By Rodney E. Rohde, PhD | Posted on 23 October 2013
Recently, I came across a very interesting article here by Andy Greenspon, a PhD student in applied physics at Harvard: "9 things you should consider before embarking on a PhD."
I thought Andy gave some fantastic advice, and it reminded me of a
promise I made to myself while working on my PhD. In the wee hours of
the night poring over coursework, informed consent documents, data
analysis, and the umpteenth version of my dissertation, I vowed that if I
ever finished my PhD, I would try to help others through the quicksand
of a graduate school journey.
I hope I can begin to offer some help in the way of this list.
Really, there's much more than I can put in a list of 10 items, so be on
the lookout for more advice to follow.
1. Immerse yourself in writing – and learn how to write a funding proposal.
Some might say this is more important after you finish a PhD. Don't
fall into that trap. Learning how to write a funding proposal is nothing
like writing your dissertation or a typical journal article. However,
all types of funding proposals (federal, state, foundations,
private/corporate, military) may offer you an opportunity to actually
fund your research while working on your PhD. And it may very well be
your best and most attractive resume item to landing a great job. For
example, my professional organization, the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science,
offers research grants to conduct graduate research. I was able to fund
most of my research budget by this opportunity. Many other federal
granting agencies, organizations and private foundations will have
funding opportunities that often offer graduate students a vehicle to
fund their research, especially if you are conducting research that is
important to that agency/foundation mission.
2. Find a strong mentor.
I can't stress how important this is. Can it be yourDissertation
chair? Possibly, but find someone that can give you critical feedback on
projects and encouragement. I was fortunate to have several colleagues
in my college that had taken the PhD journey. I surrounded myself with
several of these "PhD veterans," and they were able to help me avoid
hurdles that could have slowed me down. They also were able to provide
the most important thing a grad student might need – understanding and
constant feedback. Think about finding someone that knows how to
motivate you to finish jobs. It might be a colleague or a former
professor. However, it should not be a friend that tells you all things
will be just fine.
3. Grow a thick skin and take critical feedback for what it is – constructive criticism.
It's OK to sulk a bit (we all do when we find out we are not a Nobel
Prize winner in our first year of grad school), but get over it ASAP and
learnfrom these comments. Most professors and advisors have much to
share when it comes to the ins and outs of research design, writing for
publication or finding grants. An old saying I always tell students and
colleagues – "One often remember the toughest teacher the most" – is
true for a reason.
4. Find the right dissertation chair for you.
I always tell new PhD students that the chair of the program may not
be the right choice – or a brand new tenure track professor or the 30+
year professor in the department. Do your research! Do they "graduate"
students in a timely manner, and are they decently well-known in their
research field? Are they collegial?
One way to find a dissertation chair is to do some research via the
internet, or you could talk to current graduate students about
particular professors. The department might also be able to assist you
on finding out the statistics on each professor. For example, I found
out the start to finish time period for a graduate student and the PhD
completion rate under "X" professor. In my personal opinion, you don't
want a rookie professor that's trying to make tenure, and you don't want
the retiring professor that may not be worried about research anymore.
And it's OK if they are tough. If they teach you something and get you
through the process, that's what matters. It's like parenting; they
shouldn't be your friend when they need to be your parent!
5. Direct your course research projects or independent study for course credit towards your dissertation.
This could easily be my number one piece of advice. If you can
conduct literature reviews or pilot research projects in your
preparatory courses towards what you want to do your dissertation on, do
it. This step will help you save time downstream in the dissertation
phase. I turned three independent studies (with future dissertation
committee members) into nine hours of completed doctoral coursework
while also completing much of my first two chapters for the
dissertation. Let me explain how I did this in more detail.
I always knew that I wanted to conduct a dissertation
on Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with regard to
the knowledge, learning, and adaptation of individuals who had been
diagnosed with MRSA. So, I went to the department chair of my PhD
program and asked about opportunities to take independent study courses
(electives) that would allow me to build towards conducting my
literature review, pilot study and funding opportunities for my topic.
By the time I reached the proposal stage, I truly had my first two
chapters of my dissertation in good shape.
6. Keep your dissertation topic as narrow as possible.
You may want to save the world, but do you want to spend 10 years on
your PhD? You have a research life after the PhD is done to save the
world. Certainly, if you want to win the Nobel Prize while working on
your dissertation, then go for it, but be prepared for a long
commitment. This is very important.
A narrow topic might seem like you will not have enough data or
things to say. However, the longer I do research, the more often I see
the value in a strong but narrow research design. Seek out active
researchers in your core area of interest and discuss the "needs" of
that research. Is there something missing from the literature? Are there
research questions or hypotheses already being asked that need
answering? These are great ways to narrow your topic and be relevant for
publication.
7. There's a reason 50 percent of PhD candidates stay ABD. ...
Perseverance and finishing the job, in my humble opinion, are the two
most important traits and qualities one needs after coursework is
complete. As I tell my own two children, it's OK to fail but it's not OK
to quit. Set an agenda and schedule with your dissertation chair and be
accountable to it – and keep your chair accountable. I met with my
chair every three weeks during my dissertation and finished in one and a
half years! It can be done. Don't let your chair or yourself off the
hook on this item. Find the time to meet on a set schedule. I typically
would promise my chair that I would have a portion of a chapter done
before our meeting time.
And, don't alienate your chair by emailing them pages to edit the
night before. Always be sure to give them the courtesy of at least a
week of time to review your work prior to your set time. They are very
busy too and it will be more productive if they have time to edit your
pages in advance. Celebrate each hurdle that you clear so that you know
you're are making progress.
8. Focus only on the next step or hurdle as you work.
This can be very difficult – to not stress out about the entire
dissertation journey. It's so easy to become paralyzed by the mountain
of checklists and things to do. This tip follows #7 for a reason. Set
your agenda and schedule, and focus on what is immediately in front of
you. Usually, the first step is forming your committee with a chair. Do
that and celebrate. Then move to the next step, and the next:
- Proposal/research design – check
- IRB (institutional review board) consent – check
- Pilot study – check
- Gather data – check
- Analysis – check
- Write, write, write with a purpose and schedule – check
- Defend – check
- Finish – yes!
9. Find a strong quantitative (or qualitative) research colleague that will assist you with a strong design.
This is a critical decision, and doing it early and correctly will
make your dissertation matter so as not to end up on the shelf. It has
been my experience that most poorly written or non-meaningful
dissertations were a result of the wrong research design. If your
university has a "go-to person" for a quantitative design, seek that
person out. But, don't choose that person to be on your committee or to
assist you if they are primarily a qualitative researcher.
If you are considering a mixed-methods approach, then you might
consider that option. I have a very good friend who is an expert
quantitative researcher that has won multiple funding awards on a
variety of projects across multiple disciplines. He always states that
this is the biggest weakness of dissertations – a poor design. It's a
national problem so don't ignore it. Find help if you need it. Get it right up front, and not only will it help you finish. It will make your work relevant and publish-worthy.
10. Promote your work and talk to others.
This advice may not seem relevant for your dissertation. However, I
would argue that you should do this not only on your campus but to go to
graduate research forums, professional organizations for graduate
research presentation, colleagues in your research area, and other
routes to promote your work. Obviously, in today's world that might mean
a good online blog, too. It can actually lead a solid sounding board
for your research and may lead to job opportunities as you move into the
final stages of your dissertation completion.
Now go do it. Concentrate on each step and see yourself finishing
that step. Success is mostly about hard work and persistence. It's what
separates the "almost finished" from a job well done. Nothing, in my
experience, can take the place of sticktuitiveness. Good luck!
