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PhD-ing Mamas! Acheiving and Believing in 2009! - Page 4

post #61 of 252
3/3/09 at 4:25pm
There has to be someone else that satisfies such a requirement, even if it is a stretch...

Since this person has been a mentor, I would ask them their honest opinion about whether they think they can remain on the committee, and then apologetically remove them, but they should understand. Its out of your control, really. But maybe they, or your advisor has suggestions for replacement. If there is truely no replacement, then your advisor should know that and not expect him to resign.

Sorry you have to go through all that.

Actually I need a comittee. Here your oral/candadicy committee need not be = dissertation committee and I havn't filled out the paperwork yet to change it... ugh

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post #62 of 252
3/3/09 at 4:50pm
slsurface - I'm so sorry this is happening. I agree with Carita's advice about talking to your mentor-like committee member. I wish I had some advice about how to get your advisors to get cracking on your 8 chapters. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to be standing still with such stress! Do they have office hours that you could drop by unannounced?
post #63 of 252
3/15/09 at 5:38am
Thread Starter 
i should be sleeping but here's a bump.

how is everyone?

slsurface how are things going?

my update:

i applied for that fellowship, so wish me luck. they inform applicants by july.

i'm trying to decide if i should attend a conference next month w/ dd or just drop it as things are hectic enough and i really need to be writing first and foremost. my paper has been accepted and i find these meetings tend to get me motivated and inspired. but unlike the earlier symposium i attended this is the real deal, air travel to conference site, four days of concurrent sessions, huge writer/intellectual keynote etc. i do have one friend colleague whose has volunteered to hold dd while i present. but i'm not sure its worth the stress.

mainly, i'm just trying keep afloat with everyday tasks like grading and class prep and getting dd to daycare.

i went to the ed library and got a half dozen "how to write a dissertation books." Authoring a PhD seems pretty good for so far. i'm realizing i've been rather awkward and insecure about approaching my committee and when i do i tend to just freeze up--stop writing, stop being productive-- after receiving their feedback and critique. i do have supportive and accessible committee i find that i'm my own obstacle more than anything else.

my goal for the year was to be done writing half the diss at least so i could enter the job market this fall. readytobedone/Angela you're making strides towards this---how is it going?

i spoke on a women of color grad student panel today for a "diversity" visitation for prospective students. the prospectives were soooo young and bright-eyed. i was invited to speak to my experience as a mama grad student but these youngsters looked like they could be out of my womb, sheesh! and several of them keep saying "i plan to finish the phd in five years/ i've got be out in 5 years etc" it was so annoying!!! lol!
post #64 of 252
3/21/09 at 7:33am
I should be sleeping but I'm not.....

I'm a second year in a Sociology Phd program. I'm currently working on the mandatory MA thesis - well, I'm doing the research for the thesis. I need to have the thesis defended by Dec 09. I'm 31 and a single mama of three girls 11, 13, and 14. I'm right now trying to write a conference paper (for a conference in 3 weeks) and must finish, okay start, grading the 80 ten-page final papers that are sitting here. Oh, and I have to prepare for teaching next quarter - I have two sections. All this must happen during my week-long "Spring Break".

Anyway - I was part of an old thread but thought I'd come back and re-subscribe. I need all the support I can get!
post #65 of 252
3/21/09 at 12:17pm
Well, I am on SRING BREAK!

Of course, it's not so much spring break , as spring catch up with work .

So I will: make REAL progress on my "publishable article" which I need to present at a seminar following spring break and which should ideally be finished and ready for departmental approval by the end of this semester. I will finalize the draft syllabus and course calendar for the Culture class I am teaching next year, and begin selecting and scanning in reading assisgnments. I will do reading for my seminars (which I always seem to be woefully behind on). I will prepare and copy handouts for next week for the language class I'm teaching now. And finally I WILL file my taxes. And hopefully then FAFSA.

I WILL be productive, dammit!

..
post #66 of 252
3/21/09 at 12:25pm
Oh, and I will brainstorm potential dissertation topics. I need to start doing some preliminary research this summer (and unfortunately that will be in time competition with prep for the German reading exam I need to take next semester and QE's--so not looking forward to that).
post #67 of 252
3/21/09 at 1:46pm
Joining -- I am in my last year of a PhD in engineering health applications, and wow is it kicking my behind right now. (I am getting over pneumonia, which is not helping.)

I am writing writing writing. Most chapters are drafted, but I still need to run my final experiment. It's kind of ridiculous to have it drag on so late, so I feel odd about that. (It got held up in ethics due to a mix-up, so there is a good reason, but still.)

I have a paper that grew out of one of my early chapters -- I have been working on this manuscript for a year and a half now and I am so tired of it. The field is expanding, so every delay means that I have to re-run my lit review. My goal is to finally finish it this weekend and send it off to my co-author so we can submit it in the coming weeks.

I am aiming to submit the diss in a couple of months, and defend this summer. I have a bunch of postdoc applications in for specific postdocs and will hear about a national fellowship in a few months. I have had some interviews in the last two weeks and they went fairly well, so perhaps something will blossom there. I'm also applying outside of academia -- there is a very cool research job in my city with a disease advocacy group. I really like the job description, and it would be nice not to have to uproot my family.

Back at the paper!
post #68 of 252
3/31/09 at 9:36pm
Just checking in. How's everyone doing? Getting ready for the end of the semester soon?? Looking to the Spring/Summer?

What's up for me...I had my baby: He is almost 2 weeks old now & everyone is just adoring him right now. Dh has been really enjoying the babymoon too. Totally hard to focus on doing anything when we all just want to look at how cute he is. The other kiddos are so great with him & it's been a good transition so far.

I did get some work done, sent off another chapter, have an abstract ready for submission to a cfp & got a presentation accepted for a roundtable. I also got my fellowship for the summer Yet, as always have a ton of other stuff that is way far behind schedule but I will get it all done, I hope. I just need to get a new routine down & am really looking forward to the Spring semester, no teaching!
post #69 of 252
3/31/09 at 10:40pm
Congratulations!

My advisor asked me today if I'd be interested in studying in Paris next spring, as part of an exchange program our university is doing. Um, wow. Of course, I speak not a word of French... OTOH, she was clearly expecting Rain to come with me, and Rain has had a year of college French and will have had more by then... and she loves the idea. I'm not so sure... I mean, it would be cool, and my advisor pointed out that I'd make good connections and be able to study Islam in France, and north and west African immigrants... but I'm really hoping to do fieldwork in the Middle East.

It would be great for Rain, though.... and of course, everything would be paid.

Dar
post #70 of 252
4/1/09 at 1:20am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by muchpeace View Post
Just checking in. How's everyone doing? Getting ready for the end of the semester soon?? Looking to the Spring/Summer?

What's up for me...I had my baby: He is almost 2 weeks old now & everyone is just adoring him right now. Dh has been really enjoying the babymoon too. Totally hard to focus on doing anything when we all just want to look at how cute he is. The other kiddos are so great with him & it's been a good transition so far.

I did get some work done, sent off another chapter, have an abstract ready for submission to a cfp & got a presentation accepted for a roundtable. I also got my fellowship for the summer Yet, as always have a ton of other stuff that is way far behind schedule but I will get it all done, I hope. I just need to get a new routine down & am really looking forward to the Spring semester, no teaching!
congrads muchpeace!!! sounds like you've doing great personally and professionally. good for you for getting work done...i'd say don't worry about the 1000 other tasks, keep enjoying your little one..
post #71 of 252
4/1/09 at 1:24am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dar View Post
Congratulations!

My advisor asked me today if I'd be interested in studying in Paris next spring, as part of an exchange program our university is doing. Um, wow. Of course, I speak not a word of French... OTOH, she was clearly expecting Rain to come with me, and Rain has had a year of college French and will have had more by then... and she loves the idea. I'm not so sure... I mean, it would be cool, and my advisor pointed out that I'd make good connections and be able to study Islam in France, and north and west African immigrants... but I'm really hoping to do fieldwork in the Middle East.

It would be great for Rain, though.... and of course, everything would be paid.

Dar
um, imho:

gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooo.
post #72 of 252
4/1/09 at 3:12pm
: GO!
post #73 of 252
4/9/09 at 11:39am
Dar--GO!!! What an awesome chance!

Thanks for congrats. I don't feel very on top of things right now, but then I never do I think I set goals that aren't realistic/feasible all the time, which doesn't help.

I am just looking forward to May...I actually picked up 2 more courses to teach this semester (they are online & were all prepped, not much work but still work) and the end is so close...I am really looking forward to only the dissertation & family life right now.

What does everyone else have planned for their Spring/Summer?
post #74 of 252
4/9/09 at 3:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by muchpeace View Post
What does everyone else have planned for their Spring/Summer?
trying to get my first chapter done right now--i'm getting oh so sick of this chapter, so i hope that means i'm close

then hopefully i'll finish the second chapter by the end of the summer...teaching 2 courses in the fall (one of which is new, and my own), so i won't get a lot of research and writing done then. hope to get my 3rd chapter completed next spring.

DD is in daycare 3 days a week and that's the schedule we're sticking to for now!

there's also some talk around here about TTCing #2 this summer. we shall see; i am feeling ambivalent.
post #75 of 252
4/9/09 at 4:07pm

Update!

Good news! My defense date is finally set! My committee agreed that I was ready to defend this semester...which is such a relief. I would just die if I had to come up with another $1000 for one.more.semester!

Anyways, the defense date is May 5th! I am beyond excited!!! Wish me lots of luck...I've been plugging away at this thing for five years (+4 for my masters) and I never thought this day would come!
post #76 of 252
4/9/09 at 4:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by muchpeace View Post
Just checking in. How's everyone doing? Getting ready for the end of the semester soon?? Looking to the Spring/Summer?

What's up for me...I had my baby: He is almost 2 weeks old now & everyone is just adoring him right now. Dh has been really enjoying the babymoon too. Totally hard to focus on doing anything when we all just want to look at how cute he is. The other kiddos are so great with him & it's been a good transition so far.

I did get some work done, sent off another chapter, have an abstract ready for submission to a cfp & got a presentation accepted for a roundtable. I also got my fellowship for the summer Yet, as always have a ton of other stuff that is way far behind schedule but I will get it all done, I hope. I just need to get a new routine down & am really looking forward to the Spring semester, no teaching!
Wow! I am just in awe of you! I did zilch towards my dissertation for the first year of my DS's life. Between the hormones and the supreme lack of sleep, my brain was just mush. It's really awesome that you can find the balance. Enjoy your little one and congratulations!
post #77 of 252
4/9/09 at 4:19pm
i am with slsurface - i got NOTHING done with all those raging hormones LOL - you are amazing!

readytobedone - yours in only a couple mo older than mine - i was going to start TTC this fall, but i am feeling ambivalent as well - I want to give my son a brother, but I don't feel the need to have another for myself yet. does that make sense? DS is approaching 2 and I always thought of TTC after his 2nd bday and them perhaps during pregnancy he would wean, but the thought of him weaning makes me sad.

I wanted a meeting this mo with my committee - well the only time they can all meet is... NEXT WEEK! so holy crap - i am trying to get things together and my computer dies on me. I have another one OTW after shopping nonstop for three days - LOL - but it will take a week at least to get here! in the meantime,my dept IT guy was able to hook my laptop up to a docking station and it works that way - TG!

anyway - should get back to plugging away. I am really nervous about this meeting, because my advisor gave me compliments, so i feel like i need to live up to them and do a nice presentation, and give them a nice draft of my first few chapters. then maybe we can talk about conferences, funding, job hunting and such, YKIM? I have a lot on my plate over the next week - then i go with DH to one of his conferences for 4 days. Where did the semester go?
post #78 of 252
4/9/09 at 4:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by muchpeace View Post
What does everyone else have planned for their Spring/Summer?
Finishing. Finishing. Finishing. (Oh please oh please oh please.)

Namely, finishing the dissertation (mostly done, need to run some more analyses, wrap up final experiment and write conclusions & discussion -- I've really let it drag on longer than I meant to), a major manuscript that has been hanging over me for almost two years now (I keep adding/editing -- it is time to call it quits and send it in for good or for ill), a side project that should get me at least two more papers (assuming, that is, that we finish the thing) and a few minor things.

I won a couple of awards recently, which were just so very nice and motivating (I am such a pathetic sucker for praise) and am interviewing for a job (not tenure track, but with an on-ramp to a TT spot) next Friday about which I am cautiously excited. : I'm also waiting to hear back about two postdoc opportunities -- at least one of them is looking fairly good; the other is a national competition so I have no idea.

Unrelated to school -- but very exciting for me -- we have summer vacation plans in Switzerland for a visit with my sister and her family, including DS' brand new (and first ever) cousin!
post #79 of 252
4/9/09 at 4:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by slsurface View Post
Good news! My defense date is finally set! My committee agreed that I was ready to defend this semester...which is such a relief. I would just die if I had to come up with another $1000 for one.more.semester!

Anyways, the defense date is May 5th! I am beyond excited!!! Wish me lots of luck...I've been plugging away at this thing for five years (+4 for my masters) and I never thought this day would come!
Woo-hoo! : Best of luck!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Carita View Post
Where did the semester go?
I am so with you. Good luck with the presentation!

And : to all the for muchpeace. Now off to be productive myself ...
post #80 of 252
4/9/09 at 5:28pm
wow - switzerland! very cool.

oh yes - forgot to shamelessly brag that i won my dept teaching award this year - about 60 students and they honor 3/yr...
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Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Parenting › Life as a Parent › Working and Student Parents › PhD-ing Mamas! Acheiving and Believing in 2009!