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synecdoche
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« Reply #1260 on: February 06, 2010, 08:57:41 AM » |
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Yesterday, I handed in that stupid chapter that's been on my back for the last eight months. It needs work. We talked about it in my dissertation reading group the other day and the feedback, while well-intentioned and constructive, felt pretty brutal, mainly because most of what they said confirmed what I suspected was wrong with it and that it wasn't as close as I thought it was. I took the rest of the day off to be mopey and then yesterday determined that some of their feedback isn't a big deal—they had asked about a few things that I was planning to set up in an introductory chapter—and the rest of it probably isn't all that horrible. Anyway, I finished off the draft without incorporating most of what they said and passed the chapter along to my supervisor with the idea that this way I'll have everybody's feedback on a similar draft and so I'll be able to more easily incorporate all the changes that need to be made. Mostly, I just need to move on from this stupid chapter and handing something in and waiting for feedback will give me some closure for now.
It is funny, though. The nominal leader of the reading group is another proof who has a foot in my field but studies a different time period and a different body of texts, and so isn't on my committee. I'm kind of wishing she was, though. She totally called me on a lot of bad habits I have (ie procrastinating by revising stuff that doesn't need to be revised, procrastinating by reading, and similar). In a weird way, I know I do all these things but being told by an authority figure that I need to stop doing them was probably a good kick in the butt.
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synecdoche
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« Reply #1261 on: February 23, 2010, 10:54:34 PM » |
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Anybody still out there?
I'm keeping my head above water and moving forward slowly. I think I've come up with some decent ideas that should help me piece all the bits I have together at the end. I'm having a minor supervisor issue (i.e. hu's incommunicado) which is frustrating, but I think things are coming together. I also found out that I'm not getting an interview for the job I applied for, which is unfortunate but not unexpected.
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reesespeanutbutter
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« Reply #1262 on: February 24, 2010, 12:04:45 AM » |
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Hi synecdoche, glad to hear things are moving, if slow. I feel that my progress is sluggish as well, and my advisor is difficult to pin down at times. It takes a long time to get comments back on anything. Bummer about the job interview, but sounds like you're not too down about it.
Keep plugging away, everyone!
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The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.
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pisces
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« Reply #1263 on: February 24, 2010, 09:31:49 AM » |
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Synecdoche, I'm sorry to hear you are having problems with your supervisor. Good luck!
I'm still plugging away. The progress is slower than I would like, but steady (which is good). The deadline is looming.
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prephd
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« Reply #1264 on: February 24, 2010, 09:21:33 PM » |
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I am proud that I managed to revise a draft substantially and get it off to my advisor before the whirlwind two weeks of interviews. I did have to cancel a meeting, but am hopeful to return home to some good feedback.
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Prephd, in all that black, you are like the anti-pink-me. Freewill is a beeyaaatch
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reesespeanutbutter
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« Reply #1265 on: February 24, 2010, 11:30:39 PM » |
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I am proud that I managed to revise a draft substantially and get it off to my advisor before the whirlwind two weeks of interviews. I did have to cancel a meeting, but am hopeful to return home to some good feedback.
Congrats! Hope you get good feedback, and good luck on the interviews! |
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The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.
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prephd
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« Reply #1266 on: February 25, 2010, 02:42:15 PM » |
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I am proud that I managed to revise a draft substantially and get it off to my advisor before the whirlwind two weeks of interviews. I did have to cancel a meeting, but am hopeful to return home to some good feedback.
Congrats! Hope you get good feedback, and good luck on the interviews! Thanks! Two down, one to go. I really, really want #1, really, really don't want #2, and #3 remains to be determined. Of course, I could get zero offers, in which case, the choice is made for me. At least I'll be finished with the diss. |
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Prephd, in all that black, you are like the anti-pink-me. Freewill is a beeyaaatch
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reesespeanutbutter
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« Reply #1267 on: March 01, 2010, 10:10:12 PM » |
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Dang... just got a set of comments back. I suck at life. Or at least writing a dissertation.
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The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.
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pisces
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« Reply #1268 on: March 05, 2010, 07:26:37 AM » |
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Reeses, the same thing just happened to me. I feel like it is an example of 2 steps forward, 1 step back.
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monita
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« Reply #1269 on: March 05, 2010, 03:31:55 PM » |
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Dang... just got a set of comments back. I suck at life. Or at least writing a dissertation.
There's a silver lining to this.... I revised every chapter for my advisor at least twice, and assumed that I must just be an idiot. But, when it was all done, I had a lovely document. My committee didn't ask for a single revision before filing. Keep writing! It will pay off. |
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grasshopper
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« Reply #1270 on: March 06, 2010, 07:43:08 AM » |
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Dang... just got a set of comments back. I suck at life. Or at least writing a dissertation.
Reeses, the same thing just happened to me. I feel like it is an example of 2 steps forward, 1 step back.
Chin up, guys! Remember: revising a document that is already written is much easier than starting from scratch. It's all progress! |
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pisces
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« Reply #1271 on: March 06, 2010, 09:53:54 AM » |
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Thanks for the encouragement!
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reesespeanutbutter
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« Reply #1272 on: March 06, 2010, 04:02:42 PM » |
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Yes, thanks grassy and monita! On 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th read, the comments weren't that bad. I just wasn't as far along as I thought I was, so it was a little disheartening. Oh well. It will be better, and I'm having a long discussion with my advisor on Tuesday about it. The great part is he's really supportive of what I'm trying to do--I just didn't pick something easy to do. (Not that "easy" exists in dissertation world... but I did choose a very controversial debate to work on.)
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The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.
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ms_pnw
Junior member
Posts: 52
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« Reply #1273 on: March 09, 2010, 05:45:32 PM » |
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Hi folks,
I'm hopefully a month out from submitting my whole diss to my committee and my advisor wants me to include one of my qualifying exam responses as a preliminary chapter. I'm trying to revise it but it SUCKS. It's well written and interesting subject matter but it has no point and is a total tangent in relation to the ensuing chapters of data analysis. I can't figure out a way to tie it into my overall argument without spending another month doing significant research for it. She thinks it's "fine" but I don't want to defend fine and I'd rather focus on the parts that have the potential to be "good." (I've given up on "excellent.")
Well, just needed to vent as my partner is sick of hearing me complain about this big pile of papers and the zero jobs out there--so I'm very glad to have found this forum.
Hope everyone is having a productive day.
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synecdoche
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« Reply #1274 on: March 09, 2010, 05:53:33 PM » |
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I'm currently cursing whoever keeps recalling my books. I'm trying to figure out who it is—there's nobody else in the department who works on anything close to the books' topics, with the possible exception of my supervisor who definitely didn't recall it. It's not a big deal I guess but a nuisance. I'm not too worried about the one book but the second one is something my supervisor recommended me read in his feedback of the last chapter. Now I have to get through it by Thursday. Sigh.
Anyway, my dissertation group's meeting on Thursday to go through another one of my chapters. I'm not too terribly worried about this one. I already have plans for some revisions but I think it is in fairly good shape. I'm hoping that I'll have a chance to bounce the ideas for revisions off the group and get some feedback.
On a more encouraging note, the same meeting where my supervisor and I talked about the last chapter went really well. It was an encouraging meeting, and we even talked a bit about external examiners. He has two in mind and I'd be over the moon with either one—they're both scholars whose work I admire immensely. It was nice to talk about the end as though it is in sight!
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