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[tijuanafina]

I have been reading these posts on this website, and thank everyone for participating, it is particularly illuminating.

One of them, from a search committee member, said:  We put two piles, one of people with PhDs and one of ABDs, we rarely ever get to the ABD pile from what we get in the PhD pile.

I am ABD and on the market, scheduled to defend in the Spring.  If I don't get a job though, which seems inevitable, should I stay here as a grad student, and go on the market again next year?

If so, will I still end up in the ABD pile?  How can I get in the PhD pile?!

I can defend in the Spring even if I don't get a job, but the place I work said it would be much easier for me to keep my job as a grad student than as a PhD, because of our unions.  I have two more years of guaranteed funding.

Thank you very much.

[lohai0]

I have been reading these posts on this website, and thank everyone for participating, it is particularly illuminating.

One of them, from a search committee member, said:  We put two piles, one of people with PhDs and one of ABDs, we rarely ever get to the ABD pile from what we get in the PhD pile.

I am ABD and on the market, scheduled to defend in the Spring.  If I don't get a job though, which seems inevitable, should I stay here as a grad student, and go on the market again next year?

If so, will I still end up in the ABD pile?  How can I get in the PhD pile?!

I can defend in the Spring even if I don't get a job, but the place I work said it would be much easier for me to keep my job as a grad student than as a PhD, because of our unions.  I have two more years of guaranteed funding.

Thank you very much.

What field are you in?

[lasquires]

Can you defend now and wait to officially file for graduation until you're ready to leave? That's what my program has advised me to do.

[tijuanafina]

I'm in Literature.  I don't know if I can defend and wait, actually.  If so would that make my application fall in between the piles?

[lasquires]

I'm in Literature.  I don't know if I can defend and wait, actually.  If so would that make my application fall in between the piles?

As far as I understand it, as long as you can put "I successfully defended my dissertation on X" in your cover letter and your letter writers corroborate that claim, the SC will consider actual graduation a formality.

Talk to your DGS about this. Defending and waiting to file is pretty common, I think.

[glowdart]

If you can delay filing, then that's an idea - or else can you put a defense date in your materials that's sometime in the month or so after MLA, and if you don't get any MLA interviews, then can you move your defense date to next year? 

But definitely talk to your DGS.  Some places have limits on how much time you have between defense and filing, and some places won't consider you for funding if you have defended, even if you're still technically ABD.


For what it's worth, which isn't much since we're one school, we look for defense dates when we see an interesting ABD candidate (specific dates are MUCH better than "April" to us) and then we call and check on progress with your dissertation director. 

[shrek]

I had a student who worked in my lab who defended once he got a job. It worked well, we published a couple of papers together, he helped us pull together some data, etc. This allowed him to keep a job in the university one more year and not let his degree get stale.

[aldara]

I am in literature.  I had many MLA interviews and got a job during my ABD run on the market, with a defense date in the Spring.  

I have been told that the trick is to make sure it is communicated, not just by you, but by your committee, that the defense date is REAL.  That is, your advisor needs to attest that you have the whole thing pretty much drafted with at least half polished, approved, and ready to go.  Not: "I just started writing this, and I will defend in the Spring!" My defense, for example, had actually been scheduled for a specific day and time and was on everyone's calendar.  (on preview, it looks like glowdart's experience backs this up)

Given that the job search spans an entire year, I find the trend towards committees absolutely dismissing ABD candidates kind of disturbing.  It was stipulated in my contract that I had to have the degree in hand at the start date.  

Some of this is also dependent on the reputation of the program you are coming from and the type of jobs you are applying for, but that's probably a conversation for a different thread.  

[seniorscholar]

I have been told that the trick is to make sure it is communicated, not just by you, but by your committee, that the defense date is REAL.  . . .  My defense, for example, had actually been scheduled for a specific day and time and was on everyone's calendar.

This.
 And for my grad students, it's also on their c.v. as

Dates - School - PhD. expected May 2012 (defense scheduled March 23, 2012)

That is, right near the top of the c.v., for committees that are sorting them into stacks of "Ph.D." and "ABD"

[tijuanafina]

Thanks for the hopeful sounding responses.

I put my solid defense date in my letter though, not on my CV, will it still be seen?

Yes, my committee will back me up.  My CV says "expected" degree in June.

Glad to hear success stories from others as ABD.

My program is well respected, somewhere in the top 20ish(?), with some good committee members.

Now I'm done applying, we'll see, just a few post-docs to go...  As they say on late night TV:  "set it and forget it."

I'll be lurking around the MLA regardless.

[lasquires]

Definitely put it on your cv using the format suggested by seniorscholar.

[suomynona]

Yikes, I'd not heard of this ABD/PhD pile system, though it's logical enough.  In prior cover letter and cv submissions, I've been honest and put 'in the process of scheduling defense for a date in Month X,' because Month X is rapidly approaching, my examiners are appointed, my dissertation submitted, and we've just been working out what specific date everyone can turn up to the 'party.'

I now have that specific date.  Should I contact the few departments I've applied to with a two-sentence e-mail stating that I now have a firm date set, or would that be neurotic?  I've also had e-mails from a couple SC chairs expressing interest and requesting more materials.  Should I let them know I have a firm defense date?  This is making me crazy.

[lohai0]

Yikes, I'd not heard of this ABD/PhD pile system, though it's logical enough.  In prior cover letter and cv submissions, I've been honest and put 'in the process of scheduling defense for a date in Month X,' because Month X is rapidly approaching, my examiners are appointed, my dissertation submitted, and we've just been working out what specific date everyone can turn up to the 'party.'

I now have that specific date.  Should I contact the few departments I've applied to with a two-sentence e-mail stating that I now have a firm date set, or would that be neurotic?  I've also had e-mails from a couple SC chairs expressing interest and requesting more materials.  Should I let them know I have a firm defense date?  This is making me crazy.

Send a short email, after you have successfully defended, informing them of your change in status.

[lasquires]

I think the advice experienced SC members give is to notify the SC of a successful defense, but a scheduled defense doesn't necessarily warrant an update if you've already sent them the application. You could say something in emails responding to additional materials requests, I suppose.

[oldfullprof]

THIS is one of my pet peeves..  We had a crew at UT who waited to defend.  "I'm waiting for the right job..."  This would have been okay, but they sucked up resources grad students on a conventional timeline could have used.  Only one got a good job.