The Dissertation House at the University of Maryland College Park is in full swing. Dr. Carter has already given mini-lectures on public speaking and your role with your advisor and Dr. Noah Collins, Staff Psychologist from the Counseling Center discussed balance.  Here is Dr. Carter’s synopsis of Dr. Collins’ talk (reprinted from our online challenge page.)

“Dr. Noah Collins from the Counseling Services Center is here talking about having balance when writing your dissertation. He gave a humorous presentation on his approach to writing his dissertation. He said that he is a morning person. He says if I have to work in the evening, the rewards have to go WAY UP if I am going to work at night. His discussion presented the two sides of self that argue with each other about the way to write your dissertation. One side is the drill-sergeant who wants to focus mainly on working on the dissertation, the other fanciful person who does not really want to work on the dissertation. He said one does not have to win at the expense of the other. When fanciful side wins, the drill-Sargent calls you lazy, wasteful, slacker, etc. When the drill-sergeant side wins, the fanciful side loses and feels depressed and sad. He suggests that when the fanciful side does not want to work, you should negotiate, otherwise the fanciful side will go on strike by shutting down, by playing solitaire, or by depression.”

Tomorrow is the last day for the participants at College Park.  Two of the participants, Nikki and Alexis, have continued to use the tag #TeamGetItDone throughout the week. The students are working hard and their time and effort are having an effect … they are getting it done!

One of our Dissertation House (DH) students started her own blog.  Margaret is a Chemistry student at UMBC and she is moving right along. Enjoy her posts, they will make you smile! http://adventuresofdissertationwriting.wordpress.com/ . Margaret wore her “6 Steps to Completing Your Dissertation” tee-shirt (distributed by AAAS at the American Chemical Society – ACS conference) to the DH last Friday. Humor is incorporated in the design of the shirt which describes the steps as drudgery, procrastination, panic, despair, drudgery, and printing.  Perhaps step 3 fits Margaret’s post for today, “Freak Out Moment #1.” We applaud Margaret on her blog and on her determination to work through the drudgery toward the great reward!

You can read comments from other DH students on our online challenge page. http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/blog-online-challenge/summer-2011-challenge/

One of our Dissertation House (DH) students started her own blog.  Margaret is a Chemistry student at UMBC and she is moving right along. Enjoy her posts, they will make you smile! http://adventuresofdissertationwriting.wordpress.com/ . Margaret wore her “6 Steps to Completing Your Dissertation” tee-shirt (distributed by AAAS at the American Chemical Society – ACS conference) to the DH last Friday. Humor is incorporated in the design of the shirt which describes the steps as drudgery, procrastination, panic, despair, drudgery, and printing.  Perhaps step 3 fits Margaret’s post for today, “Freak Out Moment #1.” We applaud Margaret on her blog and on her determination to work through the drudgery toward the great reward!

You can read comments from other DH students on our online challenge page. http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/blog-online-challenge/summer-2011-challenge/

This morning, Dr. Carter led a session called, “Good Morning Dissertation House!” This “Good Morning America” styled interview exercise allowed students to discuss their research in a succinct way, with imposed time limits.  Dr. Carter tackled issues of nervousness, rambling, organized thought, purposeful gestures, and confident volume. DH members joined the conversation following each interview to offer their peers constructive feedback. One member said that he now realizes that speaking about his research at any given time will be something that he will be expected to be able to do as a person with a Ph.D.

Suggested resources include joining a Toastmasters chapter to practice public speaking, and the book “Speaking About Science” by Barrett Whitener and Scott Morgan.  (This book is available online and in UMBC’s Bookstore.) We also discussed Whitener’s “Hour Glass” method of explaining your work which prompts speakers to talk about their topics broadly as a first step, then narrowly as you get to the middle of the talk, and end with broad statements to accommodate listeners at all levels.

Today is the final day of the Dissertation House at UMBC.  The Editor of the UMBC Magazine visited us a few times this week, so you may see more about The Dissertation House in a future issue of that publication.  We hope that our students leave with a sense of accomplishment and motivation as they work to finish their dissertations on this road toward the Ph.D.

This morning, Dr. Carter led a session called, “Good Morning Dissertation House!” This “Good Morning America” styled interview exercise allowed students to discuss their research in a succinct way, with imposed time limits.  Dr. Carter tackled issues of nervousness, rambling, organized thought, purposeful gestures, and confident volume. DH members joined the conversation following each interview to offer their peers constructive feedback. One member said that he now realizes that speaking about his research at any given time will be something that he will be expected to be able to do as a person with a Ph.D.

Suggested resources include joining a Toastmasters chapter to practice public speaking, and the book “Speaking About Science” by Barrett Whitener and Scott Morgan.  (This book is available online and in UMBC’s Bookstore.) We also discussed Whitener’s “Hour Glass” method of explaining your work which prompts speakers to talk about their topics broadly as a first step, then narrowly as you get to the middle of the talk, and end with broad statements to accommodate listeners at all levels.

Today is the final day of the Dissertation House at UMBC.  The Editor of the UMBC Magazine visited us a few times this week, so you may see more about The Dissertation House in a future issue of that publication.  We hope that our students leave with a sense of accomplishment and motivation as they work to finish their dissertations on this road toward the Ph.D.

Dr. Carter opened yesterday’s Summer Dissertation House at UMBC with a discussion on how to improve your working relationship with your advisor.  Tips included being on time for scheduled meetings, being prepared with written results and goals, and respecting the nature of the relationship by not treating it like a casual friendship.  The afternoon speaker was Dr. Jay LaVelle Ingram, Director of University Counseling Services for UMBC. Dr. Ingram took the group through some exercises and incorporated humor throughout her “counseling session.” The top discussions dealt with sleep deprivation and balance.

Some highlights from Dr. Ingram included the following points:

• If you don’t decide to stop, you WILL finish your dissertation.
• Have a vision of yourself as Dr. ________.
• You are running a marathon, not a sprint.
• Know the difference between necessities and luxuries. Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. Food is a necessity. Exercise is a necessity.
• Learn how to say “no” without explanation, and learn how to say “yes” when people volunteer to help you.

Adhering to the doctor’s advice to take a “real” break every two hours, and to engage in something completely different from your work, members of the DH went downstairs and took an “ice cream break” around 3 PM to enjoy the free ice cream and waffle bowl cones that the university sponsored as one of the summer activities in the Commons.

Dr. Carter opened yesterday’s Summer Dissertation House at UMBC with a discussion on how to improve your working relationship with your advisor.  Tips included being on time for scheduled meetings, being prepared with written results and goals, and respecting the nature of the relationship by not treating it like a casual friendship.  The afternoon speaker was Dr. Jay LaVelle Ingram, Director of University Counseling Services for UMBC. Dr. Ingram took the group through some exercises and incorporated humor throughout her “counseling session.” The top discussions dealt with sleep deprivation and balance.

Some highlights from Dr. Ingram included the following points:

• If you don’t decide to stop, you WILL finish your dissertation.
• Have a vision of yourself as Dr. ________.
• You are running a marathon, not a sprint.
• Know the difference between necessities and luxuries. Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. Food is a necessity. Exercise is a necessity.
• Learn how to say “no” without explanation, and learn how to say “yes” when people volunteer to help you.

Adhering to the doctor’s advice to take a “real” break every two hours, and to engage in something completely different from your work, members of the DH went downstairs and took an “ice cream break” around 3 PM to enjoy the free ice cream and waffle bowl cones that the university sponsored as one of the summer activities in the Commons.

This morning, we launched the first round of the Summer Dissertation House on UMBC’s campus. The day included introductions and goal-setting. Dr. Janet Rutledge, Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education, was the afternoon speaker.  Dr. Rutledge discussed rules and regulations regarding defense preparation and graduation requirements. She also discussed the importance of putting in the work to develop a strong, professional, long-term relationship with your mentor.  In this case, your mentor is your advisor, and your relationship should be collegial and should be built to last.