Let's makethe hard partssimpler.

Simpl-Ify is a learning platform for graduate students and anyone who wants to write and think more clearly. Plan your degree with Scholarwell, learn to write in the Writing Studio and build better habits with Growth, all explained in plain words.

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It's free to start, an account is optional, and your data is never sold.

Built for graduate students wherever they study.

Universities
Countries
Guides
Studies behind them

Start with the part that fits where you are.

Every part of Simpl-Ify works the same way. It takes something that feels complicated, explains it in plain words and gives you something useful to do next.

ScholarwellGraduate school support that adapts to you.

A plan you can download, and a tracker that shows progress
Your school's own pages, from 10,264 universities
How degrees work in 30 countries, with official sources
107 guides with steps, scripts and sources

Start Scholarwell free Writing StudioLearn to write like you think.AcademicResearchProfessionalApplicationPersonal and Reflective GrowthFor the whole of you.A quiz, a values sort and an energy audit, then one small change at a time.On your phoneThe Scholarwell app is coming soon.One to oneTalk it through with Ify or a graduate tutor.45 minutes on your writing, your plan or a hard decision, from $35 for Plus members.

How it works.

You don't need to sign up or learn a new system. Answer a few questions and Simpl-Ify points you to what fits, then helps you keep going.

Tell us where you are
Answer a few short questions about your degree or your application, your school and what feels hardest. It takes about three minutes.
Start the questions
Get a plan you can follow
You'll see a timeline with your milestones, guides chosen for your situation and a short list of next steps for this week.
Browse the guides
Keep going, one step at a time
Trackers, a weekly check-in and the Writing Studio keep you moving, and a real person is there when a guide isn't enough.
Explore the Writing Studio

One place for the whole degree.

Scholarwell is for graduate students. It adapts to your country, your school, your stage and how you're actually doing, and it keeps everything on your own device.

A plan for the whole degree, not just this week.

Built from your stage, your country's degree structure and the time you actually have. Download it as a PDF or put every milestone in your calendar.

Build my plan

Master's thesis plan PDF

SepNovJanMarMayJul

Courses

Proposal

Ethics

Research

Writing

Defence

Today

What's on your mind this week?

Every guide starts with how the problem actually feels, explains what's usually going on, and gives you one small thing to do in the next half hour.

See all 107 guides

Advice you can check.

Scholarwell links its guides to published research and official sources, so you never have to take a tip on trust. Here are three of the 40 studies behind it.

In an online survey of graduate students, 41% scored as having moderate to severe anxiety and 39% moderate to severe depression, compared with 6% of the general population. The authors report that graduate students were more than six times as likely to experience depression and anxiety.
What to do with itIf your mood or anxiety has changed since starting your degree, take it seriously and book an appointment with counselling or a doctor rather than waiting for it to pass.
Evans, T. M., Bira, L., Gastelum, J. B., Weiss, L. T., & Vanderford, N. L. (2018). Evidence for a mental health crisis in graduate education. Nature Biotechnology.
In a 10-week study of writers with writing blocks, the group made to write habitually through external contingencies reported the most creative ideas. Those who wrote only when they felt like it reported modest creativity, and those who stopped writing reported very few new ideas, leading Boice to conclude that conditions which produce writing seem to help creativity rather than hinder it.
What to do with itSchedule short, regular writing sessions instead of waiting for inspiration, because the ideas tend to come from writing rather than before it.
Boice, R. (1983). Contingency management in writing and the appearance of creative ideas: Implications for the treatment of writing blocks. Behaviour Research and Therapy.
In data from the Ph.D. Completion Project, 57% of doctoral candidates completed their degree within ten years. Ten-year completion ranged from 64% in engineering to 49% in the humanities.
What to do with itAsk your program for its own completion data and typical time to degree, and plan your milestones with those numbers in mind.
Council of Graduate Schools (2010). Ph.D. Completion and Attrition: Policies and Practices to Promote Student Success. Council of Graduate Schools.

Read all 40 studies in plain words

Most people aren't short on intelligence. What they're missing is clarity, and someone who explains things the way a friend would.

I learned this as a student in Germany, and I see it every week as a writing advisor. Capable people get stuck because nobody has explained how things work. Simpl-Ify is here to do that explaining, whether you're writing a thesis, planning your next step or getting to know yourself better.

Ify

I've sat where you're sitting.

I grew up in Lagos, did my master's in Germany, and I'm now a PhD researcher at Dalhousie University in Canada. For four years I've worked as a writing advisor with students at every stage, from first essays to dissertation defences.

Read my storythe long version is worth it

I've studied on two continents, so I know how much the rules can change from one country to the next.
I've spent four years helping writers in nearly every discipline.
I'm a researcher, so I check the evidence before I give advice.

Questions people ask.

If yours isn't here, email ify@simpl-ify.com and a real person will read it.

What is Simpl-Ify?

Simpl-Ify is a learning platform with three parts. Scholarwell helps graduate students and applicants plan their degree and know what to do next, the Writing Studio teaches every kind of writing, and Growth offers short tools for understanding yourself and building better habits.

Is it free?

Yes. Your plan, the guides, the Writing Studio, the growth tools and five trackers are free. Scholarwell Plus is an optional upgrade with extras such as a downloadable plan and your full tracker history, and one-to-one sessions are paid.

Who is it for?

It's for master's and PhD students, people applying to graduate school and anyone who wants to write more clearly. It works wherever you study, with pages for 10,264 universities and colleges in 200 countries.

Do I need an account?

No. You can start straight away, and Scholarwell keeps your answers and trackers in your own browser. If you'd like to pick up where you left off on another laptop or your phone, you can create a free account with just a username and password. You don't need to give an email address.

Where does the advice come from?

Guides link to published research and official sources, and 40 key studies are summarised in plain words so you can check them yourself. Simpl-Ify was built by Ify, a PhD researcher and university writing advisor.

Can I talk to a real person?

Yes. You can book a one-to-one session with Ify or a graduate tutor, or email ify@simpl-ify.com. If you need support urgently, the help page lists crisis lines in your country.

Tell me what's going on.

Pick the one that sounds most like you, and start with the first step.

“I read a lot but write very little”“My supervisor replies slowly”“I have twelve months for my thesis”“I'm thinking about a PhD”“I feel like I don't belong here”“My defence is coming up”

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