Final Tips on Dissertation Survival

Other portions of this website were written to educate you on things such as research techniques, citation styles and formatting of your dissertation. But what about those factors that are not directly related to writing or research? When working on a dissertation, you will probably discover that there are many factors affecting the quality and progress of your work and life while you are attempting to complete your dissertation, many of which have little or nothing to do with the dissertation or the research for it.

Direct Dissertation Issues

With rare exceptions, most students have never developed an assignment of this magnitude. Subsequently, they experience high levels of stress during the dissertation process. This stress comes from having to create a totally original project that may take dozens or (in rare cases) hundreds of pages to adequately cover the material for the dissertation. The student may best address this seemingly overwhelming environment by examining the work of others and reading up on various dissertation models. Through this examination, the student can identify individual segments within the work into which his or her own project could be divided, creating manageable, understandable chunks.

The student may also seem out of place in the dissertation environment due to the fact that he or she is solely in charge of the dissertation. The student is the only person accountable for how he or she spends his or her time while developing the dissertation. This means there are no hard and fast deadlines or structure that the student has to measure the progress on the dissertation. The student (in consultation with his or her dissertation advisor) should develop a timetable from which to work. This gives the student benchmarks with which to compare his or her progress.

Dissertation Relationship Issues

Many times dissertation students fail to recognize that the demands of preparing a dissertation can cause complications in the professional and personal environments. Often, a student’s behavior may take on undesirable, dynamic features due to the stress of dissertation preparation. An obvious environment where this occurs is that in which the student interacts with his academic superiors. The student will all too frequently find himself or herself caught up in competitive dynamics within an academic department (or on occasion even between different academic departments) that are beyond their control.

Additionally, the student may inadvertently assign hostility to the academic superiors that is inappropriate due to the stress of the dissertation preparation. This can be particularly troublesome if this improper assignment ends up targeting your dissertation advisor. The best way to avoid either of the previous two scenarios is to maintain a high level of professionalism in these interactions. You are, after all, on the brink of junior associate status within your discipline. Students may also find dissertation-related difficulties in their personal and familial lives. This is particularly true for students who are married and/or have started families of their own. Families may, at times, question the wisdom of a particular career choice or place extensive expectations upon the student for familial interaction, particularly those with young children who may not understand why you do not have time to play a game with them or take them to the movies. Spouses, significant others, parents and older children should be kept informed of what is going on. By maintaining communication with them on what you need to complete your dissertation assignment, you may find them more understanding and cooperative, perhaps even helpful.

Internal Dissertation Issues

Perhaps the most undermining of all issue groups are those that occur within the mind and psyche of the student. This environment of dissertation work is very different from what the student is accustomed to. Other than the lack of rigid structure, students may find themselves facing differences in religion, ethnic, economic, sexual and academic background, giving them little in common with a majority of their classmates. For many, this can trigger feelings of loneliness and isolation from those around them. Such loneliness, if left unchecked, can cause serious mental anxiety and abnormal (or even bizarre) behavior.

This internal stress can manifest itself in many ways. One example is a student expecting perfection in his or her dissertation, often refusing to submit it for review or even a critique because he or she thinks it can be improved if only he or she added “x,” “y,” or “z“ information to it or rewrote the second or third chapter just one more time. Another possible manifestation is a lack of gratification delay. In this reaction, the student may indulge in one or more hedonistic activities that distract him or her from actually getting the dissertation finished.

One major way to address these serious conditions is for the student to participate in a dissertation support group. These support groups act in part as sounding boards for the student’s dissertation work and in part as a social organization, often taking in non-dissertation activities as a group such as going to the movies, throwing a barbecue, or simply being there for one another to vent frustration on or to gain supportive peer advice.

Final Thoughts

Dissertation students often find themselves feeling overwhelmed and isolated. The fact is, they are not alone. Every year, dozens of their peers are going through the same experiences and contending with the same pressures. By maintaining professionalism, communications, and social inclusion, dissertation students can and do survive the final process for their doctoral recognitions. No one ever said it would be easy. But ask any student what it feels like to finally hold that precious artifact proving their equality with their discipline peers and their personal achievements and they will tell you it is well worth the pain and suffering endured.

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