【读博】Set Yourself Up for Success

wamway

May 11, 2001


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SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
Carol Solomon, Ph.D.
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Imagine being able to approach your dissertation
with a spirit of optimism, forward thinking and
openness rather than dread and apprehension.

In all of my years of practicing psychology, I have
seen people undertake some pretty incredible
journeys, some courageously, some with great
apprehension and outright fearfulness.

Those who are the most successful are not
necessarily the most intelligent. Nor have they
chosen the easiest path. Those who are most
successful seem to be the ones who set themselves
up for success and are willing to stay on the path
no matter what.

Completing a dissertation is more about
persistence than anything else. But it also helps
to set yourself up for success from the beginning.

The road to success is paved with the choices you
make.

So choose wisely . . .

1.        Choose a topic that is doable.

Many dissertation writers initially adopt an
idealistic and grandiose stance. You want to
make a significant contribution. You may even
want to publish your work. So you aim high.
Your scope is broad. I started out this way,
but I modified my position because of an
experience that I had.

I had a wonderful relationship with a clinical
supervisor who was not part of my dissertation
committee. She was a well-known psychologist
and her husband was the head of a psychology
graduate department. One night I was at their
home for dinner and we were chatting about
where I was in my program when she realized
that I would soon be searching for a dissertation
topic. She called to her husband, who was in the
kitchen getting us guacamole: "Honey, we need a
quick-and-dirty-dissertation for Carol". We
laughed and laughed that night, but her message
was serious. She was a firm believer in committing
to a doable project, and moving on to the business
of making money.

It was a turning point for me. I got the message
and I am passing it on to you. That night not only
changed my attitude, it moved me to action. I was
no longer basking in the glow of what my
dissertation could represent.

As it turned out, my dissertation was not the
quickest or the dirtiest, but it was "doable".
Because of that conversation, I became much
more focused. My mission was clear. So consider
what is practical and realistic for you and limit
your scope if necessary.

2.        Choose your committee carefully.

These are your judges and jury -- your ticket
to pass "go". So choose people you trust, people
who are humane, straightforward and available.
Choose people who can work with you and with
each other, people who have no hidden agenda
and who have a reputation for helping students
move forward and graduate.

These professors are vitally important to your
success. They are holding the stick that you must
jump over, the hoop you must crawl through; you
want them on your side.

3.        Get an attitude.

I'm not recommending that you become irreverent
or hard-lined with your committee. Quite the
opposite. The attitude I recommend is one of
cooperative assertiveness.  You have the right to
be firm with your committee and to negotiate. It
is usually best to avoid power struggles, but if
you allow yourself to get stepped on, you and
your dissertation may get squashed.

By all means be cooperative with your committee.
After all, you are learning, and a respectful
learning attitude is helpful. During the course
of my dissertation process, one of my committee
members suggested that I could do x, y and z.
Since he didn't say I had to do x, y and z, my
response was "Yes, I could do x, y and z, but
that sounds like another dissertation." Luckily
for me, he didn't pursue it.

4.        Put it in perspective.

Your dissertation is not your life. It may not
even be your life's work. If you want to make
it your life's work, you can always do it after
you graduate when you are being paid to do
research.

It is the means to an end and a new beginning.

It may be scary to think about, but you will
graduate when you have completed this project
and be addressed by the title "doctor".

One story I heard while going through this
process always helped me to keep things in
perspective. When a former student was asked
what she used her dissertation for, she replied
"to prop up my toddler at the dinner table".

5.        Trust  yourself.

This is your project and you have to trust your
own mind. You need to count on yourself more
than anyone else. It is you who have gotten yourself
this far, and it is up to you to finish. I turned
down an offer to write a grant to fund my
project because I knew it would slow me down
and make me accountable for more red tape and
paperwork. I also chose to run my project by
myself, because I knew I could count on myself
to show up no matter what, and you already know
that 80% of any project is showing up.

This doesn't mean that it would be wrong for
you to accept help and support. But you must think
through the worst-case scenarios and consider
what the impact would be if they happened.

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About Carol Solomon
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Carol Solomon, Ph.D. is an accomplished
psychologist and professional coach. She
completed her doctorate in psychology in 1986
at North Carolina State University. Since her
anxiety drove her to complete her dissertation
prior to her internship, she never officially
earned the title ABD.

Carol lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her
husband and daughter. She loves to use the
accelerated techniques in coaching to help
clients achieve success in their personal and
professional lives. She continues to reinvent
her own life through learning and challenging
herself to enjoy the journey.

Carol welcomes comments and questions about
the dissertation process. Contact Carol at
(847) 680-0272 or email her at
mailto:tw@iconnect.net .


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BEN J. DEAN
=============
Ben holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University
of Texas at Austin and is a psychologist in private
practice in Bethesda, Maryland.

In addition to his clinical practice, Ben loves
to train professionals to become virtual coaches.
If you would like to see Ben's *other* free
newsletter, you may subscribe at:
http://www.mentorcoach.com/

If you would like to attend any of Ben's
upcoming workshops, send any email to
mailto:workshop@mentorcoach.com

Ben lives in suburban Maryland with his wife
and two children.

CONTACT INFORMATION
----------------------------------
Ben J. Dean, Ph.D
MentorCoach(sm)
Voice: 301-986-5688
Fax: 301-913-9447
Email: mailto:ben@mentorcoach.com
Web: www.ecoach.com/
Web: www.mentorcoach.com
(c) Copyright 2001 Ben J. Dean. All rights
reserved.

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Original webpage: http://www.abdsurvivalguide.com/News/051101.htm

[ 本帖最后由 wamway 于 2006-6-6 21:40 编辑 ]