# @life_and_sunshine on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DTIprZ7CHqB
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/63278399-life-and-sunshine-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/32ef1fe931.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-01-05T16:09:18.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Nat ☀️ (@life_and_sunshine) — https://gondola.cc/life_and_sunshine

## Caption

PhD defenses are so different everywhere in the world 🤩 Even per European country 🇪🇺 and within one country it varies from university to university 🏫 I know it’s not exactly the same for all Dutch unis 😅 But I think in general, this is how it works in the Netherlands! 🇳🇱
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It’s a very formal affair 🎩 People dress fancy (the PhD defendant usually in a suit or a nice dress 👗 The opposition members wear their toga’s (if they’re a full professor that is) 🧑‍🎓 Your friends, colleagues, and family who have come to watch 👀 (yes, they’re all there) also dress up nicely, or nicer than usual (let’s keep it real, Dutch people don’t do fancy 😂)
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But I really liked that it was a more formal thing ✨ It made it feel like a more real end to my PhD ✅ Like everything I did led to this one big moment of time ⌛️ And that was it 🤩 Done! ☑️ Doctor Degree awarded 🥳 
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#phd #phdstudentlife #phdstudentsofinstagram #phdstudent #phdjourney #phdlife #phdchat #phdresearch #phddefense #phdthesis #phdlifestyle #phdcandidate #phdstudents #phdlife🎓 #defense #opposition #opponens #title #titles #doctor #dr #doctorallife #doctoralstudent #doctorate #doctoratedegree #womeninscience #steminist #postdoc

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 3,246
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- **Comments:** 154

## Tags

doctoralstudent, steminist, phdjourney, doctorallife, phdlifestyle, opponens, doctorate, title, phddefense, phdchat, phdstudentsofinstagram, phdstudents, phdresearch, phdcandidate, phd, opposition, defense, phdstudent, doctor, postdoc, titles, womeninscience, phdstudentlife, phdthesis, phdlife, doctoratedegree, dr

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