from proposal to dissertation
DESCRIPTION
I successfully completed my doctorate from Virginia Tech in 2009 after a six year journey. About halfway along the way, I got very stuck! In the following slide show, I outline why I got stuck, and my personal process for getting unstuck. The slides were motivated specifically to support a presentation at Virginia Tech in February 2010, but decided to post as a reference for others as well.TRANSCRIPT
Getting Started: From Proposal to Dissertation
Jennifer Tucker, Ph.D.February 2010
www.tuckertalk.net
Jenny’s Timeline
• Preliminary Exam: February 2007• Dissertation Proposal Accepted: August 2008 • Dissertation Defense: September 2009
• 18 Months from Prelim to Proposal (TOO LONG!)• 13 Months from Proposal to Defense
• What Happened?!
Why Jenny Got Stuck
• Lack of Accountability Source: No Classes
• Too Many Cool Ideas: Not Enough Reality Check and Little Commitment on Paper
• Other Cool Projects: Reflected My Ambivalence About Why I Was Doing This!
• What Scared Me Most: Literature Search
How Jenny Got Unstuck
• Got over embarrassment and asked for help – New Committee Chair (March 2008)– 2 Months (4 Sessions) with a Dissertation Coach – Outcome: Better Sense of WHY and WHAT and WHO
• Identified concrete ways to remove key barriers– Sought to understand the concrete goal: Got good
templates, checklists, and examples for a proposal – Got real data about what scared me: What was “enough”
in a lit search (defining scope)
Actions: Making It Real
• Set concrete deadlines for interim steps: Small “To Do” lists• Took all writing done to date and consolidated: Started a
repeated and iterative “Brain Dump – Edit” cycle• Used templates and concrete goal metrics to honestly assess
progress • Defined dedicated blocks of time: 4 hours each and built into
planner. • Found good physical place: Required some experimentation• Wrote proposal and honestly reflected: Doable?
Answer: No. Action: Rewrote. • “Real Time” on Proposal: 4 Months – But when finished, I
was READY – practically and psychologically
Jenny’s “PhD Project Plan”Reality: Defended 24 Days After Projected End Date
• One Page: Enforced Personal Accountability Factor
• Made it Feel Doable: There is an End
• Pilot Phase Allowed Early Win and Confirmed It Was Possible
• Actual steps and proposal changed, but intent and pace stayed the same
• Stayed on track and focused
Final Thoughts to Being “Phinally Done” (Ph.D.)
• There is no “right way” to do this: Find your own way• Know why you are doing it: Find ways to fill those motives • Know Yourself: When you get stuck and what to do • Ask for help: Find a support system that works• The best dissertations are FINISHED dissertations• LOVE it AND be able to DO it: Passion + Feasibility