PhDs 2010 - Still Believing and Achieving! - Page 3

[New_Natural_Mom]

I just wanted to update that I have finished all my coursework for my program! I am scheduled to take my comp exams next month and then I start my dissertation.

I still feel weird like I am slacking off or forgetting an assignment or something. I am getting my home office organized with all my accumulated source materials and research so I will be set for the comps. Eek.

[smokeylo]

Originally Posted by New_Natural_Mom

I just wanted to update that I have finished all my coursework for my program! I am scheduled to take my comp exams next month and then I start my dissertation.

Congrats!! I just finished coursework in December. I take my comps in September (glad to have a little time to prep!!).

I have finally started pulling together my comps committee and have 4/5 people on board. Hooray! Considering that last week I only had 1, this is progress!

[Magistra]

I've had my committee for a year plus because of how things are set up by my department (4 departmental members are determined when coursework is finishing, external examiner is still way down the line), but it's far from my dream committee. For one thing, none of them have children--and for at least three, it's a definite lifestyle decision. They've made the right noises when I've asked for leave, first to help my son with Asperger's for a while and then for maternity leave, but they clearly don't understand my choices. Add in that I know one committee member has strong feelings about people "wasting their time" on certain lesser authors like mine (but she's department-appointed because of her position as graduate advisor) and another sits and sulks without saying a word during meetings, and I'm not too sure how this will all turn out. At least my supervisor and second reader are incredibly well-positioned in this field, so I'm hopeful their judgment will be given weight.

[marinak1977]

How exciting to hear about everyone moving forward! Yay!
I just finished the first (relatively rough) draft of the thesis. Now I'm working on getting the figures into it, then editing. I need to send it off to my committee sometime next week. Yikes!
The really exciting part is - I landed an absolute dream job in a very exciting startup company. I still can't believe it's real - it lets me work in a real world while still actively participating in pure research as a big part of my work. And the company president and the team are awesome, and I'll be able to spend a lot of time with DS. Somebody pinch me!

[Carita]

mari - that sounds awesome!

congrats and GL to those advancing to candadicy

I sent my first chapters to my advisor last week - I still have 2 more chapters to finish - one of which still requires a bit of resarch, my goal is to get the final draft to my committee by the end of August (aka) before I start my new job. wish me luck!

[isaoma]

Hi all,

I don't post here often, but just had to share some good news. I just got awarded a NSF dissertation grant!

I'm so excited, I've had a hard few years since dd's birth 3 years ago. My wonderful chair retired 2 years ago. My dissertation has struggled since both of these milestones.

My new chair, while generally supportive, is not in my area of specialization. The only other faculty in my home department that has a specialty in linguistic anthropology has it in for me because I passed him as chair when I first started in the program. My other 2 committee members are from Linguistics (I'm in anthro but also do linguistics) have been great. Anyway, my new chair doesn't understand the technicality of my work and has been relying on the 'evil' faculty member for "expert" opinion. The 'evil' faculty member has been telling my chair that my work is conceptually poor. This has made it very difficult for me this year to progress. I get great feedback from other anthropologists and linguists outside of my dept. But lately, I have been second guessing my abilities. It is difficult taking so much time and money to finish a Phd. when as a family we struggle to meet every day expenses.

But, now I have a NSF. So, yeah!!! So needed this to feel like my dissertation means something!

[Dar]

Congratulations isaoma!

I have to say, linguistic anth seems to be a really hot job market right now.

[marinak1977]

Isaoma congrats!!!! that's just wonderful! Having any kind of personal grant award is great for your CV too, and frees up the funding stress. I've been on a predoctoral NRSA for 3 years (NIH funded personal grant) and it's been great to know that my advisor doesn't have to pay me, so that I can control my studies a little better.

AFM - I'm less than 2 weeks from the defense. Eepers! Working on my talk and waiting to see whether I'll be able to start my job full time in July. That would be perfect!

[New_Natural_Mom]

I just submitted my comp exam this morning! I feel like I can take on the world now - seriously, I am so happy it feels illegal. I took the whole week off work. The comp consisted of 5 questions. I ended up with about 62 pages total including reference pages. I submitted it to Turnitin and got a 2% originality report! I didn't even know it went that low. Plus, everything it said was unoriginal was actually quoted material.

I just had to share with people who would understand. I feel like I did really well, but who knows what the readers will think.

Next step - dissertation!

[EVC]

I'm in anthro but also do linguistics

Woo hoo! I'm linguistics and do anthro! Starting fieldwork for my dissertation this summer We should talk some time.

[Carita]

congrats to everyone. my bff defended her diss last week - i am jealous!!

[marinak1977]

I defended yesterday!!!
It went great - everyone liked the talk and my committee didn't ask me any follow up questions at the end, just signed the warrant. Wheee! I'm so happy since I really wanted to give a good talk. (I knew I'd pass since they wouldn't even let you defend if you're not ready)
So exciting and a huge stress gone. DS was there too with DH and he had fun playing with random things in the building. DH did a great job entertaining him. As a bonus - DS turns 5 months today. I put him into my talk as specific aim #5 after the summary. It was fun!
Now I have to make final revisions to my thesis and hopefully submit it by next friday to avoid late fees. Woo hoo! I can't believe I'm done after all these years!

[smokeylo]

Congrats you lucky grads!

I just decided to push my comprehensive exams back to the spring. It's kind of a bummer, but it comes from the desire to really do well on all the components, and I don't see that happening if I took them in September. Like a baby, I think comps needs about 9 months to be full term!!

[fireHC11]

I just finished my coursework towards Ph. D. this week! Woo! And I'm scheduled to finish my along-the-way Masters degree this summer. I was going to walk in the graduation ceremony, but forgot to order the cap and gown... so I guess I'll have to sit it out.

[tommynomad]

I'm a year away from my Phd, in education. You couldn't pay me to lollygag* around all day in a cap and gown. Mail me my diploma, please!

*ordinarily I'm a big fan of lollygagging; it's the getup I eschew

[marinak1977]

After 2 days of running around like a chicken with its head cut off I'm done. PhinisheD! I submitted my final thesis copy to the graduate school today on the final day of the quarter. Today was my last day of being a student! I can't believe it!! I'm elated and sad at the same time (and therefore confused)

On the fun side - DS got to go with me to turn in my thesis. I had him in a Pikkolo and everyone asked about him. I said he was an appendix. But I didn't turn him in.
And now to finally get some

[New_Natural_Mom]

I passed my comps!!!!! One reviewer loved me and said my submission was in the top 5% he's ever read. He actually said it was a joy to read. The other reviewer didn't like me so much and said I was close to plagiarizing at one point - which I totally resent and don't get - I had over 12 pages of references and was very diligent citing. I had a 2% from turnitin for goodness sake!

I'm not going to let that spoil anything for me. I was approved to begin my committee search and start the dissertation process!

[rabbitmum]

Hello everybody! Is it ok that a Norwegian with a stalled Ph.D. project joins this thread? I just watched a good friend defend her thesis yesterday, and went to her doctoral dinner, and got really inspired to give it another good go myself!

I was actually supposed to be done by now. I was accepted to the program in 2005, whereupon I immediately got surprise pregnant. Because of the economical and practical turn-around that this entailed, my Ph.D. project was, in practice, put off for three years. Come autumn 2008, I was SO ready to really get going - and was diagnosed with cancer on September 1st! That whole term was spent in radiation and chemo therapy. The next term I had to concentrate on recovering. Now almost another year has passed, and it has been quite difficult to deal with our worsened economy and my not quite good health.

But, now, I want to do this! I want to spend the rest of the year getting back into contact with academic life, going to conferences, doing all the program courses that are available. I want to have a general outline of my thesis finished in two weeks. It would be great if I could even get it finsihed enough to submit to my advisor / supervisor (what do you call him / her?) before the summer holiday!

[tatermom]

Hi everyone- I've joined previous threads like this in the past but I've been stalled on my dissertation for a few years and have tried to avoid anything having to do with it for a while (a cross country move this past year plus of course being busy with the two kids were a big part of this!). I've been ABD since 2003, and I withdrew from my program a few years ago rather than continue to pay fees. I should be able to pay a small-ish filing fee to defend when I actually have my dissertation done... now the issue is just getting it done! I have parts of it written, but still a good amount of data to process as well. Recently I've found myself really motivated to get it done, and I'm really hoping to finish by next June, but I don't know how realistic that is (but I figure why not aim for June and see how far I get??). I teach community college and I'm off for the summer, and it's the first time since I started grad school (in the year 2000!) that I have not had a class, a TA job, or a baby to take care of (having a 5 yo and almost-3-yo is so great!!), so I'm feeling optimistic. Some of my committee members are retiring soon and I'm starting to feel quite a time crunch. Oh, I'm in biological anthropology.

Congrats to everyone who finished comps or graduated this month!

[jessemoon]

I'm jumping in too. I just started coursework for my PhD. It feels like boot camp after being out of school since '00....but good to be underway again.