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.”

———————————————————————————

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.

———————————————————————————

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

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: https://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.”

———————————————————————————

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.

———————————————————————————

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

The following message was posted as part of the Dissertation House’s blog within the “Winter 2014 Challenge” thread.  It is repeated here so that those who read the general blog, will receive the message as well. At the time of the original post, there were 112 messages. Now, there are 134. Good job “DHers!”

The Winter 2014 Challenge thread is here: http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/blog-online-challenge/winter-2014/. Feel free to join. The thread will be active until the end of June 2014.

————————————————————————-

January 23, 2014

Buenos tardes a todos!!/Good afternoon to everyone!!

Estoy en Ecuador y estoy muy feliz porque hay 112 mesajes aqui!/I am in Ecuador and am very happy because there are 112 messages here!

Congratulations to all of you on your persistence! What does your persistence mean? If you blogged in during the snow storm, you have already proven that you have what it takes. You have drive and determination. That is a large part of the battle. The Dissertation House exists to assist you with navigating the process and adding “knowledge of the process” to your enthusiasm.

My message for you today is simple:

1) Don’t stop until you’re done!
Dr. Carter-Veale, Dr. Cortes, and some of you have seen people in the DH who felt frustrated, tired, and upset, BUT … they finished. They defended, handed in their dissertations, and walked across the stage with the big robe and the thick bars on their arms. That will be you … soon.

2) Pay close attention to the tips that you will receive in the DH.
These are tried and tested methods. With a pure heart, I ask you to “just do it.”

3) As much as possible, stay in close contact with your advisor.
Your advisor needs to know that you are working.You also want to be sure that you are on the right page and that the expectations are in sync.

4) Utilize the community that is being established in the DH. It helps!
Working on the dissertation does not have to be a lonely, isolated process. You are now surrounded by a community of scholars with like minds and goals. There’s energy there. Feed on it. Use it. Bask in it!

5) Embrace the process.
This is the hard one. The process is difficult, but there are parts of the process that are worth the frustration. The dissertation process teaches you how to deal with long-term projects, how to deal with contrasting personalities (e.g., your committee), how to deal with rejection, and how to handle your own emotions. This is a maturation process. You may not know all of the answers, but you learn how to investigate solutions, and you learn to think through options. You may not like all of the people with whom you’re working, but you learn how to negotiate for what you need, and you learn to appreciate the strengths that people bring to the table, regardless of whether or not you care for them personally. You can still learn from “Painful People.” You can still learn from people, even when they aren’t providing information or assistance in a way that is amiable or projecting a feeling of giving. Take what they provide and find its worth. Above all, learn to appreciate the process of becoming more adept in your field.

Overall, I’m sorry that I’m not there in person for this session, but feel free to make an appointment with me to talk when I return to UMBC in February. Good luck to all of you! Congratulations on your hard work and keep it up. Those letters … “P,” “h,” and “D,” are dangling, hanging around, waiting for you to finish so that they can accompany your name!

Best regards,
Renetta Tull

————————————————————————————–

The Dissertation House is a program of PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP

Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale is the “Head Coach” for the Dissertation House.

The following message was posted as part of the Dissertation House’s blog within the “Winter 2014 Challenge” thread.  It is repeated here so that those who read the general blog, will receive the message as well. At the time of the original post, there were 112 messages. Now, there are 134. Good job “DHers!”

The Winter 2014 Challenge thread is here: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/blog-online-challenge/winter-2014/. Feel free to join. The thread will be active until the end of June 2014.

————————————————————————-

January 23, 2014

Buenos tardes a todos!!/Good afternoon to everyone!!

Estoy en Ecuador y estoy muy feliz porque hay 112 mesajes aqui!/I am in Ecuador and am very happy because there are 112 messages here!

Congratulations to all of you on your persistence! What does your persistence mean? If you blogged in during the snow storm, you have already proven that you have what it takes. You have drive and determination. That is a large part of the battle. The Dissertation House exists to assist you with navigating the process and adding “knowledge of the process” to your enthusiasm.

My message for you today is simple:

1) Don’t stop until you’re done!
Dr. Carter-Veale, Dr. Cortes, and some of you have seen people in the DH who felt frustrated, tired, and upset, BUT … they finished. They defended, handed in their dissertations, and walked across the stage with the big robe and the thick bars on their arms. That will be you … soon.

2) Pay close attention to the tips that you will receive in the DH.
These are tried and tested methods. With a pure heart, I ask you to “just do it.”

3) As much as possible, stay in close contact with your advisor.
Your advisor needs to know that you are working.You also want to be sure that you are on the right page and that the expectations are in sync.

4) Utilize the community that is being established in the DH. It helps!
Working on the dissertation does not have to be a lonely, isolated process. You are now surrounded by a community of scholars with like minds and goals. There’s energy there. Feed on it. Use it. Bask in it!

5) Embrace the process.
This is the hard one. The process is difficult, but there are parts of the process that are worth the frustration. The dissertation process teaches you how to deal with long-term projects, how to deal with contrasting personalities (e.g., your committee), how to deal with rejection, and how to handle your own emotions. This is a maturation process. You may not know all of the answers, but you learn how to investigate solutions, and you learn to think through options. You may not like all of the people with whom you’re working, but you learn how to negotiate for what you need, and you learn to appreciate the strengths that people bring to the table, regardless of whether or not you care for them personally. You can still learn from “Painful People.” You can still learn from people, even when they aren’t providing information or assistance in a way that is amiable or projecting a feeling of giving. Take what they provide and find its worth. Above all, learn to appreciate the process of becoming more adept in your field.

Overall, I’m sorry that I’m not there in person for this session, but feel free to make an appointment with me to talk when I return to UMBC in February. Good luck to all of you! Congratulations on your hard work and keep it up. Those letters … “P,” “h,” and “D,” are dangling, hanging around, waiting for you to finish so that they can accompany your name!

Best regards,
Renetta Tull

————————————————————————————–

The Dissertation House is a program of PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP

Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale is the “Head Coach” for the Dissertation House.

This afternoon at Carnegie Mellon University, Dissertation Coach Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale discussed the “10 Mistakes the Graduate Students Should Avoid” at the PROMISE AGEP/QoLT Center’s Dissertation House workshop. She discussed this post’s title (attributed to science.org), as she told students that they need to learn how to multitask.  Too often, students work on one thing and get stuck on that one thing (e.g. paragraph for a paper, method for an experiment, piece of code) and they are unable to work on anything else until they are satisfied with the outcome.  It is important to be focused, but there are often many things to do … or rather many things that must be done simultaneously.  Advanced graduate students have to write, look for employment, run experiments, complete literature reviews, satisfy grant agencies that fund the advisor’s research, and several also teach.  It is imperative to learn how to work on things in chunks.  Keep those fires burning!

Join us tomorrow, Wednesday, March 28, 2012 for “Understanding your advisor and your committee” from 1:00 – 2:00 PM in Gates-Hillman 4405 on Carnegie Mellon’s campus in Pittsburgh.  All graduate students are invited (e.g., Pitt, CMU, students visiting for the NSBE conference, any discipline, any level, all backgrounds, part-time or full-time.) Light refreshments will be served.

Congratulations to the students who are participating in the Dissertation House and the associated activities at Carnegie Mellon.

Related articles

• Are you in Pittsburgh? Come to our Dissertation House Seminars @CarnegieMellon 3/27 & 3/28 (dissertationhouse.wordpress.com)
• Next full-scale Dissertation House at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, March 26-28, 2012 (dissertationhouse.wordpress.com)

The Quality of Life Technology (QoLT) Center at Carnegie Mellon & the University of Pittsburgh, and PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) are sponsored by the National Science Foundation.   Follow QoLT and PROMISE on Twitter: @QoLTCenter, @PROMISE_AGEP.

This afternoon at Carnegie Mellon University, Dissertation Coach Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale discussed the “10 Mistakes the Graduate Students Should Avoid” at the PROMISE AGEP/QoLT Center’s Dissertation House workshop. She discussed this post’s title (attributed to science.org), as she told students that they need to learn how to multitask.  Too often, students work on one thing and get stuck on that one thing (e.g. paragraph for a paper, method for an experiment, piece of code) and they are unable to work on anything else until they are satisfied with the outcome.  It is important to be focused, but there are often many things to do … or rather many things that must be done simultaneously.  Advanced graduate students have to write, look for employment, run experiments, complete literature reviews, satisfy grant agencies that fund the advisor’s research, and several also teach.  It is imperative to learn how to work on things in chunks.  Keep those fires burning!

Join us tomorrow, Wednesday, March 28, 2012 for “Understanding your advisor and your committee” from 1:00 – 2:00 PM in Gates-Hillman 4405 on Carnegie Mellon’s campus in Pittsburgh.  All graduate students are invited (e.g., Pitt, CMU, students visiting for the NSBE conference, any discipline, any level, all backgrounds, part-time or full-time.) Light refreshments will be served.

Congratulations to the students who are participating in the Dissertation House and the associated activities at Carnegie Mellon.

Related articles

• Are you in Pittsburgh? Come to our Dissertation House Seminars @CarnegieMellon 3/27 & 3/28 (dissertationhouse.wordpress.com)
• Next full-scale Dissertation House at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, March 26-28, 2012 (dissertationhouse.wordpress.com)

The Quality of Life Technology (QoLT) Center at Carnegie Mellon & the University of Pittsburgh, and PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) are sponsored by the National Science Foundation.   Follow QoLT and PROMISE on Twitter: @QoLTCenter, @PROMISE_AGEP.

I laughed so hard when I read this line on the Dissertation House blog from Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. Candidate, Nikki Westmoreland: “Sleep, it’s like my precious.” She said (wrote) it so casually, but if you’ve seen the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, you know that one of the characters, Gollum, calls the ring “my precious” and he relentlessly pursues the “precious” for a lifetime.

Similarly, many of the participants in the DH have been talking about sleep. Either they’re not getting enough, or they feel like they are getting too much at the wrong times and thwarting their productivity.  One of the characteristics that people seem to appreciate about the Dissertation House (DH) is the strict adherence to a schedule.  On DH days, there are strict start and stop times, and lunch/break is mandatory.  Those who have been to the DH in person, know that your “Head Coach”, Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale is a stickler for time, and  that she expects you to use some kind of schedule even when you’re working at home, in the library, or in your lab.   In this post, I’m going to repeat a few of the things that I posted in the DH “Winter 2012 Challenge” blog which represented a response to some of the participants who weren’t getting enough sleep.

Rx: Take some breaks!

I am proposing that you consider taking a “break” on tonight.  Some of you are working so hard that you’re not sleeping and not feeling well.  You will not be able to finish the dissertation if you’re sick, so take a scheduled break.  Some of you need to rest (sleep!), and some need some time with family or friends. Some need some sun and vitamin D (as reminded by DH participant M. Dabek), and some should take some time to take a stroll or get some exercise.  Others may just want to have some alone time to watch a movie, or read something that isn’t related to the dissertation.  A magazine can help, read a hard-copy, not an online periodical. Step away from the computer.

Here are some suggestions for this weekend:

1. Friday: Consider working today until 6 PM, then take a Friday evening break. Go to bed in time to be up and at your computer by 8:30 AM on Saturday morning.
2. Saturday: Start working by 8:30 AM.  After 8 PM, take a break. Sleep, go out to dinner see a movie.
3. Sunday:  Start working by 12 noon and end at 8 PM.

Within the weekend process, honor your respective sabbaths, but make a plan to both rest and work. For some, this may mean enjoying your worship activities, spending quality time with your families, having a good meal, and/or taking a scheduled nap.  Remember that we’re only human. We have great capacity, however, there was an important point that was discussed in the January 2012 DH: the non-stop process is not sustainable for the long term, so you have to take breaks. Schedule your breaks appropriately, be true to your schedules, then come back to the process rejuvenated. One former DHer, who now has her PhD and is settling into her career, made the habit of going to bed early, around 10PM, and getting up at 4AM to begin working.  This was her schedule and everyone around her knew it.  So they knew that if they wanted to go out or spend time with her, it would have to be done before 10:00.  Another DHer said that he always takes a short nap around lunch time and that gives him an opportunity to get back to work in the afternoon.  While you’re working this weekend, take scheduled breaks to eat, get some air, get some sun, and move around. Some might feel that all of this scheduling reduces your need for spontaneity.  In that case, you can still plan to have some time that is scheduled (e.g., the weekdays), and some time that you allow for random acts, e.g., Friday or Saturday evening of the DH weekend, or the third weekend of the month.

Schedule something that works for you, stick to the plan, and by all means, get some sleep.

_____________________________________________

This post may be copied, but please reference “The Dissertation House — http://www.thedissertationhouse.com, a program of PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP.”

_____________________________________________

The text content of this post was compiled and written by the staff of PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP and may not be copied without referencing the PROMISE organization, as “PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP”.

PROMISE AGEP Online Information by PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

I laughed so hard when I read this line on the Dissertation House blog from Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. Candidate, Nikki Westmoreland: “Sleep, it’s like my precious.” She said (wrote) it so casually, but if you’ve seen the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, you know that one of the characters, Gollum, calls the ring “my precious” and he relentlessly pursues the “precious” for a lifetime.

Similarly, many of the participants in the DH have been talking about sleep. Either they’re not getting enough, or they feel like they are getting too much at the wrong times and thwarting their productivity.  One of the characteristics that people seem to appreciate about the Dissertation House (DH) is the strict adherence to a schedule.  On DH days, there are strict start and stop times, and lunch/break is mandatory.  Those who have been to the DH in person, know that your “Head Coach”, Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale is a stickler for time, and  that she expects you to use some kind of schedule even when you’re working at home, in the library, or in your lab.   In this post, I’m going to repeat a few of the things that I posted in the DH “Winter 2012 Challenge” blog which represented a response to some of the participants who weren’t getting enough sleep.

Rx: Take some breaks!

I am proposing that you consider taking a “break” on tonight.  Some of you are working so hard that you’re not sleeping and not feeling well.  You will not be able to finish the dissertation if you’re sick, so take a scheduled break.  Some of you need to rest (sleep!), and some need some time with family or friends. Some need some sun and vitamin D (as reminded by DH participant M. Dabek), and some should take some time to take a stroll or get some exercise.  Others may just want to have some alone time to watch a movie, or read something that isn’t related to the dissertation.  A magazine can help, read a hard-copy, not an online periodical. Step away from the computer.

Here are some suggestions for this weekend:

1. Friday: Consider working today until 6 PM, then take a Friday evening break. Go to bed in time to be up and at your computer by 8:30 AM on Saturday morning.
2. Saturday: Start working by 8:30 AM.  After 8 PM, take a break. Sleep, go out to dinner see a movie.
3. Sunday:  Start working by 12 noon and end at 8 PM.

Within the weekend process, honor your respective sabbaths, but make a plan to both rest and work. For some, this may mean enjoying your worship activities, spending quality time with your families, having a good meal, and/or taking a scheduled nap.  Remember that we’re only human. We have great capacity, however, there was an important point that was discussed in the January 2012 DH: the non-stop process is not sustainable for the long term, so you have to take breaks. Schedule your breaks appropriately, be true to your schedules, then come back to the process rejuvenated. One former DHer, who now has her PhD and is settling into her career, made the habit of going to bed early, around 10PM, and getting up at 4AM to begin working.  This was her schedule and everyone around her knew it.  So they knew that if they wanted to go out or spend time with her, it would have to be done before 10:00.  Another DHer said that he always takes a short nap around lunch time and that gives him an opportunity to get back to work in the afternoon.  While you’re working this weekend, take scheduled breaks to eat, get some air, get some sun, and move around. Some might feel that all of this scheduling reduces your need for spontaneity.  In that case, you can still plan to have some time that is scheduled (e.g., the weekdays), and some time that you allow for random acts, e.g., Friday or Saturday evening of the DH weekend, or the third weekend of the month.

Schedule something that works for you, stick to the plan, and by all means, get some sleep.

_____________________________________________

This post may be copied, but please reference “The Dissertation House — http://www.thedissertationhouse.com, a program of PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP.”

_____________________________________________

The text content of this post was compiled and written by the staff of PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP and may not be copied without referencing the PROMISE organization, as “PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP”.

PROMISE AGEP Online Information by PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

The 12 hour DH marathon at the 2011 Summer Success Institute started with 11 participants and ended with three triumphant women! Kudos to all who accepted the challenge, and special congratulations to Nikki, Maritza, and Patti, the last three standing!

The theme for the DH was #TeamGetItDone, based on a Twitter hashtag that was created and regularly used by DH members and Ph.D. candidates Sophoria “Nikki” Westmoreland (Mechanical Engineering, UM College Park), and Alexis Williams (Human Development, UM College Park). The energy at the DH at SSI was high and the participants worked hard! Congratulations to all!!

The 12 hour DH marathon at the 2011 Summer Success Institute started with 11 participants and ended with three triumphant women! Kudos to all who accepted the challenge, and special congratulations to Nikki, Maritza, and Patti, the last three standing!

The theme for the DH was #TeamGetItDone, based on a Twitter hashtag that was created and regularly used by DH members and Ph.D. candidates Sophoria “Nikki” Westmoreland (Mechanical Engineering, UM College Park), and Alexis Williams (Human Development, UM College Park). The energy at the DH at SSI was high and the participants worked hard! Congratulations to all!!