't over.
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I'll have to keep refining,
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keep asking and keep doing the work.
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And I think that's okay.
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Research is about being committed to the questions,
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and to the slow and often messy process of figuring it out along the way.
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I truly love being part of the research community.
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It's inspiring to be surrounded by people who are so curious and driven.
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I love the conversations that spark from a simple question and the excitement that comes with learning from someone else's sharing.
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There's something really special about being in a space where people are genuinely excited about knowledge and discovery.
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But at the same time,
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I really appreciate having close friends outside of academia.
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In fact, all my closest friends
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and even my husband are not in academia at all and I would do anything for them.
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It's deeply comforting to spend time with people who aren't in the same bubble
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and who remind me that there's a whole world beyond research questions.
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They don't understand the ins and outs of what I'm working on and that's actually kind of the point.
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With them, I get to talk about other parts of life,
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about food, family, books, random thoughts,
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and just be a whole person,
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not just a grad student.
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They remind me of who I am outside of my work,
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and they are essential in helping me navigate the stress and self-doubt that can sometimes come with this journey.
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So as I prepare for the one final exam that grants me the status of a PhD candidate,
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I am reminded of the whole journey it took to get here.
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It hasn't just been about mastering content or meeting deadlines.
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It's been about learning how to sit with uncertainty,
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how to be okay with not having all the answers about my research,
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my future, and even myself.
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Graduate school has a way of pushing you to your edges,
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not just intellectually but personally.
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And somewhere along the way I've come to realize
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that this whole process isn't just about being an expert in
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the field it's about figuring out who I am outside of my work,
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what I value, what I care about,
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what kind of person, colleague and friend I want to be.
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The qualifying exam feels like a big milestone and it is but more than anything it's a marker of growth,
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not just as a student but as a whole person.
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And while there's so much ahead of me,
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I'm proud of how far I've come.
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I've learned that it's okay to evolve,
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to not have everything figured out,
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and to keep showing up anyway.

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Por que praticar a fala com este vídeo?

Praticar a fala com vídeos como este é essencial para melhorar a sua fluência em inglês, especialmente em contextos acadêmicos e profissionais. O orador compartilha sua experiência como candidato a PhD, o que proporciona um cenário autêntico e relevante para quem busca se aperfeiçoar na prática de conversação em inglês. Ao seguir os passos de preparação e os desafios enfrentados, os aprendizes podem se familiarizar com a linguagem específica do meio acadêmico, além de desenvolver a confiança em sua capacidade de se expressar em público.

Gramática & Expressões em Contexto

Analisando o discurso do vídeo, podemos destacar algumas estruturas e expressões-chave que são úteis para quem está aprendendo:

  • “I thought I’d document my time”: A expressão "thought I’d" é um exemplo de linguagem informal e uma boa maneira de expressar intenções. Ela demonstra a importância de planejar e refletir sobre experiências.
  • “I had this wild idea”: Aqui, "wild idea" é uma expressão que transmite um pensamento ousado. Usar descrições coloridas no discurso pode tornar a comunicação mais interessante.
  • “It’s going to be a lot”: Essa frase mostra como antecipar desafios. Usar construções como "It’s going to be" é comum e útil para discutir expectativas.
  • “I find it energizing”: O uso de "find it" seguido de adjetivos ajuda a expressar opiniões e sentimentos pessoais, o que é vital em uma prática de conversação em inglês.

Armadilhas Comuns de Pronúncia

A pronúncia em inglês pode apresentar desafios, especialmente em palavras ou expressões mais complexas. No vídeo, alguns pontos a serem observados são:

  • “qualifying exam”: Esta expressão pode causar confusão. Certifique-se de praticar a entonação, focando na pronúncia clara de cada sílaba.
  • “submission of manuscripts”: Preste atenção ao som de "submission", que pode ser difícil de pronunciar rapidamente. Praticar a divisão das sílabas pode ajudar.
  • “oral presentation”: A pronúncia da palavra “oral” frequentemente apresenta uma armadilha, com a tendência de ser pronunciada de forma errada; pratique em voz alta para corrigir possíveis erros.

Para melhorar a pronúncia em inglês, considere técnicas de shadowing em inglês e shadow speaks, onde você repete o que ouve, imitando a entonação e o ritmo do orador. Essa prática ajuda a internalizar as estruturas e a melhorar sua habilidade de comunicação, tornando suas apresentações cada vez mais naturais e autênticas.

O que é a Técnica de Shadowing?

Shadowing é uma técnica de aprendizado de idiomas com base científica, originalmente desenvolvida para o treinamento de intérpretes profissionais. O método é simples, mas poderoso: você ouve áudio em inglês nativo e repete imediatamente em voz alta — como uma sombra seguindo o falante com 1-2 segundos de atraso. Pesquisas mostram melhora significativa na precisão da pronúncia, entonação, ritmo, sons conectados, compreensão auditiva e fluência na fala.

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