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to Student Advice Doctoral Candidacy Survival Tips from Some who are Surviving
Compiled by GSCO - 1/20/2004
• Write first.
• Make sure you are aware of all SoE and Rackham
deadlines. Be sure to read: http://www.rackham.umich.edu/OARD/doctoraldeadlines.html 
• Meet weekly with a small group of students who are also working on their dissertations to talk through problems and inspirations as well as to keep each other on track. Construct "to do" lists together and hold one another to them. Try your best to not skip meetings.
• Read Getting What You Came For: A Smart Student's Guide to Earning a Masters or PhD by Robert Peters and Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day by Joan Bolker.
• Do not commit to a committee too quickly (but don't drag your feet either). Ask around to determine the best combination of supportive people. It is possible to change your committee after you've defended your proposal but it ain't easy.
• Don't forget to make sure all your IRB ducks are in a row (your advisor should be able to help you with this). Don't be in a position where you have to throw out all your work!
• Write, write, write.
• Maintain balance. Work out, see movies, join a Rec&Ed sports team, take a dance class, don't work after dinner (unless a difficult-to-meet deadline is staring you in the face), and get lots of sleep. But get up every morning and write, write, write!! And when you get stuck, go to the library and read some more (but don't forget to write!).
• Break the overwhelming task of writing a dissertation into manageable chunks. For example, make a list consisting of all the sections you want to include in the introduction: problem, need, purpose, overview of each chapter, etc. Cross them off as you finish a draft of each! Don't forget to set aside time to revise.
• Check out the UofM library's Digital
Dissertation series (see http://www.lib.umich.edu/exploratory/digworkshops.php ). Spending
the time to learn the ins and outs of software packages (like
Endnote and Dreamweaver) can save you time in the end.
• Rackham has useful workshops periodically. Stay on the lookout for them.
• The Knowledge Navigation Center on the second floor of the Graduate Library and the Center for Statistics Counseling and Research (CSCAR) are great resources. Don't hesitate to contact them with computer questions, stats problems, etc. If you are a GSI, the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) is also extremely helpful.
• When well-meaning friends or family ask how your dissertation is going, and you're not finished and the question makes your gut seize, you can reply, "Well, you know I'm essentially writing a book and, as you can imagine, that takes lots of time and effort. So it's going about as well a can be expected: good periods and bad." If you sense that the question was not so well meaning, merely reply, "As well as can be expected" and hope they drop it.
• Attend GSCO GradShares or similar events around campus. Explaining your research to those unfamiliar with it can help clarify your ideas. As the saying goes, "How can you know what you think until you see what you say?"
• Just write it. In revision lies genius.
If you have questions or have survived and want to advise
others, contact any ol' GSCO
rep to add to this list!
