limmah doing ok
yes!
4 months ago
This goal is not done yet, because I have to make modifications, but I defended successfully today! Hooray!
How to finish the dissertation
It made me
relieved 
"I finished the longest homework assignment I've ever had in my life."
How I did it: I started graduate school in 2000 and just now submitted the final version of my PhD dissertation. It was quite the whirlwind experience. I started research around 2002 and started writing up the dissertation in 2005. However, in 2006, I was getting panicked about finding a job after grad school. I didn't work on my stuff enough while I was applying to place after place. In 2006, I found a job, but I had only written maybe three of my six chapters (of which I had to completely rewrite two later).
High school teaching completely overwhelmed me and I got nothing done in the fall of 2006 or spring of 2007. In the first summer off I had, I again failed to finish, although I plugged away at it and did versions of a few more chapters. At the end of my second summer, I had what I felt was a workable draft of the whole thing. However, I was told my literature review needed serious revisions and the rest needed touchups. Over the end of my third school year and the past summer, I rewrote the whole lit review and finished up the rest.
On August 6 of this year, I gave my defense talk, which I passed. However, I was given a few hours worth of revisions and additions. As of today, I've finished them and submitted the final product. Pending school acceptance of my formatting (which shouldn't be a problem), I am all set and will have a PhD officially by the end of the year (finishing in late August means your diploma is for the fall semester).
I am basically the poster child for a procrastinating graduate student who did not manage his time wisely and took 3-4 years longer than he should have.
The summary of all this is that I finished by slowly plugging away over a very long period of time until everything was done. Most graduate school writing experiences boil down to this: just keep persisting until you are done.
Lessons & tips:
- Keep at it and don't give up.
- Get to a point in your writing where the feeling of disappointment
you'd feel if you didn't finish outweighs your desire to quit. This is the "sunken cost effect" from psychology... use it to your advantage! - Don't EVER (unless you absolutely must financially) take a job that distracts you from finishing. Worry about employment when you're
done. I consider my decision to start work before finishing the biggest mistake I've made in my life. It resulted in three years of being frustrated and hateful toward myself. - Use any support system you have (friends, coworkers, advisors) as much as you can.
- Ask around... no matter how bad it gets, there are other grad students you can talk to that can commiserate and give advice and encouragement.
Resources: My advisor and research group
My family and friends
A supportive girlpal
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Entries
limmah doing ok
date set
5 months ago
Is it 100% done? No. Do I still have stuff to do on both the paper and talk? Lots. However, the date is set. August 6, 1 PM. For better or for worse, the defense will be done.
limmah doing ok
oh my...
6 months ago
this might get done! I still have plenty of edits left to make, but my harshest dissertation critic says I’ve got a dissertation here, and he’s about ready to sign off on it! I’m trying to schedule my defense for early August. Still so much to do with edits and band tour and eventually a family trip, but this would be huge.
Of course, sadly, I have to fill in extension paperwork because I’ve been a grad student (technically) for 9 years now (including the three years I’ve been away). That is sad. But finishing this will feel so very good… I won’t know what to do with myself!
limmah doing ok
progress!
10 months ago
By the end of next week, I hope to have finished a large chunk of the new stuff and edits I need for the lit review! Still lots to do, but this is one goal I’m starting to feel better about.
Still sad that I could have had this done three years ago.
limmah doing ok
patheticalness
11 months ago
Two and a half months with no entries here? Well, I still have my books, but work on this hit a standstill (as it always seems to) last semester.
This semester will be better, hopefully. I signed up to wear doctoral robes at graduation, so there’s one reason (other than the fact I will continue to hate myself if I don’t) to finish.
I just don’t know how. In explaining it to people, I tell them it isn’t much, but it really feels like it is.
limmah doing ok
books
13 months ago
I was worried I’d need to go to a university library (a univ. I don’t attend) and get books. You see, I was told once upon a time that I would not need to cite certain old and influential books directly.
However, upon turning in my thesis draft, the powers that be decided I needed to write for a more “introductory” audience (they are working on a chapter introducing people to epistemological research and they probably wanna use my stuff). Therefore, I need to look at these not-available-online books. I ordered them a week and a half ago, and they just arrived.
I don’t know when I can finish this crap, but at least now I have copies in my hand of stuff I’ll be citing.
This is still hard, though, because my job takes much of my energy and fun things take up the rest.
limmah doing ok
pile it all on!
14 months ago
:(
Got another review, this time from my committee head. Overall, it was very positive. However, he suggests a huge major fix is needed on a completely different chapter.
So right now, I’ve got one person who mostly likes my thesis besides chapter 2, and one who mostly likes my thesis besides chapter 5. Guess which one will need the big rewrite? If you guessed “both of them,” you win the prize: a mallet with which to club me over the head.
limmah doing ok
setback
15 months ago
I don’t know the details yet, but at least one chapter will need a huge huge overhaul. I saw this coming, but it’s still depressing to hear it.
Bad day all around, actually. Maybe I can move toward my car acquiring goal.
limmah doing ok
draft just about done!
15 months ago
I’ve sent a draft of the whole dissertation to my boss. If he doesn’t think it’s too embarrassing, I’ll send it to the committee! Of course, there are one or two small fixes it still needs, to say nothing of the edits my committee will make me do…
but yeah! It really looks about done! 130 odd pages of normal stuff and another 230 of appendices (interviews, surveys, other good stuff).
limmah doing ok
productive day
16 months ago
I sent off another draft to the boss today, this time complete with reorganized literature review. I’ve also put some of the essentials on a USB drive and my laptop so I can go out of town this week (possibly) and finish up some stuff.
There always seems like a ton left to do, but I like the idea that all my substantive chapters have gone through at least one set of edits, there isn’t much more to add besides some details and appendices, and now the reference sections are taking shape. I’ve got 115 pages now (no appendices), and will be over 125 for sure when all is said and done.
