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Archived Blog
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Dissertation Advisor Horror Stories |
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Tuesday, 08 February 2005 |
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In my role as a dissertation coach (I also coach faculty) I hear some amazing stories about how graduate students are treated. Granted, I only hear one side of the story, but in most of the stories the advisors have no excuse. For example, the advisor of one student went to Europe for a semester and did not return emails or phone calls from his student for over a month. Did these people ever write a dissertation? Were they mistreated and now want to get revenge? I just don't understand this. |
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Another Time Management Hint |
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Monday, 07 February 2005 |
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I wrote about using frequently done activities as a reward for writing (see Feb. 4.) The problem is: If you are giving yourself a reward for having written (e.g. you get to check your email for 10 minutes if you write for 20) -- how do you get yourself back to work? That seems to be the biggest problem for those who procrastinate and avoid. |
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Click to continue...
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Tenure Decisions: Are They Ever Unbiased? |
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Sunday, 06 February 2005 |
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I've been reading about a case where a member of a tenure committee had a conflict of interest with the candidate being considered for tenure. It brings up the idea that when you are first hired as an assistant professor, you never know who will be on your tenure committee. So brush up on your interpersonal skills, use diplomacy whenver possible, and keep asking yourself this question: "Would I be ok if this person were on my tenure committee? |
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Time Management for Professors and Grad Students: Make E-Mail Your Reward |
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Friday, 04 February 2005 |
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There is an often-overlooked principle in psychology: Something that you choose to do with high frequency is a reinforcer. Many of my graduate student or assistant professor clients admit that they spend a lot of time checking e-mail. The conclusion? Make checking your email your reward for doing a less-preferred activity.
How to put this in action? Well, you know what you don't want to be doing. Decide that you will do it for, say, 15 minutes (see my last newsletter article.) If you do manage to spend the allotted time on your dissertation or article, then you get to check your email.
How to get back to the work after you check your e-mail? Aye, there's the rub. I'll leave that to a later blog...
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Thursday, 03 February 2005 |
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I just got off the phone with a client, and we went over several aspects of time management. These issues pop up repeatedly with faculty and graduate students alike. She had been filling her to-do list with tasks to finish this week. As a result, she was working far too many hours and never feeling caught up. I suggested that she:
- Set generous deadlines for self-generated (as opposed to assigned) activities.
- Make a schedule for the week, where she assigned herself specific times for working on items, e.g. Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00 to 2:00 work on committee agenda.
- See the deadlines as something that will change as she learns more about her tasks.
As with many academics, she was caught in the spiral of "I'm really good at this, so I should volunteer to do it and do the best job possible." What I say is, "just because you CAN do it, doesn't mean you SHOULD do it."
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Another thing I love about coaching |
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Wednesday, 02 February 2005 |
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Strangely enough, I enjoy learning about academic areas that I had no interest in when I was in college. It's like I get to put my feet in the water and enjoy it without getting my hair wet. Maybe only women will understand that one. |
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Wednesday, 02 February 2005 |
Well, it's taken me a while to set up my own blog. Since I always seem to have extra words, I might as well put them here.
Since becoming a coach for graduate students and professors, I have been shocked to find out how much I love working with English/Comp Lit/Religion/Humanities types. I was used to hanging around with science types -- my father having been a physics professor, my husband a doctor/doctor (Ph.D./M.D.) and psychology being a science, according to some.
But the humanities people are so eloquent and deep. Whenever I get off the phone from my humanities dissertation group, I feel like I've been reading poetry. I know one of them is reading this now and snickering. |
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Join Our Online Writing Club! |
Stalling out on your dissertation?
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Academic Writing Club!
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The next one starts soon. Don't miss out!
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-- Assistant Professor, 4th year tenure-track
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-- Post Doc, science
"I have written more these past 26 days than anytime since starting my dissertation!"
-- ABD Grad Student, 6th year
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If You Have a Dissertation Advisor, This Recording is For You! |
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- Does your dissertation advisor intimidate you?
- Or do you have a friendly advisor who doesn’t give useful or timely advice?
- Do you struggle to understand what your advisor wants from you?
- Or do you wonder if your advisor likes or respects you, or even thinks about you at all?
- Is your advisor downright mean?
Gina Hiatt and Jayne London cover all these topics and more in a
fast-paced, information packed teleclass, which you can now listen to
as a recording.
Learn More
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