Write your dissertation like it’s a job, not a hobby. Tips from @DrWCarter, Dr. @AlexisInc, & Dr. Nanda Cortes in http://thedissertationhouse.com

Fri, 10 Oct 2014 10:26:46 -0400
alexis-williams, dh, dissertation-graduate-student, dissertation-house, dr-wendy-carter-veale, renetta-garrison-tull, renetta-tull, umbc

This morning, we opened the Fall 2014 “Dissertation House for Employees and Non-Traditional Students.” This event is set aside to specifically serve career professionals, and non-traditional students who came back to school to work on their PhDs. Some have children in college, and some are leaders (e.g., VPs, Directors) in their respective professions. For various reasons, the PhD has been elusive … they haven’t had time to finish the dissertation. In the room today, we have a person from the Office of the Provost at a USM school, and attorney who is in the Public Policy program, an Assist. VP, a clinical professional at a national lab, and some full-time IT professionals. This event is for them, and we invite you to join in. Join us online: http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/blog-online-challenge/summer-2014-challenge/

Tips from Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale, the Dissertation Coach and owner of http://www.phdcompletion.com/:

*When it was time to go to graduate school, you did whatever you needed to do to get in. You wrote the statement, took the exams, asked for the letters … now I need you to to do whatever you need to do to get out. Be that committed.

“Stop looking for big blocks of time, carve out 15 minutes each day.”

“Feedback gets you closer to a PhD, perfection won’t.”

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Tips from Dr. Alexis Williams, Human Development, University of Maryland College Park, Dissertation House Alum:

Label what is easy, medium, and hard

Create a system for accountability (I still have an accountability partner!)

Be systematic and committed

Set your countdown to defense and place it where you’ll see it every day.

Build the habit of getting up and showing up for the dissertation. It’s hard but it feels so much better emotionally to do even a little every day.

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Tips from Dr. Nanda Cortes, Biological Sciences, UMBC, Dissertation House Alum:

Break it into chunks

Work for a few minutes, finish a graph, do something even if it’s something that doesn’t require a lot of thinking.

Exercise or have a hobby. It helps clear the mind and makes it easier to work.

Find a good support group

As one of the co-founders of The Dissertation House, I urged our participants to take this time for themselves. Our career professionals in the room are always doing things for others, and in their dedication to their responsibilities, they haven’t always taken time for themselves. This is that time. We urge you to do the same … move your dissertation forward, today.

-Dr. Renetta G. Tull, Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Student Development and Postdoctoral Affairs, UMBC

Filed under: Dissertation House Tagged: Alexis Williams, DH, Dissertation Graduate Student, Dissertation House, Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale, Renetta Garrison Tull, Renetta Tull, UMBC