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msparticularity
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« Reply #180 on: November 18, 2009, 05:57:22 PM » |
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Hey hey hey! That's great, Prephd! Was that your first on-campus interview?* How do you feel? I've got to say that the question I was asked at every. single. meeting. was "Are you absolutely certain you will finish the dissertation before you start?"
Why even bother asking the question? They know what everybody's going to say, whether it's true or not. You'd have to be an idiot to say "no". You would be surprised. There are idiots. There are also people who haven't anticipated the question and so stumble. I think it might help differentiate between two very different responses: "I have all of the chapters in draft form and have revised three of the five to reflect my advisor's comments. S/he says I can defend by March," and "Oh, um, yeah--definitely!" |
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"Once admit that the sole verifiable or fruitful object of knowledge is the particular set of changes that generate the object of study...and no intelligible question can be asked about what, by assumption, lies outside." John Dewey
"Be particular." Jill Conner Browne
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sugaree
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« Reply #181 on: November 19, 2009, 11:09:16 AM » |
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Hey hey hey! That's great, Prephd! Was that your first on-campus interview?* How do you feel? I've got to say that the question I was asked at every. single. meeting. was "Are you absolutely certain you will finish the dissertation before you start?"
Why even bother asking the question? They know what everybody's going to say, whether it's true or not. You'd have to be an idiot to say "no". You would be surprised. There are idiots. There are also people who haven't anticipated the question and so stumble. I think it might help differentiate between two very different responses: "I have all of the chapters in draft form and have revised three of the five to reflect my advisor's comments. S/he says I can defend by March," and "Oh, um, yeah--definitely!" Exactly. This question is about fishing for more specific info re: a timeline to completion. Everyone says they'll be done, but only those who have a real plan to finish by a particular date will have extensive details to provide in response to what is, IMO, not at all an obvious question. To switch gears, though - good luck everyone. Given that the MLA/AHA season is now gearing up in earnest (I don't know about other fields, so maybe them too?) try not to obsess too much and continue working. And because it can't be said enough, please know that a "good" dissertation is a done dissertation. |
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where's the bourbon?
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all_my_frenemies
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« Reply #182 on: November 19, 2009, 09:56:48 PM » |
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Today I was asked for writing samples and to have my recommenders send letters from a school that I am VERY interested in. A small milestone, perhaps, but it is the first request for materials I've had!
They suggested 1-2 chapters or a published article. I don't have the latter, so I am going with Ch 4 and 5 of the diss. I'll spending the weekend shoring up and polishing before emailing them on Monday. I am *slightly* concerned about not sending something immediately, but I'd much rather send something solid than send something quickly. One of the chapters is draft-ier than the other, but as ABD I think I am better off sending two than one. And the two chapters build on each other so that synergy is nice too....... yee-ha!
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half-past France
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pink_
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« Reply #183 on: November 19, 2009, 10:03:19 PM » |
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Today I was asked for writing samples and to have my recommenders send letters from a school that I am VERY interested in. A small milestone, perhaps, but it is the first request for materials I've had!
They suggested 1-2 chapters or a published article. I don't have the latter, so I am going with Ch 4 and 5 of the diss. I'll spending the weekend shoring up and polishing before emailing them on Monday. I am *slightly* concerned about not sending something immediately, but I'd much rather send something solid than send something quickly. One of the chapters is draft-ier than the other, but as ABD I think I am better off sending two than one. And the two chapters build on each other so that synergy is nice too....... yee-ha!
Congratulations. I think you'll be fine sending the WS on Monday. Good luck! |
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Horses don't have seatbelts. Listen to Pink, she's smart.
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berkeleygirl
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« Reply #184 on: November 19, 2009, 10:22:13 PM » |
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Congrats AMF!
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monita
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« Reply #185 on: November 20, 2009, 09:21:59 AM » |
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Congratulations for the request for materials! I just got one too, from a pretty elite ivy that I thought would throw me straight into the circular file. I feel like those kids at the beginning of American Idol, waving their little yellow paper around. It'll probably go nowhere (in my case), but it feels good anyway. :-)
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berkeleygirl
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« Reply #186 on: November 20, 2009, 11:02:39 AM » |
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congrats monita...enjoy that gold paper, and good luck!
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ann05
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« Reply #187 on: November 20, 2009, 11:58:13 AM » |
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Monita, that's my new favorite comparison.
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polly_mer
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« Reply #188 on: November 21, 2009, 10:47:51 AM » |
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Congrats on the interview, Prephd, and yes, to the readers at home, the proper answer to the done question is details with a timeline, not a self-assured, "Of course", because only a great fool would say anything less than, "of course", although we all have heard the tales of it happening.
AMF and Monita, the small steps indicate some interest. Yay for you! Go ahead; enjoy that feel for a few minutes, savor the moment, slap one of Berkleygirl's unicorn stickers on your forehead, and then get back to work. The race is not to the swift, but to the diligent and those with high endurance.
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You can never know everything, and part of what you do know will always be wrong. Perhaps even the most important part. A portion of wisdom lies in knowing this. A portion of courage lies in going on anyway.
--Robert Jordan
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prephd
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« Reply #189 on: November 21, 2009, 01:07:41 PM » |
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The race is not to the swift, but to the diligent and those with high endurance.
I am ever so feeling this today, as I prepared another round of edits on Chapters 1-3, set up a meeting to secure a well-known outside reader, and saw another batch of ads come out. I feel like I can't stop applying until I've got an offer in hand, but it takes so much time away from everything else I need and want to do. |
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Prephd, in all that black, you are like the anti-pink-me. Freewill is a beeyaaatch
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polly_mer
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« Reply #190 on: November 22, 2009, 09:43:17 AM » |
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The race is not to the swift, but to the diligent and those with high endurance.
I am ever so feeling this today, as I prepared another round of edits on Chapters 1-3, set up a meeting to secure a well-known outside reader, and saw another batch of ads come out. I feel like I can't stop applying until I've got an offer in hand, but it takes so much time away from everything else I need and want to do. Reading the ads, checking out the schools, and then applying for the jobs does take a lot of time and energy. However, no, you can't stop applying until you get an offer in hand, even though, yes, that energy and time could be spent on other worthy things like your dissertation, research, and publications. As one of my colleagues put it when we were applying for doctoral programs, that time management of too many important things, too little time is part of the test. People who can't figure out how to send out fantastic applications on top of all of their other responsibilities will be people who also won't be able to juggle the increased responsibilities on the tenure track. So, yes, it is a very busy, very difficult time, but successfully making it through will leave you with the skills you need for the next step. Getting the job is not the end of the path, but merely the indication of the start of another, steeper climb to getting tenure. |
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You can never know everything, and part of what you do know will always be wrong. Perhaps even the most important part. A portion of wisdom lies in knowing this. A portion of courage lies in going on anyway.
--Robert Jordan
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artsy_122
Junior member
Posts: 66
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« Reply #191 on: November 25, 2009, 09:53:22 AM » |
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So - how is it going? Or has everyone's head exploded... mine feels like it is about too!!! But I keep balancing making good progress on my dissertation, getting job apps out, and even working on my syllabi for the winter!!!
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polly_mer
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« Reply #192 on: November 25, 2009, 10:58:34 AM » |
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So - how is it going? Or has everyone's head exploded... mine feels like it is about too!!! But I keep balancing making good progress on my dissertation, getting job apps out, and even working on my syllabi for the winter!!!
Good on you, Artsy_122. Here is a gold star and fingers crossed that your apps are hitting the right desks. |
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You can never know everything, and part of what you do know will always be wrong. Perhaps even the most important part. A portion of wisdom lies in knowing this. A portion of courage lies in going on anyway.
--Robert Jordan
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berkeleygirl
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« Reply #193 on: November 25, 2009, 12:06:31 PM » |
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Finally the silence has broken, I got a request for a conference interview and a request for more materials from another school. I am enjoying my gold paper!
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polly_mer
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« Reply #194 on: November 25, 2009, 12:24:30 PM » |
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Finally the silence has broken, I got a request for a conference interview and a request for more materials from another school. I am enjoying my gold paper!
Go Berkeleygirl. Here is your unicorn sticker. |
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You can never know everything, and part of what you do know will always be wrong. Perhaps even the most important part. A portion of wisdom lies in knowing this. A portion of courage lies in going on anyway.
--Robert Jordan
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