How to Thrive in a Doctoral Program

New Doctors Share Their Top Tips

This week’s post was supposed to be about outlining, which is one of the most important prewriting activities you can do. But last week, I attended a panel Q&A, at which a bunch of students who had just completed the final term of their doctoral program answered questions from a bunch of students towards the beginning of the program. I thought the panelists’ advice was so helpful that it was worth postponing the outlining discussion. After all, as the Well-Ordered Mind, I am obviously an advocate for sticking with the program, but it’s important to be flexible, too.

So here is what they had to say . . . with a little editorial commentary from me.

Collect Research Along the Way

Early in your program, create a folder in Google Drive or One Drive (or wherever else you like to create folders) and use it to save articles that relate to your dissertation topic. A professor might assign articles that are relevant to your interests, or you might come across gems in research along the way. Obviously, the earlier you can choose a topic, the better. But even if you don’t zero in on anything until late in the process (or if, like me, you have to change your topic after writing an entire literature review), you will likely still be able to use some readings. Pay attention not just to articles on topics that you might research, but also articles in which the authors provide detailed descriptions of their methodology. Looking back at these can help you as you shape your own research plan. And remember that it’s not just the article content you should look at, but the reference section as well – that can be a helpful way to collect sources for your own lit review.

Scale it Back

Your dissertation is not going to erase the national debt, save the baby whales, or revolutionize organizational leadership theory. Choose a small area on which to focus, and then, in consultation with your advisor, make it smaller. Your job is to complete your program; you can change the world later.

Stick with Your Research Question

The world is so full of a number of things, said Robert Louis Stevenson. If we could explore every rabbit hole, we might be as happy as kings, but we’d never get anything done. And, as I mentioned just a few lines ago, your job is to complete your program. Let your research question guide your literature review, your choice of methodology and methods, your analysis and reporting of results, and your conclusions. Avoid detours and put all those things you didn’t cover in your suggestions for future research section. You may well end up chasing some of those rabbits later in your career!

Print Out a Calendar

It can be helpful to have something solid and material to remind you of dates, deadlines, plans, and tasks. Seeing the days and months spread out in front of you can make it easier to visualize the time you have available and to determine how best to use it. And having that actual printed paper displayed in a place where you can see it can serve as a motivator to stick to the plan. After all, if something is worth committing to ink and wood pulp, it’s probably worth doing.

Set up a Time to Write

One of the problems with large projects is that deadlines can seem very far away. It can be easy to let the urgent crowd out the important. This can be especially true if you are trying to fit doctoral work into a life that already includes a job and family commitments (as was the case with the students on the panel). Combat the tendency to let deadlines creep up on you by blocking at least few hours each week for uninterrupted writing time. This could be at night, after the rest of the family is sleeping, early in the morning, on your lunch break, or on the weekend. One of the panelists said she went to the library every Saturday and worked until her computer battery died. That way, she was forced to stop working and maintained a balance between studies and other commitments, which is important, too.

It’s Supposed to Be Hard

Struggling to solidify a research question or find sources or wade through data or explain the implications of your research or format a dissertation or get your committee members on board with your idea does not mean you are doing anything wrong. Working hard, being tired, facing setbacks, and sometimes feeling overwhelmed are all part of the process of earning an advanced degree. Don’t be surprised if you find the process challenging – that’s why it’s an accomplishment.

But Don’t Struggle Alone

That said – and this is not from the panelists, but from me – you don’t need to struggle alone. Your advisor, chair, fellow students, other faculty, and resources like success coaches, librarians, and writing center tutors are there to help. Use your resources! And if you can’t find the appropriate resources or you need help from outside your program – set up a meeting with me. I’d love to hear about what’s going on and help you get – and stay – on track!

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